1st Test: Australia v South Africa at Perth on Nov 3-7, 2016

[Twizzle]

well that was one of the best pieces of fielding anyone will ever see

brilliant

 

[JJ]

Probably the coach, too.

Boof Lehmann in his porky pomp was better than any of the current Aussie batsmen. The man was a genius with the willow.

He averaged 58 over his 1st class career during the most competitive era of state cricket ever seen. In the 90s and early 2000s most Aussie state sides were better than most test sides.

You can add Michael Bevan to that list, too. Then there's Simon Katich, who is the batsman, captain and character this current Aussie team is crying out for.

Contrast them with the young and brash upstarts of today who can barely scratch out a 1st class avg. of 40 against fast bowling titans like John Hastings.

But hey, at least they have super popular Insta accounts and can hit a mean 35 off 18 balls in the Big Bash thanks to a few deadly reverse slog sweeps and ramp shots.

That generation of Australian cricketers was special though, bit like the WIndies of the 70s and 80s, not representative of how things generally are.

 

[JJ]

Hell even a Nuffie like Joe Scuderi>>>>>>>>> MMarsh.

MMarsh is funny - just looks like the big strong kid at school that got away with shot because he was bigger than anyone else, not because he was talented...

I said it earlier, Philander is a better all-rounder - he's obviously a better bowler and I reckon he's a better bat - same average, just more appropriately batting at 8 because his bowling justifies his spot

 

[hineyrulz]

MMarsh is like the star u20's kid in RL that was just bigger and stronger then the other kids. Once they go into open age and get found out they disappear never to be heard of again. But not in Australian cricket his last name is Marsh and no matter how much he is found out he is continually picked. He will scrape together 30 or 40 today and justify the selectors ridiculous faith in him. The bar is so low ATM someone like Sean Young could step over it.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

T20 is to blame for a lot of Australia's woes. KP was giggling about how T20 had made batsmen braver and more skillful the other day. Showed perfectly what a giggling dunce he is.

Warner and Maxwell are great examples. When the conditions are right - roads of pitches, plodder bowlers plus huge bats and small out fields - they are absolutely brilliant. But if the pitch actually offers something or the bowler has got the ability to move it around they get exposed both because technique is poor and because they cannot leave the ball alone.

The batsmans best shot is the leave outside off stump or the one going over the Stumps. Batsmen nowadays want to hit everything.

The other thing about T20 is that apart from the world cup the games are meaningless. No one cares or probably knows who won the 2015 IPL. Ditto the BBL or any other domestic league. No one cares who won the t20s between NZ and Sri Lanka or Bangladesh v England either.

When a game is meaningless players don't play with the same application. When the majority of games you play are like that that attitude it seeps into all your cricket.

Yet CA sees the BBL (which I enjoy) as the most important (at this stage) and changes their whole summer to accommodate it.

 

[Canard]

Concerned about our two so called "world class" batsmen.

Does Warner have the temperament for Test opener or even Test batting in general?

That Smith run out. Why take that single??

 

[The Charlatan]

well that was one of the best pieces of fielding anyone will ever see

brilliant

I read this in the 12th man's Bill Lawry voice.

 

[The Charlatan]

T20 has destroyed Australian Test cricket.

 

[El Diablo]

i prefer to blame Moffo

 

[Canard]

T20 has destroyed Australian Test cricket.

Don't all the Test playing nations play as much T20 if not more than our Test guys? Why doesn't if affect SA for example?

If anything the Test guys play very little T20 during our summer don't they?

 

[The Charlatan]

Don't all the Test playing nations play as much T20 if not more than our Test guys? Why doesn't if affect SA for example?

If anything the Test guys play very little T20 during our summer don't they?

You're very right in that more nations, particularly subcontinent nations, play heaps more T20 than our guys. I suppose there's competition for 11 spots in a national side, players coming through will skill themselves up for mercenary cricket because there's more money and more competitions to choose from.

You can make a living jumping from one T20 comp to the next now.

I'm not blaming T20 solely, I think there's been other factors (highways for pitches, nepotism in the national side and not rewarding players on form.) It certainly is a large factor though.

 

[Canard]

You're very right in that more nations, particularly subcontinent nations, play heaps more T20 than our guys. I suppose there's competition for 11 spots in a national side, players coming through will skill themselves up for mercenary cricket because there's more money and more competitions to choose from.

You can make a living jumping from one T20 comp to the next now.

