Retirements That Hurt

[Dan]

Ryan Harris retiring just before the last Ashes left a massive hole in Australia's attack.

Ryan Harris retiring cost Australia any chance of the 2015 Ashes

Hey Burgey do you reckon Ryan Harris retiring had any impact whatsoever on the 2015 Ashes?

 

[Dan]

Martyn-Warne-McGrath-Langer in the same series was a pretty big blow, especially considering that Hayden and Gilchrist were both past their peak and on the downhill too, and MacGill was crocked.

 

[Howe_zat]

Martyn-Warne-McGrath-Langer in the same series was a pretty big blow, especially considering that Hayden and Gilchrist were both past their peak and on the downhill too, and MacGill was crocked.

The immediate impact was probably lessened at the time because of the fixture list. The next series after the 2007 retirements were Sri Lanka at home and India away, which just about went the way they usually did when Warne and McGrath were in the team. It didn't look like a demonstrably weaker side until the next summer when they lost at home to SA (and Gilchrist was also gone).

 

[StephenZA]

Kallis's retirement is still causing reverberations in the SA cricket team...

 

[stephen]

Kallis's retirement is still causing reverberations in the SA cricket team...

Yeah he's got impossible boots to fill. Literally only one other player in history could have replaced him, and he retired 50 years ago.

 

[stephen]

Martyn-Warne-McGrath-Langer in the same series was a pretty big blow, especially considering that Hayden and Gilchrist were both past their peak and on the downhill too, and MacGill was crocked.

That last sentence was the saddest part of it all. With a better body MacGill could have been a regular for another 5 years based on his age. But he only later to 35, which is young for a retiring spinner.

Lyon will leave a giant hole when he goes.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Alistair Cook. He was still a youngish man and his replacements so inadequate that people think Rory Burns is a good Test opener.

 

[Daemon]

To be fair his own output was really diminishing when he retired (still better than the spuds since, mind) so his absence is not that sorely felt. It's a bit like Amla, Tendulkar or Ponting's retirements.

 

[TheJediBrah]

That last sentence was the saddest part of it all. With a better body MacGill could have been a regular for another 5 years based on his age. But he only later to 35, which use young for a retiring spinner.

Lyon will leave a giant hole when he goes.

Pretty **** that Aus had all of Warne, MacGill, Hogg going simultaneously and they all finished up about the same time. Would have been nice to spread those 3 over about 30 years rather than have them wasted playing mostly domestic cricket.

 

[stephen]

Pretty **** that Aus had all of Warne, MacGill, Hogg going simultaneously and they all finished up about the same time. Would have been nice to spread those 3 over about 30 years rather than have them wasted playing mostly domestic cricket.

Hogg didn't even play a huge amount of red ball cricket, probably because the WACA is garbage for spinners, but still.

 

[StephenZA]

Graeme Smith was also a retirement that hurt, not only for his batting but for his leadership. Think of the learning pains that RSA felt going through ABdV, Amla before landing on Faf. Combined with the underlying problems within the general administration of cricket in RSA since.

 

[Burgey]

It’s taken until last year for Australia to find a serviceable replacement for Ponting at three. Makes such a difference when you find one. Same with the gap between Boonie retiring and Ponting cementing the spot at first drop.

 

[honestbharani]

I don't think Langer was that bad at 3, was he?

 

[Burgey]

He was a bit up and down tbh. Was always like he was playing for his spot. Not terrible, but three is such an important spot. The difference having a ~45 to 50 odd-average three makes to your line up is so big. Memory might be playing tricks on me but Langer at three reminded me more of Khawaja than Labushagne.

If Labushagne ends up a 50 average number three, the next 3-5 years for Australia looks really good. Smith behind him at four makes it a very good middle order to bat around.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Hogg didn't even play a huge amount of red ball cricket, probably because the WACA is garbage for spinners, but still.

Yeah with Hogg I was talking more about short form. Can't help but wonder how good an ODI bowler MacGill could have been, he had an incredible domestic record for NSW.

Another hypothetical is how Hogg might have been utilised with no Warne and MacGill. For a lot of his Shield he was almost used as a batting all-rounder by WA, possibly due to the WACA's unfriendliness to spin. Would he have played 100 Tests?

He was a bit up and down tbh. Was always like he was playing for his spot. Not terrible, but three is such an important spot. The difference having a ~45 to 50 odd-average three makes to your line up is so big. Memory might be playing tricks on me but Langer at three reminded me more of Khawaja than Labushagne.

If Labushagne ends up a 50 average number three, the next 3-5 years for Australia looks really good. Smith behind him at four makes it a very good middle order to bat around.

Other than an incredible 1999-2000 season Langer didn't do much at 3. But for that one season he was Bradmanesque.

 

[stephen]

Apparently Hogg's wrong un was much easier to pick with the red ball, hence why he wasn't as good at first class cricket as limited overs. Still, our ODI side greatly misses him now.

 

[GIMH]

Graeme Swann another obvious recent(ish) one for England. Obviously spinners of note haven't been a thing for us in a lot of our lifetimes and then finally we had one. And then we didn't. Doh

 

[Flem274*]

mark richardson. mccullum has his moments as an opener pre-captaincy but was pretty bad and latham's average loves a club bowler.

daniel vettori another. we have spinners who win games in turning conditions now but we don't have a reliable bowling allrounder. jamieson made a good start against india but he's one of 5 seamers going for 3 specialist spots.

- Watling & Ross

in theory we have reasonable prospects waiting for an extended chance (young, conway, phillips + blundell, cleaver, seifert)

in theory

 

[Starfighter]

^Not like they'll ever play any tests so we can find out.

 

[mr_mister]

jesse ryder or whatever his cricket status is for the kiwis, retired or not it was such a waste of talent

all those drinking controversies basically gave him a one-way ticket to palookaville

he could have had class, he could have been a contender, he could have been somebody instead of a bum which is what he is lets face it