*Official* Australia in West Indies Thread

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Rik: You're talking crap.

There I said it.....phew...good to get that out.

 

[Anil]

No matter who is talking crap, the indisputable fact is that the Aussie express steamrolled its way triumphantly through another test that too without Warne, McGrath and Martyn.

Who is to stop them from blanking the Windies out in this series? The batsmen alone can't win a test, they can at best save it and even that is very difficult to accomplish against the aggression and uncompromising attitude of the marauding Aussies. The answer is clear, the West Indian bowling attack has to deliver and Dillon has to lead by example.

The comeback of Sarwan and Gayle must be a morale-booster for them, but ultimately it is the bowlers who have to step up and take 20 wickets.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

IMO, Ponting's wicket is the key.

 

[Rik]

Sarwan for Samuels
Gayle for Hinds
Baugh for Jacobs (depending on fitness)

Ramnarine is out of form. I would go for either Omari Banks or Dave Mohammed. Both can bat rather well but Mohammed is the more penetrative spinner. He'll add variety as he is a left-arm chinaman bowler.

Jacobs is doubtful for the next Test?

And what about Ryan Cunningham?

 

[Rik]

Rik: You're talking crap.

There I said it.....phew...good to get that out.

Reminds him who managed to loose the Test by 9 wickets...due to good captaincy?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Reminds him who managed to loose the Test by 9 wickets...due to good captaincy?

Tsk tsk
Do I have to drag these back up Rik?

1/who managed to score a brilliant century to resist the Aussies and save an innings defeat?
2/did you see any of the match Rik?
3/did I see all four days of the match Rik? (methinks so)
4/Is Nasser a better captain than Lara? (methinks so) Did Nasser ever lose a Test by 9 wickets v Australia? (nope.....but he did have a 384 run beauty, an 8 wicket gem, an innings and 118-run classic, an innings and 48-run and 51-run alike...impressive)
5/does your opinion count? (not when your opinion is stubborn and has no grounds)

A wise man once said, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."
Another wise man once said, "The best a player can do is play his best, what the opposition does in response is their business."

 

[Rik]

Tsk tsk
Do I have to drag these back up Rik?

1/who managed to score a brilliant century to resist the Aussies and save an innings defeat?
2/did you see any of the match Rik?
3/did I see all four days of the match Rik? (methinks so)
4/Is Nasser a better captain than Lara? (methinks so) Did Nasser ever lose a Test by 9 wickets v Australia? (nope.....but he did have a 384 run beauty, an 8 wicket gem, an innings and 118-run classic, an innings and 48-run and 51-run alike...impressive)
5/does your opinion count? (not when your opinion is stubborn and has no grounds)

A wise man once said, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."
Another wise man once said, "The best a player can do is play his best, what the opposition does in response is their business."

Nope I didn't see any of the match because of Sky...

You don't loose a match by 9 wickets by doing well.

Scored a 100...so what? He still lost...I'm talking about him as a captain not as a batsman...

In my opinion Nasser was nowhere near as good as he has been as captain in the past when England toured Australia. Inserting Australia was just one of a number of major errors he made.

As for "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" well, maybe your forgetting the whole point of sport is to win?

Liam, your team lost, by a huge margin, I think it is your opinion which holds no ground (sorry mate, it's the rules, that's why we can hardly ever argue with the Aussies )

 

[krkode]

As for "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game" well, maybe your forgetting the whole point of sport is to win?

That puts cheating to win in the same category as respectfully bashing the daylights out of the opposition.

The point of sport is to do your best. If your best brings you victory, excellent, if your best isn't good enough for victory, then there's little you can do about it.

 

[Rik]

That puts cheating to win in the same category as respectfully bashing the daylights out of the opposition.

The point of sport is to do your best. If your best brings you victory, excellent, if your best isn't good enough for victory, then there's little you can do about it.

What I mean is you allways play to win, that is the most important thing. Why else do batsmen not walk? Footballers dive? Think about it...

 

[krkode]

Batsmen don't walk because they feel they have some more to give aka their best.

Footballers dive because that is their best.

 

[R_Powell_fan]

Liam: I agree with the changes as in Gayle for Hinds and Sarwan for Samuels and Braugh for Jacobs but IMO, Collins, although he bowled tight in the first test should be dropped, Dillon, Drakes must stay, Dillon for experience and good record against Aussies in the Last tour to Australia, Drakes for good preformance, Lawson should be given another go. I mean I can see the above bowlers taking 4 or 5 wickets whilst I cannot say the same for Collins, WI really need a spinner, my choice would be Ramnarine or Dave Mohammed and NOT Gareth Breese or Nagamootoo......
Say......why not Ryan Hinds.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Nope I didn't see any of the match because of Sky...

