Queensland Bulls Season '09/10

[BroncoMatt]

A bit late off the mark with this thread, but thought it would be good to keep track of the young Bulls side progress this year.

It's been a great start to the season. After a narrow loss in the firs 1 dayer again WA in Perth, the Bulls hit back in the Shield Match against the same opponents to secure vital 1st innings points.

Since then they have had 2 home 1 Day matches, which seen a demolish of South Australia, and then a comfortable victory against WA in the return rubber match at the Gabba.

They do battle again in a 1 dayer this Friday night against Tassie.

Stands out this year have been
Ryan Broad
Chris Hartley
Scott Walter
Alistair McDermott

 

[ethos]

Yeah, I've been very surprised with how well they've gone considering they're a bunch of no names really. The bowlers in the one day format have been especially impressive. I'm going to name drop here.. but Scott Walter is like totally a mate of mine. One talented mofo, will play for Australia eventually.

Unchanged line up for this Friday's game against Tassie as well.

 

[BroncoMatt]

Yeah, I've been very surprised with how well they've gone considering they're a bunch of no names really. The bowlers in the one day format have been especially impressive. I'm going to name drop here.. but Scott Walter is like totally a mate of mine. One talented mofo, will play for Australia eventually.

Unchanged line up for this Friday's game against Tassie as well.

He has been super impressive, 6 WIckets in the Shield game, then 4 Wickets in his 1 day Debut. He bowled a great spell last Saturday night too, albeit without a lot of luck.

And While were are name dropping, I went to Uni with James Hopes, and Nathan Rimmington was a year below me at high school .

And finally, how unlucky are QLD Keepers? With out a doubt Wade Seccombe was the best Gloveman in Australia for 10 years but retires without playing for Australia and now Chris Hartley is head and shoulders above any Keeper in the country but seems to have a few ahead of him on the selectors radar

 

[Clintos]

I've played a couple of indoor games with Hartley and Phillipson during the off season.

Play for Salisbury in their off season. A couple of guys I used to play cricket with are in the team and they needed a number.

 

[Clintos]

Regarding your keeper comment Matt.

I agree 100% that Hartley is the best 'keeper' in the competition, just as Seccombe was prior to him.

I would rank both Hartley and Manou before Paine and Haddin on 'keeping' ability.

The only problem with Hartley is that he still averages less than 30 across all levels. When you compare that to Haddin's high 30's and Paine's 40+ averages it just doesn't compete.

It's a shame really.

 

[Fozz]

And While were are name dropping, I went to Uni with James Hopes, and Nathan Rimmington was a year below me at high school .

I went to high school with Hopes, he was in the year above me.

 

[Coxy]

Chris Hartley lived 6 houses up the road from me. Played for the same junior cricket club (Kenmore), a couple of years behind me. His sister Caroline went to my high school....he didn't, he went to private school (la di da!!!).

 

[BroncoMatt]

Regarding your keeper comment Matt.

I agree 100% that Hartley is the best 'keeper' in the competition, just as Seccombe was prior to him.

I would rank both Hartley and Manou before Paine and Haddin on 'keeping' ability.

The only problem with Hartley is that he still averages less than 30 across all levels. When you compare that to Haddin's high 30's and Paine's 40+ averages it just doesn't compete.

It's a shame really.

Yep without a doubt Hartley's batting has let him down. The thing is that he is a very good batsman. In fact coming through the ranks it was his batting that was getting him selected in reps teams. However, he seems to refocused on his batitng in the last 12 months as he is starting to get so more consistent.

It is a shame keepers are judge on their batting though. I heard Cricket journo Robert Craddock say that Ian Healy went for 3 years with out dropping a catch, however dropping one a game is now considered almost acceptable [icon_shru

 

[Coxy]

Yep without a doubt Hartley's batting has let him down. The thing is that he is a very good batsman. In fact coming through the ranks it was his batting that was getting him selected in reps teams. However, he seems to refocused on his batitng in the last 12 months as he is starting to get so more consistent.

It is a shame keepers are judge on their batting though. I heard Cricket journo Robert Craddock say that Ian Healy went for 3 years with out dropping a catch, however dropping one a game is now considered almost acceptable [icon_shru

I agree Matt! So wholeheartedly!

In rugby league terminology, it's like picking a winger who's slow and can't score tries simply because he's a gun goalkicker. The old Bennett saying of "pick your best team then choose a goalkicker" should really apply in cricket in a modified form. Pick your best wicketkeeper, regardless of how good his batting is. Maybe in one day cricket you can sacrifice a bit of keeping for the sake of some extra runs with the bat.

