4th Test: Australia v India at Gabba Jan 15-19, 2021

[Incorrect]

Spot on, Bevo averaged over 60 in the shield at a time when there was world class bowlers all over the place. Imagine what he would of been able to do at Glenelg against the might of the current SA attack??? LOLzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!


Even a plodder like Jimmy Maher probably plays 50 tests.

Martin Love would be our captain and Prime Minister right now based on talent v the excrement in our top order right now....

 

[The Mad Hatter]

That Bevo didn't notch up 100 tests is a crime. How MacGill didn't play more is a crime in itself too.

The rail roading of Steve Waugh towards retirement is a travesty.

I said to my wife when he was part of the 2019 entourage for the WC and Ashes, something had to have changed for him to come back. I've had dealings with him, five minutes of his time is worth a million dollars...and it isn't the hard arsed merkin people make out he is. A thoroughly awesome bloke.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

In all fairness, I do think CRICKET is better now in a way. But not in terms of quality locally. The Aussie scene in the 90s/00s was ludicrously good, you could pick up any Shield side from the late nineties at full strength and beat lots of Test teams today with it. Probably even the Aussie test side unless you grabbed Tassie lol.

But I do think that other countries have improved a hell of a lot, so the game globally is better and more competitive.

England and India caught up with professionalism. Other countries have dragged up with IPL cross pollination etc too.

 

[hineyrulz]

In all fairness, I do think CRICKET is better now in a way. But not in terms of quality locally. The Aussie scene in the 90s/00s was ludicrously good, you could pick up any Shield side from the late nineties at full strength and beat lots of Test teams today with it. Probably even the Aussie test side unless you grabbed Tassie lol.

But I do think that other countries have improved a hell of a lot, so the game globally is better and more competitive.

India, NZ and maybe England are better, i'd argue the rest have gone backwards at a rate of knots.

Zimbots and Lanka are weaker and the Pakies are easily weaker. So are the Windies,


I'd argue the bowling ranks are prerty average compared to the 90's, the flatr decks don't help them to be fair.

 

[Bazal]

England and India caught up with professionalism. Other countries have dragged up with IPL cross pollination etc too.

The Windies are probably about the only side who haven't improved. Maybe Sri Lanka, although it would be hard to argue that a decade with the likes of Sanga and Mahela steering the ship, so their collapse has been more recent.

Even Pakistan. Like they always produced great cricketers, and they're still inconsistent, but they've been deserving number ones in all forms of the game at one point or another.

NZ are the number one test side in the world only twenty years after Simon Doull and Chris f**king Harris were in their best eleven. One of the best spinners in the world is from Afghanistan!

 

[Incorrect]

The Windies are probably about the only side who haven't improved. Maybe Sri Lanka, although it would be hard to argue that a decade with the likes of Sanga and Mahela steering the ship, so their collapse has been more recent.

Even Pakistan. Like they always produced great cricketers, and they're still inconsistent, but they've been deserving number ones in all forms of the game at one point or another.

NZ are the number one test side in the world only twenty years after Simon Doull and Chris f**king Harris were in their best eleven. One of the best spinners in the world is from Afghanistan!

Chris Harris would bowl the f**k out of Davey Warner's and Joe Burns' middle pole given a chance!!

 

[undertaker]

The corn in Bevo's shit was more talented than an absolute plank like ,Matty Wade. Back in the 90's Wade wouldn't of made a shield team let alone play 36 tests for Aus. When people try to tell me cricket is better know i just LOLZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!

ROFL at Wade. It's disgrace how someone like Wade played more tests than not only Bevo, but also Lehmann, Cox, Siddons, Hodge, Elliott, Love, Di Venuto, Maher, Law and Tom Moody (who all piled on thousands of runs in Shield/County Cricket). Generations Z and Alpha really don't know what they've missed out on if Wade is now the benchmark for what it takes to wear the Baggy Green.

Could you imagine Wade, Warner, Harris et al facing Ambrose/Walsh/Bishop/Waqar/Wasim/Donald et al on the juicer '90s pitches? They'd all have their arses end up in the same hospital ward!

