Sir Why You Little

I agree, a very mystifying decision,a guy takes 8 wickets bowling for australia & then is literally Turfed out...without explanation. Brad Hodge another. Sad timing about McDonald, but once again pathetic Fixturing, that stupid ch 9 celebrity match!!! The lead up to this series has been just so bad. England meanwhile played 4 day games to get ready...

Now that's just beng silly RR, an attempt at Humour. No i am not expecting Draft picks, but i do believe the selectors have done too little for too long. And now we have really hit the wall with a Bang. it shall be entertaining to observe....

series is all over by December 7 before lunch....., i think that says it all really. I just wish the same philosophy is put into the Australian cricket side as was done to the MFC over the past 4 years. Everybody seemed to fully agree to that, But with cricket, it is too conservative. That is my opinion & i shall be sticking to it. At present the Batsmen cannot post a defendable score & the Bowlers can't take wickets. That is the facts, but continue to bag me, i find it quite humorous really. RR i shall reply to your PM when i get some time to do it properly, it is worth 100% concentration.

if you don't think Ponting is a major Selector at Present HT, that is just Niave my friend. Ponting has had a big say for a long time, sadly too long. And it is now back firing on him.

Point Taken sorry!!!!! How is he still in the side?? Do you think one day Ricky will tell all?

Exactly!! They have backed themselves into a large corner, by not being pro active enough since particularly the last ashes series in england. And my aint we paying for it big time. The Captain is mentally fatigued, and in the field is looking desperate, whilst the anointed one has a dodgy back which will always need to be managed for the rest of his career. Batted well today but undid it all in the last over sadly. Marcus North will be sleepless tonight. We still don't know whether he can cut it. What a shambles B)

The series is lost, there is no point waiting, there has been far too much of that already.

Ponting has taken on too much on his own shoulders for too long. Now it is starting to show. Time for Ricky to move down the order, & maybe it's time to see whether the anointed "Golden Boy" can actually captain the test side.

Ponting needs a rest. He is exhausted, you can see it. Trying to hard, and getting desperate. But as a major selector he has bought a lot of it on himself sadly.

Kinda sums it up doesn't it....The whole Aussie Team is just Torn & Frayed right now....

Gee Thanks Rhino, i will sleep so much better knowing that you approve!!!! B) Don't question my knowledge on debt sunshine......

The last 4 years is the problem, or do you think the selectors have been doing a wonderful job?

so you disagree?

Clarke is injured. He should not be playing, it only puts more pressure on the rest of the team.

45 i am more interested in the philosophy of the selectors over the last 4 years. i feel they got it wrong, they have stuck with far too many players for too long before making decisions. If a player has a bad run for 5 games, i would drop them-let them find form in the domestic comp. I do not care who they are. Play some hungry young guys-take a chance, see what they do in the heat. I don't think this has been done nearly enough. And we are paying for it right now. (Cook just got his ton). To be honest with you i would not know the exact side for last years series. But i still say it was the perfect time for the selectors to be far more bold than they were. From 1989 till 2006 it was a tight knit Boys club, and why not-it worked. But once the Backbone retired it was time for a completely different philosophy, which i don't feel has happened. It's like Hawthorn after 1991, it took them a decade to realize they needed to completely turn over their list. Cricket australia missed a great opportunity to do that after the 2006 ashes, and particularly last summer. Michael Clarke playing in the first test clearly injured summed it up for me. The selection process is way to conservative, and needs to be revamped. Domestic Australian cricket is strong, and they don't use it enough IMO Ponting is so stressed right now, he can't bat at 3-Put him down the order.

Well when pointless ODI games and 20/20 games are scheduled before the Ashes series as warm up games i question that.

RR we have had this discussion before, and basically we fundamentally disagree-That's fine, but i will say this. Since the Ashes series in 2006, that is when all this rebuilding should have begun in earnest. 3 different sides should be selected, Test ODI & 20/20-i don't like players playing all 3 forms. Last summer they picked a side to win the series, i would have picked the side to gain more experience. Who cares whether we beat the Paki's or the windies. To me our important games are the Ashes & the World cup games. Ponting,Clarke Johnson & Hilfy are all mentally exhausted IMO & this is something that should be looked at more seriously. It is not an easy problem granted, but i don't think Cricket Australia have managed this nearly as well as could have been done. That has always been my view, & will not change. Comments like Michael Clarke made a few weeks ago that "I will play every game of all forms of cricket this summer" are just ridiculous-He has always had a suspect back, and thus should be managed very carefully. (Hussey has just dropped a decent chance-better get back to the TV!!!)

Yes i feared that was the problem. The Aussies are trying to fix problems on the run. This is such bad planning considering what last summer represented, i know it is different circumstances but, Last summer we should have been more prepared to take a loss in order to give more players "game time" just like the Dee's. Things could get very nasty by late January because we won't have a settled side. Disturbance in the Force.

i was working all day without TV and radio, only had score updates, so should the Poms make a Big score or is the Pitch helping the Bowlers??

I wonder how good Michael Clarke's Back is this week? Ohh late news Clarke out for 2!!! Australia now 3-2 What a team!!

Australia 2-0....Long Summer... B)

The EPL Football i do really like, attacking. But the European Brand of Soccer is just dull most of the time as it all hinges on defence. I do enjoy the WC for that one month, but i do not want it in my backyard-i see no gain & nobody will be able to hail a cab for weeks. Stuff that!!

i don't want the world cup to be in australia. it will be a security nightmare, cities locked down for 5-6 weeks. happy to watch it on tv at the pub from some other country. i agree totally with your summation of elle and joolia. very embarrassing to listen to i thought

check out the first highlight from Van Percy-so quick with the Feet http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/tv-online-wigan-v-arsenal-highlights

You sound so much like Andrew Hilditch Rhino it is Humorous reading. Hussey is the luckiest Man in Australia...He said it himself on the radio this morning!!!! B)