*Official* Third Test at the WACA

[Goughy]

If a bloke like Cook can make runs as a test batsman with the kind of technique that he has, then anybody can do it tbh.

Never understood the issue people have with Cook's technique. Its compact, he know his areas and he has good concentration and balance. What more do you want?

 

[social]

Cook, when on form at least, has a solid defense. I'm yet to see Hughes on form, so can't really tell if he does, but if he defends like this all the time he won't last long.

Hughes got a very good ball today and can be forgiven for what happened

Ponting and Clarke's shots were truly dire

 

[Rant0r]

Clarke just doesn't appear to have the self-discipline to maintain performance at an elite level. Wavers between brilliant and pedestrian far too much.

These days he's so consumed with making runs that the match situation drifts from him, at least in the one dayers. He's been alright in the tests until recently, still not sure he has the steel to make runs when the going is tought

Was pretty average in India (not the easiest place to keep, mind you) and not great in ODIs

Think it's fair to say that he probably wont be the next Healy

You must have been watching a different broadcast. The next Healy will never play for Australia, they all want the next Gilchrist

 

[Spark]

Eh, don't know about "very good ball". It was quite full, started on middle-off and moved to middle. It's really a ball that you should just plonk your foot down to the pitch and play back to the bowler, in the simplest way. Instead he did his level best to miss it.

These days he's so consumed with making runs that the match situation drifts from him, at least in the one dayers. He's been alright in the tests until recently, still not sure he has the steel to make runs when the going is tought

I wouldn't mind him "being so consumed by making runs", because he isn't ****ing making any (apart from that innings at Adelaide), is he?

 

[Rant0r]

In tests yes, in one dayers no

He's a posterchild for the modern batsman. Lots of flash, no foundations

 

[TumTum]

Haddin gets a lot of credit for some spectacular diving saves and catches, when really his **** footwork means he has to dive to what normal keepers would be taking on the skip

No way. Some of the dives he makes cover a lot of distance. And imo his footwork is quite good, like how about that dismissal (off the arm) of Duminy? He covered so much distance to get that.

The only part of Haddin's keeping I don't like is against spinners.

 

[Spark]

i don't think anyone gives a **** about one-dayers right now to be quite frank

i would have clarke picked for every single one dayer in the seven-match series scoring a 100-ball 20 if it meant he was back to the form of 08/09 in the remaining five innings in this series.

 

[Ruckus]

Eh, don't know about "very good ball". It was quite full, started on middle-off and moved to middle. It's really a ball that you should just plonk your foot down to the pitch and play back to the bowler, in the simplest way. Instead he did his level best to miss it.

Yeah despite seeing the replay of that multiple times, I never really saw what the commentators were harping on about. Didn't look anything particularly special to me, but as you said it was terribly played.

Very confident that the more Hughes gets to play in the team on a consistent basis, the better he will start playing.

 

[MW1304]

Hughes got a very good ball today and can be forgiven for what happened

Ponting and Clarke's shots were truly dire

Yes but it was still a poor shot from Hughes, who has been getting worked over by England's bowlers even since they set eyes on him. Don't understand how someone who smashed twin centuries against Steyn and Morkel can get repeatedly beaten by lesser bowlers, and with the exact same plan of rough him up then pitch it up. I don't even need to mention his technique which is absolutely godawful - as Nasser pointed out with his back foot moving away to his right at full deliveries.

 

[Rant0r]

i don't think anyone gives a **** about one-dayers right now to be quite frank

i would have clarke picked for every single one dayer in the seven-match series scoring a 100-ball 20 if it meant he was back to the form of 08/09 in the remaining five innings in this series.

My point is he's got his one day and test form confused

 

[Spark]

I mean, it was a good ball - moved a bit, made the batsman play. But I'd expect a test-standard batsman to keep it out almost in his sleep.

My point is he's got his one day and test form confused

Uhhh

I don't really know why I'm talking about this but the problem with Clarke in ODIs has not been the number of runs he's scored - that's probably why no one in the media ever questions his place - his averages/numbers are good. It's just that he scores them too ****ing slowly

Anyway it's completely irrelevant

 

[Rant0r]

Yes but it was still a poor shot from Hughes, who has been getting worked over by England's bowlers even since they set eyes on him. Don't understand how someone who smashed twin centuries against Steyn and Morkel can get repeatedly beaten by lesser bowlers, and with the exact same plan of rough him up then pitch it up. I don't even need to mention his technique which is absolutely godawful - as Nasser pointed out with his back foot moving away to his right at full deliveries.

