Rhino Richards

Dont think so. In his prime, he was a very skillful footballer, a match winner at best but too often played on his own terms and not the teams. Real talent that was flawed in its delivery and the extent of commitment. His final 3 year contract showed him a fringe player who could not compete with where the game is going. Not sure why we have a compunction to fill all coaching/footy dept positions with ex players especially given we have had no success for 47 years.

Despite the sterlng performance of the quicks this summer, I cant see how you can play 4 quicks and no spinner....unless you are one of the great West Indies sides. Lyon must play. GIven its a dead rubber I would rest Hilfy ahead of the WI tour and play Starc for his own development. There is no surety that Harris, Pattinson or Cummins will be fit and we should be trying to nurture Starc through. And if the Indians cant make runs at Adelaide.....well....there will be a procession out of the Test team. Laxman and Dravid should retire. Tendulkar will be in 12 months. Dhoni will step down and look at other pursuits. Khan could be gone within 12 months as well.

The three I mentioned have been credible under the circumstances. Yadav is young and looks good. Both Sharma and Khan have done well after injury lay offs. At 3/31, it was series on! It took a truly awesome innings from Clarke and then Warner's special cameo to break then but FMD they have been given no totals to bowl at by the insipid batting.

Why would it be different in the Ashes? Sharma, Khan and Yadav have been very good this summer. They have been terribly let down in the field and the batting unable to chase or set score. In addition Warner has show his application is sound carrying his bat in difficult batting conditions in Hobart. Warner has shown he is more than up to the challenge. Of course he should open. I not sure why you think he can be hidden at 3. Even worse would be to bat him at seven. It was Ok for Gilchrist given we had established openers and Ponting and let Gilly focus on his keeping. He has shown comprehensively he likes the ball coming onto his bat. He is going to be stand and deliver. So why wouldn't let me do that from the front when the ball is hard? We get a player who emphatically demonstrates that he can open the batting in spades yet we seek to oversmart by trying to move elsewhere in the order. Ridiculous.

I am not sure the length of the Test dictates this. However the rules are there to stop fielding captains turning the play in a Test to a meandering farce. There have been a number of examples over recent years where the minimum 90 overs has not been even closely achieved in a day. Its bad for the paying spectator, its bad for the batting side and its not good for cricket to allow the unfair manipulation of the tempo of the game.

Dhoni out of Adelaide...... Oh dear. Cant get much worse for the Indians. The criticism of the BCCI is welcome and long over due. For all its incredible money, resources and talent pool, I cant understand why India cannot produce world number 1 sides in all forms of the game. Their beneficial disposition should be putting them on dynastic global surpremacy that could challenge and dwarf the recent Australian and WI domination of the game. The fact they arent is a terrible indictment on the integrity competence and governance of those in charge. Oh and given the buckets that they have incurred on the thread, I think the selectors, adminstrators and Michael Clarke deserve huge praise for the turnaround. And Clarke is making all the right noises in the Press conferences and handling himself very well in public as an Australian Captain is expected too.

Hilf to Laxman was good but here was a 2nd gamer who shows promise bowling an unplayable jaffa to the Little Master. If Starc can consistently shape the ball like that at Test level, he is going to be a very awkward customer.

Warner has the quickest hundred by an opener and did so on a difficult. He has also carried his bat through an innings on a difficult wicket. Pidgeon hole at your peril. I cant believe so many are dismissive of Warner's technique. Unbelievable. If we move Warner from opening it makes as much sense as turning Pattinson into an off spinner to reduce pressure on his foot.

Absolutely. Why oh why would you move Warner??? Hells bells we finally find a batting pair that works well together then we want to split them. Oh they are obth left handers. Hilf has been a revelation. All the quicks have bowled well. Very disciplined. Mitch Johnson was our No 1 and bowl us to victory in Perth against the Poms. One Year later I would rank him seventh in the list behind the present four bowlers and Pattinson and Cummins. WJ, I would go for 4 players having captained their side before. I think in 2008 it was 5 players...Sachin, Laxman, Ganguly, Kumble and Dravid. Mitch Starc LBW on Tendulkar was almost the best ball of the series. Scary upside for a 2m left hander.

FMD. They were lying on it. Given that they get 100kg fast bowlers pounding their feet on it and they have walked on it countlessly in the preparation. In addition they will run the 3 tonne roller up and down it 100 times before play in the morning. So much for Mother Nature.... Its not a good look but its not bogan behaviour. And I agree its a very small thing.