In Test matches those half chances for the keepers can be the difference between winning and losing.

 

[Scumbag]

Agree.

It's absolute trash. This mindset would never have been entertained if it weren't for A. Gilchrist.

Just because he was a somewhat dynamic batsman AND a Wicketkeeper, CA has it in their crazy minds that every successive wicketkeeper, whether it be at at Test, ODI or TT level be able to bat highly effectively and do the glovework.

Being a club wicketkeeper, it goes without saying that I can definately vouch for the notion that a Wicketkeeper is a specialist position in itself and should never be "packaged" with the ability to bat effectively as a pre-requisite for selection.

I feel that a Wicketkeeper is more valuable saving runs and being tidy behind the stumps. Really setting the standard for the fielding team to aim up to and follow. That's more important than selecting a player who can't fulfil this job requirement as well, but has the added talent for wielding the willow.

By the current mentality, I.H would never have got an Australian representative gig. Madness IMO.

 

[Coxy]

Exactly. An average of 30 is not BAD for a number 7 or 8 batsman (which Hartley really is, despite his good efforts opening in ODers the last couple of weeks). And he scored a first class century on debut.

He can bat. And the fact he's arguably the best keeper in the country makes it a joke he's not even considered at Test level.

Frankly Haddin underwhelms me.

 

[Scumbag]

Tim Payne even looks more sound than Haddin.

 

[Coxy]

Tim Paine looks a very good prospect in the short forms of the game, better than Haddin IMO.

Not sure about Test cricket at this stage.

 

[Scumbag]

Give him a run in both I say. I reckon he can do well at both.

 

[Clintos]

Haddin is rubbish.

There's no excuse for all those missed chances and copious amounts of byes during the Ashes.

 

[Scumbag]

Having said that though Clintos, being a Wicketkeeper is a very tough gig. It is just as much about confidence as bowling or batting. I've found, that if you put one down, the lingering doubt over whether you will catch another really plays on your mind, no matter what level or standard of cricket you play.

Wicketkeeping is about a rhythm. I try to take every ball that comes to me in an over. If I miss one, my rhythm is disrupted. Obviously, I've prepared myself mentally, so with the grade of cricket I play, I can simply re-apply myself to my goals and task.

Under that spotlight and that much pressure that international wicketkeepers are under, however, it is a huge task. As a Wicketkeeper you set the standard. It's 100% true. Imagine the pressure any Wicketkeeper in this situation is under. He knows that one dropped catch could decide the game, so he has to be on the lookout for this catch and then also deal with the usual pressure of catching every ball which safely passes through. At the speeds of bowlers these days, that is no mean task. Add to that swing, cut, bounce or the spin from a spin bowler and you have a nightmare.

I fully expect Haddin to be at the top of his game like everyone does. When I see him making blunders, of course I as a cricket fan feel uncomfortable.

I felt more uncomfortable watching Mitchell Johnson in that series with his frequent pie throwing. Everyone commented that "Mitch is a confidence bowler" and he was given a bit of leway because of this fact somehow.

A Wicketkeeper should catch everything that comes to him/her. That's what you expect. I don't feel like they are treated with the same understanding mindset that cricketer's fulfilling other jobs do though.

As Ian Healy once said. "Our team mates don't always appreciate what goes in to the job, so how can we expect our fans, the media and the public to also?"

 

[Clintos]

The same can be said any fielder though. Everyone is under pressure. Everyone wants to take every ball that comes their way. Regardless of where I used to field, if I missed a ball or made a mistake I lost confidence. Every run counts mate.

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure being a wicket keeper is a tough gig. My wicket keeping career lasted one game. Let's just say that it was mutually agreed that I would never don the gloves again.

A wicket keeper worthy of Australian selection should be the best at his job, i.e wicket keeping. Batting should not come into it, especially in the test match format. I can see the merit in playing someone like Paine or Haddin in a ODI or Twenty20, but what's the point in a test match? As Coxy said, averaging 30 batting at number 7 is perfectly acceptable, and Hartley has really improved his batting consistency over the last 12 months.

 

[BroncoMatt]

The Bulls do it again! A 24 run win over Tassie 3 from 4 now in the One dayers.

Carseldine & Reardon were the stars with the Bat and then the young Bulls Bowlers did the job again. RImmington, Cutting & McDermott all bowled well.

Tassie didnt do them self any favours with 4 Run outs in their innings [icon_lol1.