*Official* Australia in decline thread

[NZTailender]

Reading scorecards > not reading scorecards.

Watching a player play > reading scorecards. Can't realistically argue against someone who watches someone like Hauritz play if you haven't.

Basically comes down to "well the scorecard said he took 4 for 90, so he bowled alright" to "he bowled awfully and was gifted wickets by the batsmen looking to go the slog".

The latter can represent the former, but not the other way around.

Unless each individual player is given a rating on each scorecard. There's a project for you to do, Richard.

 

[Rant0r]

starting now, go and read every scorecard since 1877 along with the match report, pitch conditions, weather match conditions and give a rating out of 10, and don't come back until you have

 

[Richard]

Watching a player play > reading scorecards. Can't realistically argue against someone who watches someone like Hauritz play if you haven't.

Basically comes down to "well the scorecard said he took 4 for 90, so he bowled alright" to "he bowled awfully and was gifted wickets by the batsmen looking to go the slog".

The latter can represent the former, but not the other way around.

I'd say repeated poor figures cannot represent a good bowler, but repeated good figures (and more than ever short-term good figures) do not by any stretch neccessarily represent a good one.

Anyway who watches much Australian domestic First-Class cricket? I'm sure plenty follow it and always have been sure, but crowds are desultory and I presume TV coverage (even if more extensive than over here) isn't exactly regular?

 

[Rant0r]

bloody hell i'd watch it if i could

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I try to go to a few games in Sydney every year. Will probably head to a Shield game in the new year.

NSW are looking for scorers for pay, am considering applying.

 

[Top_Cat]

Been to every state game this year at Adelaide Oval. Am trying to keep that up for the whole season as I'm usually a bit slack in my cricket watching.

 

[Rant0r]

yeah i'm not a go to the game person, i'm a tv person, too many peanuts in the crowd give me the ****s

 

[honestbharani]

lol.. everytime this thread is around, Aussies bounce back with a vengence..

 

[Richard]

Given it's been around for 6-and-a-half years... not surprising really.

 

[Prince EWS]

I'd say repeated poor figures cannot represent a good bowler, but repeated good figures (and more than ever short-term good figures) do not by any stretch neccessarily represent a good one.

Anyway who watches much Australian domestic First-Class cricket? I'm sure plenty follow it and always have been sure, but crowds are desultory and I presume TV coverage (even if more extensive than over here) isn't exactly regular?

I'd say about 75% of the one dayers are covered in some capacity. Shield cricket is a different matter but the final is televised and I'm sure most of the members who regularly post in the Australian Domestic Cricket thread try to get to a few games a year.

 

[Richard]

Just to attempt to pre-empt yet more new threads and mergers...

This is just the third time since 1988/89 that Australia have gone 0-1 down at home - the others were also SA, in 1993/94, and India in 2003/04. It is, of course, also the first live Test SA have won against Australia since that date.

It's also the first time a team other than India has won a live Test in Australia since England in 1998/99 (and even that was dead in a sense, as although the series was not decided, The Ashes were).

I still can't help but think I'd back them to avoid defeat in the home leg of this series, though I'll now be genuinely disappointed if SA don't beat them in SA.

 

[GIMH]

Australia are clearly finished, perhaps the ICC should review their Test status?

Nah, immense stuff from the Saffies today, crazy that we have two mega chases in a week

 

[susudear]

Australia on wane

It is clear. They are not making it.

 

[Harry Harrison]

How much longer do you think Australia will last at the top of the Test-rankings??

Australia has had a pretty good run over the last 10 years... - strangely enough, about the time Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath came along. So how much longer will the Aussies last and which country will topple them from their "World Champions" status??

Aussies may stay on top a couple of years more. South Africa may take 1st position.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I still can't help but think I'd back them to avoid defeat in the home leg of this series, though I'll now be genuinely disappointed if SA don't beat them in SA.

Looks like a lost bet and a bit of genuine disappointment is in the air.

 

[Richard]

Ind33d.

However, considerable consolation is in the air too with the notice that that Harry Harrison waste-of-an-account has been banned, good riddance.

 

[duffer]

I love this thread. Hope the rest of the world realises Australia won't surrender for a long long time.

 

[Richard]

Well, prediction after prediction has turned-out wrong, so we wait to see if this is yet another.

 

[Mister Wright]

Really did think these series would be the other way around especially before Clark and Lee were ruled out. I really thought Australia would scrape home in the home series, but would struggle in the away series. I've been proved completely wrong as Australia look like inflicting one of the biggest ever defeats on South Africa in Sough Africa.

 

[Flem274*]

They won't be not good, they'll be on par with SA and India I think, with perhaps other nations coming up to join them depending on how important players/promising youngsters turn out.