ING Cup

[Gaijin-san]

Wow there looks to be a lot of really really good young players coming through the state squads at the moment.

Sad though, that NSW are absolutely creaming anyone who comes near them. I thought today that WA played particularly well and I rate them as the 2nd best domestic side. So to be reasonably comprehensively beaten in the end is not promising.

Mike Hussey again proving his worth again with the bat (and ball). Another shame that someone as naturally gifted and consistent as Hussey has never made it to the top XI.

And there's no words to describe Steve Waugh. He stole the match when WA had outplayed them.

Michael Slater with another misfire. NSW needed him. I think he's going to be finding it hard to get a game for his state again soon.

None of the NSW bowlers looked particularly penetrative. Though from WA there's a few genuine prospects for the future. The guys there are still really young and bowl pretty well i.e. Thistle and Worthington. Thistle's only played 2 games but I like what I've seen from him.

But what really surprised me was that Beau Casson didn't get a bowl! To me he looks like another promising young fellow, and while Langer turned his hand to slower bowling for a while to blow out the Req. RR, Casson wasn't used at all.

Either way it was a good match to watch and I think we'll see those two teams in the final again this year!

 

[Mr. P]

Today was great to watch. Steve Waugh was superb.

 

[PY]

Michael Slater with another misfire. NSW needed him. I think he's going to be finding it hard to get a game for his state again soon.

Even though he didn't play a 'match-turning' () innings, he still contributed 27 from 20 balls. Need I point out that the great Mark Waugh only got 7 from 9 balls. It's a bit harsh to say he's going to be dropped from that. How's he done so far? Haven't been able to find any averages (more laziness than incompetence) for this season so far?

I like Slater, made me laugh when him and Athers were commenting for Channel 4 this summer. They were shredding each other over their respective Test careers. Slightly OT but a classic.

 

[Mister Wright]

Slater has never been a 1day player and IMO shouldn't be in the NSW 1day squad. If NSW are going to play Mark Waugh in the 1day side he should be opening or at least in the top 4, otherwise he is wasted at 6.

It's a good thing NSW have such a good batting attack because their over-rated bowling attack don't know how to close innings. Clark is a waste of time. Nash has promise and Nicholson is too wayward for a 1day bowler. O'Brien looks like a good allrounder.

 

[Gaijin-san]

Well first of all, Mark Waugh is a tried and tested OD player. He had a fine career whereas Michael Slater has done nothing for anybody. Mark Waugh was all class today, its unfortunate he got out when he did because those 7 runs were vintage Mark Waugh.

In respect to Aaron O'Brien he did do very well. He kept his cool when things could easily have turned pear shaped.

And as for NSW bowling incompetence at the moment (lacking in their best players, no doubt), how about Liam Zammit? He seems to be learning the spinning trade very quickly and he's a more than capable batsman in the lower order.

 

[Richard]

How can anyone possibly contemplate picking one of the best one-day-international openers of all-time at number-six?:O

 

[Craig]

Nash needs to lose some weight first. He is fat.

 

[luckyeddie]

Nash needs to lose some weight first. He is fat.

Shane's mum can help

 

[Craig]

You are priceless LE :saint:

 

[deeps]

firstly,i'd like to say i'm a WA supporter living in WA...but i'm also steve waugh's biggest fan! it was a superb game to watch,steve waugh showed why he is still considered one of the best batsman in the world.

That was probably one of the best innings i've EVER seen...it was brilliant...hardly a false shot, lots of great boundaries...and one magnifecent six that went miles! simply superb

he should still b playing for australia..he showed that age isn't a factor..bring him back!!!

obrien batted really well...has talent..i din't see him bowl

 

[Richard]

steve waugh showed why he is still considered one of the best batsman in the world.
he should still b playing for australia..he showed that age isn't a factor..bring him back!!!

I've long argued that age is no factor in Test-cricket, because it's just one series at a time.
However, in ODIs there is a definate target - the next World Cup. If there's one 42-year-old I'd back to play in a World Cup it would be Stephen Waugh, but even for him that may be just pushing it a bit far.
And he is unquestionably one of the top players in The World in the First-Class form of the game but his ODI average has always been bizarrely low (not even 34). His domestic one-day average is fine, but in ODIs he sadly never quite fulfiled his potential and but for his captaincy I'd have been amazed if people weren't calling for his head long before he was dropped (and interestingly there didn't seem to be that many calls for his head when he actually was dropped).

