Macca

The Lakers paid a great tribute today with a terrific win over Boston. Jerry Buss had a huge positive influence over the League, over a lengthy period of time. The Lakers won 10 Championships under his ownership - phenomenal. Nice pre-game words by Kobe as well. Game highlights ... Boston @ the Lakers Had a listen to the last half of the Houston/OKC game today. The Rockets came back from a 14 pt deficit with just over 7 minutes to go. Harden went silly with 46 points - he's good to watch when he's 'On' . Jeremy Lin had 29 pts. Here are some highlights ... OKC @ Houston

Well done to Moises Henriques and 'all the best' if, as expected, he makes his Test debut on Friday. He's probably dreamt of this moment all his life. Congratulations and good luck !

Fair enough 'dl' ... For those without cable or at work there is still not any news on whether ABC radio are covering the Test matches from India - not looking good There might be audio commentary of the games online by Test Match Sofa (click for online audio) As I'm typing this, they are 'calling' the New Zealand / England ODI. Here is there 'Wiki' page. But beware, the commentary takes a bit of an irreverent or flippant view of the games with a heavy anti Aussie slant. They are an English outfit who I believe commentate the game from a 'live' TV feed (from an 'unknown' location in London) They do have the official rights so it's not a dodgy link. Edit : Test Match Sofa are covering the Tests but probably not the 1st session of most or all of the days.

Anyway, enough about rotations ... How 'bout this for a catch .... most of you would have seen it but it's worth another look ...

One thing is for sure HT, the rotation policy will remain controversial for some time. As stated before, I can see the merit in it, though I'm not sure how they can implement it without causing other issues. I tend to think that over time, more and more people will warm to it. It must have been a big decision to go down this path. My reasoning is that it might be best to get the new policy as 'right' as possible - then evaluate it. Part of the opposition to it is that it is a vastly different policy that has gone on before. People don't like change but one thing is true, nearly all Test series these days are crammed into a shorter time frame. T20 comps all around the World are extremely lucrative so many of the Fast Bowlers aren't getting the 'down time' that they once used to get. It's difficult to tell players to resist the big money on offer in t20 cricket. It's a 12 months a year sport like never before. I still believe you've got to have your best combination playing whenever possible. But how you do that is quite complex. Take the Indian series. We are playing 4 Tests (20 days) over 33 days. It's always hot, the wickets are more suited to spin bowling and outfields can often be rock hard and tough on the legs. Apart from this series in India, the IPL is then on. After that we go to England for the Ashes and a series of ODI's. We've then got the Shield season before we go to India for 7 ODI's in October/November. Then England is here for the Ashes and more ODI's. The Big Bash is on again before we go to South Africa for 3 Tests and more ODI's . There is no let up ..... In an ideal world we wouldn't have 'back to back' Test matches. Many of our front line bowlers are often 'unavailable' for Shield games (in other words, 'rested' for Shield games) That practice been going on for a number of years now. I remember when there was outcry over that 'new' policy. It's now regarded as accepted practice.

I heard Starc's comments prior to the Boxing day Test but didn't think it was any huge drama. I can't remember seeing your comments HT - I'll have a squiz back when I get a chance. I generally tend to ignore that kind of stuff from a fast bowler. It's water off a ducks back to me. 'Quicks' tend to shoot from the hip - isn't that just a fast bowlers way? There is an undercurrent of opposition to the 'rotation' policy. Many of our retired greats have been questioning the policy. He's just a young bloke and may have just got caught up. I'm happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. Anyway he seemed to have changed his tune on December 30 ... ‘Disappointed’ Starc says dropping him for Boxing Day Test ‘right’ for team

I haven't heard too many comments from Starc, 'dl'. He showed a bit of disappointment about being 'rotated' after the Hobart Test. These blokes are competitive beast and want to play. I've made comments about the rotation policy in earlier posts so won't repeat myself too much. An overview of the 'rotation policy' is if they're going to do it, do it right. That includes sitting down with the players and explaining their motives and reasoning. Many times at top level sport you either get picked or you don't. There's not always a soft landing. With 'rotations' there would need to be a fair bit of dialogue. Let's see what they do in India. Tests 1 and 2 are back to back. They get a break then Tests 3 and 4 are back to back. Edit : Had a read of the rest of your edited post. You make some good points. Last night on 'Inside Cricket' there were some observations made that we've got a lot of 'openers' in the squad. I'd rather that than the other way round so it may not be a huge problem. Replacing 'Mr Cricket' is gonna be tough though. Hussey brought so much to the table. One more point on rotations in India - it's vital that we have a fresh, talented attack ready to go for the 4th Test. That Test could easily be the series decider. It's almost like they have to work backwards in rotation policy rather than the other way round. If you were to bite the bullet, you'd want your best attack in the 1st and 4th Tests. We're still largely in unknown territory with this new way of selecting teams.

