Clarke has to go. Anyone could lead the team we've got to the record he's led it to. Let's not forget who we played in that time: Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand and then the World Cup. A good leader, clearly, and will definitely be the next captain of the Test side, but he is the clear weak link in the batting line up of the T20 side.

Furthermore I'd be looking at removing Haddin from the T20 side too. He isn't the prolific run scorer he should be in that form of the game, and Tim Paine does it much better. Plus it gives him more time off to keep himself right for the Test and ODI teams. Kieswetter for England is a good example. Prior's been dropped from the T20 side.

Finally, I'm not convinced in Mitchell Johnson at T20 level. Especially when Doug Bollinger can't get a game. Bollinger tore it up for Chennai in the IPL. Johnson, like Haddin, should probably make way which will give him more time to focus on Test and ODI cricket.

Thank God we batted first!

You call that batting, HG!!??

I haven't wasted my time posting every time the side batting first has won!

Possibly because the last 6 have been won by the team batting second.

Give it up JJC, your argument is fundamentaly flawed and I don't think you even know what you're arguing against anymore.

Possibly because the last 6 have been won by the team batting second.

Zing!

Furthermore I'd be looking at removing Haddin from the T20 side too. He isn't the prolific run scorer he should be in that form of the game, and Tim Paine does it much better. Plus it gives him more time off to keep himself right for the Test and ODI teams. Kieswetter for England is a good example. Prior's been dropped from the T20 side.

Finally, I'm not convinced in Mitchell Johnson at T20 level. Especially when Doug Bollinger can't get a game. Bollinger tore it up for Chennai in the IPL. Johnson, like Haddin, should probably make way which will give him more time to focus on Test and ODI cricket.

Good points. Unsure on removing Haddin though. Paine is more than capable and would suit. Good point you make re: England.

Mitchell Johnson for mine is too erratic, especially for T20. When he is on, he is on. Bollinger, I think you can rely on to hit the spot more often from a captain point-of-view. To be honest though, even though the landscape has changed in Cricket. T/20 doesn't do much for me. I'd rather be inclined to make sure these players such as Bollinger and Johnson are right for Tests.

As he admitted, the selectors will need to re-think his position in the team, and thus the captaincy.

Cam White hasn't done his chances any harm lately..!

The tom tom drums are beating

Clarkes run out stuffed us. The pitch was fine.

Ugh! Watson and Warner going cheaply would have done us alot of good too.

In 20/20 how much can a pitch impact a game in 3 hours?

Possibly because the last 6 have been won by the team batting second.

Give it up JJC, your argument is fundamentaly flawed and I don't think you even know what you're arguing against anymore.

Unlees they kick the ball back in after every six hit in 20/20 I'm afraid he will be lost. He wont work it out that he has been stitched up a treat on this argument.

An issue that has to be dealt with: http://www.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/460510.html

Mahela Jayawardene, in his 12 years of Test cricket, has played a total of 4 Tests in Australia. Sri Lanka haven't played a Test outside of the subcontinent since they were here in 2007, they haven't been to South Africa in 8 years and they haven't been to England in 5.

It's ridiculous how cricket is dominated by Australia, England, South Africa and India. There should be a minimum number of Tests for each nation, and the new system, which should preferably be a Test Championship of some sort, should ensure that touring is fair and spread out.

If there was a Test Championship then Tests between Australia and teams like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies would have more meaning, which would make it less of a pain to schedule in our summer.

Josh Hazlewood debuted for Australia last night at the age of 19. Youngest ever player to debut in an ODI for Australia. Took a wicket, too, but we lost to England.

Also, Tim Paine has been called up to replace Haddin in the 14 man squad for the Tests against Pakistan. I reckon that's a bit of a slap in the face to Chris Hartley from Queensland and Wade from Victoria. Both of them seem to be better first-class batsmen than Paine.

Ponting out for 92, Clarke stranded on 99. Good partnership.

One day cricket, in it's current format, is deader than...

Bangladesh beat England! Yay for Bangladesh!

9/229 at stumps on Day 1 at Lord's. An OK total given the tough batting conditions, but we were at one stage 2/171 with Katich and Clarke batting well. But Asif got Clarke off the last ball before tea and we lost 6/58 in the third session, North making another duck, Paine 7, Smith 1 and Johnson 3. Johnson's batting has fallen apart since the tour of South Africa last year.

Hussey's still there, and we saw in Sydney that even with a tailender he can forge out a decent innings so if Bollinger hangs around we could push past 250. Either way it's not a great total but Pakistan's batting line-up is fragile at best and we have Hilfenhaus back who should thrive in these conditions.

An interesting stat I saw in the cricinfo commentary is that, in a combined 11 Tests, Ponting, Tendulkar and Lara have a highest score of 54 at Lord's.

We're now 4/100, after bowling Pakistan out for 148, after they bowled us out for 253. We were 2/97 but Gul got Clarke and Hussey in consecutive balls. Watson took 5 wickets.

Ponting made a duck in what will likely be his last innings at Lord's, so he never made it to 50 at that ground.

Provided we get something from North, Paine, Smith and Johnson, as well as Katich who's 49 not out, we should be able to get the lead up around 350 which should be too much for Pakistan.

Edited July 15, 201014 yr by titan_uranus

Pakistan 1/114 chasing 440 for victory. We were bowled out for 334 with Hilfenhaus (yes, Hilfenhaus) making 56 not out (quite unbelievable really) and Bollinger making 24 (his highest score as well).