You don't loose a match by 9 wickets by doing well.
You lose it because Australia are arguably the best team in the world ever?

Scored a 100...so what? He still lost...I'm talking about him as a captain not as a batsman...
Ganga's maiden ton?

Liam, your team lost, by a huge margin, I think it is your opinion which holds no ground (sorry mate, it's the rules, that's why we can hardly ever argue with the Aussies )
That's utter rubbish!

I didn't think Lara's appointment was the best of moves but I think he's performed well enough in the first test. I'm starting to think that the only way he'll get any credit from you is if he inspires Devon Smith and Shiv Chanderpaul to take 10-wicket hauls and Jermaine Lawson scores 376*.

 

[Rik]

No the only way he can get credit from me is if he actually puts up a fight, and 9 wickets does not count as a fight. It counts as a walkover for Australia. Same counts for Nasser when England toured, except this Australian team had no Warne or McGrath and England managed to win when they didn't play.

This has been going nowhere for a while. I'll just leave it there.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

You don't loose a match by 9 wickets by doing well.

Not necessarily by doing badly either. There's a word I'm searching for.......outplayed? Ever heard of it?? 'Course not. Ever heard "may the best team win?". Obviously Australia is the best team..........

Scored a 100...so what? He still lost...I'm talking about him as a captain not as a batsman...

A captain's responsibility is to try his personal best to excel in whatever he does as well as manage the team.

In my opinion Nasser was nowhere near as good as he has been as captain in the past when England toured Australia. Inserting Australia was just one of a number of major errors he made.

I took a couple of those scorelines from the Australia tour to England i 2001....which I saw by the way....:rolleyes:

Liam, your team lost, by a huge margin, I think it is your opinion which holds no ground (sorry mate, it's the rules, that's why we can hardly ever argue with the Aussies )

My opinion holds ground because I saw the Test match....you didn't. You have no right to judge Lara as a captain. Not now, not ever....except for that 3-day Test you saw.:rolleyes: Statistics aren't a true reflection of cricket Rik.

 

[Rik]

Don't you know when to stop?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

I mean I can see the above bowlers taking 4 or 5 wickets whilst I cannot say the same for Collins, WI really need a spinner, my choice would be Ramnarine or Dave Mohammed and NOT Gareth Breese or Nagamootoo......
Say......why not Ryan Hinds.

I fully agree with dropping Collins, he's just not suited for the type of pitches that come around in Guyana and Trinidad. Re: Ryan Hinds, IMO, his confidence isn't very high right now- with bat or ball. He's young yet.

I think Mohammed is the way to go. He played a good Cari Cup season and Ramnarine hasn't played a FC match for over a month. Mohammed is also better with the bat. I would actually consider Breese for ODI's, he has something to offer to the game.

 

[Rik]

I fully agree with dropping Collins, he's just not suited for the type of pitches that come around in Guyana and Trinidad. Re: Ryan Hinds, IMO, his confidence isn't very high right now- with bat or ball. He's young yet.

I think Mohammed is the way to go. He played a good Cari Cup season and Ramnarine hasn't played a FC match for over a month. Mohammed is also better with the bat. I would actually consider Breese for ODI's, he has something to offer to the game.

Why is Cunningham not considered?

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Cunnignham isn't that great a spinner. Also, he's not the best with the bat. As was evident in Guyana, WI could use some lower order batting, especially with the experience of Jacobs likely to be absent in Trinidad.

 

[Rik]

Cunnignham isn't that great a spinner. Also, he's not the best with the bat. As was evident in Guyana, WI could use some lower order batting, especially with the experience of Jacobs likely to be absent in Trinidad.

Average of 23 is pretty good for a spinner me thinks. Maybe he won't get the econ he gets in domestic cricket, but he looks very accurate.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

The batting in WI domestic cricket is generally substandard, except for the Test players and the odd could-have-been (Stuart Williams and Philo Wallace). Thus, the bowling averages are generally deflated for spinners. It's harder for seamers to get wickets. For example, Marlon Black bowled very well this season but went for over 3.5 runs per over and had a 30+ average.