I'm not blaming T20 solely, I think there's been other factors (highways for pitches, nepotism in the national side and not rewarding players on form.) It certainly is a large factor though.

Why for example are the SA guys much more adept at Test batting, when they play as much if not more T20 than us?

Do they play more "in-season" 4 or 5 days matches? (I don't know the answer to this)

 

[The Charlatan]

Can't comment on other nations as I don't follow their players around all the levels of cricket they play.

It just seems to have adversely affected us more than anyone else.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

MMarsh is like the star u20's kid in RL that was just bigger and stronger then the other kids. Once they go into open age and get found out they disappear never to be heard of again. But not in Australian cricket his last name is Marsh and no matter how much he is found out he is continually picked. He will scrape together 30 or 40 today and justify the selectors ridiculous faith in him. The bar is so low ATM someone like Sean Young could step over it.

Andrew Symonds probably wishes he was 15 years younger, would have a mortgage on that #6 spot and would have played 200 tests..

Then again maybe not, might have gone fishing

 

[Meth]

Game is lost, but id like to see Khawaja Marsh and Neville put up a fight and take the test well after tea

This must be South Africas best test win? Key bowler breaks down when we are belting them, best bat in the world not playing in the test

Yeah, a huge opportunity for Mitchell Marsh and Nevill to answer criticisms of them- particularly the former. One session at a time and all that. It's a big ask.

Will definitely be a famous win for South Africa if they can do it. Certainly a statement.

 

[Red Bear]

T20 has affected our domestic season big time. one dayers have had to be shifted to early season so no shield cricket till later. then there is a two month break in shield cricket for the T20 comp. i thinkbthat has hurt.

Plus our obsession with attacking cricket. Katich and Rogers have been about the only grafters in recent years.

Mitch Marsh as not been allowed to develop in the shield which hurts him. We had to carry an all rounder though because we took in two underdone fast bowlers which is madness in Perth.

Also whilst being a dickhead Clarke used his bowlers better than Smith. He used Lyon really well.

 

[Meth]

Also, I don't pay a heck of a lot of attention to Aussie state cricket- but why not give Bailey and Faulkner another go? Voges and Mitchell Marsh out...

Burns
Warner
Khawaja
Smith
Bailey
Faulkner

Or is you insist on having Voges, play Bailey if you feel like you need an extra batsmen or Faulkner if you need an extra bowler.

There may be better options that I am unaware of....

 

[hineyrulz]

I might have told this story before, I used to work in the industry and I got to talk to a lot of parents who's kids play the game.

One story was a dad(former first grade cricketer) whose son is an opening batsman was picked for a junior QLD side. He told me his son was balled out by his coach in front of the whole side for not playing aggressive enough and being selfish in a 20/20 game. Said why didn't you attempt any cross bat shots?? Why nothing in the air??,

Knowing his dad has coached him since he was 6 to play straight, play through the V and only play across the line to a short ball it really does make you wonder what the young players are being coached. This QLD u17's.

The next season despite being the leading run scorer he was not picked. And we wonder why our batsmen can't build an innings anymore.

 

[Front-Rower]

You only have to look at the run scoring stats in the sheffield sheild. Where as once 1000 runs in a season was considered the benchmark of a test quality bat, and consistently scoring close to or 1000 runs over a period of time got you a look in, only 2 players have scored over 1000 runs in the last 4 seasons with those being Michael Klinger and Adam Voges. Wind that period back to 10 years and that increases to 5 players - Katich, Klinger (twice), Rogers (twice), Voges and D. Hussey.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/austr...ting/most_runs_series.html?id=114;type=trophy

 

[Bazal]

Probably the coach, too.

Boof Lehmann in his porky pomp was better than any of the current Aussie batsmen. The man was a genius with the willow.

He averaged 58 over his 1st class career during the most competitive era of state cricket ever seen. In the 90s and early 2000s most Aussie state sides were better than most test sides.

You can add Michael Bevan to that list, too. Then there's Simon Katich, who is the batsman, captain and character this current Aussie team is crying out for.

Contrast them with the young and brash upstarts of today who can barely scratch out a 1st class avg. of 40 against fast bowling titans like John Hastings.

But hey, at least they have super popular Insta accounts and can hit a mean 35 off 18 balls in the Big Bash thanks to a few deadly reverse slog sweeps and ramp shots.

I loved Katich as a player but to suggest he has anything like the kind if character this side needs is completely off the mark. Sadly the bloke is an arrogant tosser.