dee-luded

its time I went & got a counter meal.

Does anyone know if the SA tests televised on free to Air?

add music, africaan/calypso drummers, fireworks, trampoline dancers, mermaids in a pool, & see the reception.

can I respectfully suggest, which one you shouldn't patronise ? no pies on jacks back.

the crowds were fantastic for 50/50, years ago, before the authorities decided to ban all the fun. It became sterile. there used to be drummers & music, etc, that were all thrown out by the fun police. its no wonder the crowds dropped off, they killed the excitement.

yes but the 50/50 would also do better in that summer slot. perhaps if they didn't stop the people having Fun. allow the 'Mexi-Can Wave' to go around, even the mcc could get in on it, allow the 'Calypso Drummers' Back In, to help create atmosphere. have the tramp jumpers there. make it a carnivaale`

I would have liked to0 see Harris get his knee cleaned out the day after the Melbourne test. or at the latest the day after Sydney. He's proved invaluable & the experience, hardness & maturity of our pace attack was IMO a major key factor. The discipline they showed working as a team, & even to the point of bowling, & changing when batsmen got out, to have our preferred match-ups of bowler against the batsmen we planned for, worked a treat. Africaans will be a tougher mettle. 3 tests in 22 days; selection will be critical, maybe rotations. can we afford to play 4 quicks? I guess that was the Faulkner plan?

this will be make or break for hughes I feel.

Phil Hughes gets the nod for Test recall Do thew Africaans have any decent spinners, & do their tracks turn? hughes would be better against pace imo. thats good.

why isn't big bash played in Roctober? could it be the ACB board & other admins', would rather attend the spring carnivaals?

isn't Jo the wife?

totally agree. I think Rogers lacking penetration. he doesn't have the power to match the big hitters & servers. hence the racket. but also he looks to be wanting to try to get to the net more, enter Edberg. Wimbledon beckers. wawrinka looks more powerful but on the other night, seems lack the class to hit the winning shots into the corners, or on the baseline. I hope Li Yeah takes it. got to be positive...

no you didn't, but you wouldn't anyway. for having a thought. Raffa took it. Roger looks like he needs more time with the bigger racket, that has more power. he over-hit early on, past the baseline. he'll need time to adjust to what he's been doing for so many years now.

You may well have been right last year Macca. as we now know Roger was injured last year & was feeling down & loss of confidence. it seems he has taken steps to overcome with doctors 7 Re inspiration; looks to have changed has game style somewhat & with Edberg. also I think I heard them say the courts are quicker? could this allow more serve & volley?\ I like Nadal, but his hand looks woeful.

thats a good point jack, as the up 'n' coming youngsters would get to see first hand; the levels required to compete. that experience can't be imitated. so its not good for the tourists immediate form, to play less leadup games prior to Tests. But also we lose out in the future, as the shield players are less prepared, until they're older.

I think our off field coaches have done a Great job working over the Poms... & re-instilling the confidence & fight into the squad. the Aussie fundamentals should never again be surgically removed, paired back to boring old gentlemen. & the Poms were shown their own mirror, they keep failing to Look deep into. we have our culture; its one built on an Irish heritage of irreverence, & never say die aggression, that has built this nation into an egalitarian state, & a real comradeship & team ethic, of giving a chop out. 'greedy self', has no place in this.

I suspect Bailey did his job, as the selectors didn't drop him thru the ashes campaign... so he must have been bringing something to the team. Now we embark on another different campaign against a harder opponent, now with the combative elements back alive and well in the team, they've decided to drop him from the squad for others, but they said he is very much in their minds. different opponent, & different circumstances since our squad arrived home from England; & we are Now, a different team in belief, confidence & form. the time is right to slowly make adjustments to the squad as we go along.

I wonder if the prime consideration to get into the team is to have a real tough fighting qualities & grit first up & then skills following the prime requisite? to get the fight & tenacity up in the team, & to get winning into a habit, you have to have fighters first, & when the toughness, grit & winning are in-bedded into the Unit, then add more class, slowly.

how things turned out? we won the ashes 5 Nil... thats how they turned out. Bailey was obviously in the team from the start of our Ashes campaign, for More then just his batting. competitiveness, maturity, & leadership??? I'd say that job is done now, as the team is well on the way to resurrection. so now is the right time to slowly bring in the next generation group.

For sure. but I think we are witnessing his readiness to approach the next level. from there we'll see. he may star, or he may take some time to settle in. again I would have Watto as opener & place Warner @ 3... & eventually, possibly Smith at 4, with Clark sliding down the order. When a top opener comes along, start them down the order to settle them, then switch with Watto.

I like what I see from this guy.

political correctness took over @ melbourne after crashing in Norm Smiths chips for him. we've been successful & all too happy ever since. BeWare what you all wish for, especially when trying to create a false culture, from that of what we all truly are. lets stop punching in boxing matches as well, they can slap, but No punching.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/chris-rogers-explains-darren-lehmanns-impact-in-turning-australias-fortunes-around/story-fndpt0dy-1226799135132 Chris Rogers explains Darren Lehmann's impact in turning Australia's fortunes around IT WAS the "watershed moment" according to Australia opening batsman Chris Rogers. The day when Darren Lehmann helped the Australian team remember that playing cricket for a living was actually pretty reasonable fun. Not long after Lehmann took over as coach from Mickey Arthur ahead of the 2013 Ashes series in England, he called a team meeting in Taunton to prepare for of the opening tour match against Somerset. "He said, 'all right, someone put the stop watch on, this is half an hour. No meeting will ever go more than half an hour'," Rogers recalled. Once 30 minutes had expired, Lehmann declared: "Right, we're going to the pub over the road; the skipper's buying." Rogers said the drinkers in the pub were incredulous at the sight of the Australian squad sitting down to a beer, thinking "Is this for real?" "I just think it was one of those moments where guys realised 'we can actually enjoy this'," Rogers told RSN radio. "I could tell that at that moment the guys just seemed to relax, the weight was off their shoulders." Rogers said Lehmann was instrumental in turning around Australia's fortunes, primarily because he had a plan and was clear about which players he wanted in the team. He offered clear direction and honest feedback, and could be ruthless in his pursuit of excellence. One example was to lay down the law to batsman David Warner after his late-night altercation with English batsman Joe Root. "He said, 'Right you've got one more chance, if you ruin this, that's it you're gone, but it's up to you'," Rogers said. "From that point on Davey knew what the rules were and he's flourished." Rogers said that ahead of the series in England he was uncertain about his standing in the team. "When there was a change of coach I wasn't sure if Darren Lehmann rated me to be honest," Rogers said. But Lehmann came to his Taunton hotel room and assured him he was certain to open the batting in the first Test at Trent Bridge. Rogers said Lehmann had also introduced several initiatives to keep the mood light among the playing group. Before the first, third and fifth day of a Test match, someone is chosen to tell the "joke of the day" during warm-ups. Another initiative was to ensure players did not disperse immediately after stumps. "He said 'Right, the bus is not leaving until an hour after the scheduled finish of play," Rogers said. "So you sit around and you have a chat ... and really there's the opportunity to be honest with each other, and that's been good." Rogers said Lehmann's effort to keep players relaxed was crucial for him personally, because he had become so nervous throughout the Australian summer that he experienced "sleepless nights". At the training session the day before the Adelaide Test he was so anxious that he was "struggling to talk". http://www.news.com.au/sport/cricket/chris-rogers-explains-darren-lehmanns-impact-in-turning-australias-fortunes-around/story-fndpt0dy-1226799135132