And he was so confident that he'd fixed that at his press conference

 

[TumTum]

I mean, it was a good ball - moved a bit, made the batsman play. But I'd expect a test-standard batsman to keep it out almost in his sleep.

Watching it live I couldn't believe the ball went past the bat. He looked to have it covered.

 

[Spark]

Watching it live I couldn't believe the ball went past the bat. He looked to have it covered.

Feet glued in place, trying to whip a ball that's heading straight for the off bail to square leg

Yeah I can see how he had that covered

 

[Rant0r]

No way. Some of the dives he makes cover a lot of distance. And imo his footwork is quite good, like how about that dismissal (off the arm) of Duminy? He covered so much distance to get that.

The only part of Haddin's keeping I don't like is against spinners.

Once again, so one spectacular save makes up for all the pies he drops ?

Yes but it was still a poor shot from Hughes, who has been getting worked over by England's bowlers even since they set eyes on him. Don't understand how someone who smashed twin centuries against Steyn and Morkel can get repeatedly beaten by lesser bowlers, and with the exact same plan of rough him up then pitch it up. I don't even need to mention his technique which is absolutely godawful - as Nasser pointed out with his back foot moving away to his right at full deliveries.

Still trying to figure that out myself.

I mean, it was a good ball - moved a bit, made the batsman play. But I'd expect a test-standard batsman to keep it out almost in his sleep.




Uhhh

I don't really know why I'm talking about this but the problem with Clarke in ODIs has not been the number of runs he's scored - that's probably why no one in the media ever questions his place - his averages/numbers are good. It's just that he scores them too ****ing slowly

Anyway it's completely irrelevant

Not at all, the way he's got out multiple times in this series to balls he should have either left or defended rather than attacked hard could be a direct product of too much slap and tickle cricket

 

[Rant0r]

Feet glued in place, trying to whip a ball that's heading straight for the off bail to square leg

Yeah I can see how he had that covered

 

[pup11]

Not really

We're making good test batsmen look like Don Bradman and gifting wickets to bowlers after a spell of average bowling

In short, we suck and England dont

Couldn't agree more with this, not only have our selections been moronic, but also the kind of cricket we've played as a group has been absolutely shambolic.
Its ok if you make a few mistakes as a collective unit every now and then, but the important thing is to learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them.
In case of our team, batsmen are getting out pretty much in the same reckless fashion everytime, and the bowlers too are trying to dish out everything they have in their arsenal rather than just trying to be patient with certain lines and lengths.
So its no wonder we are in the kind of position we are in, and if we lose this test then blame solely lies with the top 4.

 

[Uppercut]

If the shot he played today constitutes "Ponting get a ball too good for him" then I'm really worried.

It was an excellent ball. They're not bowling outside off because they're not good enough to bowl at the stumps, they're bowling outside off because that's how Ponting always gets out.

 

[Spark]

Couldn't agree more with this, not only have our selections been moronic, but also the kind of cricket we've played as a group has been absolutely shambolic.
Its ok if you make a few mistakes as a collective unit every now and then, but the important thing is to learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them.
In case of our team, batsmen are getting out pretty much in the same reckless fashion everytime, and the bowlers too are trying to dish out everything they have in their arsenal rather than just trying to be patient with certain lines and lengths.
So its no wonder we are in the kind of position we are in, and if we lose this test then blame solely lies with the top 4.

Let's wait until we actually do lose the test. I mean I'm sure someone could find a way to be even more moronic, although granted they would have to try particularly hard to top the efforts of the top four...

 

[stephen]

I watched the Hughes dismissal live and I thought that the fielders were going up for an LBW. At the time I thought that there was no way he didn't edge that onto his pads. It was only after he moved away that I saw the stumps broken. Very strange.

Clarke's shot was dire, Ponting's was slightly less so.

Smith got out to a good nut - he really couldn't leave the ball and it did enough to catch the edge. I'm not so concerned about him.

What I am concerned about is Australia losing three wickets for not many at the top of the order. I am also concerned that we didn't take wickets. I liked the look of the bowling, Johnson in particular, but once again it was not penetrative when we needed it to be.