***Official*** Australia in Sri Lanka

[Nate]

http://www.cricketweb.net/forum/466000-post38.html

The same bloke also called Hastings to play for Australia some five years before his FC debut amongst his eight posts. I found that particularly interesting given Hastings wasn't someone who was actually rated very highly at grade level even after that post.

Epic.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

That's often how it goes with good short pitched bowling - it messes up your footwork and means the full ball is infinitely more dangerous.

That is what I was getting at. He looked all at sea in the tests he played in the last ashes, no doubt he will get more of the same in future ashes series too and in the South Africa series. Nobody else has the quality of pacemen to continually keep the pressure on though so he will score heavily against sides with weaker attacks.

 

[Spark]

That is what I was getting at. He looked all at sea in the tests he played in the last ashes, no doubt he will get more of the same in future ashes series too and in the South Africa series. Nobody else has the quality of pacemen to continually keep the pressure on though so he will score heavily against sides with weaker attacks.

SA don't really have the attack that keeps pressure on for long periods either tbh. They just try to sledgehammer you into obvlion. Usually works well.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

SA don't really have the attack that keeps pressure on for long periods either tbh. They just try to sledgehammer you into obvlion. Usually works well.

Getting through the new ball though will be a problem. Now sides have seen him they can try and exploit his weakness. Going to be fascinating to watch as a neutral to see who gets the better of the battle.

 

[Migara]

I am quite sure that none of the Board president bowlers will play against Aussies in test side. SL attack mainly will be something like Welegedara, Eranga, Randiv and Prasanna. I'll be gutted if the selecturds select Mendis over Randiv.

Batting will be quite strong, with only question marks over form of Dilshan and Mathews. Dilshan will eb always hit and miss, but Mathews' form is worrying. He should bat long and deep. May be that Mahela and Samaraweera can go down one position and let Mathews bat against a newer ball. Fit and scoring Mathews is a necessity for SL. None of the batsmen other than Dilshan and Mathews can push the score when needed. Randiv at #8 and Eranga at #9 will give some insane batting depth. Even Prasanna, would be a top class #10 with the bat.

SL on other hand can pick Prasad over Welegedara, which would be a risk, and I would have done that if Mathews was in decent bowling form. But Mathews injury forces SL to go for a less risky option in Welegedara.

 

[Spikey]

supermen prince and usman are our superiors

 

[adub]

Being picked whilst woefully out of nick didn't help at all tbh.

He was out of nick because his head had been ****ed up after being dropped. I've no doubt that had he not paid the price for Johnson's pathetic effort at Lords he would have sorted a way of playing Freddie. But once they boned him and told him the method that had him averaging just under 60 wasn't good enough he tried to comply and turned to ****. It's no coincidence that he has been a run machine again since he has worked with his old coach and gone back to playing his natural game.

 

[adub]

Phillip Hughes 5000 First Class runs! Well done. 57 matches at 52.08

 

[SamSawnoff]

He was out of nick because his head had been ****ed up after being dropped. I've no doubt that had he not paid the price for Johnson's pathetic effort at Lords he would have sorted a way of playing Freddie. But once they boned him and told him the method that had him averaging just under 60 wasn't good enough he tried to comply and turned to ****. It's no coincidence that he has been a run machine again since he has worked with his old coach and gone back to playing his natural game.

Youngsters being dropped isn't the end of the world. If they are good enough, they'll get back in the team. Most players get dropped at some point in their career. It doesn't automatically follow that it ****s them up. If it did, none of them would ever be seen again.

 

[TumTum]

Just for a second, I thought this was Katich.

 

[TumTum]

That is what I was getting at. He looked all at sea in the tests he played in the last ashes, no doubt he will get more of the same in future ashes series too and in the South Africa series. Nobody else has the quality of pacemen to continually keep the pressure on though so he will score heavily against sides with weaker attacks.

Just like Cook looked absolute **** against full balls (and still does), Hughes can get through this period as well.

 

[stephen]

The future of Australian cricket on display here. Copeland taking the wickets, Khawaja and Hughes making the runs. Throw in Lynn and O'Keefe and there are some very exciting youngsters that should make the core of a great side to come.