 

[Mr. P]

Nash needs to lose some weight first. He is fat.

Er....yes. The funny part is, thats actually true. The guy carries a fair bit on him.

 

[Top_Cat]

Er....yes. The funny part is, thats actually true. The guy carries a fair bit on him.

Doesn't seem to affect his bowling too much. So who really cares if he's a big bloke if he's taking wickets?

 

[Top_Cat]

And how about Steve Waugh, eh? Ballsy move bringing himself out at no. 3 but it paid off. Shows he's still batting with some pretty high confidence and probably feels he has a lot to prove.

I just wonder whether he would have batted at 3 if he'd not been captain.

 

[Mr. P]

Doesn't seem to affect his bowling too much. So who really cares if he's a big bloke if he's taking wickets?

Two words:

The Media

 

[gibbsnsmith]

I've long argued that age is no factor in Test-cricket, because it's just one series at a time.

Stewart, Gough, Caddick for another 3 years?

Infact, bring back Curtly for WIndies, id love to see him bowl again

 

[deeps]

stewart could have played on another year AT LEAST..maybe more...he was still scoring very well with the bat,his keeping wasn't as good as it used be...but still decent

He could probably make the england team as a batsman...but then again..so could glenn mcgrath :P

in all seriousness though, waugh is getting older,but if it's not affecting his performance,it shouldn't matter

He's still a pretty good fielder,...much better than lehmann,a better bowler than lehmann, and miles better batsmen than lehmann

 

[Eclipse]

One of the main reason's Old players get droped is to make way for the young who are going to be the future of the team.

Steven Waugh may be good enough still but he would just be holding a young bloke back.


As for that NSW team Mark Waugh and Brad Haddin should be opening.

Haddin really is capable of tearing an attack apart and his avrage is exeptional for somone striking at 100 in Domestic List A games.

 

[Top_Cat]

Steven Waugh may be good enough still but he would just be holding a young bloke back.

Who cares if he's still doing the job? And when he finally DOES retire, who's to say that the generation which is around at that point won't be any good?

I know people go on about how players such as Hussey, etc. 'deserve' a chance by virtue of the fact that they haven't played any Tests but 'should have' but if the player who got there first is doing the job, well that's bad luck.

By playing on, considering he's still scoring runs, Steve Waugh isn't holding anyone back. If Steve Waugh was continually failing, the team was losing because of him or he was half the player he was etc., then you could make a convincing argument that he was holding the youngsters back. As I see it, Steve Waugh is batting as good as he ever did and his best has always been world-class, up there with the best of all time.

So instead of thinking of reasons to promote a young player in his place, try thinking of a reason to drop him. I can't think of one. He's batting well, fielding well, the team is winning and from what I've seen, he hasn't lost his tactical edge. Would he stay in the side as a batsman if Ponting was given the captaincy? On form, absolutely.

As for that NSW team Mark Waugh and Brad Haddin should be opening.

This is different. Mark Waugh is nowhere near the player he was. He still looks good but I don't think he has the competitive edge anymore so he decided that it'dbe better to let a player like Katich open. Haddin has had his chance at opening and hasn't really grasped it with both hands (2 hundreds in 43 matches). He's shown plenty of ability without delivering and also, I think there's little doubt that opening the batting has affected his keeping so, since he should be a 'keeper first, he should be selected as such. Even Gilchrist didn't open the batting for WA before he played for Australia in ODI's. Why? Because it would have been affected his keeping and since he would only have been picked as a keeper, that was unacceptable. Haddin is in a similar boat with the exception that the keping spot isn't up fro grabs for Australia and Campbell has leap-frogged him somewhat.

So it's Thornely's turn to open. He looks pretty good and always has been an opener so will attempt to be selected for higher honours as one I'm sure. Haddin is more destructive but Thornley looks a much better batsman.

 

[Eclipse]

Haddin has done allright as an opener infact he avrages 33 as an opener thats actualy very good despie only 2 Hundreds.

If you look at other young batsman an avrage of 30 is very good in the ING cup especialy considering he stikes at 100.

That 100 he made at Bankstown oval in 2001 was one of the best innings I have seen.

You are right about Thornely though he does look quite a good prospect.