Australian Summer Of Cricket '08/'09

[Beachy]

Lee - broken so he's gone (would like to know how many wickets he gets off no balls)

He really does need his head read. You'd think he'd learn a lesson from yesterday. yet he has bowled another 3 no balls this morning. Moronic [icon_non

 

[Coxy]

Fark...Watson is just the weakest piece of piss in the game. So much talent but a body as soft as shit.

 

[Flutterby]

The Aussie cricket team needs to have a serious re-look at how they manage the health of their bowlers - so many injuries all at the same time says to me there is a problem with their something in their program.

Also I can't believe how everyone (ie media) is reacting to us losing. It's not the end of the world. I mean we have been the best for a really really long time, every team eventually goes through a lean patch and let's face it our current players have generally either been around for too long or are just too new. We'll get back on top within a couple of years IMO.

 

[Coxy]

Yes and no. I don't have a problem with Australia losing. The 2005 Ashes series loss really reinvigorated Test cricket.

But the manner in which they've capitulated to India and now South Africa is pitiful. No application. No heart. No character. That's not good enough. Fair enough being outplayed, which they were, but to not even have a go, that's disgraceful.

 

[Hamm.0]

Agree with both Flutterby and Coxy.

Scotty and I have both said it numerous times; Australia are sporting spoilt and quite frankly, close to the worst sports in the world. We just bitch and moan if we aren't on top (of our very select few sports).

However, that said, like Coxy has said, it isn't the losing to South Africa which got me so upset, it was the manner of the loss.

All this is to be expected and you are correct, we will go through a lean patch. The last of our great era is soon to retire and we are left with a very young team, which we need to rebuild. It has happened to England and the Windies so now it is our turn. How ACB reacts and develops is what will set us apart from the other nations.

For mine, a lean 2 or 3 summers is acceptable before we really become dominant again.

 

[ethos]

Scotty and I have both said it numerous times; Australia are sporting spoilt and quite frankly, close to the worst sports in the world. We just bitch and moan if we aren't on top (of our very select few sports).

Sounds like us Broncos supporters as well. :P

You're right, people's expectations are too high. People should be realistic, I mean Warne and McGrath were two of the greatest bowlers in the sport's history and we won't see cricketers like them for a long long time, perhaps even ever. Rookies were never going to be able to come in and continue the dominance, especially considering the red hot form of the S.Africans.

The most frustrating thing, I think, is the seemigly bizarre decisions by the selecters, in particular in relation to the spinner's spot. We've gone from Beau Casson (who performed admirably in the Windies but has since dropped off the face of the planet) to White to Krezja to Hauritz, back to Krezja and now back to Hauritz. Not to mention the fact that Symonds waltzed back into the team without doing anything.

 

[Bannermania]

Australia don't seem to be going to well with this "Horses for Courses" policy they sso highly praised after the tour of India. The selectors need to be fired, quick smart. The only two people they dropped were the ones who were unhealthy. Such a poor effort.

 

[Hatchy]

Australian cricket has had it their way for far too long. I was actually glad to see us lose for once. You should have heard the radio ABC commentators. "A demoralising loss" "a heartbreaking loss" and so on :roll: . Sheesh get a life

 

[Flutterby]

Oh yeah and on Ch 7 this morning "The Death of The Baggy Green".

 

[Coxy]

LOL! That's as dramatic as the English obituary to cricket in the late 1800s, including the burning of the bails which became the ashes! That was after a single series defeat too.

 

[Flutterby]

Yeah I know. Was expecting them to follow up with an open invitation to the MCG to watch the player burn their baggy greens.

 

[Coxy]

I just don't think Australia has the background staff to rebuild. Tim Nielsen isn't a good enough coach. Hilditch, Hughes et al aren't good enough selectors - too keen for small, random changes rather than thinking ahead and having a 1-2 year plan.

And Ponting simply isn't a good enough tactician to not have an excellent tactician as coach.

 

[Bannermania]

Ponting is certainly no Graeme Smith.

 

[Hamm.0]

Smith is brilliant IMO!In tremendous form.

 

[Flutterby]

I agree he's no Graeme Smith, but I disagree that he's not a good tactician. Like they were saying on the ABC yesterday, when he first came into the team he was right up there with input for tactics etc; but then he has had so many good senior players in his team over the past few years he hasn't had to be a good tactictian and now he a much younger less experienced squad, he needs some time to re-trust his tactical abilities and start putting it into practice. But the selectors also need to give him the right team to re-build, not half has-beens.

 

[Hamm.0]

It probably isn't Punter as such, but the coach, etc.

I still don't understand why we didn't try and bat out day 3 and 4. Forced a draw and headed to Sydney with fresh faces and fresh hope, instead of going in with nothing to lose except face (when we go down 3-nil)

 

[Bannermania]

Because. Our team is a bunch of has-beens. Marcus North would've won that game single-handedly.

 

[Clintos]

Here's my team for the 3rd Test.

1. Matthew Hayden - as much as I hate to say it, this is his last chance
2. Simon Katich - he has had a great summer
3. Ricky Ponting - seems to have found some form finally
4. Michael Clarke - needs to come up the order and has shown flashes of form
5. Michael Hussey - perhaps a drop back down the order will re-ignite his hunger to score runs
6. David Hussey - I would have liked to have seen him brought into the squad instead of McDonald. Has handy offies as well as great from. Obviously this spot will be taken by McDonald on the day though.
7. Brad Haddin - he wasn't my choice to replace Gilly, but he will do. Shown a bit lately
8. Mitchell Johnson - give him the new ball and a good field and we'll be right
9. Nathan Hauritz - did everything asked of him in the Boxing Day test, and should retain his spot
10. Doug Bollinger - carving it up in the domestic competition, will probably get a run on his home soil
11. Ben Hilfenhaus - I have said for ages that this bloke should be there. Great ball movement and he's averaging 18 this summer.

12. Peter Siddle - He showed what he could do in his first 2-3 spells, but then bowled ordinary. Give the bloke a game off and give a chance to the other young guys to show what they can do.