The Gabba is an interesting prospect i grant you that one. Even the Queensland Bulls do not have a clue how to play it. apparently they had a big "Get Together" Meeting about that exact problem last week....

You'll grant me that one?! The Gabba was just off the top of my head, I could think of many other venues to test your theory out - on "always batting first" in Tests.

It didn't do S.R. Waugh any Problems with his captaincy. S.R was the best captain i ever witnessed & he Batted after winning any Toss..

I'm quite sure he bowled occassionally after winning a toss.

It didn't do S.R. Waugh any Problems with his captaincy. S.R was the best captain i ever witnessed & he Batted after winning any Toss..

S.R. Waugh had McGrath, Gillespie and Warne at his disposal in the fourth innings and then he had Hayden, Langer, Ponting and Gilly ably supported by M Waugh and Martin.

I like Steve Waugh but honestly it was easy to Captain a side with 4 all time greats in it ably supported by another four very good players.

And a quick scan of Cricinfo shows that SR Waugh as captain of the Test team won the toss in the 2nd Test at Melbourne in 2000/2001 and bowled.

http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63965.html

Who would have thunk it?

HT is right. "The crux of my post is, in Test Matches (5 day format) you analyse the pitch first and look/consider at the pitch & weather conditions. Including forecasts. It helps determine results." Winning the toss and deciding correctly does have a huge bearing on a Test. While the majority of time the winner does bat it is not a golden rule and it is feasible to bowl given certain circumstances and conditions.

banglas are on the up in cricket

No they're not. They're going nowhere and don't deserve to be playing Test cricket.

Zimbabwe cricket mirrors the country itself. An appalling tragedy being destroyed by Mugabe and his goons.

Very true. And sad.

It didn't do S.R. Waugh any Problems with his captaincy. S.R was the best captain i ever witnessed & he Batted after winning any Toss..

Give it up WYL. The idea that every captain should bat first 100% of the time is just out-dated and wrong.

As RR said, Waugh could have bowled first on roads and still had a result.

S.R. Waugh had McGrath, Gillespie and Warne at his disposal in the fourth innings and then he had Hayden, Langer, Ponting and Gilly ably supported by M Waugh and Martin.

I like Steve Waugh but honestly it was easy to Captain a side with 4 all time greats in it ably supported by another four very good players.

And a quick scan of Cricinfo shows that SR Waugh as captain of the Test team won the toss in the 2nd Test at Melbourne and bowled.

Who would have thunk it?

I was waiting for that, Yes even the greats do make mistakes RR i admit that. Like Following on in india in the hot weather. S.R should never have done that...I was yelling at the Radio "DON'T DO IT" The Bowlers were knackered.

What S.R. did was put an incredible respect into the History of the Baggy Green. Players who wore it under his reign almost went to war, particulairly overseas.

A lot of people critisize S.R but his innings in the west indies of 200 against Curtly Ambrose was the Benchmark for any australian sportsman.

At the End of the Game his whole Torso was briused pretty much, but he stood there & took it.

Yes he captained a great side. But S.R. made them even better & he was totally feared by all opposition sides for a decade.

I was waiting for that, Yes even the greats do make mistakes RR i admit that. Like Following on in india in the hot weather. S.R should never have done that...I was yelling at the Radio "DON'T DO IT" The Bowlers were knackered.

What S.R. did was put an incredible respect into the History of the Baggy Green. Players who wore it under his reign almost went to war, particulairly overseas.

A lot of people critisize S.R but his innings in the west indies of 200 against Curtly Ambrose was the Benchmark for any australian sportsman.

At the End of the Game his whole Torso was briused pretty much, but he stood there & took it.

Yes he captained a great side. But S.R. made them even better & he was totally feared by all opposition sides for a decade.

Blah Blah Blah.

He won the Test at Melbourne so how could it possibly be a mistake?

The follow on and the amazing freakish comeback by the Indians in a record stand does not negate the argument about batting first and is irrelevant to the the discussion. However for all of Waugh's alleged greatness, the decision cost us that series in India.

Nobody is criticising SR Waugh. They just recognise he was a captain with a great team (one of the greatest ever at his disposal). Was he a great captain? Gien the side he had it hard to tell. He rarely had the pressure on him (ex India) during his captaincy. And for the record Warne made four captains look better than they were....Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting. Great players do that.

Just spare us the meldramatic crap.

Blah Blah Blah.

He won the Test at Melbourne so how could it possibly be a mistake?

The follow on and the amazing freakish comeback by the Indians in a record stand does not negate the argument about batting first and is irrelevant to the the discussion. However for all of Waugh's alleged greatness, the decision cost us that series in India.

