Anyone for cricket?

[Whispering_Jack 28,118]

Does Warner think he's playing in the BBL?

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Aside from Kumar and Mahela, the Lankans seem to completely lack mental composure. Very disappointed with most of the dismissals. The pitch looks a good one and, after a day or so of sunshine, could be a batters dream IMO.

Agree. Pitch good just a tad slow but it will be good to bat on tomorrow.

Annoyed the top 3 threw their wickets away. What was Philip Hughes thinking?

Kudos to Mathew Wade on an outstanding catch.

Does Warner think he's playing in the BBL?

When you are facing an attack of District Cricket quality then why not?

[Whispering_Jack 28,118]

When you are facing an attack of District Cricket quality then why not?

Because he's thrown away an absolute certain ton in the end with an unnecessary rush of blood for starters.

I know that's his style but he does need to discipline himself a bit because he won't be able to do that sort of thing on the Ashes tour.

[Nasher 33,246]

Jackson Bird has made a very impressive start to his career.

At the G now. Jackson Bird is an impressive sight. Johnson is just toooo expensive. Middle is a gem. Sangakarra is all class. The rest of the Lankans have been poor.

Huh? I thought Bird could only bowl well on Bellerive?

It's pretty funny though, I remember listening to one of the SA tests on the radio and O'Keefe prattled on about how he didn't rate Bird at all (without offering any logical reasoning at all). Then yesterday on TV, Mark Nicholas was making Glenn McGrath comparisons. It's like reading Demonland on the off-season.

[Nasher 33,246]

Kudos to Mathew Wade on an outstanding catch.

Did he throw the ball over the fence when he caught it? It looked like he may have on TV, but they only showed him throwing it, they didn't show where it landed. By the letter of the law it should have been six if he did.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Did he throw the ball over the fence when he caught it? It looked like he may have on TV, but they only showed him throwing it, they didn't show where it landed. By the letter of the law it should have been six if he did.

Cripes he's a Tasmanian!!!

You have been reading the rule book too much.

BTW, I take back what i said weeks ago about Bird. I thought he looked really impressive.

[Nasher 33,246]

You have been reading the rule book too much.

It wouldn't be the first time it had been paid that way. I doubt it's ever happened in Test cricket, but it certainly has in lower levels.

[Macca 16,174]

Another ton to Pup ! He could easily go on and make it a big one .

What a grand player he's become .

[Macca 16,174]

Another ton to Pup ! He could easily go on and make it a big one .

What a grand player he's become .

I swear this thread has a mozz factor attached . You want to pass on your congratulations but you just know there's a caveat involved ...

Every Single Time

Watto holes out now - there goes Wade - I'm outta here ...

[Biffen 12,557]

Did he throw the ball over the fence when he caught it? It looked like he may have on TV, but they only showed him throwing it, they didn't show where it landed. By the letter of the law it should have been six if he did.

Not if he controlled it before he threw it .

Anyway.Channel 9 makes the rules of cricket now .

[dee-luded 2,958]

I swear this thread has a mozz factor attached . You want to pass on your congratulations but you just know there's a caveat involved ...

Every Single Time

Watto holes out now - there goes Wade - I'm outta here ...

Watson has done his calf again!

He has to go on an AFL training regime, of endurance training to lose some of his excess bulk. He's too muscle bound IMO, & gets injured at the drop of a baggy green.

He should be at his peak, but now he's looking at maybe losing his test spot as unreliable.

M Johnson could become the alrounder, & Watson IMO should concentrate as a batsmen, & shed 8 kilos...

Get Watson up as opener.

[Macca 16,174]

Watson has done his calf again!

He has to go on an AFL training regime, of endurance training to lose some of his excess bulk. He's too muscle bound IMO, & gets injured at the drop of a baggy green.

He should be at his peak, but now he's looking at maybe losing his test spot as unreliable.

M Johnson could become the alrounder, & Watson IMO should concentrate as a batsmen, & shed 8 kilos...

Get Watson up as opener.

