The Selection Problem

[marc71178]

lehmann has proven nothing.

1549 runs @ 51.63 is now nothing?

 

[marc71178]

Uh huh.. Yeah, fantastic test player, Richard. He's great. I don't know how you can judge him as a test player because he is actually very inexperienced at test cricket,

So in that case, you can't judge Clarke then.

20 games is a better judge of a player than 1 innings.

 

[Richard]

test cricket, and you, well you just don't seem to watch any at all.

Let me assure you I watch far more Test-cricket than most people, probably including you.

 

[Macka]

Oh my god Richard, talk yourself up mate. You obviously know best.

 

[Richard]

I know how much Test-cricket I watch, I know how much Test-cricket most people watch (that involving their country and, vaguely, the odd other game that might happen to be on).

 

[pskov]

Aussie batting line up since start of 02/03 Ashes series (partially to shut up the Lehmann naysayers ):

Langer - 22 tests, 48.26 average, 7 100's & 4 50's
Hayden - 22 tests, 70.25 average, 11 100's & 5 50's
Ponting - 20 tests, 72.22 average, 8 100's & 6 50's
Martyn - 16 tests, 45.96 average, 2 100's & 7 50's
Lehmann - 15 tests, 60.04 average, 5 100's & 6 50's
Katich - 8 tests, 44.25 average, 1 100 & 4 50's
Gilchrist - 22 tests, 44.55 average, 4 100's & 5 50's

Looks to me that Martyn is the most vulnerable as he is averaging nowhere near as high as Lehmann (whose more than useful bowling could be important in India aswell), doesn't fulfill any specialised role (Langer - opener, Gilchrist - keeper & vice-captain) and is up against two players with youth on their side in Katich and Clarke.

However, I think it is most likley that Clarke will be sat back down and be told to wait for his chance to come around again. Quite rightly IMHO. Australia has a setlled team at the moment with no dire need to replace anyone. They can afford to wait for someone to have a real dip in form, not a 'he hasn't been averaging over 55' dip, or the retirement announcements that may be sooner than you think with youngsters waiting in the wings (remember Hussain?).

 

[shaka]

Clarke has a lot of talent and once any of the batsman from the Australian lineup gets dropped or retires, I am sure Clarke will take their place (whereever in the lineup that will be). He has had a good one day career so far, and will be important in the future because he can play spin so well, and against the quicks is also good. I remember him playing Daniel Vettori quite well in the last match they played, giving him a stepping stone to a bright future.

 

[Mr Casson]

Yes, Lehmann is easily one of the best batsmen around, far better than Clarke.

May I remind you that after Clarke's superb start in ODIs he rapidly tailed off...

He experienced a dip for a while after the TVS cup, but he has shown recently that he is still good enough to be there.

 

[SJS]

All of you guys are probably right and Lehmann may replace Clarke at the next opportunity but I wonder what a debutant is expected to do in his first test in order to play the second ??

From the foregoing it would appear that irrespective of what a debutant did, he would just not be good enough to play a second game by the sheer fact of his being a debutant (read inexperienced ) !!

 

[shaka]

Doug Walter's has said that Clarke will put pressure on Darren Lehmann's spot in the Australian team.
"You can't consistently keep on dropping 37, 38-year-old blokes from (the team) and replacing them with 36-year-old guys," Walters said on radio.
source: http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/041007/3/6xgw.html

12 Australians have scored a test ton on their debut

 

[Scallywag]

All of you guys are probably right and Lehmann may replace Clarke at the next opportunity but I wonder what a debutant is expected to do in his first test in order to play the second ??

Clarke would have known before the game it was only to cover injury.

From the foregoing it would appear that irrespective of what a debutant did, he would just not be good enough to play a second game by the sheer fact of his being a debutant (read inexperienced ) !!

If Australia did drop say Martin for Clarke and Clarke lost form then the selectors have made a problem instead of capitalizing on having bench strength.

Stability in the team is more important than focusing on players careers.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

May I remind you that after Clarke's superb start in ODIs he rapidly tailed off...

Yes, because a batting average of 41 with an SR of 90 is absolutely woeful - only twelve current players have a better average than that, and only eight have a better SR...absolutely dismal.

After all, nobody can sustain a 208 average for very long!

 

[marc71178]

The 41 is rather significantly aided by red inks.

And I was talking about the run of 23 games when he scored 471 @ 27.71...

Incidentally 6 of those games were against Zimbabwe.

 

[age_master]

the only player that would possibly be dropped for cvlarke for the 3rd test is Martyn, Boof and katich are far superior players, particularly of spin, but both also offer a bowling option. having said that the selectors i dont think will drop him, not for the 3rd anyway, if he were not to score any runs in the first 3 it might happen (but he would be back in the side for the home series)

 

[Jnr.]

Clarke will probably be put aside for the meanwhile.

Didn't Martyn top the averages in New Zealand in 99/00 when Ponting was out injured, and then Ponting stepped back in when he was fit for the West Indies in 00/01?

 

[Mr Casson]

Much as it seems like the obvious result will be Clarke stepping aside, AB has just said to Brendon Julian that he will be going over to India after the second test to replace Trevor Hohns as the selector on duty, and what he said was something like 'I'm going to have to make a very interesting decision'. So in his mind it mustn't be concrete just yet.

 

[SJS]

Much as it seems like the obvious result will be Clarke stepping aside, AB has just said to Brendon Julian that he will be going over to India after the second test to replace Trevor Hohns as the selector on duty, and what he said was something like 'I'm going to have to make a very interesting decision'. So in his mind it mustn't be concrete just yet.

I think Clarke will stay and either Martyn or Lehmann will go. Unless in the next three innings Clarke fairs miserably and the other two get big scores.

 

[age_master]

another thought, the VC is hardly gonna get dropped

 

[SJS]

another thought, the VC is hardly gonna get dropped

Its not entirely unheard of.

 

[age_master]

no but surley that would put him higher than martyn - not to mention that hes one of teh worlds best players of spin and a better ba overall than martyn.