I didn't misquote you at all. I know exactly what you referred to and its ill informed to call it "bogan" behaviour for a such a small thing. If its said more than twice on this site it must be true regardless of the facts. India 4/73 with Sehwag, Sachin, Dravid and Gambhir back in the pavilion. Not good. Great session Australia.

No thats the Australian bogan behaviour you referred to. And issue of Indian crowds is irrelevant. There is no need for Australian heroes in the crowd to abuse visiting cricketers...period. And it happens to every touring side.

I am not sure why you raised me using the avatar in the first place with an exclamation mark as if it was in some way relevant to the continuing angst over Scully. But thanks for getting the joke

I agree on the cultural differences. However, its not a good look at all and I dont think should be done. And yes it does give the Indians another issue to complain about. I hope we absolutely pole axe them in Perth. 3-0 and the lost trophy means there are fewer places to hide. Footnote: While I dont agree with the Pitch party, it was hardly bogan behaviour. There are far greater examples to be cringing about. While the Indians have been rightly penalised for gesturing to the crowd, the elements within the crowd that seek to villify and abuse visiting cricketers are shameful and embarrassing. If you really want to cringe then that the place.

It is now given he is gone. I am at a loss what will achieve given with the handwringing. So what. The avatar was so blatantly tongue in cheek that even you claim to have got the joke. Well done

Scully has left MFC over 4 months ago. He's gone. Angst over an out of season time trial result in relation to matters done and dusted last year is trivial in the extreme. The only thing murky is your need to carry on poiintless melodrama.

Hand wringing at its worst. The Club has sensibly realised that he is gone and has moved on unlike the those that malignantly fester on the past.

It seems that a few people have had a good look at the wicket last night. http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/india-stunned-as-people-caught-drinking-on-waca-pitch-20120113-1py0z.html If the footage is indeed a true account of what went on then its so unprofessional and its an appalling behaviour and lack of judgement. No one should be unduly touching a pitch before a match. I think that may be the last pre Test party held on the WACA.

I'd rather look at the Perth wicket on TV before I accept its a green top for fast bowlers. If ever there is a wicket that has lived on past reputation its Perth. Over the past decade its been generally as dead as doornail and easy to bat on particularly on the final few days. This could quite easily be a good deck and taking 4 quicks in may cause some imbalance in the attack. If India does win this Test then we should be looking at the real reasons why they won and we lost rather than going for easy scapegoats. Geez some people tee off on fluff media pieces to suit their own agenda.

Touche Bob. Its clear that some people cannot differentiate between opinion and fact and they are the last to realise it. LOL. An apt image Heartily agree.

Thanks wisedog. The MCC wording was my understanding of the rule but the umpires must look at the case for each catch. I think Gavaskar's slur on Ponting is a reflection of the miserable standards set by the Indians on that tour. FWIW, I dont think Ponting sportsmanship is in question. i have seen him a first class indicate no catch when umpires, teammates and spectators thought he had taken a blinder. Its a good comment about excuses. The Indians bullying of the Singh outcome was appalling and their inability to accept and their contempt for stated ICC rules was appalling.

Are there any other type???

The only thing that gives Green any chance of the captaincy is that from the outsiders perspective there is no obvious certain replacement. Moloney- Yes he bleeds red and blue (whatever that means) but goes missing in big games and under pressure. Grimes - Lets get him on the paddock first get some games in him but I can see him as a future leader Trengove - The club needs to determine if its the right time and position for him. Definite future leader. Expect to be in leadeship group. Frawley - Possible leadership group but not captain. Jamar - If Grimes is out because he is too injured then how long can Jamar carry on for and how games has he got left in him? Jones - At best a candidate for the leadership but Captain...no. As our midfield develops I am not sure he is a future part of it. Davey - Yeah well......Pass The Club have an interesting choice to make given they have the inside running on candidate. I cant ping a favourite except if the Club feels JT is ready for it.

Ah no. Prefer someone more imbued in MFC. Mitch might might have leadership capabilities but lets seem them over a year or two before putting him in the leadership group.

Good question Wisedog. Without having the rules in front of me, I would have thought that if the umpires were satisfied that the catcher had due control of the ball then if touch the ground after that point was reached then the catch stands. i would have thought that "control of the ball" would be if the ball is securely lodged in the grip/hold of one or both hands of the catcher. It is indeed a grey area. Its a sense of irony that Gavaskar labels the captain of Australian team a "cheat". Another example of the cultural insensitivity of the Indian cricketing elite. I think that was the same Test that "monkeygate" broke and that Symonds eariler had been given not out after knicking a ball down legside. Video replays anyone?