Who will be harder to replace - McGrath or Warne

[PhoenixFire]

OK, as a neutral

Colin Miller < Ashley Giles

Remember that ball in 05 that Giles bowled to Martyn?

 

[R_D]

Warne is obviously going to be harder to replace due to not many quality spinners around but i think Aus will miss Mcgrath more than Warne thou..

 

[The Sean]

Warney for mine, for the reasons stated already by most others. We've got a lot of talent coming through in the pace bowling department - I don't expect any of them to have careers rivalling Pidgeon, but then again how many ever have? But with Clark, Lee, Tait, Johnson, Bracken et al there are options there.

The spinning talent in Australia is a much smaller pool, and the only genuinely top liner among them is MacGill, who as we know is already well into his 30s and probably won't go on much longer beyond Warne anyway.

McGrath is going to be difficult to replace, but in 130 years of Test cricket you could argue that Australia have produced a handful of quicks in the same class. In 130 years of Test cricket there's been only one Warney.

Really, all this does is provide a great argument in favour of stem-cell research and cloning.

 

[Slow Love™]

Ashley Giles > Colin Miller

The only way Ashley Giles could be a better bowler than Colin Miller is in an episode of Sliders.

 

[Laurrz]

He's been hit out of the attack a few times this series by Pietersen.

not really.. hes been controlled by but not been hit out IMO...on flat slow adelaide pitch

 

[honestbharani]

Warne will be more difficult to replace but I do think the effect of McGrath's absence will be felt rather more keenly than people here seem to think. We will just have to wait and see how things turn out. If I am not mistaken, Australia's next test is against India at home, is it?

 

[Matt79]

Possibly Zimbabwe away (but looking doubtful to go ahead), then Sri Lanka at home in November, followed by India at home in December.

the likely eleven month lay-off no doubt was a factor in the decision to call it quits.

 

[The Sean]

Possibly Zimbabwe away (but looking doubtful to go ahead), then Sri Lanka at home in November, followed by India at home in December.

the likely eleven month lay-off no doubt was a factor in the decision to call it quits.

I would have loved to have seen him get those Tests against Zimbabwe - he's only ever played one Test against them, coming back from injury. Would have been great to see what he could have done against them.

 

[howardj]

Don't underestimate the loss of Mcgrath.

As we saw in England last year, with Mcgrath out of the attack, we lose much of our aura.

Opposition batsmen relax, they're less tense, and more likely to let their instincts rule.

 

[burr]

It's simple. You cannot replace Warne. There has never been, nor will there likely ever be, another bowler like him. He was a once in cricket history. Such a priviledge to be the generation that was able to witness him in his pomp.

 

[howardj]

I feel like my childhood is over.

A part of me has died.

 

[honestbharani]

Don't underestimate the loss of Mcgrath.

As we saw in England last year, with Mcgrath out of the attack, we lose much of our aura.

Opposition batsmen relax, they're less tense, and more likely to let their instincts rule.

yep. esp. against India and perhaps Windies and Sri Lanka. Those teams struggle more against McGrath than against Warne.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

OK, as a neutral

Colin Miller < Ashley Giles

Remember that ball in 05 that Giles bowled to Martyn?

Hahaha. That's a good one. Colin Miller is the most successful offspinner Australia has had in a long time. You realise his test average was 14 runs lower than Giles'? He also won test player of the year for Australia once, and averaged under 30 in 5 out of 8 series in his career. He was good, Giles was not.

 

[adharcric]

He was good, Giles was not.

Very well said.

 

[Matt79]

Better hair too, tbh...

 

[Ikki]

Don't underestimate the loss of Mcgrath.

As we saw in England last year, with Mcgrath out of the attack, we lose much of our aura.

Opposition batsmen relax, they're less tense, and more likely to let their instincts rule.

True, a lot of McGrath's aura is mainly due to his excruciatingly consistent and accurate bowling. But I don't think McGrath, or any other player to come, will bring Warne's character. If he wasn't bowling at his best he'd still get you out on guile alone.

 

[Ikki]

I feel like my childhood is over.

A part of me has died.

You said it bro. I feel 100 kilos heavier today, all this sadness is burdening me.

Last Paragraph of Cricinfo Warne Profile"

Maybe, as with Posh Spice or Kylie Minogue, Warne is more famous than he is loved. Maybe we don't fully appreciate his genius; maybe, like Bradman's, it will become ever more apparent with the passing of decades. One thing's for sure, though. We'll weep when he's gone.

 

[Dydl]

Definitely Warne. Clark's already in the team and performing well in the similar mould to McGrath, wheras there aren't any spinners who could replace Warne; no one could replace Warne. Ever.

 

[Poker Boy]

Warne - by a mile. Australia's last great leg-spinner pre-Warne was Richie Benaud. In that time Australia have had one great fast bowler - Lillee - and a lot of very good ones - Thomson, Hughes, Lawson, Alderman, McDermott, Reid, Pascoe etc. Australia must wish MacGill was five years younger. I think Warne will be as hard to replace as Botham.

 

[andyc]

With all the talk about Clark, we're yet to see him play on really unhelpful conditions, or against the top batsmen in the world. The thing with McGrath is that he would always target the opposition's best batsmen, and more often than not get them numerous times that series. Clark's a good bowler, but it'll be a long time before we see something like this again.