They just can't seem to get him right ...

Here is the link to the story . I've heard the fitness work they do is right up to speed . They have fitness camps and are expected to get through 'Commando' style training courses (they happened under Buchanan, at least)

Bowlers have always been breaking down - more often than not it's stress related but sometimes it's just freak accidents (Thomson, Alderman, Gillespie, McDermott and others) . Watson does bowl medium/fast and although his action looks nice and easy, underneath it all there would be a decent level of stress . Enough to break down as much as he does - who knows ?

He's done very well to make 83 with a strained calf . Overall though, it's still quite baffling how he keeps breaking down with these soft tissue injuries ...

SHANE Watson has suffered another calf strain and is expected to be ruled out of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Sydney.

The injury-plagued vice-captain suffered the latest injury while bowling in Australia’s first innings on Boxing Day at the MCG, but batted with the problem today, making 83, his highest score in more than a year.

I thought the last paragraph of the article was interesting - a negative slant on figures that are quite reasonable (for an all-rounder) . His overall value is better than many give him credit for ...

The dual Allan Border Medallist and brilliant short-form player has underachieved at Test level, scoring 2481 runs at 37 and taking 62 wickets at 30.

Edited December 27, 2012 by Macca

[Biffen 12,557]

When I first saw Watson bowl I knew he would never bowl for very long with that action .

SImilarly ,when I first saw McGrath I knew he would bowl for a long time and take a lot of wickets.

Watson refused to talk to the ABC today.

Hes just a KFC mouthpiece .

Average flat track bully .

[Nasher 33,246]

M Johnson could become the alrounder, & Watson IMO should concentrate as a batsmen, & shed 8 kilos...

Get Watson up as opener.

I entertained the idea of Johnson as the all-rounder when pondering this last night, but then I dismissed it, because he's just not good enough with the bat. You have to look beyond one (very good) innings - his test average is 22.45 and he's scored one century in nearly 50 tests. Is that the guy to bat at 4 or 5 or 6? Bottom line is he's a bowler who is handy with the bat, but a true all-rounder he aint. I'd rather a guy in the du Plessis mould; a genuine batsman who can bowl 15 overs an innings if necessary.

Watson as an opener - surely we've been there, done that. I know Cowan is B-grade and probably isn't the long term answer, but if we're going to start stuffing around with our opening then it has to be because the options we've got are genuinely better, not to go from ordinary pair to ordinary pair. Watson has proven he can't get big scores when opening the innings; I'd say that ship has well and truly sailed.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Watson is a batting all rounder who needs to get his body right. When batting and bowling he looked haggard. Its affecting his confidence. At the moment he either bats at 4 and makes or he doesn't. Clarke and Hussey have mortgage on 5 and 6.

I am not sold on Hughes at 3 and would hope Khawaja takes his spot. Hughes looks brittle against the SL short ball. The Poms must be laughing. Hughes's run out was a bad mental fade out.

I would persvere with Cowan. He is learning the ropes. I recall pundits being critical of Alistair Cook who was meagre in his early years. Cowan works well with Warner.

Mitch Johnson is a bowler first and foremost. His batting is an added gain like Brett Lee's batting. But his bowling is still a worry. Its unsustainable in top line cricket to leak 5 runs per over. He needs to take a lot of wickets to cover the flaw. And he does not do that. He is a real enigma of a cricketer. Talent ....yes. Mindset....who knows.

Agree with Nasher that I would prefer a du Plessis type allrounder. Bats well and bowls competently. But would not say no to a Jacques Kallis type though!!

[Rogue 585]

Watson is a batting all rounder who needs to get his body right. When batting and bowling he looked haggard. Its affecting his confidence. At the moment he either bats at 4 and makes or he doesn't. Clarke and Hussey have mortgage on 5 and 6.

Is an average of 36 good enough for a batting all-rounder?