The South Africans won their 6th series in a row after beating Pakistan overnight. Pakistan had their chances and 'My Man' Saeed Ajmal had match figures of 10 for 147 Aussies are 'following on' in the tour match. The Indian spinners took 9 wickets between them. He might have been exaggerating but I once heard Mark Waugh say that India always have about 30 or 40 class spinners in their ranks. It's any wonder that they rarely produce grassy wickets. I hope you're right re our quicks 'TD' My series prediction is done with a 'largish' optimistic hat !! We'll need to bat really well. Watson has opened the batting in both innings of this tour match. Got 84 in the 1st dig and is currently 17 not out in the 2nd innings. Reckon he's best suited to opening but he's also needed in the middle order. Warner is still trying to overcome a thumb fracture and may be unavailable for the 1st Test. The Kiwi's will take it up to England and we know they can be 'feisty' customers. Series win to England though.

Girls win! That's 6 World Cups - well done

Ellyse Perry has 3-2 off 3 overs. With a crook ankle. Great action and a rocket arm. Windies now 3-41 off 15 overs. Beware the injured athlete!

Classic description there '45' The Aussies got to 259 in the end. Hopefully it will be enough.

1-86 now off 19 overs. Hope I don't mozz her but Jess Cameron looks comfortable at the crease.

Alright, I'm predicting an Aussie series victory then ...... 2 - 1 Clarke will dominate and lead from the front. All our players will chip in and the Indian public will be beside themselves with grief! Aussies will return home as heroes and the 'Ashes' will be there for the taking! You read it here first 'TD' Edit : I tend to agree with you re our spinners but I do rate Lyon. Is Agar up for selection? I thought he was just over there for an internship but he's played in both practice games. Don't know much about him. Our spinners fought back a bit in that tour match but were still quite expensive ... India A vs Australia

Interesting point re Miami, LeBron James, the Bulls and Michael Jordan ... Was watching Sportscenter and it was pointed out by one of the presenters, that the same 'Negative' questions that were asked about LeBron, were also asked about Michael Jordan 'back in the day'- it's just that the fans don't remember how they felt at the time. Michael had so much success that it's totally superseded the negatives that surrounded him before his 'Championship' wins. Bit like the handbags and the Cats. Both were 25 years old when they won their 1st MVP and both were 28 years old when they won their 1st Championship. Of course, it remains to be seen if James will get to 6 Championships like Jordan did, but who would bet against it? He is having another standout season and is surely heading for his 4th MVP and maybe another Championship. And he's fast becoming quite a favourite. Everyone loves a winner.

Starc is possibly only one big Test away from becoming a star. If he has a stellar match in India then look out. He's got good pace, is left arm over and has a high release (obviously aided by his height) . India may not suit him but if he has a big game over there it will be some sort of achievement. Our batting stocks aren't great but a few of them have got a chance to consolidate their spots on the tour of India. Look for Hughes and Khawaja to do well. Hughes has tightened up his technique and has come back a better player whilst Usman has a nice batting style. Clarke, Warner and the often unfairly maligned Watson are the mainstays.(although Watson needs to start turning his good starts into big scores) I like Ed Cowan. He's a solid player but needs to churn out some bigger scores. It's maybe out of Cowan and Khawaja for that top order spot - Hughes can open if needs be. What's with all the 'indifference' aimed at our players these days? Clarke, Hughes, Johnno, Watto and Lyon all seem to cop it at various times. Thankfully the Clarke bashers have largely disappeared. Is it to do with off field? I couldn't give a rats toss bag about that stuff. Gossipy rubbish as far as I'm concerned. How would Dougie Walters go these days with the social media reporting his every move? (re the ciggies and the 'odd' beer!) Walters was a great player on the field and in the end, that's all that matters.

Reckon Lyon will probably play in all the Tests. There is a strong chance that all the wickets will be devoid of grass thus nullifying the effectiveness of the quicks to a fair degree. Expect low, slow turning tracks. I wouldn't be too concerned about a practice match although I do agree that it could prove difficult to bowl them out twice. They might have the same trouble bowling us out twice. They'd be shaded in their own conditions but their team isn't of the same quality as in years past. We could get some close finishes and a couple of draws. I reckon it will be a 1-1 result (which would mean that we'd retain the 'Border-Gavaskar Trophy') If all goes well we may even win the series (though I'm nearly always reasonably confident with the fortunes of the Test side) Apart from anything else, I can't stand the thought of losing. Have the same attitude with our footy club but a lot less confident with the predictions! It's always great cricket from India, and because it's on at a user friendly time, we get to see most of the game time (if people have got cable, of course). At this stage it doesn't look like ABC radio are covering the series (which is a shame)

Round 10, Pick 76 Yuvraj Singh (India)

