dee-luded

Ryan Harris, I hadn't seen what he was capable of in Aus... but I'm now a fan. seeing his nice control & subtle swing. I see why everyone has been on his side. & an old fashioned goer it seems.

... maybe you guys should just do a First, & a Second 12,,, but done in batting order.... best No 1, & 2nd No 1 best No 2, & 2nd No 2 best @ 3, 4, 5, wicket keeper, bowlers.. If you do them seperately, then some discussion can be made about each positional selection.

http://www.womensagenda.com.au/talking-about/top-stories/jacquie-hey-on-her-first-day-as-cricket-australias-first-female-board-member/20121028982 http://www.cricket.com.au/about-us/the-board slapdash, or slapstick ? .... maybe depends on if your Australian, Or English... they'd be 'Laugh-In' loudest !

yeah I know, were in a leadership vacuum, but picking the most talented player is usually not the best skipper... see Selwood at the cats, great leader amongst other better players. IMO the best leaders are nearly always the grittiest gnarliest players, who succeeded thru sheer determination when less talented. ... too often the most skilful don't understand the lesser mortals & just don't get It... Punter was a 50/50 in my book with greats around him. Clark is Too 'self' for me, to succeed in a less talented outfit, in a weaker Australian Test Cricket Era. ..... we need to do a 'Bobby Simpson' rebuild... bring in someone to put Pup out of his predicament... & let him just Bat. clark would be a good lieutenant in the slips, tactically. But I think thats his limit.... he just doesn't have the maturity & manliness to truly lead.... & I wonder if THIS is why we have so many issues with him... maybe he wants to lead, but no one wants to follow him. ... to me there is One thing worse than no leader,,,, a poor one that no-one wants to follow.

of course character comes from within, but so does happiness, & happiness/harmony is crucial to get the best out of people. if your tearing a bad losing type culture apart to rebuild,,, then its OK temporarily to make 'some unhappy', for the bigger picture, but we are talking about the highest Senior Elite Test level... not a young rebuilding AFL side thats been Off for a decade. ... we need players as leaders who've been built out of grit, & mature fatherly disciplinary skills. Mark Taylor had them, as did Tugga Waugh,,, no frills there, but all class & guts.

... but you can see actual results and analyze them in your head.. just like looking at the sky & reading the clouds & the likely weather coming your way. it becomes second nature... intuitive if all these poor results were only rarely circumstantial, then we would just disregard, but so many things have happened around the the umbrella of Clark, its just Too crazy to ignore, just because he's getting runs & everyone else is useless. how many Aus players have to fall out with this guy, before people put the magnifying glass over him??? runs isn't everything... team harmony & laughter is crucial @ the senior international level. # just thinking about the game results in isolation, is unfair to the players who may be struggling in an environment that just does not suit them, & this sort of judgement is done without understanding of the personalities that go to making up the team environment. If it was one square peg then I'd say the problem was with the one, but too many have fallen out & the whole test team has gone sour. more sour than their talents. I think part of it was Arthur, but I think sutherland must have had a hand in trying to shake out our blue collar Aussie playing ways, & add pup to that trio, & voila. .. for mine we need to get back to some dirt under the fingernails type players, who play just for the baggy green, instead of the fist full of dollars... if we didn't have a player of the Ilk of Siddle over the last few years, we would be totally stuffed. ... we have to get rid of the pompous self loving types, from the leadership, & Re-start with some Grit.

can't you see it Macca, grab a mirror & hold it in front of your face & peer over your shoulder.... now think about the Watson, or is it the Clarke issue? I see this,,,, the whole team is struggling & off balance, since Clarke took the captaincy... he's the only one performing,,, other than when Warner was as well, & the rest of the Squad is flailing in Clarke's environs... what is the common theme here? ... since punter went on the skids & handed over its all turned to shyte except for party boy. & the teams renowned Grit has gone out the window with Katich & Punter & Hussey... & I'd bet Hussey could still play at this level as well.. I wonder why he left so suddenly,,, I don't believe the public excuse. ... the changing of the leadership batten has been diabolical.

& IMO this "young buy it off the shelf culture" ,,,, 'if it breaks just buy another'... is hurting us all around our world, & our 'quality things' are going out the garbage shoot with the disposables... ... this same attitude sounds like its in sport today as well, from the things you've said.... 20/20 isn't eyesight anymore. if true, I'm saddened to hear that even Punter has this I'm greater than the team attitude... we to @ the MFC have had this in recent years, where our leading players threw hissy fits & wanted a pension contract of a year, or 2..... without really being true leaders.... it seems the same as captain Clark... I don't think he's a Captains A'hole. IMO the team is performing less than its ability, even if its not the most talented we've ever sent... & I reckon its a lot because we have a number of differing 'cultural-values attitudes', amongst the players... & it looks to me that this has caused some conflicts over the last few years, & @ the centre of very nearly all of them,,, has been Clarke as captain.... I think he's poison, 'as a leader'. I like your Idea of bringing in some maturity, & I would try to replace Clark as captain. Keep him as the pivotal batsmen. make him bat at 4 & try play Hughes, Agar & Smith in the middle order. I still think Watson is a test player, but since Ponting dropped the captaincy, I think Watsons form has gone off... I think this is more about Clark, & the unhappy Test Team environment, than Watson himself. 'pretty boys should not be made captain'...

last 15 minutes... almost looks like as we try to become defensive, we fall. maybe we should stop putting up the shutters before the end of sessions, & just play our shots.