Mitch Johnson is a bowler first and foremost. His batting is an added gain like Brett Lee's batting. But his bowling is still a worry. Its unsustainable in top line cricket to leak 5 runs per over. He needs to take a lot of wickets to cover the flaw. And he does not do that. He is a real enigma of a cricketer. Talent ....yes. Mindset....who knows.

He's not actually that talented; he bowls lots of rubbish. Even when his mind is in a good place he's still going to lack control.

[Whispering_Jack 28,118]

3/3 - can anyone believe this?

[Macca 16,174]

3/3 - can anyone believe this?

The big question now is whether Starc is rotated back into the line-up . And if so, who makes room for him ?

Not sure it can be a workload issue this time if they 'rotate' one of the 3 quicks (the 'workloads' is what the whole rotation policy seems to be about) Unless the Sri Lankans can somehow turn this around there will be a full 5 days break between this Test and the Sydney Test . Besides that , our bowlers have certainly not been overused in this Test .

It might have to be Siddle again and that just doesn't make sense . On a positive note, we are building up a bit of an arsenal of 'Quicks' . And Cummins and Pattinson are not even under consideration right now (because of injury)

Edit : A few weeks ago Stuart Clark made mention on Foxtel's 'Inside Cricket' that our fast bowlers were often required to bowl an extra 8-9 overs in the nets after a t20 game . This was designed by CA to bring their workloads up to a certain 'quota' . He also made mention that 'ice baths' were no longer in vogue and that they aren't a requirement after a days play . Stuart's general attitude to how our quicks are being handled came across as being quite sceptical .

Edited December 28, 2012 by Macca

[Whispering_Jack 28,118]

The big question now is whether Starc is rotated back into the line-up . And if so, who makes room for him ?

Not sure it can be a workload issue this time if they 'rotate' one of the 3 quicks (the 'workloads' is what the whole rotation policy seems to be about) Unless the Sri Lankans can somehow turn this around there will be a full 5 days break between this Test and the Sydney Test . Besides that , our bowlers have certainly not been overused in this Test .

It might have to be Siddle again and that just doesn't make sense . On a positive note, we are building up a bit of an arsenal of 'Quicks' . And Cummins and Pattinson are not even under consideration right now (because of injury)

Nor are Hazlewood, Harris or Cutting and a few others who are not that far off either ...

[Macca 16,174]

Nor are Hazlewood, Harris or Cutting and a few others who are not that far off either ...

Yes, we seem to be well stocked in the fast bowling department . Bird has made a nice debut and looks to have a bright future . Cummins and Pattinson have a bit of 'Star quality' about them and Starc has a huge upside with his height being such an advantage .

It's the batting that is the issue - we need a few young stars to emerge if we're going to be a powerhouse again . That 4 test tour to India will be invaluable (with regards to our preparation for the Ashes tour)

[Whispering_Jack 28,118]

Why Angelo why?

[dee-luded 2,958]

I entertained the idea of Johnson as the all-rounder when pondering this last night, but then I dismissed it, because he's just not good enough with the bat. You have to look beyond one (very good) innings - his test average is 22.45 and he's scored one century in nearly 50 tests. Is that the guy to bat at 4 or 5 or 6? Bottom line is he's a bowler who is handy with the bat, but a true all-rounder he aint. I'd rather a guy in the du Plessis mould; a genuine batsman who can bowl 15 overs an innings if necessary.

Watson as an opener - surely we've been there, done that. I know Cowan is B-grade and probably isn't the long term answer, but if we're going to start stuffing around with our opening then it has to be because the options we've got are genuinely better, not to go from ordinary pair to ordinary pair. Watson has proven he can't get big scores when opening the innings; I'd say that ship has well and truly sailed.

I wasn't commenting on his one innings.

I've watched him over his career, as I saw him as a huge talent. But could then see he was fragile in his Self Belief.

I've come to realise he's not a front man, & should be a 3rd quick or alrounder. We have a wealth of 3rd quicks, including Siddle in an Ideal world. Siddle, Bird Johnson, etc.

