dee-luded

Hmmn,,,, if you had heard the commentators last week when they were talking about starc dropping, especially 'Benauld',,, they were alluding to the fact there was more to it than rotations. they were trying to be as obvious as they could without blatantly saying it. hilfy go figer, sorry,,, again the commentators suggested his defensive bowling in the short form of the game has caused him to lower his arm action. he has fixed it before,,, to only lose the high action again in the short form. don't right him off....

evidence, what are you talking about? my quote was (IMO)... I have heard him speak to the media many times & contradict the selectors etc. He is just trying to become a test player. he needs to stay back away from the cameras & learn the trade. I wasn't talking about your ashes radar rhino. I was stating my impressions. & to not rightoff the Hilf. Hilfenhaus's action has got too low & roundarm according to the commentators. due to the 20/20 games. I wonder if he was sent back specifically to remedy that with a possible view to the ashes.

I agree rhino, that he's a must for the future, but looking after his attitude is part of the development of his cricket representing Australia. His dropping for Melbourne IMO was as much about his 'mouth' than anything else. Hilfy is on the edge imo, but his swing & seam could be handy in England. time will tell. experience & maturity is also important.

Starc, that throw at the keepers wicket that went for 4. He looks very immature & ahead of himself in attitude. not sure I would take him to England.

I didn't see much of it. But I was listening over my shoulder. when I did stop to have a look, I thought the bowling was pedestrian, impotent, & it looked like they were trying to hard, & because of that, I think they were all over the place without rhythm or good form. totally unmenacing. got better in the afternoon but well short of our best, IMO. Not enough bouncers mixed in with good line & length. we need more Venom. even Siddle seemed on best behaviour.

I thought our bowling today was very poor by all concerned. Bird however slotted into his rhythm earlier then the others, but that is birds go. Starc & Johnson I thought really over-tried, & only served to not find their rhythm or menacing aggression.

totally understand, & I've always pushed for Siddle to be an automatic selection as bowlers with heart & grit are required & necessary. Johnson is a real handful, but he's not got the EGO/self belief to be put on the frontline pedestal. Not initially at least. It's become too late to move him back to the 3rd bowler in a test series when he's already lost his mojo. You have to start him in that position from the start of the series with his mojo recovered from the previous season. He now looks to be growing emotionally with age & domestic circumstances. This may also help. He may grow into a frontliner but I doubt it. * 3rd seamer, yes Siddle, but today Siddle is more like the 2nd... with Bird more the 3rd because he's green.... enter Johnson as I suggested as an allrounder, & this helps with the teams stability & cohesion. Maybe not a permanent thing, & maybe it'll work. I'd like to see Watson come back & just bat. # some people understand some things but fail to understand other things that differ to their ways & cultures. Others may understand whats considered more difficult, yet may struggle understanding the simple.

I don't agree. not an enigma, thats just a term conventional people use when they throw they're hands up over someone who they've given up on. they don't understand them & so they don't understand how to get the best from them. I don't think Johnson has the Black & white self belief to be a huge Ego like Warne or a Botham. but very talented. inconsistent of course. To me that Is why he has failed as THE Australian strike bowler. because,,,,, well at least he wasn't in the past; a type to be the immediate frontline bowler, shyness give it whatever type description you wish, lack of total self belief undermines the talent one has. He is a 3rd bowler, or alrounder. help take the pressure off these types & watch them go.

Did Johnson miss his targeted spots in Tasmania & in Perth tests? He seemed to be very effective, but I admit to not watching it as closely as did years ago. In fact I listen with my back to the TV whilst on the computer. Ponting, maybe we should have retired him 12 months ago to reshape the team, in hindsight. Timing, when rebuilding for a targeted test series has its problems. 12 - 18 months ago I wanted Ponting to retire with Hussey this year. Maybe that would have been a better transition? Or one or the other first.

Never a good time, but they may have juggled the lineup to bolster the middle order, or maybe Ponting would have held off for 8 months. Sorry to see Hussey go so suddenly. So what bats have we got, Clarke, Warner, Watson, & plenty out of form. other than Johnson? Who's out there ready to come into the test cricket middle order?

