*Official* West Indies In Australia

[Ilovecric]

I feel aussies will be in for a big surprise in this series. The WI players have alot to prove, after being out of cricket for a min chanderpaul will be hungry for runs, sarwan is in good shape and I believe gayle will be angry on this tour.

I expect good things from the WI.

 

[Jono]

I've always seen Watson as a 4.

Then again Kallis was at 3 for a while earler in his career and bowled, so he could make it work.

Unless some are suggesting he gives up his bowling of course.

 

[Top_Cat]

I've always seen Watson as a 4.

Then again Kallis was at 3 for a while earler in his career and bowled, so he could make it work.

Unless some are suggesting he gives up his bowling of course.

Yes.

Clarke seems to have a mortage on number 4 so unless Watto is to bowl regular overs and bat 5/6, 3 seems the logical choice. Has the right sort of game for an attacking number 3, I reckon.

 

[Burgey]

Yes.

Clarke seems to have a mortage on number 4 so unless Watto is to bowl regular overs and bat 5/6, 3 seems the logical choice. Has the right sort of game for an attacking number 3, I reckon.

'cept he gets hit on the pads an awful lot. If he could remedy that, reckon he'd be top shelf tbh.

 

[Top_Cat]

'cept he gets hit on the pads an awful lot. If he could remedy that, reckon he'd be top shelf tbh.

Gets bowled a lot too.

Personally rate that as an easier problem to fix than Ponting's issues outside off-stump he had early in his career. Watto just tends to play across the line slightly. Ponting was similar years ago. Remember how many times Akram nailed him LBW?

 

[howardj]

The game on Thursday is being televised live and in full into Brisbane.

Awesome, as I find going to any more than two days of cricket in a row, a real chore.

 

[Uppercut]

Yes.

Clarke seems to have a mortage on number 4 so unless Watto is to bowl regular overs and bat 5/6, 3 seems the logical choice. Has the right sort of game for an attacking number 3, I reckon.

You don't think there are/will be better pure batsmen in the country?

 

[Top_Cat]

You don't think there are/will be better pure batsmen in the country?

No idea in, say, 5 years but right now, no-one Watto's age or younger is beating down the door.

 

[Uppercut]

I think his batting's seriously overrated in tests. Because he's had so many injuries there's an unspoken assumption that if he manages to keep himself fit he'll be up to batting at 4 for Australia. His test career has shown nothing to suggest that's the case.

 

[Top_Cat]

I think his batting's seriously overrated in tests. Because he's had so many injuries there's an unspoken assumption that if he manages to keep himself fit he'll be up to batting at 4 for Australia. His test career has shown nothing to suggest that's the case.

No argument here but with the ban on picking Victorian batsmen, who else?

 

[inbox24]

Huges

 

[NUFAN]

Not yet beating the door, but I tell ya George Bailey is an excellent bat who looks like he's batting better with the extra responsibility as captain.

 

[Top_Cat]

Huges

Go away.

 

[Top_Cat]

Not yet beating the door, but I tell ya George Bailey is an excellent bat who looks like he's batting better with the extra responsibility as captain.

Flatters to deceive at the moment. As soon as he gets past 1000 runs in a season, reckon he'll find Hilditch knocking on his door.

Couple of decent smashes last night so he's broadening his game at least.

 

[stephen]

I think that world is far from ideal.

With respect mate, that's a bit of a Dad's Army lineup. By the time of the Ashes next year, you'd have three 35 year olds and Rogers who is on the wrong side of 30 and who apparently has a difficult personality and didn't 'fit' into the Australia team when he made his debut.

No Watson is just madness.

Bear in mind I was thinking about plans for the 09 ashes really, and that would have been IMO the best players to target for said series. By the next Ashes I'd expect to see Hussey and possibly Rogers having retired for Hughes and Watson.

 

[shivfan]

No doubt over Gayle’s commitment

Yes, it find it more than a little annoying when English and Aussie newspapers keeping dredging up that Guardian article as proof that Gayle doesn't put out his best in test matches....

His Test batting record as captain is actually superior to what it was before he was appointed captain. These newspapers apparently haven't forgiven him for daring to say he prefers ODIs and 20/20s to Test cricket. They seem to have forgotten that under Gayle the WI finally won a home Test series against England 1-0. Given the recent history of the WI, that represents progress of some sort.

 

[Top_Cat]

And in what must be the least surprising news of all time (especially since no-one really believed the denials at the time), Midge Johnson admits his trailer Mum just might have affected his cricket in England;

Mitchell Johnson reveals Ashes demons | Cricket News | Australia v West Indies 2009/10 | Cricinfo.com

 

[Woodster]

Why do you say that? Surely the only difference between opening the batting and not is in facing the new ball. Clearly Watson has managed to get over that hurdle so what difference is there between him and any of the others when the balls aged?

I suggested that both Rogers and Jaques would make a three figured score judged on their past record and their run hungry style of making it count when they are set. They pace their innings, do not feel the need to become more expansive, the longer they are at the crease. They do not give their wickets away, they make the opposition suffer and are content to bide their time and play the long innings. Shane Watson may eventually make this adjustment, but currently, imo, he is not. In first-class cricket both specialist openers have a better conversion rate than Watson, and they have scored 41 hundreds (Rogers) and 35 (Jaques) respectively, in comparison to Watson's 13, admittedly over more innings.

 

[Oscillatingmind]

"Johnson's match return of 3 for 200 from 38.4 overs in the second Test played a significant role in Australia's eventual 115-run defeat to England."

Hardly.

 

[andyc]

"Johnson's match return of 3 for 200 from 38.4 overs in the second Test played a significant role in Australia's eventual 115-run defeat to England."

Hardly.

Daresay it would've been different had he taken something like 8/120 from those 38 overs instead.