Also on full-sized (non-roped) grounds with 10-15m+ longer boundaries and slower outfields, Wade would've been lucky to hit the fence at the old MCG. Goes to show you just how good batsmen such as Desmond Haynes were:

 

[simmo1]

I tend to agree that Australia certainly had a glut of talented cricketers in the 90s, many of which were unlucky not to have played more test cricket. However, it's tough to know how they would have gone at test level which always is a step up, especiy overseas. For example, guys like Darren Lehmann and Matthew Elliott were very dominant shield and county players during that period but never really reached the same heights at test level.

Anyways, on the game being played, nearly all the Australian batsman will be rueing throwing their wickets away, but another 100 or so runs and they're well on top.

 

[gUt]

Good discussion ITT. Re selectors, today Dirk Nannes wasn’t shy about blaming shit selections over the years on the Youth Over Experience At All Costs method they’ve used and blamed mainly Greg Chappell for it.

 

[hineyrulz]

ROFL at Wade. It's disgrace how someone like Wade played more tests than not only Bevo, but also Lehmann, Cox, Siddons, Hodge, Elliott, Love, Di Venuto, Maher, Law and Tom Moody (who all piled on thousands of runs in Shield/County Cricket). Generations Z and Alpha really don't know what they've missed out on if Wade is now the benchmark for what it takes to wear the Baggy Green.

Could you imagine Wade, Warner, Harris et al facing Ambrose/Walsh/Bishop/Waqar/Wasim/Donald et al on the juicer '90s pitches? They'd all have their arses end up in the same hospital ward!

Also on full-sized (non-roped) grounds with 10-15m+ longer boundaries and slower outfields, Wade would've been lucky to hit the fence at the old MCG. Goes to show you just how good batsmen such as Desmond Haynes were:

Hayden is a supposed all time GOAT but it took a lot of those blokes you mentioned to retire for him to pile on the runs, Hayden was 10 X the player a Wade will ever be.


As i keep saying AB would average 60 plus against the current bowlers in his sleep. Have a look at the attacks he faced througout his career and have a look at some of the homeless bums getting a run now. Dom Bess LMFAO!!!!!

 

[undertaker]

Good discussion ITT. Re selectors, today Dirk Nannes wasn’t shy about blaming shit selections over the years on the Youth Over Experience At All Costs method they’ve used and blamed mainly Greg Chappell for it.

Good to see someone call out Greg Chappell's role in this. He seems to have escaped a lot of criticism when it comes to this issue.

 

[hineyrulz]

I tend to agree that Australia certainly had a glut of talented cricketers in the 90s, many of which were unlucky not to have played more test cricket. However, it's tough to know how they would have gone at test level which always is a step up, especiy overseas. For example, guys like Darren Lehmann and Matthew Elliott were very dominant shield and county players during that period but never really reached the same heights at test level.

Anyways, on the game being played, nearly all the Australian batsman will be rueing throwing their wickets away, but another 100 or so runs and they're well on top.

Lehman had a decent test carrer and Elliot had his moments but he was never the same player after he did his knee. He was good enough to hit 199 on a juiced up deck at Lords in 1997 i think.

 

[Bazal]

Good discussion ITT. Re selectors, today Dirk Nannes wasn’t shy about blaming shit selections over the years on the Youth Over Experience At All Costs method they’ve used and blamed mainly Greg Chappell for it.

Good to see someone call out Greg Chappell's role in this. He seems to have escaped a lot of criticism when it comes to this issue.

You guys listen to the Grade Cricketer at all? Under all the satire they actually do often talk some pretty handy stuff about cricket and they've historically SLAMMED Chappell for exactly this.

They had him in the show not long ago. I've fallen behind in my podcast listening lately but I'm keen to dig that one up.

 

[undertaker]

I tend to agree that Australia certainly had a glut of talented cricketers in the 90s, many of which were unlucky not to have played more test cricket. However, it's tough to know how they would have gone at test level which always is a step up, especiy overseas. For example, guys like Darren Lehmann and Matthew Elliott were very dominant shield and county players during that period but never really reached the same heights at test level.

