1st Test: Australia v India at Chennai February 22-26 , 2013..

[Hutty1986]

Henriques has done wonders here, with some support Australia could have ended up 150-200 ahead.
He should have been at #6 batting in tandem with Clarke, too bad the selectors seem to think Wade is up to international grade.

Its still not over, Lyon knows how to hang around and if they sneak in an extra 100 somehow anything can happen.

I's a nice thought, but more realistically, Lyon will probably go in the first 2-3 overs today. It's looking more and more like a test that could have gone in a far different direction

 

[Rosetta]

Haddin should have been selected as a batsmen the second Hussey announced his retirement, experienced in Indian conditions who knows how to use his feet against spinners.

Clarke should be batting up the order in India, he needs to be flexible on goat tracks.

We should have taken our most accurate spinners to India, accuracy is everything in India, hit the most abrasive spots on a goat track and the bounce can do anything, we don't need blokes that turn it like Warne, just blokes that can hit a spot consistently which Lyon can't do whilst O'Keefe and Hauritz CAN do.

Hughes should have been pushed down the order in India, first drop is quite ridiculous for someone with zero experience in Indian conditions.

 

[Earl]

Get George Bailey, Adam Voges and Steven O'Keefe on a plane asap.

Their records may be modest but they have cool heads and plenty of experience.

Can't be worse than the plebs we have in the squad atm

 

[vvvrulz]

The missing O'Keefe has been talked about enough, but I was surprised to see Bailey not even considered for this tour. Among the wayward new crop he at least seems to have a proper technique and ability to bat time, probably the only one.

 

[Mr Angry]

There was more bad news for Australia on Monday night, with reserve seamer Jackson Bird sent home for scans on a back injury.

LINK
Time for a spinner?

 

[Hutty1986]

Bird being sent home is a massive loss.

 

[Earl]

not really. im kind of glad he has been sent home.

He will destroy England in their conditions, the last thing he needed was to play a couple of games India to destroy his confidence

 

[JJ]

He will destroy England in their conditions,

:sarcasm: The current English team is pretty f**king good, the current Australian team pretty f**king ordinary...

You batted first in this test and couldn't compete - I'd worry about the current series if I were you

 

[vvvrulz]

Its too early to call it but on current terms England would smash Australia.

 

[hineyrulz]

The selectors are just a big a big a reason as to why we are struggling so badly. While we continue to not pick our best side we will never get back to number 1.

 

[JJ]

The selectors are just a big a big a reason as to why we are struggling so badly. While we continue to not pick our best side we will never get back to number 1.

RSA's best side >>>> Aust's best side
England's best side >>>>> Aust's best side
India's best side in India >>>> Aust's best side

The rest Aust can compete with or beat, and certainly (obviously) beat at home... as I mentioned above, for all the wailing about playing in India, playing in Aust is non picnic for visitors

 

[hineyrulz]

RSA's best side >>>> Aust's best side
England's best side >>>>> Aust's best side
India's best side in India >>>> Aust's best side

The rest Aust can compete with or beat, and certainly (obviously) beat at home... as I mentioned above, for all the wailing about playing in India, playing in Aust is non picnic for visitors

I'm not doubting that our team isn't as good as the Poms or the Saffa's 3rd sounds about right. But while we continue to get things so wrong with selections we will never challenge again for the number 1 spot.

 

[Twizzle]

RSA's best side >>>> Aust's best side
England's best side >>>>> Aust's best side
India's best side in India >>>> Aust's best side

The rest Aust can compete with or beat, and certainly (obviously) beat at home... as I mentioned above, for all the wailing about playing in India, playing in Aust is non picnic for visitors

ummm...........................no

we were all over them in the first two tests and very unlucky with injuries in Adelaide and rain cost us at the MCG

they beat us in the last at Perth but to suggest that was any here near our strongest team is hopelessly inaccurate

we had an entirely new bowling attack that included Hastings and his 125 k pies. Hard to argue with the facts and our ridiculous rotation policy

our non existent spin attack has been found out in India and cost us big time in this test, not to mention our best spinner is still back in Australia

 

[vvvrulz]

ummm...........................no

we were all over them in the first two tests and very unlucky with injuries in Adelaide and rain cost us at the MCG

they beat us in the last at Perth but to suggest that was any here near our strongest team is hopelessly inaccurate

I think its pretty fair to say that the strongest South African team right now will carve up the strongest Australian team, bearing in mind that Hussey is gone now. The Aussie team rely so heavily on Clarke is not even funny, including that series.