Geez, I wish he told the selectors at the start of our summer campaign. This is bad for our ashes tilt. It may have made different decisions. all of a sudden we are bare in the batting experience dept.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/cricket/australian-paceman-mitchell-johnson-back-to-his-brutal-best/story-e6frey50-1226544749653

Like kicking, I think hitting the spot is the same as poor kicking or good kicking. apart from technique, it mostly confidence. We know Johnson has Had issues with this, compounded by the fact they wanted him to be a The Strike bowler, & IMO he choked in that role. But that doesn't mean he can't flourish as a 3rd seamer. those without the world beater attitudes of Lillee or Warne, can suffer in the heat of the expectation spotlight. see Stuart McGill Top 20 Bowling Performances > http://www.cricket.com.au/stats

I see Siddle as our fist seamer picked, as a 2nd or 3rd seam menacing bowler, with great ticker. Pattinson & Cummins in an Ideal world would be our 2, first strike bowlers. Then theres Johnson, Bird, Starc, Hilfenhaus. And IMO, Johnson can also be included as a quick Lefty swing/seamer alrounder. We'll need 'Seamers' over in the 'Old Dart'. Pattinson, Siddle, Bird, Johnson,,, Hilfenhaus?? are they getting Hilf' to fix his action for the Ashes? I don't keep tabs on the stats in cricket. How does Johnson go bowling on soft English tracks of the past??? They're weather is warming, & seemingly getting wetter, so are the wickets firming up?

Knee, dicky, heart, I can't wait til he gets a dose of vinearrhea.

Well written RL, spoken like a moderator!

I'm getting to the point where I want both Clarke & Watson as specialist batsmen, & don't bowl them. especially clarke, his back gives too much trouble that we can't afford. Siddle is a must as all look up to him to grind things along when wickets aren't responding. the teams spine. So to me he's the 2 or 3rd seamer. We need Pattinson,,, & hopefully Cummins, ideally as 2 new ball bowlers. So either Pattinson, Cummins, & Siddle. with Lyon. or Pattinson, Siddle, & Johnson/Stark, with Lyon. could we fit Johnson in as an alrounder?

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.

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.

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.

& his swing... 'Starcs', movement thru the air hopefully will do some tricks. & just maybe the hilf, before its too late for him? IMO bounce will help Siddle.

Yes, & Michael Clarke MK11...

totally agree Nasher, there seems to be a lack lustre approach to the game, No fight, vim or vigger, bowling or batting? to me it shows we are thin on the ground for hardened competitors after Punter, Siddle, Mr Cricket, although at least Wade showed some grit & lyon looks reliable.

To me, our balance in the fast bowling dept' has caused us grief. With Pattinson (No 1) and Siddle playing as (No 2) with Hilfenhaus (No 3), its too fragile at the topend. The Ideal would to me be a Pattinson & Pat Cummins as the strike bowlers with Siddle or Hilfenhaus as 3rds. At the moment it looks to me like we have one strike bowler (now injured) + Siddle + Hilfenhaus. Get an injury to a strike bowler & we're exposed, as happened. We can paper over the cracks with alrounders, but we need 2 strike bowlers & one stock bowler.(Siddle) When Watson comes back in, it helps, but we have a lot of partime bowlers with suspect health issues. Clarke included.

dee-luded, on 20 November 2012 - 11:03 PM, said: I still don't like Warner as opener, but 1st drop OK. (3, 4 or 5) Hopefully today knocks will address that bizarre flight of fancy. ---------------------------------------------------- dee-luded, on 20 November 2012 - 11:03 PM, said: Now we have a player with hands, we must try to keep him, catches win matches. Go Quiney. Yes but can he bat at Test level? -------------------------------------------------------- # Warner as opener. No, not changed my mind, but he batted beautifully. He to me has the right attitude - aggression to be a 3rd 4rth bat. As does Watson, but I think Watson has more discipline to this point, with regard to playing in a measured way. # Quiney, disappointing getting a pair. still nothing proven with him yet, but Watson will need to come in for someone, Quiney has time on his hands,,, so I would hold onto Ponting, just to see. Oh & by the way I wanted Siddle in the side as the honest workhorse 3rd quick. He's a beaut. And Clarke: i wanted him to not be captain a couple of seasons ago, & there was a big outcry from the public re his superficial ways. He's changed, grown up a lot, & is meeting his responsibilities. Clarke has improved from all the public criticism & doubt. So the criticism was warranted. Without it Clarke may not have changed one iota.