ICC Champions Trophy 2013

[Bucking Beads]

Cutting was injured so that is why he wasn't picked.

 

[Coxy]

Cutting and Burns are two of our best and brightest but I don't believe they're ready or suited for this format. Cutting should have been blooded in Test cricket years ago and Burns should receive a taste very soon.

I'd have Khawaja and Hartley ahead of both respectively.

Chris Hartley might well be the best player never to play for Australia.

 

[broncos4life]

Chris Hartley might well be the best player never to play for Australia.

I think that's very true. You gotta feel sorry for him

 

[Coxy]

I think that's very true. You gotta feel sorry for him

Yep. Came through with Gilchrist and Haddin ahead of him. When Gilly retired and Haddin went to shit, inexplicably Australia started looking for exciting new prospects like Tim Paine and Matthew Wade rather than a tried and true keeper/batsman in Hartley.

I don't mind Wade, but seriously I think Australia would be better now if they'd given Hartley a crack 2 or 3 years ago. He's an absolute rock at the crease, and the number of times Australia's top order has failed, Hartley would've been a godsend - whereas Haddin and Wade both have a tendency to "Go hard or go home" - and usually it's go home.

 

[Big Pete]

I've got a lot of time for Hartley. He isn't really anything special with the bat, but he has that grit and determination that makes him a class player in those pressure situations. He'd bring a lot of character to this Australian mob that's for sure.

 

[broncos4life]

Couldn't agree more with both Pete and Coxy. Big fan of Hartley and its such a shame that he will most likely never get the call up he deserves

 

[Coxy]

I've got a lot of time for Hartley. He isn't really anything special with the bat, but he has that grit and determination that makes him a class player in those pressure situations. He'd bring a lot of character to this Australian mob that's for sure.

Exactly. He's not going to score a Gilly-like run a ball hundred, but at the moment that's not what Australia needs. It needs players that will dig in, value their wicket, and keep the scoreboard ticking over. Hartley epitomises that attitude.

 

[Coxy]

On the topic of the tournament, with Sri Lanka beating England, what Australia needs to make the semis is 1. beat Sri Lanka. 2. Hope New Zealand beats England.

 

[broncos4life]

On the topic of the tournament, with Sri Lanka beating England, what Australia needs to make the semis is 1. beat Sri Lanka. 2. Hope New Zealand beats England.

Wow. That is a very grim prospect

 

[Browny]

Hartley bats like Langer, not flashy but doesn't give away his wicket. Unlike the entire top order

 

[jarro65]

On the topic of the tournament, with Sri Lanka beating England, what Australia needs to make the semis is 1. beat Sri Lanka. 2. Hope New Zealand beats England.

That no result game against the Kiwis will hurt us.

We were looking pretty good to win that one.

 

[Bucking Beads]

If Hartley was keeper Nathan Lyon would have cemented his position as our test spinner. Wade missed many many chances off Lyon.

 

[Big Pete]

That's an excellent point Beads.

Ever since Gilly retired we've been obsessed with replacing him with an inferior version. First there was Haddin and then there was Wade. Gilly was a special player who demanded selection and hid his relatively average glovesmanship (at least compared to other greats) with his magnificent strokeplay.

 

[Coxy]

That's an excellent point Beads.

Ever since Gilly retired we've been obsessed with replacing him with an inferior version. First there was Haddin and then there was Wade. Gilly was a special player who demanded selection and hid his relatively average glovesmanship (at least compared to other greats) with his magnificent strokeplay.

And to Gilly's credit he worked damn hard on his glovemanship and was actually very good by the end. His work with Warne before he retired was actually very strong - not as good as Healy, but not bad at all.

Haddin was never any good with the gloves, and I'm not seeing much impressive from Wade.

 

[Mister Wright]

Gilchrist and Warne have kind of ruined it for future cricketers. All spinners are now judged on Warne as are all keepers judged on Gilchrist. And the Australian selectors are dumb. They are constantly looking for crickets to give us what we had, not what we need. The current crop of crickets are not going to be world beaters, but there is enough talent around the country if the selectors actually went to games and watched what they do. The likes of Hartley, Hopes et al. That are actually team players fit the mould of what we need right now.

 

[Bull Shark]

Chris Hartley might well be the best player never to play for Australia.

he'd be a quarter finalist at best imo - there were a legion of very good cricketers who were shut out during that incredible decade of dominance that Australia's G.O.A.T test teams enjoyed between 1995 & 2005 ...

 

[Mister Wright]

he'd be a quarter finalist at best imo - there were a legion of very good cricketers who were shut out during that incredible decade of dominance that Australia's G.O.A.T test teams enjoyed between 1995 & 2005 ...

Yeah, but most of them at least got to play a ODI here or a test match there. Hartley hasn't played at any level for Australia. Australia A is his best.

 

[Coxy]

Yeah, but most of them at least got to play a ODI here or a test match there. Hartley hasn't played at any level for Australia. Australia A is his best.

This.