*Official* Fourth Test at the MCG

[steds]

He has scored two hundreds fairly recently though. You can't really drop him after those, despite to me him not being a good enough bat at Test level. If he is still average in the next 5-10 tests Australia play then you sling him but whilst he is scoring runs he should stay in

Well yeah. But even after those two tons, you're still getting comments like

Watson loses his value when he can't bowl

How much value can you get from 7 overs per innings? Can't see much bang for your buck there.

 

[91Jmay]

To be fair its not like they have much else is it? Bailey is the last guy to come in and he isn't good enough from what we have seen so far. Who else is pushing for selection?

 

[benchmark00]

Imagine life without the WPWB in Australia's line up.

*thinks back to the Wade era*

 

[Tangles]

North has 593 at 98.83
White has 556 at 50.54
Hughes has 549 at 61

Like Crib said he has stayed by never being the worst and by always having bowling as a tie breaker.

 

[benchmark00]

People who underrate Watson's bowling contribution just don't get cricket I'm afraid.

 

[BeeGee]

So what happens now?

The game continues until both teams have completed two innings or time runs out after five days or one team wins.

 

[BeeGee]

He suits his bowling.

Suiting your own bowling is a good thing, imo.

 

[social]

Yes, exactly my point. Unless Watson's not fit to bowl then Faulkner should not be anywhere near the side. I think that if you decided Watson was no longer worth his place as a specialist top order batsman and was now selected purely as a middle order allrounder, you could mount a good case for Haddin batting at six ahead of him, but Watson having scored two tons in his last five Tests means he's not going anywhere IMO. Bailey is increasingly looking like a flop but he's still a much better batsman than Faulkner whose bowling would offer nothing as part of a six man attack.

I'd say that there is a fairly good chance that Faulkner is every bit as good a batsman as Bailey and with more upside potential

Also, let's not forget that Watto is averaging 30 in this series with the bat AGAIN

 

[BoyBrumby]

You're the one that got personal about an individual's posting. So odd from you.

I just find it weird anyone would ever use the word "bogan" to Lee, who is like the least Bogan Australian player I may have ever seen.

Ed Cowan. But yeah I agree.

I was going to say Cowan too, but Rogers seems very unbogany as well. Kind of chap who looks as if he knows exactly which underpants he'll be wearing on any given day for a week in advance.

Nice to see England finally arrive, but I think we should wait until the Oz innings is concluded before we start sucking each others dicks; remember what Haddin did with Patto in the first test of the English series...

It's odd how the shortcomings of one side obscure those of the other at times too. We saw it with England in the summer; a 3-0 win, some good bowling and Ian Bell hid the fact that we had an awful lot of batters in seriously dire form and that dire form being carried over to the return leg has partly drawn the eye away from the Australian top order's own woes.

Think it was Brian Clough who said you should always look to change a winning side; will Invers et al grasp the nettle before Sydney because Bailey just doesn't look up to it.

 

[benchmark00]

Nice to see England finally arrive, but I think we should wait until the Oz innings is concluded before we start sucking each others dicks

Genuine lol moment there, holy ****.

 

[benchmark00]

btw Stuart MacGill ain't a bogan.

 

[Adders]

Martin Crowe: Graeme Swann and the fear of success | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

This is rubbish from Crowe. The first line is shocking,"Another one bites the dust." He is indirectly referring to Trott who left due to depression, don't think such things should be written so easily. And the whole article is just an assumption of what "he feels" about Swann's retirement. Ridiculous. Not reading anything from Crowe from here on.

I never read it like that, I thought it was a reference to Sachin and Kallis (not that I'm sticking Swann in that class of ATG at all) as being another top player from this era to recently call it quits. If you are right (and on reflection you may very well be) then I agree it is poor.........no way should Trott's departure be compared to Swann, totally different situation and Trott should be afforded every sympathy and respect for his decision......Swann, not so much.

Apart from that though I thought it was an excellent article.

 

[MW1304]

Getting a bit of Lawry on Sky apparently.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Didn't think about that, but yes good point. Basically whoever won in England would be hard done by in a weird way, as they didn't get to hold the Ashes for very long at all.

England have held it since 2009, that's more than long enough!

 

[GIMH]

Interesting interview this with KP.

Tbf I agree with the bulk of what he's saying. A little self-pitying but in general on the money that both sides' bats have by and large been poor across both series. Also said he played the dismissal shot because our tail has been turd.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Warnie has his moments in commentary that make you want to stop listening, but he's bloody good to listen to when he talks about bowling.

 

[GIMH]

Warnie has his moments in commentary that make you want to stop listening, but he's bloody good to listen to when he talks about bowling.

Yeah definitely. I remember a stint he did with Atherton in the 09 Ashes when Clarke and Haddin batted through the final session on day four and he was chatting about spin bowling and various plans and flukes that looked like plans and I'd have even happy to have had the picture off and just listen.

Tbh he's generally been one of my favourite commentators on sky until the series this summer. Hoping he can return to form if he's over here next summer with no vested interest in the result

 

[Son Of Coco]

All this talk of getting batsmen in the right positions etc when you're bowling...never thought about it the whole time I was playing cricket I don't think. At least not past anything more than a very basic level. Remember listening to Dizzy talking about bowling to left handers one morning before a game though and went out and tried what he suggested. Worked a treat.

 

[GIMH]

This point KP made and the guys are discussing about bowlers working a batsman over across ten Tests. Pretty sure it was a big reason why you Aussies talk a lot of heart from the series over here regardless of the result, as the bowlers clearly had the wood over our guys. So basically Sky and KP following cricinfo's lead in getting their pointers from CW

 

[Spikey]

good placement by rad