Lehmann and Elliott would be piling on thousands of runs if they were playing on the flat tracks against average bowling in Shield these days, not to mention they faced Ambrose/Walsh/Waqar/Wasim/Akhtar/Donald/Pollock/Gough/Bond during their careers. Those are some of the best bowlers in the history of cricket.

Test/Shield pitches in Australia up to the early 2000's offered much more for bowlers compared to the flat tracks dished out today. SCG was a rank turner, Gabba/WACA was a fast bowler's paradise, MCG was up and down, and Adelaide was good for batting on the first 3 days, and then deteriorated and offered something for bowlers on the final day.

I know North Sydney Oval is a small ground, but to score a one-day century against a bowling attack of McGrath/Lee/Bracken/MacGill is definitely no small achievement, and something Wade could only dream of doing if he had his lifetime 10 times over:

 

[undertaker]

You guys listen to the Grade Cricketer at all? Under all the satire they actually do often talk some pretty handy stuff about cricket and they've historically SLAMMED Chappell for exactly this.

They had him in the show not long ago. I've fallen behind in my podcast listening lately but I'm keen to dig that one up.

Don't know much about the Grade Cricket podcast, but if you happen find that particular episode, I'd be keen to listen to it.

 

[undertaker]

Lehman had a decent test carrer and Elliot had his moments but he was never the same player after he did his knee. He was good enough to hit 199 on a juiced up deck at Lords in 1997 i think.

Headingley it was


Aussies were 4/50 before Elliott/Ponting's 268 run partnership put the result beyond doubt

And you're right, Elliott himself said he wasn't the same player after that collision with Mark Waugh at the SCG a year earlier. Nevertheless, he was still able to pile on thousands of first-class runs despite battling chronic knee injuries.

 

[hineyrulz]

Remember when Hazelett got thrown into the ODI side because Chaps liked the look of his cover drive???


He did a young player no favours and now he struggles to make the QLD side, Chappell is a weirdo and i have heard a few stories from some good sources that make me like him even less.

Ian Chaps is the better bro seriously, horse blanket and all.

 

[herbert henry1908]

Thoughts on the batting

Warner - not reading much into his bad form, hasn’t played in weeks. He’ll find his touch.

Harris - He’s not a test standard batsmen, gets caught too often playing silly shots.

Labuschagne - What a revelation he’s been

Smith - He’ll be filthy with that shot. Left an easy ton out there today.

Wade - Continues to play silly shots, looked so comfortable to that point. I think we need find another middle order option.

Green - Should possibly bat higher at no.5, looks very patient. Give him more time to build an innings.



Pucovski comes back in for South Africa

And we either move Green to no.5 with an attacking option at no.6 (Maxwell, McDermott) or go with Patterson at no.5.

 

[herbert henry1908]

ROFL at Wade. It's disgrace how someone like Wade played more tests than not only Bevo, but also Lehmann, Cox, Siddons, Hodge, Elliott, Love, Di Venuto, Maher, Law and Tom Moody (who all piled on thousands of runs in Shield/County Cricket). Generations Z and Alpha really don't know what they've missed out on if Wade is now the benchmark for what it takes to wear the Baggy Green.

Could you imagine Wade, Warner, Harris et al facing Ambrose/Walsh/Bishop/Waqar/Wasim/Donald et al on the juicer '90s pitches? They'd all have their arses end up in the same hospital ward!

Also on full-sized (non-roped) grounds with 10-15m+ longer boundaries and slower outfields, Wade would've been lucky to hit the fence at the old MCG. Goes to show you just how good batsmen such as Desmond Haynes were:

Not fair on Warner being included with Wade and Harris. I know his away record is sketchy, but so are a lot of batsmen. To average 48 as an opener shouldn’t be sneezed at.

 

[Incorrect]

My recollection Re Elliott and his absence from the national team injury or not was that he spoke out of school and lost the trust of his adulterous teammates....