 

[Spikey]

Hughes looking like an Aus opener - out in the 50-99 region

 

[adub]

Youngsters being dropped isn't the end of the world. If they are good enough, they'll get back in the team. Most players get dropped at some point in their career. It doesn't automatically follow that it ****s them up. If it did, none of them would ever be seen again.

Absolutely. Getting found out and having to go back and work on your game is part of the deal. Hussey is about the only player since what Border who hasn't been down that road.

However, what happened to Hughes was not a case of long extended failure, nor being sent back to the Shield to find form. The pommy side had talked up a good fight and Fleet Street had run with the idea that Hughes was bad against the short stuff. He scored a 30 odd in Cardiff (following up 2 30s in the last test in SA). So not a great score, but hardly a failure. He then got a 4 and 17 at Lords. If every player got dropped every time they scored less than 20 in each innings no one would play more than 5 straight games. It was a total and disgraceful over-reaction to a bad loss that owed far, far, far more to Mitchell Johnson's absolutely shocking performance than to a kid in his 5th test failing in both innings for the first time.

Hughes was scapegoated terribly (remember he'd scored three tons in the county champs not more than a few weeks previously) in order to get Watson in the side so we'd have some bowling cover if (when) Johnson's radar went haywire again. Added to that Hilditch came out and knifed Hughes to cover up what they'd done and agreed with the media hype that he was suspect against the short stuff. He was told that his whole technique had to change, when it is now obvious that all he needed was a bit of support and faith show in him. Of course it ****ed up his mind. I can't think of another player treated as shabbily (maybe Hodge).

Thank **** he looks like he's got his mind right because an inform Hughes is a huge asset to the test side.

 

[adub]

The future of Australian cricket on display here. Copeland taking the wickets, Khawaja and Hughes making the runs. Throw in Lynn and O'Keefe and there are some very exciting youngsters that should make the core of a great side to come.

Never a truer word spoken. I'd add Faulkner and perhaps Warner, but these are the guys most likely to build the team around.

 

[Ruckus]

Hussey nicking early apparently...not the greatest of signs. Have a bad feeling Hussey's purple patch in the Ashes might have been a one off.

Question is, if Hussey continues to perform as woefully as he was before the Ashes, who do people think should be his replacement? Assuming Khawaja is the side, where do we go next (assuming Katman is finished)?

 

[TT Boy]

Hughes looking like an Aus opener - out in the 50-99 region

And out to the very part-time opposing opener. Hughes biggest test this series should be against spin, as **** knows who will be taking the new ball for Sri Lanka. And spin actually looked Hughes weakest suit when he toured South Africa and that was against Paul Harris.

Opening in Sri Lanka against their prank seam attack should be great for Hughes (and Watson), especially with the first test being played at Galle and the last time a touring left handed opener batted there he scored 333 at nigh on a run-a-ball.

 

[stephen]

Hussey nicking early apparently...not the greatest of signs. Have a bad feeling Hussey's purple patch in the Ashes might have been a one off.

Question is, if Hussey continues to perform as woefully as he was before the Ashes, who do people think should be his replacement? Assuming Khawaja is the side, where do we go next (assuming Katman is finished)?

Realistically? It'll be Marsh/random NSW player.

What I'd love to see... Lynn. He's massively exciting, the only disadvantage to him getting higher honours is that it would ruin QLD's chances of making any runs this season.

 

[Spikey]

Hussey nicking early apparently...not the greatest of signs. Have a bad feeling Hussey's purple patch in the Ashes might have been a one off.

Don't think many people were ever expecting anything else tbh. At the very least I was never expecting anything from him here and I def. recall others saying the same. will probably be decent in the summer though

 

[TT Boy]

Realistically? It'll be Marsh/random NSW player.

What I'd love to see... Lynn. He's massively exciting, the only disadvantage to him getting higher honours is that it would ruin QLD's chances of making any runs this season.

Big advantage though is that Cricinfo should have a new profile picture of Lynn where he appears at least human.

Chris Lynn | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo