Anyone for cricket?

[Macca 16,900]

Happy to see the end of Pujara

Our first innings score of 195 doesn't look too bad now.  There is just enough in the track to keep all the bowlers in the game

[Macca 16,900]

India dominating this test match now ... a minor miracle now required by the Aussies. 

Still no news on where the next test match will definitely be held.  Could still be Sydney but the 3rd test isn't due to start until the 7th Jan anyway.  Not sure why Perth hasn't been talked of as a venue

And if India win the test we'll need to win the series to win back the Border/Gavaskar trophy.  n.b. India have won the last 2 series' between the 2 countries

Edited December 28, 2020 by Macca

[titan_uranus 24,963]

Half a chance this will be an innings loss. 

Can't keep carrying Burns, Head and Green in the same top 6. Green may score well but even if he does, we're just far too lean in the top 6. Smith's horribly out of form and Labushagne can't convert any of his starts into 50s, let alone 100s.

Must drop Burns for the next match. Never should have played the first Test. Funnily enough though, he's the only member of our failing top 6 to have made it to 50 this series so far.

I know Head's got future captain ideals but he should go too. Throws his wicket away far too often. We can do better - whether that means shifting Wade down to 5 and bringing in two of Warner/Pucovski/Harris, or finding another middle order batsman to bat at 5. We have to strengthen the top 6.

A few dropped catches cost us dearly (Labuschagne's drop of Gill at the end of Day 1 was as big as any IMO - they should have been 2/4 with Rahane out there facing Cummins and Starc at their best) but ultimately you can't win Tests if you can't make 200, and that's a fair chance of happening for the third consecutive (full) innings.

[nosoupforme 3,085]

5 hours ago, Macca said:

India dominating this test match now ... a minor miracle now required by the Aussies. 

Still no news on where the next test match will definitely be held.  Could still be Sydney but the 3rd test isn't due to start until the 7th Jan anyway.  Not sure why Perth hasn't been talked of as a venue

And if India win the test we'll need to win the series to win back the Border/Gavaskar trophy.  n.b. India have won the last 2 series' between the 2 countries

No it doesn't look good at all Macca however if Green hangs in and can bat right through and put on some modest partnerships with the tail then......Who knows?    I suppose not likely never know. I am putting no pressure on the kid.

That is the last we will see of Burns confident of that sad to see him finish his career like that. The selectors won't take any more of his failures he is too fragile. 

I hope Warner is ready to go next game, I think that it might be played at the G again. Time will tell.

[Macca 16,900]

50 minutes ago, nosoupforme said:

No it doesn't look good at all Macca however if Green hangs in and can bat right through and put on some modest partnerships with the tail then......Who knows?    I suppose not likely never know. I am putting no pressure on the kid.

That is the last we will see of Burns confident of that sad to see him finish his career like that. The selectors won't take any more of his failures he is too fragile. 

I hope Warner is ready to go next game, I think that it might be played at the G again. Time will tell.

The latest with Warner is that he still can't run properly.  Not sure he'd be allowed in from Sydney either due to Covid.  Still, the 3rd test is 10 days away so who knows

Bancroft,  Harris,  Renshaw or Khawaja could come in to open and Wade is best suited to the late middle order.  He's a fighter but not a A grade test opener

Our batting is all over the place with Labuschagne & Smith entering the fray too early. 

Wade or Green but not both?  And Travis Head looks completely out of sorts as well.  The batting is a dogs breakfast right now and India only need to win this test (likely) and 1 more test to retain the trophy

 

[dl4e 5,851]

Our batting has been terrible and it starts at the top. Harris and Wade should open the next test. Wade, the same as Labu can't go on from 30 to 40 runs. I would look at Head and I would give the unit the rest of the test series off. He is tired and being seperated from his family is not doing his head space any good. Bowling has been good but batting is under 11s.

[Macca 16,900]

Next Test confirmed to be held in Sydney

Are they going to be able to have a crowd?

[titan_uranus 24,963]

Burns out of the squad. Right call. Warner to replace if fit. If not, Pucovski if fit. If both unfit, Harris gets the spot.

If both Warner and Pucovski are both fit, both play, Wade moves down to number 5 and Head gets dropped. Wade's not an opener but has done more than enough to hold his spot (subject to his own fitness - he wasn't running well in the field after his leg injury).

There's an argument that even if only one of Warner and Pucovski are fit, Head still goes, with Harris coming in and Wade moving down.

[Cards13 9,117]

Are these two meat heads deadset? 
“Hog pile” him for being different, good on you Andrew.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/on-air-gaffe-warne-symonds-in-hot-water-for-mocking-labuschagne-20210108-p56st2.html

Edited January 8, 2021 by Cards13

[nosoupforme 3,085]

8 minutes ago, Cards13 said:

Are these two meat heads deadset? 
“Hog pile” him for being different, good on you Andrew.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/on-air-gaffe-warne-symonds-in-hot-water-for-mocking-labuschagne-20210108-p56st2.html

Marnus is the normal one and a  good guy. The other two in Shane Warne and Simmonds are ratbags of the highest order.

[titan_uranus 24,963]

Odds on that India is going to get through the entire day losing just three wickets, one of which fell in the first 15 minutes.

It's a flat deck but nevertheless an incredible effort given injuries to Pant, Jadeja and Vihari.

Paine's now dropped three catches today, all of which really should have been taken.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,777]

Drop Paine.

Let Wade keep( he’s no worse).

Playanother batsman.

Smith to captain.

[titan_uranus 24,963]

I didn't realise before that Paine had also been sledging Ashwin. The sledges themselves didn't seem funny but it just gets even worse when you sledge someone that hard and then fail as badly as Paine did today.

Prior to the sandpaper disgrace the Australian side was developing poor tendencies. Under Langer/Paine that seemed to be rectified initially. It seems to me the side is now slipping back into old habits, with Paine and Wade in particular focusing too much on sledging and "mindgames" rather than just playing cricket.

42 minutes ago, Jumping Jack Clennett said:

Drop Paine.

Let Wade keep( he’s no worse).

Playanother batsman.

Smith to captain.

I don't think Smith should ever captain again. If we need a new captain it should be Cummins.

I wouldn't drop Paine but I'd be getting the group together to focus on playing proper cricket again.

I'd drop Wade and replace him with Head, or any other batsman in the country. He's a chronic underperformer.

Horrendous result if Pucovski's hurt his shoulder. If so, I'd play a proper opener in his spot (e.g. Harris), not Wade.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,777]

Well done Paine!

Dropped three catches, then sledged Ashwin so hard it increased his concentration and determination.

Has Paine butchered another series for Australia ?

He must get a sore throat from yelling"whoooaaahhh" every ball bowled by Lyon, just as the batsman hits the ball in the middle of the bat.

He doesn't accept the DRS decisions, and shakes his head at umpiring decisions.

What a shocking example he sets to young players Green and Pucovski.

I agree that Cummins is a good character to captain, but it worries me that captaincy could detract from his bowling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/

[nosoupforme 3,085]

On 1/11/2021 at 5:53 PM, Jumping Jack Clennett said:

Drop Paine.

Let Wade keep( he’s no worse).

Playanother batsman.

Smith to captain.

Good call time to make Steve Smith captain again .

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,777]

   I mentioned the possibility of dropping Paine and using Wade. Carey is another possibility, but it occurred to me that Ben McDermott is a dark horse for the spot.

 All three are ordinary keepers, but  Ben is 8 yrs younger than Paine, and has more upside as a batsman, and, probably as a keeper.

Paine is too old, too undisciplined, too untalented , and tactically poor.

Find another captain.

I've always admired Langer, but it's becoming clear he's not imbuing the proper sportsmanship in the team. He condones Paine calling  Ashwin a d...head, and that Paine's players like him, but Ashwin and Kohli's team-mates don't like them. Petulant and childish.

[dieter 3,325]

9 hours ago, Jumping Jack Clennett said:

   I mentioned the possibility of dropping Paine and using Wade. Carey is another possibility, but it occurred to me that Ben McDermott is a dark horse for the spot.

 All three are ordinary keepers, but  Ben is 8 yrs younger than Paine, and has more upside as a batsman, and, probably as a keeper.

Paine is too old, too undisciplined, too untalented , and tactically poor.

Find another captain.

I've always admired Langer, but it's becoming clear he's not imbuing the proper sportsmanship in the team. He condones Paine calling  Ashwin a d...head, and that Paine's players like him, but Ashwin and Kohli's team-mates don't like them. Petulant and childish.

Langer was always a member of Australian Cricket Dark side: witness the bail removal against Sri Lanka. Paine's true colors have emerged - he is a typical spoilt brat Aussie sook - and to even contemplate Smith after his latest escape into follyland is bizarre.

Give it to Cummins, a man who talks the mensch talk and walks it as well. I would love to see an Australian Cricket captain who has read Pascoe's Dark Emu and been affected by it. Can you imagine Clark, Warne or Symonds even reading?????

[dl4e 5,851]

Well the top order have failed again. We badly need a couple of openers who can see out the 1st 20+ overs of a test match. 

[nosoupforme 3,085]

Wade throws his wicket away. Plays a pre meditated shot  Manus gets a hundred and not long after plays a pull shot and skies it. So undisciplined   by both who should have done better. Let their team mates and themselves down.

Those sort of shots are only played when playing park cricket.

Edited January 15, 2021 by nosoupforme

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,777]

Well done Tim

That’s two series you’ve lost for us

Inspiring skipper......encourages us to sledge!

[Accepting Mediocrity 1,418]

Clutching at straws to blame Paine for that, he had a good test (and a pretty good series save for the horror show in Sydney). 320 should have been enough, we lost the series because Cummins and Hazlewood were the only two bowlers that showed up. Every time Starc or Lyon came on the pressure evaporated. Nothing wrong with Paine's fields so not sure how you can pin it on him.

Full credit to India, one of the all time great backs to the wall performances. Pant is a star.

[Macca 16,900]

31 minutes ago, Accepting Mediocrity said:

Clutching at straws to blame Paine for that, he had a good test (and a pretty good series save for the horror show in Sydney). 320 should have been enough, we lost the series because Cummins and Hazlewood were the only two bowlers that showed up. Every time Starc or Lyon came on the pressure evaporated. Nothing wrong with Paine's fields so not sure how you can pin it on him.

Full credit to India, one of the all time great backs to the wall performances. Pant is a star.

Our batting is the issue and we've had major problems building an A Grade Elite batting order since the early 2000's

At times over the last 2 decades we've been very good,  other times average and poor on many other occasions ( e.g. the last time we visited Sri Lanka we lost 3-0)

Batsmen are supposed to set up wins and our batsmen (as a collective) don't deliver

For instance,  we should have made 450+ in the first innings in this test match ... but 4 or 5 batsmen threw their wickets away

Our bowlers were out on ground too much this whole series and that doesn't happen if the batting occupies more of the match time

Placing the blame on Paine's shoulders is classic scapegoating.  His own players let him down (primarily the batsmen)

Selection is the root-cause of our batting woes though.  We pick too many teams for the right-now without having a real eye on the future

Since Michael Clarke we've only produced one long term A Grade Elite batsman - Smith.  Labuschagne could get there but he is not there yet

Warner is good on home decks but struggles overseas. 

Is there anyone else AM?

 

 

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,777]

Iron gloves didn’t help... but it’s  Paine’s behaviour and influence I object to.

Shane Warne didn’t like his field placing, but he wouldn’t know!

[nosoupforme 3,085]

16 minutes ago, Macca said:

Our batting is the issue and we've had major problems building an A Grade Elite batting order since the early 2000's

At times over the last 2 decades we've been very good,  other times average and poor on many other occasions ( e.g. the last time we visited Sri Lanka we lost 3-0)

Batsmen are supposed to set up wins and our batsmen (as a collective) don't deliver

For instance,  we should have made 450+ in the first innings in this test match ... but 4 or 5 batsmen threw their wickets away

Our bowlers were out on ground too much this whole series and that doesn't happen if the batting occupies more of the match time

Placing the blame on Paine's shoulders is classic scapegoating.  His own players let him down (primarily the batsmen)

Selection is the root-cause of our batting woes though.  We pick too many teams for the right-now without having a real eye on the future

Since Michael Clarke we've only produced one long term A Grade Elite batsman - Smith.  Labuschagne could get there but he is not there yet

Warner is good on home decks but struggles overseas. 

Is there anyone else AM?

 

 

Yes how right you are Macca we have two batsman in Smith and Labuschagne that can not carry the the team on their shoulders all of the time. Need an opener and a middle order bat I don't think Wade is the answer his use by date is up and young Green has a future with the Test team and should persevere with him.

Yes our bowlers spent too long on the field in the last two tests and looked tired at times for this test. Would have been good if we rotated an extra bowler in Pattinson through the 4 Tests.

 

[Macca 16,900]

44 minutes ago, nosoupforme said:

Yes how right you are Macca we have two batsman in Smith and Labuschagne that can not carry the the team on their shoulders all of the time. Need an opener and a middle order bat I don't think Wade is the answer his use by date is up and young Green has a future with the Test team and should persevere with him.

Yes our bowlers spent too long on the field in the last two tests and looked tired at times for this test. Would have been good if we rotated an extra bowler in Pattinson through the 4 Tests.

You're right about rotating the quicks NoSoup ... another selection issue

Pattinson could have played in at least 2 or 3 of the Tests and we wouldn't have been worse off.  Patto is a Test standard quick after all

A bit of foresight knowing that India were always going to take it up to us was all that was required

Most people I spoke to prior to the series were expecting India to be formidable opposition so what were the selectors thinking?

And as for the leadership,  we are paying a price (still) from sandpaper-gate.  Paine was just about the only choice and to blame him for our batting woes is quite ridiculous

The Green & Pukovski selections are a step in the right direction but picking 2 debutants in such an important series tells us where we sit with the batting doesn't it?

Wade,  Harris,  Head & Burns have done very little.  Warner has averaged 16 only & Smith by his own standards has been below par

Labuschagne made 426 runs at 53 whilst Paine averaged 40.  Green averaged 33

We just did not make enough runs especially when considering that their top 7 bowlers were missing for a lot of the time.  Yet their 2nd & 3rd stringers continued to trouble our batting

I wouldn't be going back to Smith as captain though.  And if they are going to play Wade (the keeper) as a batsman why not Alex Carey?  That young fella has got some real talent

Edited January 19, 2021 by Macca