***Official*** South Africa In Australia

[Mr Casson]

Fresh off the AAP wire:

Moody blasts selectors for North non-selection

CRICKET AUST (PERTH)
West Australian coach TOM MOODY has accused the national selectors of running scared, blasting the non-selection of MARCUS NORTH while also questioning the decision to stick with out-of-form opener MATTHEW HAYDEN.
MOODY was left bewildered that Victorian all-rounder ANDREW MCDONALD got the nod ahead of NORTH to replace the injured ANDREW SYMONDS for the third Test against South Africa in Sydney.
MOODY says NORTH, who has plundered 485 runs at an average of 44 in the Sheffield Shield this season and has also taken eight wickets, deserved selection after a standout season.
AAP RTV jsc/lf

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah as I said before, I've never rated North as highly as a batsman as a lot of people here, but he was the obvious pick for this game given how his bowling has developed as well. I actually don't mind the option of North playing long-term at 6 with four quicks at home.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

So happy to see Dougie given a go. Hope he tears it up.

Also, the non-selection of North is disappointing.

 

[Rant0r]

i think they wanted a seam up allrounder

 

[Mr Casson]

Yeah as I said before, I've never rated North as highly as a batsman as a lot of people here, but he was the obvious pick for this game given how his bowling has developed as well. I actually don't mind the option of North playing long-term at 6 with four quicks at home.

Don't really want to wax lyrical about North like I always do, and then become known as someone who's just biased towards a player they like, but I think he'd make an excellent number six, for the reasons you listed and also because of his temperament and technique - he responds to the match situation better than just about anyone in the country, plays spin and pace equally well and rarely ever looks hurried at the crease. His bowling would just be a bonus. The only other person I can think meets the same sort of critieria is Dave Hussey, who I'd probably have selected for the third test if I was a selector.

 

[Rant0r]

hussey would have been a good bet, his bowling isn't in the north class though

 

[Prince EWS]

i think they wanted a seam up allrounder

Indeed, but they still ended up with four quicks and one spinner. They'd have strengthened the batting and the bowling as well as maintaining the same balance if they'd had picked Hilfenhaus ahead of Hauritz and North ahead of McDonald.

They were never going to do that though due to the great myth that the SCG is a raging turner. It's not like Hauritz actually uses turn as a main weapon when he bowls anyway though.

 

[Rant0r]

flight drift and accuracy is his weapon, he and krejza should get together and swap hauritz drift and accuracy, for krezja's flight and turn

 

[Chimpdaddy]

Would like both Hilfenhaus and Bollinger to play tomorrow.

Very much agree with this piece.

This, I agree with completely. Dead rubber, why not make some dramatic changes for the future? Lets see who can stand up in the test arena. Both are quality players at state level, let them make the next step up. Our current attack (Lee, Johnson and Siddle) cannot get 20 wickets. And with Lee injured, it is an excellent opportunity to try both Bollinger and Hilfenhaus out. This means Siddle misses out (although he has not impressed me that much), but we should be looking to future series, not this one! And they seem to have this idea fixed in their brain that the SCG is a spinners galore. I disagree with this. Unless you have a quality spinner who can extract whatever little spin there is, then it makes no sense to play Hauritz at the expense of not playing another quality pace bowler.
Finally why not give Hughes a go? Hayden has at best, another 10 tests left in him before he retires. That is 10 more tests of experience for a young gun that we're sacrificing. It baffles me how the selectors minds work. Basically it is "lets try to win with a losing side and hope they come good." Absolutely ridiculous. It should be "We need to find our best 11 players, give the youngsters some international experience, and prepare for future series".

-Chimpdaddy-

 

[howardj]

Hilfenhaus missing out is a joke.

Anyone detect a slight Victorian bias in some of the selections of late.

I can't stand when State biases come into to picking our national team.

I have serious questions marks over White, Siddle and MacDonald's selections this Summer.