Nobody is criticising SR Waugh. They just recognise he was a captain with a great team (one of the greatest ever at his disposal). Was he a great captain? Gien the side he had it hard to tell. He rarely had the pressure on him (ex India) during his captaincy. And for the record Warne made four captains look better than they were....Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting. Great players do that.

Just spare us the meldramatic crap.

Melodramatic?? Not at all it's what happened.

S K Warne should have captained Australia regardless of his off field problems. Brilliant Cricket mind as well as bowler.

But sadly we Got little "Wicky" thems the Breaks.....

S K Warne should have captained Australia regardless of his off field problems. Brilliant Cricket mind as well as bowler.

Agree that he had brilliant cricket mind and was a great bowler but....

Not a leader's bootlace who was a loner with litle rapport with teammates and few if any real friends in cricket.

And after Tubby and S Waugh were both made Australian of the Year it is hard to think that a serial pants man, a smoker, a pathological liar and a convicted drug taker was ever going to be the high profile and high prestige captain of Australia.

Unfortunately brilliance in some areas was countered by an perpetually embarrassing personal profile that makes Wayne Carey look like a Saint.

Agree that he had brilliant cricket mind and was a great bowler but....

Not a leader's bootlace who was a loner with litle rapport with teammates and few if any real friends in cricket.

.

Really?? Is that so, i would never have picked that one.

S K always comes across to me as the "Lovable Rouge" in the dressing room. I am staggered by that.....

Really?? Is that so, i would never have picked that one.

S K always comes across to me as the "Lovable Rouge" in the dressing room. I am staggered by that.....

There is no doubt Warne sees himself in that light too.Through the difficult times in his life, drug taking, teammate sledging, accepting bribes, serial womaniser and cheating that Warne has this surreal ability to brush these issues off as something thats neither here nor there when all the world realises its different and has serious implications about judgement and good character. Its a quality that has allowed him to endure personally the strain of public life in his own unique way. In another way it shows he repeatedly does not understand the fundamental responsibilities and accountabilities he has to people in his cricket life and his private life. Deep down he is a simple bogan from the burbs who just does not get it.

He is respected and revered as a cricketer but not on the same level as a person. There is a number of skills Warne has on the field that dont translate off it...one of them is character.

FWIW, Warne is the best bowler I have ever seen and the demonstration of his rare skills to world cricket came at a price.

There is no doubt Warne sees himself in that light too.Through the difficult times in his life, drug taking, teammate sledging, accepting bribes, serial womaniser and cheating that Warne has this surreal ability to brush these issues off as something thats neither here nor there when all the world realises its different and has serious implications about judgement and good character. Its a quality that has allowed him to endure personally the strain of public life in his own unique way. In another way it shows he repeatedly does not understand the fundamental responsibilities and accountabilities he has to people in his cricket life and his private life. Deep down he is a simple bogan from the burbs who just does not get it.

He is respected and revered as a cricketer but not on the same level as a person. There is a number of skills Warne has on the field that dont translate off it...one of them is character.

FWIW, Warne is the best bowler I have ever seen and the demonstration of his rare skills to world cricket came at a price.

I was aware of his indiscretions but not to that degree, i grew up not far from Warney's Patch so i know the area well. Great parties were attended & Had in Beaumaris.

Maybe after the "Gatting" Ball S K just thought-" i can do anything" i was in england during that series-it was massive. The Poms were speechless in the pubs, watching on telly. Silence..It was fabulous.

But yes that stuff comes at a price.

Maybe after the "Gatting" Ball S K just thought-" i can do anything" i was in england during that series-it was massive. The Poms were speechless in the pubs, watching on telly. Silence..It was fabulous.

My understanding is that he had always had that teflon perspective and his rise to fame only added fuel to the fire.

His long litany of embarrassing and unacceptable behavioural events in public and private destroyed any chance he had of ever being Australian captain.

Its a pity. He was a great bowler with an enterprising cricket brain. It gave him longevity in the game where just one of his embarrassing gaffes would have sunk the careers of lesser mortals.

http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63965.html

Looking back at the make up of that team back then: -

It just goes to show how blessed we were as cricket followers. What a side !

In hindsight, sometimes it's wonderful to reminisce the Australian side and how dominant Australia was for so long. Not just from that 2000/01 side, but right through from basically '89 onwards, our battle with the West Indies in the early 90's to becoming the No.1 nation in cricket.

