***Official*** West Indies in Australia

[tooextracool]

Actually, I dont think Ive ever seen Pollock swing the ball consistently and Ive probably seen him play 30 tests. High arm action, seam upright, gets people out with seam and bounce.

nope its quite amusing how people tend to think that mcgrath and pollock are exactly alike. Pollock has swung the ball on many many occasions and its no secret that graham thorpe himself suggested that he had problems playing pollock because he got extremely close to the stumps and swung the ball both ways.

Jobes bowled a few balls that moved away followed by dead straight delivery. Good bowling but no swing..

i suggest that you watch the game at TB closely then. there were plenty of times when he sent balls down the leg side that were obvious inswingers.

FYI, Hoggard rarely, if ever, got above 130 in the entire Ashes (he was decidedly medium pace ordinary for all bar one or 2 spells) whilst Bracken averages low 130s and is capable of bowling over 135.

rubbish, there were plenty of times during the ashes that Hoggard bowled at about 135kph, and he was above 130 kph almost always throughout his spell, and has been throughout his career.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but Brad Hodge absolutely slaughtered the West Indies for Victoria today, with a run-a-ball 170 odd. Coming off 70 against Tasmania, it's fair to say he's in decent form for his test debut.

 

[andyc]

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but Brad Hodge absolutely slaughtered the West Indies for Victoria today, with a run-a-ball 170 odd. Coming off 70 against Tasmania, it's fair to say he's in decent form for his test debut.

Yeah I know, looks like the Windies are having trouble getting him out.

They should talk to Jack for some help

 

[Prince EWS]

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but Brad Hodge absolutely slaughtered the West Indies for Victoria today, with a run-a-ball 170 odd. Coming off 70 against Tasmania, it's fair to say he's in decent form for his test debut.

Liam and I both mentioned it earlier...

We didnt give his final score, but we both certainly mentioned it.

 

[Prince EWS]

Because Chanderpaul is an odd little man... and he may be using Edwards with care to prevent injury. After all, if Edwards gets injured, it's Best who slips in. Yikes.

Then why play Edwards at all? If they are concerned about him getting injured in this tour match, he shouldnt be playing in this tour match...

 

[Josh]

Hodge "guaranteed test selection" with 177 off 178 against the Windies in the tour Match today.

Good.

 

[Nate]

Great innings by Brad. I don`t think Bracken will be picked, but I really hope we play four bowlers.

 

[social]

nope its quite amusing how people tend to think that mcgrath and pollock are exactly alike. Pollock has swung the ball on many many occasions and its no secret that graham thorpe himself suggested that he had problems playing pollock because he got extremely close to the stumps and swung the ball both ways.



i suggest that you watch the game at TB closely then. there were plenty of times when he sent balls down the leg side that were obvious inswingers.



rubbish, there were plenty of times during the ashes that Hoggard bowled at about 135kph, and he was above 130 kph almost always throughout his spell, and has been throughout his career.

a. Where did I compare McGrath to Pollock? However, now you mention it, the comparison is more valid than Pollock with swing bowlers.

b.So youre saying that Jones is an inaccurate swing bowler now?

c. Hoggard is military medium. He has the benefit of being given the ball in optimum conditions only i.e. when it is new or when the conditions favour his type of bowling. I pity McGrath and Pollock. Under similar scenarios, they would average in the very low double figures.

 

[Linda]

'Onya Warney

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17211747-29277,00.html

 

[age_master]

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but Brad Hodge absolutely slaughtered the West Indies for Victoria today, with a run-a-ball 170 odd. Coming off 70 against Tasmania, it's fair to say he's in decent form for his test debut.

Katich was in pretty good form before the last test too.

 

[social]

Why pick Hodge?

Symonds is as good a bat in just as good form.

He is a better fieldsman and can bowl.

The presence of Hodge in and around the Aus squad has had me mystified for months.

 

[Jono]

Does every non-Victorian not rate Hodge?

 

[Linda]

Does every non-Victorian not rate Hodge?

I guess its more a case of thinking we have someone better sitting in the ranks?

 

[SquidAU]

Does every non-Victorian not rate Hodge?

Because Darren Lehmann is better!

 

[Josh]

Why pick Hodge?

Symonds is as good a bat in just as good form.

He is a better fieldsman and can bowl.

The presence of Hodge in and around the Aus squad has had me mystified for months.

Well, he's been one of the countries most talented batsman for near on 10 years so I would think he deserves a fair go, even tho he should have got one 8 years ago when he was blasting the WI all around the MCG playing for Australia A.