You'd think that 440 is too much for Pakistan but they've got a good platform, and when the sun comes out at Lord's and the ball stops swinging it's a good batting track. Steven Smith will need to add to his tally of 1 wicket if the swing isn't there.

Since the start of the Australian summer Katich has made 8 scores between 79 and 99, with two centuries. That's both a model of consistency and a frustratingly poor conversion rate.

I once read on here that having the last 3 posts in a thread should say something to the person posting. I wonder what 7 of the last 8 says...

It's a great idea for cricket to have the tests with Pakistan in England but what does it say for that particular country when you can't play big time sport there?

I once read on here that having the last 3 posts in a thread should say something to the person posting. I wonder what 7 of the last 8 says...

Well maybe if some other people cared to contribute to the discussion...

I'm also quite bored without uni. It's amazing how during the exam period I can find a million different ways to procrastinate but as soon as the exams are over there seems to be nothing to do except post repeatedly about cricket.

Meanwhile, North's taken 6 wickets. He's on the Lord's honour board. How odd. 11 of the 20 wickets we took went to Watson and North, so there's still work to be done with our bowlers. Johnson and Bollinger were largely ineffective.

What the ?

I don't like this idea. Sending a batsman in for the second time. A sure sign things are in trouble.

Cricket has been overshadowed by other sporting events.

Pakistan would have to one of the greatest jokes as a sporting organisations that in the last 12 months:

- Throws a Test match and investigates the keeper for some unseemingly butter fingers but the keeper maintains his spot.

- Openly criticises an incumbent test captain (Yousuf) during a Test match and series.

- Appoints a replacement captain for the one day series who gets suspended for blatant and dumb ball tampering

- Appoints Afridi to the captaincy despite the ball tampering and the fact that he has not plated Tests for 4 years.

- In his two innings that is critical to the team and getting runs, Afridi bats like a beach cricketer being called for last over. Amazing. Then resigns immediately giving reasons of stress and lack of mental preparation.

- Every batsman par Salmon Butt bats like a reckless millionaire.

Oh I just remembered Zimbabwe are worse and so are FIFA!

Good win by Australia in difficult conditions early. Bob Massie would have taken all 20 wickets on the first 2 days.

Good win by Australia in difficult conditions early. Bob Massie would have taken all 20 wickets on the first 2 days.

A sure sign WYL would have batted first.

Pakistan would have to one of the greatest jokes as a sporting organisations that in the last 12 months:

- Bowls Australia out for 88... our lowest ever first innings total and 7th lowest overall.

Tim Paine's 17 is the lowest top-score in an innings for 110 years.

...Thank the Lord we batted first.

Also when you win a toss. One should always Bat..Think he [Ponting] should have recalled that from his Time at the Ashes in 2005.

I re-iterate my opinion that it is always wise to bat first if you have the chance in cricket matches(of any duration).

You have to laugh!! B)

If this doesn't shut JJC and WYL up nothing will.

You've got to say Ponting's haunted by Edgbaston of 2005. How much more do the conditions need to be tailored to bowling for him to bowl first? It's 27 tosses in a row now that Ponting's batted first.

Pakistan's bowling unit is the best in the world, bar none. Asif, Aamer and Gul together work wonders with the ball, and Kaneria's not hopeless as a leggie. Beats ours by a long way. They'd be a top 2 or 3 team if they could find some decent batsmen. Salman Butt's OK, Umar Akmal is good, but the rest are fragile at best (of course, they're batting fine now...).

Johnson's fallen a long way from South Africa last year. With Siddle on the way back, he's the one that needs to start taking wickets IMO. Hilfenhaus is a genuine swing bowler who's at least taking wickets, and Bollinger at the moment is bowling a much tigher line and length. Johnson eases the pressure with too many loose deliveries. I'd have Siddle back in the side (as soon as he's fit), so someone has to go.

Edit: A good article: http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan-v-australia-2010/content/current/story/468343.html

Edited July 22, 201014 yr by titan_uranus

Australia 88 & 136/2 (41.0 ov)

Pakistan 258

Australia trail by 34 runs with 8 wickets remaining

Stumps - Day 2

I reckon Pakistan can still conjure a loss in this Test. It will be credit to their professsionalism and their bookmaker.

Just remarkable. What a sham of a outfit they are.

Lets face it the teams been in decline for the last 5 years and the selectors have done little to nothing about it. Continuing to play their favourites and not giving players who could become stars of the future a decent run when they hit the slightest form slump.

Hussey & Ponting are well and truely past their best, I can understand why Ponting just holds his spot but there's no excuse for Hussey. For those who will remind me of Hussey's century at the SCG and the last Ashes series, they're his only two decent scores in about 30-40 innings, you give any first class batsmen that amount of innings and they should be able to score 2 centuries at least. Then when it comes to Marcus North the less said the better IMO.

Phil Hughes needs to be given much more of a run as should Cameron White in the middle order. He averages over 40 with the bat at state level, can bowl handy leggies and IMO is our best suited player to becoming captain (probably reason why they don't play him so Clarke can get the job).

I believe Ponting & Hussey should be given this years Ashes as farwell series and thenm look to replace them with White and maybe Callum Ferguson who I believe has the goods. As for North I'd be dropping him imediatley for Hughes. Here's what I believe is Australia's best XII post this years coming Ashes.

P. Hughes

S. Katich

C. Ferguson

M. Clarke (vc)

C. White ©

S. Watson

B. Haddin

M. Johnson

N. Hauritz

B. Hilfenhaus

D. Bollinger

12th Man P. Siddle