***Official*** India in Australia

[taitmachine]

I copped a bit of a bashing on here when I suggested Clarke's position should be under review after last test (although he did win the game). Fact is his bowling last test is hid his atrocious form. His decision making at the moment shows someone who is not switched on and badly out of form.

I still think he can't perform under true test match pressure (although a few did point out a couple of handy knocks) and last innings highlighted that again. They dropped him from 4 to 5 to hide him as well (forcing Hussey to play a different role) so the team obviously has lost some faith in him.

He needs to show some grit and produce next innings or I say bring in David Hussey for Adelaide. He will be a future test bat for Australia so why wait until he is 30+ (like they did with Mike) and give him some experience in a dead series.

 

[Tony]

If the quickies get sick of bowling into the wind you give Symonds and Pup Clarke a bowl. In this attack I thought Lee and Tait would bowl downwind and S Clarke and Johnson into the wind - seems balanced enough unless Ive misread the cross wind

 

[NUFAN]

I just think the Aussie top 6 showed there lack of Test experience yesterday..

AUS
Jaques 7
Rogers 1
Ponting 115
Clarke 32
Hussey 21
Symonds 18
= 194

IND
Sehwag 53
Jaffer 28
Dravid 118
Tendulkar 145
Ganguly 102
Laxman 89
= 535

 

[Burgey]

I copped a bit of a bashing on here when I suggested Clarke's position should be under review after last test (although he did win the game). Fact is his bowling last test is hid his atrocious form. His decision making at the moment shows someone who is not switched on and badly out of form.

I still think he can't perform under true test match pressure (although a few did point out a couple of handy knocks) and last innings highlighted that again. They dropped him from 4 to 5 to hide him as well (forcing Hussey to play a different role) so the team obviously has lost some faith in him.

He needs to show some grit and produce next innings or I say bring in David Hussey for Adelaide. He will be a future test bat for Australia so why wait until he is 30+ (like they did with Mike) and give him some experience in a dead series.

Clarke averages about 19 in innings where he's come in with the score below 100, and over 50 when the score has been over 100 at the time of his appearance.
Obviously, if 3 or 4 others have failed thre may well be mitigating circumstances in terms of conditions and/ or quality of bowling, but perhaps one can draw some conclusins from it.

 

[Top_Cat]

I copped a bit of a bashing on here when I suggested Clarke's position should be under review after last test (although he did win the game). Fact is his bowling last test is hid his atrocious form. His decision making at the moment shows someone who is not switched on and badly out of form.

I still think he can't perform under true test match pressure (although a few did point out a couple of handy knocks) and last innings highlighted that again. They dropped him from 4 to 5 to hide him as well (forcing Hussey to play a different role) so the team obviously has lost some faith in him.

He needs to show some grit and produce next innings or I say bring in David Hussey for Adelaide. He will be a future test bat for Australia so why wait until he is 30+ (like they did with Mike) and give him some experience in a dead series.

David Hussey is already 30. He's batting well but I don't think Clarke has done enough to be dropped just yet. He did score a big ton and 50+ against SL, after all. And he got 70-odd in Melbourne. A big second inning here would help his cause no end but I don't think his spot should be in trouble as yet. If Australia lose this Test, it's one test out of the last 17 so there's no need for panicked changes.

Plus, Clarke's ton in Adelaide last year was a bit more than a 'handy' knock. Was under great pressure chasing a huge first innings total.

 

[Johnners]

I copped a bit of a bashing on here when I suggested Clarke's position should be under review after last test (although he did win the game). Fact is his bowling last test is hid his atrocious form. His decision making at the moment shows someone who is not switched on and badly out of form.

I still think he can't perform under true test match pressure (although a few did point out a couple of handy knocks) and last innings highlighted that again. They dropped him from 4 to 5 to hide him as well (forcing Hussey to play a different role) so the team obviously has lost some faith in him.

He needs to show some grit and produce next innings or I say bring in David Hussey for Adelaide. He will be a future test bat for Australia so why wait until he is 30+ (like they did with Mike) and give him some experience in a dead series.

I won't get into the same argument with you again, because you already know what I'm going to say. FTR, David Hussey is already 30 (31 in July actually)

 

[taitmachine]

Clarke averages about 19 in innings where he's come in with the score below 100, and over 50 when the score has been over 100 at the time of his appearance.
Obviously, if 3 or 4 others have failed thre may well be mitigating circumstances in terms of conditions and/ or quality of bowling, but perhaps one can draw some conclusins from it.

That is very interesting Burgey! It does tell the story so far. What you want from your number four is someone who has two levels to their game - one of attack when a good start has been given and (more importantly) one of defence or rearguard when a poor start has been given. Clarke can certainly play strokes and attack when we are on top & looks grat doing it but he needs to go back and learn the defensive side of his game - its just lacking too much and costing Australia at key times.

I have no doubt he will be a class player but a lot of people rate him too highly already (future captain etc etc). I think guys who come into a successful side early tend to not completly have their batting sorted - at least in the head. Ponting early in his career suffered similar problems.

 

[Tony]

I just think the Aussie top 6 showed there lack of Test experience yesterday..

They appeared to show inexperience with how to play cricket in Perth and looked underprepared. None of the bowlers are West Australians - although there are a few WA guys in the team.

With all the test cricket going on it may not be difficult to lose the home ground advantage if the opposition give it some thought which the Indians have this time ---------and about time in the past they used to just hang the bat out and pick useless seamers but now they have planned better and have players better equipped.

