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2nd Test: Australia v Pakistan at Leeds Jul 21-25, 2010

Pete Cash

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62,191
Asif brilliant is a bit of an overstatement but they were useful with the conditions. I would have batted personally. There wasn't heaps in the deck and you know it is conditioned into Australians to bat first.

The problem is batting and its a serious one. Madunits post is an excellent description of what is going on. We constantly play down the wrong line. It is stupid and it makes us look silly when the ball swings.
 

Big_Bad_Shark_Fan

First Grade
Messages
8,279
Pakistans bowling attack is pretty good. Id say its probably the 3rd best attack behind South Africas and Indias. Australias probably only betters Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, New Zealand and probably Sri Lanka (ive hardly watched them in the last few years).

To break Australias attack down you have Johnson, who is consistantly the worst bowler we have. YES he does get wickets, BUT so does any bowler who bowls. I mean the wickets have to go to someone...its not hard to pick 1 or 2 up. You have Bollinger who is ok, but very much overated by the public. Then theres Watson, whose decent as a 4th quick option and thats it. While Smith would be the worst spinner going round for any country, and thats not a dig at him but I dont see a worse potion than him in test cricket. Then theres Hilfenhaus, the best quick we have, but yet the guy who seems most likely to get dropped - go figure.

A real question has to be in our batting. How many times in the past 18 months have we been dead skittled or had ridiculous collapses? Im not going to go back and count but it happened at least 2 times in the ashes that i remember off the top of my head where we were skittled for nothing. We also posted nothing scores at home a few times. How many chances can Marcus North get? Hussey and Clarke are decent players, and some of the best we have, but if this was anywhere in the past NEITHER would even get a look in. Pontings good, not getting runs, but I still wouldnt drop him. Maybe he has to slide down the order to have a better look, but hes too good of a player not to be in there. Katich is our best bat, while Watson has to proove himself overseas to be a test opener, just like a lot of our middle order has to proove themself in tough situations - and they have had plenty of chances to do that the last few years.
 

Front-Rower

First Grade
Messages
5,297
Pakistans bowling attack is pretty good. Id say its probably the 3rd best attack behind South Africas and Indias. Australias probably only betters Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, New Zealand and probably Sri Lanka (ive hardly watched them in the last few years).

To break Australias attack down you have Johnson, who is consistantly the worst bowler we have. YES he does get wickets, BUT so does any bowler who bowls. I mean the wickets have to go to someone...its not hard to pick 1 or 2 up. You have Bollinger who is ok, but very much overated by the public. Then theres Watson, whose decent as a 4th quick option and thats it. While Smith would be the worst spinner going round for any country, and thats not a dig at him but I dont see a worse potion than him in test cricket. Then theres Hilfenhaus, the best quick we have, but yet the guy who seems most likely to get dropped - go figure.

A real question has to be in our batting. How many times in the past 18 months have we been dead skittled or had ridiculous collapses? Im not going to go back and count but it happened at least 2 times in the ashes that i remember off the top of my head where we were skittled for nothing. We also posted nothing scores at home a few times. How many chances can Marcus North get? Hussey and Clarke are decent players, and some of the best we have, but if this was anywhere in the past NEITHER would even get a look in. Pontings good, not getting runs, but I still wouldnt drop him. Maybe he has to slide down the order to have a better look, but hes too good of a player not to be in there. Katich is our best bat, while Watson has to proove himself overseas to be a test opener, just like a lot of our middle order has to proove themself in tough situations - and they have had plenty of chances to do that the last few years.

Doug Bollinger is our best bowler how you could say he is over rated is beyond me. Hilfenhaus is probably up there with him and as for Johnson well the less said the better.

I think the problem with our batting is mental toughness. Sure we have guys who can score big runs but outside of Katich they all want to score at a run a ball or better. None of them (apart from Katich) want to cop a ball on the body and tough it out ala Stephen Roger Waugh in his hay day or just hang around for the sake of the team.

Test matches go for 5 days and these guys look as though they want to be the beach on days 4 and 5. Maybe getting bowled out for 88 might be a wake up call?
 

hineyrulz

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157,681
Doug Bollinger is our best bowler how you could say he is over rated is beyond me. Hilfenhaus is probably up there with him and as for Johnson well the less said the better.

I think the problem with our batting is mental toughness. Sure we have guys who can score big runs but outside of Katich they all want to score at a run a ball or better. None of them (apart from Katich) want to cop a ball on the body and tough it out ala Stephen Roger Waugh in his hay day or just hang around for the sake of the team.

Test matches go for 5 days and these guys look as though they want to be the beach on days 4 and 5. Maybe getting bowled out for 88 might be a wake up call?
Nailed it in one, Katich is old school it's not how it's how many. The rest of them are more about style rather than substance. I still think a lot of it was arrogance, we thought we would bat first have a tough first session maybe lose 2 or 3 wickets tough it out the Pakis would fall apart and we win by an innings. Well that didn't happen the Pakis bowled well and now we are in the poo.
 

beads6

First Grade
Messages
6,162
Our biggest problem when facing swing is we are always too aggressive. I agree though probably only Kat and Pup are decent at toughing it out. Still should have bowled first, would have loved to have seen DOugie and Hilfy getting first crack yesterday.
 

lockyno1

Post Whore
Messages
53,922
Blaming Ponting is a bit lazy. Ponting didn't get out 10 times.

Got to love the Ponting loverboys.

Read this carefully...

A DEAD DOG COULD HAVE SEEN THAT THAT PITCH WAS NOT A BAT FIRST PITCH!

Yet Captain Useless bats first, when everyone knows those conditions in Egebaston swing like nothing before. Can you imagine Hilfenhaus and Watson bowling in the morning on that pitch!
 

Red Bear

Referee
Messages
20,882
The writing has been on the wall for this kind of performance for a while. Constant false sense of security wins against thw Windies (despite being outplayed in the Adelaide draw) the Paki's (despite getting a miracle in Sydney) and NZ have seen the management of the side seemingly take an everything is ok attitude, despite the fact we are carrying a dreadful number 6, a number 3 past his best and too stubborn to adjust his game and a battling but slightly past it Hussey.

The positives are there is some very very good talent in the 19-25 age group. There isnt much in the way of seasoned quality players in the 25-30 age group to replace North and or Hussey tho. And the bowling is going OK, I dont know if Smith will or indeed should keep his spot when Hauritz is fit again but there is some potential there.

But at some point someone needs to sit down and have a long hard look at the side, because there is a need for change which cant just keep being brushed over as it is.
 
Messages
11,869
Got to love the Ponting loverboys.

Read this carefully...

A DEAD DOG COULD HAVE SEEN THAT THAT PITCH WAS NOT A BAT FIRST PITCH!

Yet Captain Useless bats first, when everyone knows those conditions in Egebaston swing like nothing before. Can you imagine Hilfenhaus and Watson bowling in the morning on that pitch!

Impossible, a dead dog would not have vision and thus would not be able to judge the pitch and conditions
 
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