 

[hammo666]

Don't really want to wax lyrical about North like I always do, and then become known as someone who's just biased towards a player they like, but I think he'd make an excellent number six, for the reasons you listed and also because of his temperament and technique - he responds to the match situation better than just about anyone in the country, plays spin and pace equally well and rarely ever looks hurried at the crease. His bowling would just be a bonus. The only other person I can think meets the same sort of critieria is Dave Hussey, who I'd probably have selected for the third test if I was a selector.

Might happen after Sydney Test

 

[Mr Casson]

Might happen after Sydney Test

Think there's a few blokes ahead of me atm, PEWS is one of them.

 

[aussie]

Hilfenhaus missing out is a joke.

Anyone detect a slight Victorian bias in some of the selections of late.

I can't stand when State biases come into to picking our national team.

I have serious questions marks over White, Siddle and MacDonald's selections this Summer.

No issue on Siddle at all. He has been impressive. The rest no doubt have been wack.

 

[hammo666]

The Selectors seam to be getting a Free ride on this issue.they shold all get the Arse n start again!

 

[hammo666]

Siddle has a Nice 4 ball every over, this is not good enough at Test level.

 

[Chimpdaddy]

No issue on Siddle at all. He has been impressive. The rest no doubt have been wack.

Siddle has not really impressed me. He has a couple of good session where he gets the ball to knip and swing at 145kph, but the rest of the test there is nothing. Inconsistent is probably the best description. He's got the talent, he just need to get that old ball talking, and bowl well for an entire match. I suppose this may come with experience.

-Chimpdaddy-

 

[Mister Wright]

Indeed, but they still ended up with four quicks and one spinner. They'd have strengthened the batting and the bowling as well as maintaining the same balance if they'd had picked Hilfenhaus ahead of Hauritz and North ahead of McDonald.

They were never going to do that though due to the great myth that the SCG is a raging turner. It's not like Hauritz actually uses turn as a main weapon when he bowls anyway though.

Obviously don't follow W.A. all that much, but would North be able to handle bowling 20+ overs of spin in a day and still keep things economical? There's a lot of truth in 'bowling fitness' particularly for spinners.

As much as Hauritz may not bowl raging turners or take a bucket load of wickets but he has shown he can bowl a substantial amount of overs and keep things tight.

 

[Craig]

So Siddle and Bollinger will open the bowling, I can't of a more green horn opening bowling partnership in International cricket or indeed for Australia for quite a long time.

 

[Mr Casson]

Obviously don't follow W.A. all that much, but would North be able to handle bowling 20+ overs of spin in a day and still keep things economical? There's a lot of truth in 'bowling fitness' particularly for spinners.

As much as Hauritz may not bowl raging turners or take a bucket load of wickets but he has shown he can bowl a substantial amount of overs and keep things tight.

Not saying that this applies to you personally, but I think there is this mentality still floating around that we shouldn't accept anything less than an elite spinner because we must be able to turn one of these Krejza/Hauritz types into one. Australia's position regarding test spinners is unusual in that the spinners we are trying really aren't much more effective than the part time options we already have in Clarke and Katich. If you were to throw North in there, obviously as a batsman first and foremost, you then have three guys who can bowl three different varieties of spin and are almost as accomplished at it as anybody else we have. Importantly, that allows you to play your best paceman, someone like Noffke when he's fit again.

 

[Chimpdaddy]

Obviously don't follow W.A. all that much, but would North be able to handle bowling 20+ overs of spin in a day and still keep things economical? There's a lot of truth in 'bowling fitness' particularly for spinners.

As much as Hauritz may not bowl raging turners or take a bucket load of wickets but he has shown he can bowl a substantial amount of overs and keep things tight.

This is exactely what is wrong with the Australian view on creating quality spinners. The entire "keep it tight" mentality. Shane Warne said that a great spinner can throw it up, get tonked for 6, and then throw it up again the very next ball. To a spinner, keep it tight = dart the ball in quick at the stumps. That is not the right attitude. In order to take wickets you need to try an decieve the batter in flight, dip and spin off the pitch. You can get it wrong, and the batter may charge down the pitch and tonk you, but there is always that element of danger that if he misreads the flight or mistimes the shot, he can get out.

Finally, "keeping things tight" don't win test matches, wickets do.

-Chimpdaddy-