ATMO Siddle is a great 2nd bowler, but when Cummins & Pattinson workout how to stay on the park, Siddle has to be the Guts & Bravado bowler that holds the attack together.

Johnson could be a 1st stringer, but his lack of selfbelief curtails his talent.

Johnson can bat as a down the order alrounder, & he can score quickly as well.

[dee-luded 2,958]

They just can't seem to get him right ...

Here is the link to the story . I've heard the fitness work they do is right up to speed . They have fitness camps and are expected to get through 'Commando' style training courses (they happened under Buchanan, at least)

Bowlers have always been breaking down - more often than not it's stress related but sometimes it's just freak accidents (Thomson, Alderman, Gillespie, McDermott and others) . Watson does bowl medium/fast and although his action looks nice and easy, underneath it all there would be a decent level of stress . Enough to break down as much as he does - who knows ?

He's done very well to make 83 with a strained calf . Overall though, it's still quite baffling how he keeps breaking down with these soft tissue injuries ...

IMO, he's (Watson) way to big, muscular for his duties. OK for batting, but more than he needs.

Being too big is IMO part of the reason he's breaking down. As well as his inner demeanor aggravating it.

He's a bit like Botham & Richards in he's a big ball of muscle. Except those 2 both had a laconic side with a layedback part of they're EGO's.

This IMO is imperative for these types to deal with the stress of the game & the demands.

I've seen it before where players like him keep breaking down as they don't give themselves the inner peace to release they're bodies from stress.

First he should shed some Kilo's like Karmichael-Hunt has, & IMO her needs to start doing Hot Yoga or Yoga with Meditation.

He appears extremely intense with the weight of the world on his frame.

When firing, & he's out of his best touch atmo without many bats in the middle, He's one of our best Batsmen.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Is an average of 36 good enough for a batting all-rounder?

He's not actually that talented; he bowls lots of rubbish. Even when his mind is in a good place he's still going to lack control.

Not when Watson bats from opening to no 4. He needs to do more with the bat. He needs to turn 50s into 100s. Notwithstanding his calf injury he really needed to make runs against that broken attack.

And Johnson for someone who is "not actually that talented" did win man of the match. Fancy that.

And there is no disputing the distance at times between his best and his worst. And at times we have seen too much of the latter.

But his record speaks for itself.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/content/player/6033.html

And talent definitely isnt the issue.

[Macca 16,174]

IMO, he's (Watson) way to big, muscular for his duties. OK for batting, but more than he needs.

Being too big is IMO part of the reason he's breaking down. As well as his inner demeanor aggravating it.

He's a bit like Botham & Richards in he's a big ball of muscle. Except those 2 both had a laconic side with a layedback part of they're EGO's.

This IMO is imperative for these types to deal with the stress of the game & the demands.

I've seen it before where players like him keep breaking down as they don't give themselves the inner peace to release they're bodies from stress.

First he should shed some Kilo's like Karmichael-Hunt has, & IMO her needs to start doing Hot Yoga or Yoga with Meditation.

He appears extremely intense with the weight of the world on his frame.

When firing, & he's out of his best touch atmo without many bats in the middle, He's one of our best Batsmen.

After the Sydney Test we're away for 2 tours (India for 4 tests and then the Ashes) Players can be added to a squad because of injury or sent home if they have a long term injury . If you're correct about the weight issue then India could be the perfect place for Watto to shed a few kilo's ! He is the Vice-Captain so if he proves his fitness then he'll probably get picked (and we do need a decent 5th bowler in our side for depth) .

We never had a great need for a 5th bowler when McGrath , Lee , Gillespie and Warne were operating . Clarke might bowl a bit in India but the English conditions will suit a 4th seamer (Which is normally your 5th bowler)

Cowan deserves a good go at it as an opener and Warner has those match winning attributes so Watto will need to establish himself at the no.4 spot (no.3 could be Hughes, Khawaja or Doolan(?). Clarke and Hussey have got the no.5 and no.6 spots nailed down .

We may have to just get used to Watto playing when he's available . So far, that's how the selectors have viewed him .