Couple of 'Blasts from the past' ... Shocking Blue with 'Venus' along with Norman Greenbaum with 'Spirit in the Sky' Some classic videos here ... Monkeys swinging in the background and some 'flashing visions' in the 1st clip (shades of 'The Exorcist') and the 2nd clip has a rather 'Pinkish hue' about it. Love these old clips ... Macca 12.5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6TFW1F6oY0

'Ha! By the time we get this all done, Watto will be bowling again anyway ... Besides, don't believe everything you read in the papers 'Rogue'. Especially those 'broadsheets!' :-)

Angelo is a reasonably good player but Watto seems to cop a bit amongst a number of Aussie fans. I don't share that thinking and when he is fit, he adds a lot to our team. (he just needs to stay fit !!!) Considering the dearth of decent all rounders in world cricket I was surprised he got through to pick 44. Watson averages 37 with the bat and 30 with the ball. He's very good in the slips and is the Australian Vice-Captain. I was thinking that 'Rogue' might have grabbed him as well as Kallis. (that might have left the rest of us with only 4 genuine front line bowlers each) Watto will be back at the bowling crease sooner or later though I agree that he should concentrate on his batting only (for the time being) I'll take Watto over Angelo any day of the week, 'TD' !

Zaheer Khan (India)

Those bowlers who can bowl over 150km always seem to have injury issues. Lee missed a fair whack of Test cricket over his career. Cummins is back playing grade cricket as a batsman I believe, so there are some positive signs. Lillee and Thomson had their fair share of injury issues. DK was very quick early in his career. I've known a number of blokes who have gone over for the Ashes before. There is always a lot going on sporting wise in the UK around late June, all of July and most of August. There's a group from my cricket club who are doing the cricket, Open golf, Wimbledon, Grand Prix and Le Tour. They are on the move every day for 5 or 6 weeks. Looking forward to your 'Ashes Reports' in early August! Our man in Manchester ! Bresnan is a good player but the bloke who has dropped off the radar is Tremlett. He's got a crook knee apparently and hasn't played for quite a while. Dangerous customer when firing. Finn has come on quite well though. In their conditions they'd have to be favoured right now, but you never know. I don't mind the rotation policy if they get it right. The chances are they're going to do it anyway so we have to accept it in a lot of ways. Also, Test series are played over a shorter time frame on a consistent basis, couple this with the demands of the other forms of the game means the fast bowlers need rest. A rotation policy can give any given quick bowler an added incentive and he doesn't have to 'save himself'. Competition for spots is a healthy thing and having an arsenal of quicks is not a bad option. For instance, they may decide to play all the 5 fast bowlers for 2 tests each in India. 3 in one Test and the other 2 in the next Test and so forth (2 spinners may play in at least 2 of the Tests) But the best of the quicks should play whenever possible. Winning is always the priority - we left ourselves short of quality fast bowlers for the vital 3rd test against South Africa in Perth this season. The preceding test in Adelaide is where Siddle and Pattinson could have been rested. If they are going to rest/rotate they have to bite the bullet.

Yep, Starc is another with X factor. Huge upside for this bloke. When he gets it right he's a real handful. They may take 6 quicks to England given that we're sending an extended squad of 17 players to India and the rotation policy has been enacted. There is usually a surprise or 2. Hilfenhaus, Cutting, Hazlewood, Coulter-Nile and McDermott would be in the mix as well. If Cummins was fit and firing we'd be a real show. Hopefully he'll be ready next summer (for the return bout) A bowling line up of Cummins, Pattinson, Starc and Lyon with backup from Watson and Maxwell would be a dangerous combination. That's a 'future's' line up. Siddle at the moment is one of the first picked. Just on the rotation policy - they've got to make sure they get their timing right. For instance, in a 5 Test series you would want close to your best combination for 3 of the Tests. (that's assuming the rotation policy stays) And they need to be flexible. They shouldn't just rest bowlers just because a of set plan. Starc was rested after the Hobart Test this season when he hadn't done a lot of work in that game. And they mucked up with Siddle - he should have been fresh for Perth. They need to put some real thought into it - identify pitch conditions, result wickets, vital rubbers etc etc.

One to keep an eye out for ... 'The Americans.' ... heard some good reports about this brand new drama from the States.

Much will depend on Pattinson, Starc, Bird, Johnson, Siddle and Lyon. It's a shame that Cummins will probably not be available. Think we can make enough runs to be competitive although we'll need a few of our batsmen to step it up on the tour of India. In England, Maxwell could be the batting all rounder unless the selectors want to play a 4th seamer. Hopefully Watson will have returned to the bowling crease by then and we'll have even greater bowling depth. Lots of if's and but's although England have their issues as well. They are not as good as when they 'peaked' in the series in Australia a couple of years ago. Gonna be tough though and first of all, we need to perform in India. It's arguably going to be tougher to win in India with the spinning decks that will probably be presented over there. Clarke is a very good leader and in career best form with the bat so we've got no problems there. I'm hopeful without being overly confident. (kinda like the way I feel about our footy club )