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Jeor, on 29 December 2012 - 10:39 PM, said:
I do wonder where Australia's next Test batsmen are going to be coming from, though. Cowan, Hughes, and then others like Marsh seem a rung below the Australian batsmen of yesteryear. Warner as well, he still doesn't quite convince me he's a Test player. If you're going to try and be a Virender Sehwag sort of opener, you need to make scores like he did. Khawaja looked good when he came in but who knows if he can develop the consistency. After years of being spoilt with stability and multiple world-class batsmen, I think we're going to have Michael Clarke plus a lot of Hicks and Ramprakashes.
Re: Hussey being selfish - maybe a little bit so (I can't imagine Clarke or team management were pleased that he decided to call it a day), but after his service to Australian cricket I think he's earnt the right to retire whenever he wants. It was only a year ago that the media were calling for his axing so it's entirely understandable he'd want to go out on top. Class is permanent but form is temporary, and there's no telling whether he would've continued to churn out scores over a long India tour and then the 10 Ashes tests.
Re: Hussey being selfish - maybe a little bit so (I can't imagine Clarke or team management were pleased that he decided to call it a day), but after his service to Australian cricket I think he's earnt the right to retire whenever he wants. It was only a year ago that the media were calling for his axing so it's entirely understandable he'd want to go out on top. Class is permanent but form is temporary, and there's no telling whether he would've continued to churn out scores over a long India tour and then the 10 Ashes tests.
Hussey has certainly provided great service to Australian cricket, but Australian cricket had also done a lot for him. He has probably earnt enough money for a lifetime. The name that he has made for himself will ensure that he gets VIP treatment and cushy coaching or commentary roles whenever and wherever he wants. I think that he should give back a bit more, particularly when the team is doing it tough (comparatively speaking, of course). His talents are desperately needed in the middle order now, more than ever before in his career. He's really taken the easy option by retiring at the end of a Sri Lanka whitewash with another easy century on offer.
With regards to the next middle order batsman, I'm really disappointed with Callum Ferguson. He's obviously got a lot of class and flair, but severely lacks in application. His failures in Shield cricket are baffling, especially when you consider that his competitors, like Khwaja and Hughes, continue to pile on the runs in domestic competitions.
Warner just needs to loosen up and bat normally. When Sehwag was at his peak in test cricket, there was hardly any discernible change in his batting style from test to odi. He played the same shots, scored boundaries in the same zones and got out slashing outside off in the same manner in both formats. T20 has screwed with his mind and he's gone backwards ever since.