Australia would have been better dusting off Terry Alderman to bowl into the wind than pciking Tait

 

[Johnners]

David Hussey is already 30. He's batting well but I don't think Clarke has done enough to be dropped just yet. He did score a big ton and 50+ against SL, after all. And he got 70-odd in Melbourne. A big second inning here would help his cause no end but I don't think his spot should be in trouble as yet. If Australia lose this Test, it's one test out of the last 17 so there's no need for panicked changes.

Plus, Clarke's ton in Adelaide last year was a bit more than a 'handy' knock. Was under great pressure chasing a huge first innings total.

Entirely agree. It's also worth noting that since his return to the team, he's averaging 59.46, has scored 3 of his 5 centuries, & 3 more half centuries. Hardly the stats of a player who's place should be up for review.

 

[taitmachine]

I won't get into the same argument with you again, because you already know what I'm going to say. FTR, David Hussey is already 30 (31 in July actually)

Well my arguement is gaining momentum Clapo especially if he fails in a very important second innings. And right you are David is 30 - so the time is now!! He really is up there with his brother now in terms of a quality bat! Perhaps a move back to WA would get him a game as the Vics have been blacklisted by the selectors. (And thats from a South Aussie!)

 

[taitmachine]

Entirely agree. It's also worth noting that since his return to the team, he's averaging 59.46, has scored 3 of his 5 centuries, & 3 more half centuries. Hardly the stats of a player who's place should be up for review.

You shouldn't pick players on stats. Otherwise Dizzy Gillepsie should be batting at 3 based on his last knock. Its when the runs are scored in the context of the game and against quality bowling. He has had his moments but not of late. He is one great player of spin which is always handy against India, but then a gain thats no good if you don't know how to leave a gentle offswinger outside off.

 

[Johnners]

If Clarkes position is going to come underfire, deadset, you might as well say Ponting needs to be dropped as Clarke has scored more runs, and average more than Ponting since 01/01/2007

 

[Salamuddin]

India had better bat well here.....Australia won't bat as poorly 2nd time around.

Highest run chase at the WACA is 8-342 by Australia v India incidentally in 77-78.

Australia did make 7-381 in the 4th dig against NZL in 2001 though although the game was drawn.

India need 400 minimum me thinks

 

[Top_Cat]

You shouldn't pick players on stats. Otherwise Dizzy Gillepsie should be batting at 3 based on his last knock. Its when the runs are scored in the context of the game and against quality bowling. He has had his moments but not of late.

Depends on what your definition of 'of late' is. This season, he's scored runs under pressure and made one of the best bowlers in the history of the game look ordinary. Last season he scored two hundreds against the English bowling attack under pressure, hardly minnow bashing. This Test and the last, sure he's not got many runs but knocking a guy on the head because of 1 & 1/2 bad Tests and ignoring what he'd done in the year beforehand? Harsh.

Anyway, who says Hussey is next in line?

 

[NUFAN]

Depends on what your definition of 'of late' is. This season, he's scored runs under pressure and made one of the best bowlers in the history of the game look ordinary. Last season he scored two hundreds against the English bowling attack under pressure, hardly minnow bashing. This Test and the last, sure he's not got many runs but knocking a guy on the head because of 1 & 1/2 bad Tests and ignoring what he'd done in the year beforehand? Harsh.

Anyway, who says Hussey is next in line?

Adam Voges is next in line for mine.

 

[taitmachine]

If Clarkes position is going to come underfire, deadset, you might as well say Ponting needs to be dropped as Clarke has scored more runs, and average more than Ponting since 01/01/2007

I would quite happily have Ponting batting for my life over Clarke second innings. Why? Because its clear who is the better batsmen is, while Ponting has had a terrible series there is that feeling he is not far away (Plus Harbajan's not playing ). Whereas Clarke seems a long way away from decent runs.

 

[Johnners]

You shouldn't pick players on stats. Otherwise Dizzy Gillepsie should be batting at 3 based on his last knock. Its when the runs are scored in the context of the game and against quality bowling. He has had his moments but not of late. He is one great player of spin which is always handy against India, but then a gain thats no good if you don't know how to leave a gentle offswinger outside off.

No you shouldn't pick players based on stats alone, but they give you a very good indication. When you say he's had his moments, but not of late, you can only be talking about 1 match, and that was the Sydney test. He'd made at least a half century in 6 of his past 8 matches before the Sydney test, so he was definitely in what I would call good, if not great form leading up to it.

 

[FRAZ]

0/44 by fraz

has been so much better than dat

?

 

[Johnners]

?

I'm assuming Laurrz meant Safraz aka Stuart Clark

 

[Pup_23]

I copped a bit of a bashing on here when I suggested Clarke's position should be under review after last test (although he did win the game). Fact is his bowling last test is hid his atrocious form. His decision making at the moment shows someone who is not switched on and badly out of form.

I still think he can't perform under true test match pressure (although a few did point out a couple of handy knocks) and last innings highlighted that again. They dropped him from 4 to 5 to hide him as well (forcing Hussey to play a different role) so the team obviously has lost some faith in him.

He needs to show some grit and produce next innings or I say bring in David Hussey for Adelaide. He will be a future test bat for Australia so why wait until he is 30+ (like they did with Mike) and give him some experience in a dead series.

Interesting Points

Last test match was the first time Clarke had scored under double figures for the summer (Yes he did it twice). Before that he scored 20, 73, 71 and 145*. So before the first innings was averaging 62 this summer. Hardly someone who is badly out of form.

Once again people jump the gun and want peoples heads after one bad game. His 145* against Sri Lanka was full of maturity and patience and then made two very good 70s.

His spot is in no danger IMO.