*Official* Fifth Test at the SCG

[pup11]

Who should replace him as captain?

Give it Haddin or Hussey on a short term basis, and in that time groom a few young blokes for captaincy.

 

[vicleggie]

Is there a sense of relief that the Punter is not playing today ?.

Aye. imagine if he came to the crease at 3. would be the same deal as clarke- scrounging around, nervous, weight of expectation on his shoulder, looking poor, BANG , out to one of his masters (anderson tremlett bresnan) for a poor score.

the way usman came out and played fluently was so refreshing, it sent chills through mine and everyones spine.

if it was that out of form power intoxicated ratbag ponting AND clarke both in the team, we may well be following the same trend of melbourne.

 

[vicleggie]

The improvement in Hughes performance today was his leaving, still looked poor and a get out at any time.

The bowling was not quite as tight as in Melbourne, part of the hangover I think.

The question was asked "Why did they pick Smith to bat at 6 before picking Kwalajah ?".
A very good question.

WIll Clarke replace Ponting as captain ? It will be a rheotorical question unless he scores some runs.

Is there a sense of relief that the Punter is not playing today ?.

an enthusiasic haddin or hussey incharge of the team RIGHT NOW- ie not booked in for the next 5 years, but thinking about our situatioun and what our team needs to improve right this minute--- would kick the **** out of an out of form , purposeless clarke skippering the team, or a tactically ******** ponting.

sadly hildich and neilsen is at the helm tho- so fresh ideas dont seem to get thru

 

[Furball]

Haha, Sky re-showing Nasser's interview with Strauss.

Talking about what England need to do to get to number 1, and Strauss admits the batting needs to tighten up at times. Interesting comment though - "the best sides in the world don't allow collapses for 120 or 130." Both an admission of England's weakness and a shot at India and South Africa at the same time.

 

[pup11]

he certainly did. eng would be 0/240 if they batted. if we can scrounge our way to 350-380, we have a chance.

Well.... our bowlers too would look like world beaters if English batsmen kept throwing their wickets away like their Aussie counterparts....

 

[vicleggie]

Well.... our bowlers too would look like world beaters if English batsmen kept throwing their wickets away like their Aussie counterparts....

they wouldnt need to throw away their wickets- we'd offer up plenty of meat and drink for them to score off.

 

[Midwinter]

Originally Posted by tooextracool View Post
Who should replace him as captain?

Someone who is playing well enough to get picked in the next test. Doesn't have to be the best player.

Pick the team then pick the captain.

 

[vicleggie]

Talking about what England need to do to get to number 1, and Strauss admits the batting needs to tighten up at times. Interesting comment though - "the best sides in the world don't allow collapses for 120 or 130." Both an admission of England's weakness and a shot at India and South Africa at the same time.

nah, both south africa and india would defocate on england at the moment. end of story.

 

[Furball]

nah, both south africa and india would defocate on england at the moment. end of story.

Thanks for that insightful comment.

 

[Howsie]

'live match situation'. That match was over before Hughes came in to bat in the 2nd inning, that is pretty obvious given they were chasing 100 odd. A rather meaningless knock in the grand scheme of things.

Indeed, McIntosh dropped him on 40 during that knock too, an absolute sitter at second slip.

 

[NUFAN]

nah, both south africa and india would defocate on england at the moment. end of story.

I seriously doubt so especially in matches outside of South Africa and India.

I enjoyed Caramello's innings today, pity about the dismissal..

 

[vicleggie]

Thanks for that insightful comment.

no worries #4 .

 

[tooextracool]

Im not really a fan of Hussey as captain. Hussey is about as likely as anyone else to suffer a slump in form in the next series and have his place in the side questioned before long. The end of this series is a chance to usher in a new era in Australian cricket and it makes more sense to select someone younger who can possibly lead the side into the future. Making someone who is almost 36 and who had his place in the side questioned as long as a series ago seems to me like a backward step and also very un-australian like. Conservatism is not something I would associate with Australia.

 

[Spark]

So all in all a somewhat irritating day's play, mostly because of the rain, and secondly because of some ill-judged strokes.

 

[Spark]

Im not really a fan of Hussey as captain. Hussey is about as likely as anyone else to suffer a slump in form in the next series and have his place in the side questioned before long. The end of this series is a chance to usher in a new era in Australian cricket and it makes more sense to select someone younger who can possibly lead the side into the future. Making someone who is almost 36 and who had his place in the side questioned as long as a series ago seems to me like a backward step and also very un-australian like. Conservatism is not something I would associate with Australia.

I agree that Hussey isn't a good option. Haddin for one test though, surely that's worth a shout?

 

[vicleggie]

I seriously doubt so especially in matches outside of South Africa and India.

I enjoyed Caramello's innings today, pity about the dismissal..

nah bro- dhonis men, despite not having a great pace attack, are on another plain.
seem to pick off wins easily- know exactly how to stick with the processes and close out a series.

steyn simply is the best bowler in world cricket, by far. i think safrica are a classier team than england.

i notice england get really geed up before an ashes series, like the past has played on their mind so much and their sole purpose as cricketers is to beat australia.

they seem to fall away tho after.
we'll see how they go after this series. if they keep this level of quality up, maybe they can be ranked higher. im not counting on it tho, they usually fall away.

 

[tooextracool]

Well.... our bowlers too would look like world beaters if English batsmen kept throwing their wickets away like their Aussie counterparts....

Think someone needs to show you a pitch map.

The gulf in the bowling department between these 2 sides far and away eclipses the gulf in the batting. Bowlers like Johnson and Siddle cant land 2 balls in an over on the same spot, even the reserve bowlers like Bresnan are coming in and bowling to set plans.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

nah, both south africa and india would defocate on england at the moment. end of story.

Think it would be decent series between England and either South Africa and India. Much of England's performance in India would depend on what pitches the Indians put up. Swann at the moment is a better weapon than Harbhajan and I'd back England to draw all three games if the pitches were anything like those put up for the India/New Zealand series.

South Africa... Well, I'd maybe expect a couple of Perth style collapses if the ball moves as much, but then the South African batsman have shown that they struggle to deal with a moving ball as much as the next man at the moment. That man Kallis could again be the key.

 

[Spark]

Think someone needs to show you a pitch map.

The gulf in the bowling department between these 2 sides far and away eclipses the gulf in the batting. Bowlers like Johnson and Siddle cant land 2 balls in an over on the same spot, even the reserve bowlers like Bresnan are coming in and bowling to set plans.

Indeed. 4/134 is slightly tenuous, but 4/200 sounds much better. That's what tight bowling does.

 

[vicleggie]

Think someone needs to show you a pitch map.

The gulf in the bowling department between these 2 sides far and away eclipses the gulf in the batting. Bowlers like Johnson and Siddle cant land 2 balls in an over on the same spot, even the reserve bowlers like Bresnan are coming in and bowling to set plans.

exactly
as i said- the aussie bowlers are so far below england, planning, skill, tactics wise itsa joke.

they're not bowlers- they're uneducated blokes who wang it down the pitch and hope it does something
englands bowlers right now are tactically astute, masterful , well honed, and hunting in a cohesivepack.