That said I'd say they're a comfortable #3 and are still a chance of giving India a run in this series.

 

[JJ]

ummm...........................no

we were all over them in the first two tests and very unlucky with injuries in Adelaide and rain cost us at the MCG

they beat us in the last at Perth but to suggest that was any here near our strongest team is hopelessly inaccurate

we had an entirely new bowling attack that included Hastings and his 125 k pies. Hard to argue with the facts and our ridiculous rotation policy

our non existent spin attack has been found out in India and cost us big time in this test, not to mention our best spinner is still back in Australia

Wasn't their best team either... they had a strange series injury wise... and as I keep saying, you lot seem to think that touring Aust is easy... but sorry, did I miss something, who won the series? Do moral victories count in Aust these days, or doing well but being a bit unlucky? Are you becoming Kiwis?

 

[JJ]

I think its pretty fair to say that the strongest South African team right now will carve up the strongest Australian team, bearing in mind that Hussey is gone now. The Aussie team rely so heavily on Clarke is not even funny, including that series.

That said I'd say they're a comfortable #3 and are still a chance of giving India a run in this series.

Def # 3, I think - better than India overall, much better in Aust, but India to win at home, I think

 

[Twizzle]

I think its pretty fair to say that the strongest South African team right now will carve up the strongest Australian team, bearing in mind that Hussey is gone now. The Aussie team rely so heavily on Clarke is not even funny, including that series.

That said I'd say they're a comfortable #3 and are still a chance of giving India a run in this series.

missing Punter and Hussey big time

Punter has been making tons and double tons in Shield cricket

makes you wonder if it was premature yet we all called for his head

 

[vvvrulz]

missing Punter and Hussey big time

Punter has been making tons and double tons in Shield cricket

makes you wonder if it was premature yet we all called for his head

I think Punter was finished, at least confidence wise he was stuck in a downward spiral. Given how poor he usually is in India its good they didn't take him.

I don't know a lot about Shield cricket but looking at the "stars" coming out of there it makes me wonder about its quality at the moment.

 

[JJ]

missing Punter and Hussey big time

Punter has been making tons and double tons in Shield cricket

makes you wonder if it was premature yet we all called for his head

They had to go at some time, but I thought the calling for Ponting to retire was laughable, even moreso when you see the potential replacements...

Hussey is missed too, but to be fair he was a wonderful player in Australia and only a decent one outside of Aust

 

[Sphagnum]

Watson, Hughes, Warner, and Wade have proven time and time again that they are no good against spin.

They are all being exposed big time here and will continue to be throughout the series.

Cowan seems to have a plan and executed it fairly in the second innings. He just seems very limited and entirely incapable of batting for session after session which is a big issue. The way he got out in the first innings was astonishing and demonstrated a very poor temperament.

Henriques has been a revelation. I love how he was waiting for the ball to do it's thing and playing late. He was watching it like a hawk and using his feet stylishly. Hopefully his team mates were all in the sheds taking notes.

Clarke is great in all conditions but this isn't the bulldogs. We can't be a 'one man band' and he will eventually crack under the enormous pressure his less-than-worthy top order counterparts consistently create for him.

The most disgusting parts are that those nuffies have learnt nothing and have prepared very poorly for this tour. They should be playing the spinners much better than they are.
Also, it makes me sick how everyone is blaming our position in this game on Lyon. He has toiled hard in conditions that have historically been very bad for even our greatest of spinners.

The Indian spinners are being made to look good by extermely inept batting. Lyon unfortunately has to bowl to a team of players who are born and bred to play off spinners on wickets like this. Get some f**ken perspective and give the poor bastard a break. Warnie used to get tonked in India too. Would you have replaced him with Steve O'keefe?

/endrant