We need Ponting in the test team to help steady the ship morally & cricket wise. especially as the pace attack is more seam & swing. they don't seem to have any real tearaways. I'd welcome both back Katich as well. cricket australia has IMO caused all this controversy thru its decisions over the last 4 or so years.

.... and that shows his (toumpas) desire is there, even if his hardness needs growing. bennell, morton, & even davey, never liked actually tackling... even green to a point, as well. davey liked chasing & harassing, but not actually bringing them down. green just wasn't good at it, & many weren't from that Era. this Era is where bruise free started.

IMO Jack, the direction is now forward, off the field. but what we're witnessing is the results of the last few years of Off field efforts & poor judgement from the administrators.. be careful who you wish for. the previous Australian cricket culture,,, of many greats included, Warne, Mcgrath, Taylor, Gilchrist etc, didn't need a culture shift... but I think the ACB administrators decided a shake up was in order, at a time of a changing world... they got it wrong for a group where a combative nature is required... IMO this is where the similarity to the MFC is... they were in danger of becoming what we've been for 45 years. .... fancy having a south african, plus a suit & tie, telling us how we should be culturally, out on the cricket battlefield.... to me This, is where the conflicts began. & with the changing of the leadership guard, leaving behind a vacuum of onfield generals that leaves the teams nature up for grabs. ... create the wrong nature/environs & the newcomers won't know where they fit in, & the results can be a mess. I think the winning old guard have returned to rebalance the good ship Australia... I trust the works now being done. although I don't think they have the batting lineup right, IMO. ... I don't think Khawaja is ready yet, for the top order, & certainly Not hughes. to me both middle order. Hughes should never bat ahead of Clarke except as a run-dash. I'd bat Smith ahead of both of them atmo, in the lineup. I just think smith is more composed at the minute for a 3 or 4 berth. I wonder if one day, Smith & Agar could both bat before No5 ? this would steady our middle order imo. & we could slowly rejig our top order.

I remember Lillee saying years ago to young bowlers coming into the test team... just bowl fast, hard & fast... & improve from there. I think a bit of menace wouldn't go astray. along with guile.

lets hope the wicket plays its best on day 2 & 3... & late on day 3, we get some of them out with the new ball... Pattinson is due.

thats the point, but we are not the games rulers, so we have to do as the others do unto us,, until the powers step in to fix it... like the AFL & the youth policy of List management. ... we must do it & make hard fast pitches & stop worrying about games going 5 days.. It should Not be about TV & sponsor blood'y money... or the bloody TV rights. it should Just be about 'the game', 'the contest' & 'the fan'... forget about the F*%@k!n sponsors.

I hope we prepare some really quick wickets, hard & bouncy for our next home test series. 1970's style wickets for the pace bowlers. pin them back on the stumps.

Now I understand why you want Bird in.... I'd forgotten that line of thinking, since I'd lost interest in test cricket.... the ability to tie down the opposing batsmen at one end. Bird may be right... .. even if we go with 4 x pace, the other swing bowler may be out of starc & faulkner... I'd have Siddle & Pattinson in as the first 2 bowlers picked. add bird....then ?

I understand standing your ground was common in the past... but since we have this video ref & other moral changes around the world, it looked really blatant & he stood there after a solid nick & watched the keeper glove it cleanly... then just stood... bad for the game... the video ref IMO, should be keeping tabs on all umpiring decisions 'Live', & if there is one that looks 'OFF',,, the 3rd Ump should immediately put a red light on,,, up in the scoreboard, halting proceedings, whilst he checks it out, live on the scoreboard screen... not up to either team to challenge.

... what about Cowan for Smith (I'd love Punter back in)... James Faulkner/Bird? 4 pacemen, + alrounders? Warner back, into the middle order, after the 2nd test??? get a move on Hughes... Australia Shane Watson Chris Rogers Ed CowanSteven Smith??? Michael Clarke © Philip Hughes Steven Smith???Brad Haddin (W) Brad Haddin (W)Ashton Agar Peter Siddle James PattinsonJames Faulkner Mitchell StarcJames Pattinson Ashton AgarMitchell Starc ?????????????? this is not just about the 2nd test, or this series, but consolidating the team for the back to back Ashes series... we have to get the team settled. what do you think TD ?

thats exactly what I thought as well... & while the video ref was adjudicating, my video recorder switched channels on me... when I got back onto station, expecting a non decision, Haddin was given. I immediately switched off & went to sleep.

... they may have registered a win in the books, but they have given themselves & their countries image a major Black Eye. its a disgrace & totally spoilt a great contest, & we should have won it, with broads extra runs with the bat & the altering the flow of the game, via not walking & with the ball... ... we on the other hand, maybe should have pushed on a bit with the scoring, with agar & haddin at the wicket,,, putting more pressure on the poms. I feel disgusted, & disappointed at the proceedings & with that last video ref decision, as the ball already had the hotspot on it, prior to passing the Bat, & the hotspot on the bat was so insignificant, it was to me, too Inconclusive,,,, so I expected benefit of the doubt to the batsmen.. play on your honour.

Yesterday early, it seemed the ball was holding up, coming thru slowly? but I guess the wicket got better, as they scored more heavily as the day went on? lets hope we can remove them quickly, while the wicket may still be playing well.

I just saw it on replay, that miss should cost Aleem Dar his career. it brings the question of umpires into the spotlight, for all the wrong reasons.