Makes you appreciate how wonderful it was to see the likes of Border and his men on the rise, with the likes of Warne. Then Tubby who was in his own right a great skipper and help establish a dominant side. S.Waugh continued on in this vein with his teams.

To be able to see the ever consistent McGrath and Warne weave his magic during Boxing day Tests whilst at the G or on holidays will stick with me forever.

Last night I witnessed another century by Brad Hodge in the Ford Ranger One Day series against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. He scored 114 off 113 balls. And was the architect along with McDonald's 58 in the win. On the back of a 190-odd in the Sheffield Shield, he is keeping the selectors on notice. "I think"

Whilst the South Australia's bowling attack isn't the best it does have Shaun Tait who bowled with much vigour and surely is in line for one-dayers selection for Australia at some stage this summer.

Last night I witnessed another century by Brad Hodge in the Ford Ranger One Day series against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. He scored 114 off 113 balls. And was the architect along with McDonald's 58 in the win. On the back of a 190-odd in the Sheffield Shield, he is keeping the selectors on notice. "I think"

Whilst the South Australia's bowling attack isn't the best it does have Shaun Tait who bowled with mucthh vigour and surely is in line for one-dayers selection for Australia at some stage this summer.

I think his aussie days r over.Too old dispite being one of the best domestic players.Love watching him play

I think his aussie days r over.Too old dispite being one of the best domestic players.Love watching him play

You could well be right. However, Katich did get a recall through sheer weight of runs at domestic level.

Hodge should've moved to NSW

any word on the Vic international player for Big Bash as murali is out

Michael Clarke's no certainty for the First Test in Brisbane on November 26: http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/...ory/433004.html

Possibly an opening for Hodge to replace him in the middle order?

At 35yo, the selectors maybe looking at younger options.

Mind you if you are ever going to bat your way into form then its gotta be in a series against the Windies at home.

Funny, I would never have said that 15 years ago

Michael Clarke's no certainty for the First Test in Brisbane on November 26: http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/...ory/433004.html

Possibly an opening for Hodge to replace him in the middle order?

Well, without being too sarcastic, Hodge is in form. So far the only recent form Clarke has shown is on the arm of Lara Bingle at Derby Day whilst his teammates have been sweating it out in India.

Apologies. He is injured and resting his back under doctors orders.

McDonald's call-up is better late than never. Henriques didn't exactly set the world on fire in his couple of games, although I'm not holding that against him.

The number of injuries has been ridiculous - I count nine, although two of those have been to players in place of injury, so only seven missing from our best side?

RE: Siddle, he only bowled 5 due to injury.

RE: Hodge, I think he's finished at international level. If they didn't pick him for the 20/20 I don't see why they'd now pick him for the Test side.

Deciding on the Test opening spots should be interesting (but probably won't be).

McDonald's call-up is better late than never. Henriques didn't exactly set the world on fire in his couple of games, although I'm not holding that against him.

The number of injuries has been ridiculous - I count nine, although two of those have been to players in place of injury, so only seven missing from our best side?

RE: Siddle, he only bowled 5 due to injury.

RE: Hodge, I think he's finished at international level. If they didn't pick him for the 20/20 I don't see why they'd now pick him for the Test side.

Deciding on the Test opening spots should be interesting (but probably won't be).

The number of injuries is worthy of an inquiry as to why highly paid professional sportsmen were not fit and able to play.

Assessment is right on Hodge.

If we dont have more inspiring choices for the Test than Brad Hodge at 35 then Australian cricket is looking bleak indeed. A weak Windies outfit is an ideal platform to bring on promising players of tomorrow not proven and ageing tweeners. And if Hodge is picked in the Tests, I will also take back my past criticism of the Poms in full for recalling Brian Close and Colin Cowdrey all those years ago.

A weak Windies outfit is an ideal platform to bring on promising players of tomorrow not proven and ageing tweeners.

Fair call. Got anyone who you would personally consider for this summer, whom we have not seen in the green & gold ?

McDonald's call-up is better late than never. Henriques didn't exactly set the world on fire in his couple of games, although I'm not holding that against him.

Definitely should have got the call up before Henriques, and should play once he's over there. Good fill in for Hopes.

RE: Hodge, I think he's finished at international level. If they didn't pick him for the 20/20 I don't see why they'd now pick him for the Test side.

Deciding on the Test opening spots should be interesting (but probably won't be).

Hodge has the ability to come back in and make runs, but I guess the selectors will use this somewhat easier summer to look at new talent. I would just like to see Hodge (and Rogers, for that matter) get some recognition from CA for their continual dominance in the Sheffield Shield.

Possibly Hughes back to open and Watson into the middle order.