Ricky Ponting steps down as Captain (Updated)

[burr]

Good decision. Time is up for him as captain but I think there's a lot left in his batting. Look forward to many more Ponting pulls well into the future.

 

[Furball]

at the time, the Poms were ranked 4th

No we weren't.

 

[howardj]

Yes you were, were were lol

Makes little difference in any case - 3rd or 4th

The overriding point was that England were not like some sort of superpower that we could be expected to lose three times in an innings to...

 

[howardj]

No we weren't.

Anyway, you are wrong, and I'm right.

 

[Furball]

Anyway, you are wrong, and I'm right.

Sri Lanka dropped to 4th when their Test series with the West Indies ended.

 

[Burgey]

Australian news: Ricky Ponting not the first to play on post-captaincy | Australia Cricket News | ESPN Cricinfo

Cheers mate. Thanks for that.

 

[howardj]

I like Pup's emphasis on returning to basics.

A point I make in my forthcoming paper is that Australia should aim to be the best fielding team in the world again by year-end.

We've really gone away from this basic discipline of cricket.

Being a good fielding side really galvanises you as a team, it really lifts morale.

I also think we should show some energy in the field by making a real effort to get through our overs, rather than lumbering around and showing no urgency.

 

[robelinda]

I dont like this returning to basics crap, what were they doing in the last 2 years then???? Seems like a crazy comment. I cant believe we werent practicing fielding anymore when we'd built up such a reputation as an awesome fielding team. If we actually were just taking it easy and doing lazy training then the entire coaching group should be fired.

 

[sifter132]

I'm with you Rob, I think 'back to basics' was just a soft answer, a bit of fluff to deflect criticism of Ponting. What's Clarke going to say otherwise? We need to bowl our overs quicker? We need to stop tinkering with plans mid-over? We need to set better fields for spin? Any of those things would have been very honest, but he'd have been hammered as a whinger and bitch - he HAD to give a generic answer there.

 

[Spark]

The above is true, but if by what he means by back to basics he means working on stuff like "running the first run hard" and the like then I'm for it. And I'm on record being perplexed and deeply unamused by our drop in fielding standards.

 

[howardj]

I dont like this returning to basics crap, what were they doing in the last 2 years then???? Seems like a crazy comment. I cant believe we werent practicing fielding anymore when we'd built up such a reputation as an awesome fielding team. If we actually were just taking it easy and doing lazy training then the entire coaching group should be fired.

You, good sir, need to carefully read my essay.

In there I document and cite articles about Australia not training hard enough, and not paying attention to detail.

That we don't have a fulltime fielding coach is further evidence that we're not addressing the basics of the game.

 

[Jono]

This essay better be free howard.

 

[howardj]

i don't think anyone would pay for it.

I'm not sure how to publish it on here though, as it has coloured boxes throughout (these contain the recommendations)

I might just email it in MWord form to people.

 

[Spark]

Just upload it and post the link.

 

[Jono]

Just PDF that **** Howard.

 

[Spark]

Just PDF that **** Howard.

this

 

[Western Warrior]

You, good sir, need to carefully read my essay.

In there I document and cite articles about Australia not training hard enough, and not paying attention to detail.

That we don't have a fulltime fielding coach is further evidence that we're not addressing the basics of the game.

Howard, very much looking forward to your recommendations. I admit my little 'essay' was written as much from the heart as it was from the head and as such contains 'recommendations' which may seem a little far-fetched if not totally s**t.

Have you looked at unified coaching standards at the state level? I understand that each state side is left to their own devices when it comes to concentrating on certain fundamental disciplines.

Speaking totally hypothetically it may be that QLD and NSW have totally different priorities when it comes to coaching basic fielding, batting, running between wickets tactics etc etc.

As a result you may have players coming into the national side that may excel on one of the fundamentals and lack in some of the others. Obviously these players will only receive the most remedial coaching from the national team before they are actually required to play, for example a state player called up during the middle of a series aka Bollinger in The Ashes.

If a unified coaching framework were to be developed that concentrates on the fundamentals it would be a good framework for the individuals states to begin with and ensure that our players have a more uniform skill set.

Again, this was a spur of the moment idea but I believe it warrants consideration.

 

[Spark]

Is it only me that wrt to coaching, we've tried too hard to go for "geniuses" who are credited for working miracles rather than good, solid cricket coaches? Cf Cooley, Jenner...

 

[Western Warrior]

Agreed Spark. Buchanan had some good ideas that paid off but near the end of his coaching tenure I think he may have begun to lose the plot.

As for Cooley I have a sneaking suspicion that he may not be everything we had hoped he would be. Personally I would rather see someone approach the likes of Wasim Akram, Dennis Lillee or Glen McGrath for their input.

As for Jenner, after his heart attack in 2010 I don't think he could handle the rigours of being a coach at a national level. I saw him in a TV interview last month and he did not look well at all.

 

[GotSpin]

So when am I writing the foreward?