 

[howardj]

Well, he's been one of the countries most talented batsman for near on 10 years so I would think he deserves a fair go, even tho he should have got one 8 years ago when he was blasting the WI all around the MCG playing for Australia A.

On the contrary, I think he's been hot and cold throughout his career. Guys who are going to be really good Test players usually blitz the domestic scene for a few seasons in a row while they are fairly young. Besides, you don't build a great side by having 31 year olds make their debut. To that end, Australia should look at getting Phil Jacques in their side quite soon.

When you think about it, all the top class batsmen of the last ten years - Slater, Hayden, Langer, Martyn, Ponting, SWaugh - made their debuts in their early twenties. Guys need to be exposed to Test cricket early on, and then make the inevitible adjustments to their game while they are still young enough to be recalled. Hodge will be too old to be recalled, and come back a better player, if he gets dropped within two years - as happened to the aforementioned players.

 

[tooextracool]

a. Where did I compare McGrath to Pollock? However, now you mention it, the comparison is more valid than Pollock with swing bowlers..

you didnt, but the general misconception is that pollock and mcgrath are similar bowlers, when the only thing thats similar between them is the fact that they are both accurate and not express.

b.So youre saying that Jones is an inaccurate swing bowler now?.

umm do you watch cricket at all? i mean seriously? since when has jones ever been an accurate swing bowler? hes been able to control reverse a lot better but when it comes to controlling conventional swing hes quite often sprayed it all over the place and hes said that himself in interviews.

c. Hoggard is military medium. He has the benefit of being given the ball in optimum conditions only i.e. when it is new or when the conditions favour his type of bowling. I pity McGrath and Pollock. Under similar scenarios, they would average in the very low double figures.

hoggard is military medium yes, but then again so is bracken. and i really wonder what the comparisons with pollock and mcgrath are supposed to prove, even though its glaringly obvious that both of them are better. one must remember though that Hoggard has only been 'covered up' and bowled in favorable conditions ever since the 4 pronged pace attack has begun, and his figures not surprisingly have gotten visibly better since then. however for the 4 years before that he had to bowl just as much as any other strike bowler in the world. what i find extremely amusing is that you dont rate hoggard and yet rate bracken even though they're both exactly the same, except that bracken can swing the ball in only 1 direction and only when the conditions favour him significantly. in other words Bracken is nothing more than Alan Mullally.

 

[social]

you didnt, but the general misconception is that pollock and mcgrath are similar bowlers, when the only thing thats similar between them is the fact that they are both accurate and not express.



umm do you watch cricket at all? i mean seriously? since when has jones ever been an accurate swing bowler? hes been able to control reverse a lot better but when it comes to controlling conventional swing hes quite often sprayed it all over the place and hes said that himself in interviews.



hoggard is military medium yes, but then again so is bracken. and i really wonder what the comparisons with pollock and mcgrath are supposed to prove, even though its glaringly obvious that both of them are better. one must remember though that Hoggard has only been 'covered up' and bowled in favorable conditions ever since the 4 pronged pace attack has begun, and his figures not surprisingly have gotten visibly better since then. however for the 4 years before that he had to bowl just as much as any other strike bowler in the world. what i find extremely amusing is that you dont rate hoggard and yet rate bracken even though they're both exactly the same, except that bracken can swing the ball in only 1 direction and only when the conditions favour him significantly. in other words Bracken is nothing more than Alan Mullally.

Given that Ive got no idea how you draw similarities between Hoggard, Jones and Pollock (all totally different bowlers) and Jones' accuracy or other wise has no relevance at all, I'll simply conclude this ridiculous discussion by saying that:

a. I dont rate Hoggard at all; and

b. No-one, including yourself, has seen enough of Bracken to make a convincing argument about his quality one way or another.

 

[tooextracool]

Given that Ive got no idea how you draw similarities between Hoggard, Jones and Pollock (all totally different bowlers) and Jones' accuracy or other wise has no relevance at all, I'll simply conclude this ridiculous discussion by saying that:

err the only similarity that i said that they had between them was that they can all swing the ball both ways. nothing else in their bowler was supposed to be similar.

a. I dont rate Hoggard at all; and

b. No-one, including yourself, has seen enough of Bracken to make a convincing argument about his quality one way or another.

ive seen every single test match that Bracken has played. I havent however seen enough of him since his return to conclude that he is as rubbish as he was before but based on the signs he showed against WI, at best he could only be another Hoggard.

 

[aussie]

Katich was in pretty good form before the last test too.

in that omly frist class match, but his test form was woeful no doubt...