Brad Hogg as a test match option

[pup11]

Though i don't like the idea of having a make-shift opener in Test cricket but i still think Australia should experiment with Watson considering the poor form of the opening slot contenders like Rogers and Jacques.

Watson's technique against fast-bowling is pretty solid but i have doubts over his technique against spin bowling because from whatever i have seen of him against spin bowling in international cricket he looks to pretty firm-footed against the spiners.

 

[aussie]

Kallis was a genuine allrounder though when he started his career, and like most allrounders, as their career develops, one part of his game developed to be better than the other.

From my viewing of Kallis i would say after he made his debut in 95, he really started to emerge as a top-class allrounder between 98-2002 then he went in to a slight decline in 2003 & after England tour here that year he went into a real decline as a bowler (which coincidentally was the same period his batting reached new heights) & only over the past year i guess his bowling as improved but nowhere near the same Kallis of 98-2002.

 

[aussie]

Despite this thread lasting 17 pages, please don't let it fool anyone. There is no way Hogg is making the test team. He doesn't even play FC cricket for his state, ffs.

and despite the very harsh bashing of Hogg here, it is fairly obvious that Hogg not playing for WA last season or since he made his international debut in 2003 is due to his consistent presence in the Australian ODI side?.

Just look at his FC record since his international debut:

2006/07

2005/06

2004/05

2003/04

But ignoring these stats here, as i said in my first post of this thread its evident that Hogg's FC record isn't superb & also his previous spells in test cricket (especially after his performance in the 2003 WC in the WI & 2003 oz summer vs ZIM) weren' t impressive either although he didn't look useless at test level. Its obvious that by just looking at him bowl in the WC that he has added new dimensions to his bowling & given also that MacGill's record wasn't all that impressive last season even though his test record should make him an automatic selection aslo given that the young spinners in Australia are no where close to being ready for any form of international cricket. Its would be foolish to rule out the chances of Hogg playing test cricket in the near future.

 

[Mister Wright]

Well yeah but that was just 1 series, wasn't it? After the next game following that, things went rapidly downhill and didn't get better for 2 years.

I'm not a big Clarke fan, as most know, but he did have an amazing start to his career. However, after the first 10 matches he had a big slump for a year.

 

[pup11]

I'm not a big Clarke fan, as most know, but he did have an amazing start to his career. However, after the first 10 matches he had a big slump for a year.

Yeah thats true, Clarke had a superb series against India in India then he scored a century against New Zealand at Gabba (which was his debut test in Australia), then he had a bad series in New Zealand and a bad series against Pakistan at home (and in most of these tests he only batted once because either Australia won by an innings or he wasn't required to bat in the second innings). In Ashes 05 he scored a 90 odd in the 1st test and after that he kept on scoring the 40's and 30's through the series but he wasn't able to convert his starts into big knocks.

He went onto play 2 more tests after Ashes 05 and then he was dropped from the test team within an year of him making his debut in the test side, but even during that period he kept on doing really well in odi cricket.

 

[Richard]

I'm not a big Clarke fan, as most know, but he did have an amazing start to his career. However, after the first 10 matches he had a big slump for a year.

More after his first 5 games.

I wasn't a Clarke fan, incidentally, until 2006\07, but his batting in that series reached heights he'd never remotely looked like attaining before then. If he can keep playing like that, he'll go far.

 

[Richard]

Though i don't like the idea of having a make-shift opener in Test cricket but i still think Australia should experiment with Watson considering the poor form of the opening slot contenders like Rogers and Jacques.

Watson's technique against fast-bowling is pretty solid but i have doubts over his technique against spin bowling because from whatever i have seen of him against spin bowling in international cricket he looks to pretty firm-footed against the spiners.

It just makes no sense to have Hussey and Watson in the side and Watson opening instead of Hussey, though. No sense at all.

Regardless of the fact Watson appears technically equipped to open the batting - he never has. Whereas Hussey has, with success.

If someone like Jacques or Rogers does not get brought in, Hussey is surely the only viable pick there.

 

[NUFAN]

I can't believe Watson is being considered for the opening spot. If Jaques and Rogers aren't good enough just pick a team that makes sense..

1 Hayden
2 Hussey
3 Ponting
4 Clarke
5 Hodge
6 (Symonds or Watson)