Lehmann Dropped For Ashes

[Richard]

Well I'd be surprised if he weren't, 36-year-olds who aren't declining are pretty rare.
Nonetheless he's still fantastic.

 

[psxpro]

Lehmann has been a better player throughout his career than Martyn has been, and is still slightly better even now both have just about reached their peaks of development.

What?
Lehman has never been as good as martyn is now.
Martyn is very close to the complete player, lehman has probably been the weakest aussie batsman in ecent years.

 

[tooextracool]

The only better players than him between 1998 and 2004 were Ponting and Stephen Waugh.

err no, martyn is a better player in his sleep than lehmann. in fact martyn is a better player right now than anyone in the aussie side other than steve waugh at any point in the last 15 years.

 

[iamdavid]

I think Lehmann still had something to offer this Australian team regardless of his age, he is in my opinion along with Bevan the best batsman on slow wickets Australia has produced over the last 15 years, unlike the rest of the current Australian order who seem to struggle in slow low conditions (such as the ones found in the top end test series of late) he is at his best in such conditions and I feel alot safer having him in the side.
His bowling was useful although his figures flatter him and his experience made him valuable.

However as has already been stated you cant afford to have three bad series at his age, particularly when there are younger candidates knocking on the door.
He was given his chance ahead of Katich in the series against Pakistan, and although he played well at times he didnt do enough and so I guess his dropping is justified.

 

[Zinzan]

err no, martyn is a better player in his sleep than lehmann. in fact martyn is a better player right now than anyone in the aussie side other than steve waugh at any point in the last 15 years.

Martyn is a much better test player than Lehmann, but surely not quite as good Ponting

 

[12th Man]

no surprise, but he didn't deserve to be dropped completely

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Lehmann on his day could be a very good player, but he was never as good as Damien Martyn is right now. Over the last decade, I rate Steve Waugh first, Ponting second and Martyn third in terms of overall ability with the bat. Other players like Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Michael Slater etc higher than Lehmann as well. Lehmann is more in the Mark Waugh sort of category, a mercurial player who could do anything but could also pointlessly throw his wicket away.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Surely Gilchrist deserves to be in the Ponting class. Honestly. 15 centuries in six years.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Surely Gilchrist deserves to be in the Ponting class. Honestly. 15 centuries in six years.

He's not far off, and he's certainly more devastating on his day, but he's a different sort of batsman to Ponting and leaving his keeping ability aside I think Ponting is much easier to centre a team around in terms of batting.

I rate Gilchrist the most devastating batsman of all time or very close to it (only major competitor is Richards really), but not the best. They're somewhat different in my view.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

For such a destructive player he's been admirably consistent, though.

The example he's set should win him a place in any "great batsmen of an era" period.

 

[tooextracool]

Martyn is a much better test player than Lehmann, but surely not quite as good Ponting

whats ponting's average in india? 2 ?3?
seriously, martyn has no weaknesses against any kind of bowling, i think id much rather have him at the crease anywhere in the world, instead of having someone with an obvious weakness against spin

 

[tooextracool]

Surely Gilchrist deserves to be in the Ponting class. Honestly. 15 centuries in six years.

they're both as good as each other with their weakness against spin. neither of them are near as good as martyn though.

 

[Tom Halsey]

err no, martyn is a better player in his sleep than lehmann. in fact martyn is a better player right now than anyone in the aussie side other than steve waugh at any point in the last 15 years.

That’s why he said up to 2004. Martyn last Australia summer almost got dropped IIRC.

 

[Tom Halsey]

whats ponting's average in india? 2 ?3?
seriously, martyn has no weaknesses against any kind of bowling, i think id much rather have him at the crease anywhere in the world, instead of having someone with an obvious weakness against spin

I doubt you’d have said that last year when he was going through a real bad patch, and seemed to have a weakness against everything.

 

[Tom Halsey]

they're both as good as each other with their weakness against spin. neither of them are near as good as martyn though.

I’d rate Ponting above Martyn, not sure about Gilchrist though.

 

[sledger]

definitely ponting, gilchrist would depend on the situation, but ponting over martyn any day i would say

 

[tooextracool]

That’s why he said up to 2004. Martyn last Australia summer almost got dropped IIRC.

well considering that he nearly got dropped by the same selectors that nearly dropped mcgrath, i dont see how that matters. and yes he wasnt brilliant before 2004, but its not like that should count against him, he was still averaging over 45 at the start of 2004. and hes been averaging over 40 for every year since his return.

 

[tooextracool]

I doubt you’d have said that last year when he was going through a real bad patch, and seemed to have a weakness against everything.

and thats despite the fact that hes been averaging over 40 in every series since and including the last ashes? no perhaps i wouldnt have rated him as high as i do after last year, but really everyone has their peaks, and im pretty sure you wouldnt be rating ponting as highly as you do now after 2001.

 

[twctopcat]

I'm a bit annoyed really. I was looking forward to seeing freddy yorking him leg stump for a duck when he goes for a wander ala lara in this years ashes.

 

[howardj]

I’d rate Ponting above Martyn, not sure about Gilchrist though.

Me too. Ponting's the best batsman in that team