Jump to content

Cricket XXV - The long runup to the World Cup


Stubby

Recommended Posts

I just read the story regarding Clarke. Looks like he will miss the rest of the Test series with a hamstring tear. He has been plagued with hamstring and back injuries. Hopefully this doesn't spell the end of his career.

It is always a shame to see a talented player's career permanently cut shot by injury even if he plays for a team I don't support. Hopefully he'll be fit for the 2015 Ashes, it's hard to remember a time when he wasn't in the Australian Ashes team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While India's chase has to be credited, so does the timing of Australia's declaration knowing that India's talented batting line-up could have been more than capable of making a game of it (and they did).

Not the first time Australia have made a decision that highlights to people why cricket is such a great theatre after 5 days of competition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What an incredible finish! The Lyon detractors need to pretty much shut up and get lost after that test match. That was one of the best bowling displays on a batting wicket I've ever seen. It's a monumental pity that Clarke's career seems to be rapidly coming to a close, if not finished already.



India will be disappointed, but they can improve on a couple of things. Most of the batsmen had a reasonable hit, and if Dhoni returns, the batting will only get stronger. Ashwin and Yadav will probably get a game at some stage, which can only improve their listless bowling. K Sharma particularly, is nowhere near test quality. I still can't believe they selected him over one of the fastest ever bowlers to 100 test wickets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, unless there was an injury I'm not sure why Ashwin wasn't playing instead of Karn Sharma, and although Aaron bowled with good pace, on paper Yadav certainly looks the better option.



Those two changes would also have the benefit of strengthening the lower order as Ashwin is a pretty handy batsman, could legitimately be classed as an all-rounder with two Test centuries and an average of 38 (albeit the average is boosted by 7 not outs in 30 innings). India need to strengthen their lower order as their batting from 7 down was a bit suspect. Admittedly Saha at No. 7 looked decent enough but Dhoni would be a big upgrade. With Dhoni at 7 and Ashwin at 8, that really would give a lot more meat to the lower order which was what they really needed in that run chase, and the happy hitting Shami at 9 would not look nearly so desperate.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

In terms of spinners, India made the same mistake Australia made during the last few years, where they opted for a spinner that turned the bowl away from the body in their misguided hopes that it will result in more wickets. But as has been pretty apparent, a good spinner who turns the ball towards the body is a lot better than the average spinner who turns it away from the body. Australia has a crap load of the latter!



I don't know why Ashwin wasn't picked, was he injured?


Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, what does everyone think about Smith in the captaincy?

I don't really know what captaincy experience he has but he seems a sensible appointment. If Clarke is doubtful about his long-term future then I think it makes sense to start developing player who could hold the captaincy for a long time rather than someone like Haddin who is nearing the end of the his career. Smith does seem to be secure in his place unlike most of the other youthful Australian players and they might feel Warner is a bit too wild to be trusted (although some responsibility can improve behaviour).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it were a straight fight between Warner and Smith for the long-term captaincy (which it seems like it is) then I'd go with Smith. Warner has disciplinary records that go way back, and even seeing his beef this match with Aaron tells you he hasn't really changed.



The selectors have tended to go for safer public images like Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh etc. I suspect they didn't go for Warnie because of his off-field problems. An argument could be made that Ponting was chosen despite gambling/alcohol issues but Ponting had gotten his life back on track before he got the captaincy and had clearly put those days behind him for a few years. Whereas I'm not sure we've seen that from Warner.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope. He just has a pitiful record outside the subcontinent (strike rate over 120).

Ouch, that is pretty horrendous...

So, what does everyone think about Smith in the captaincy?

Better than most other choices at the moment. He seems to be the only young gun able to hold his place in this Aussie line-up. He seems pretty calm and not particularly prone to injury. But need to see what his captaincy style is like though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steve Smith has come a long way. I still remember when he was starting out not too long ago and I derided him as a Test player. He was bowling erratic leggies and his batting wasn't up to scratch, he was one of those bits and pieces players who didn't have any one skill that was of true quality. But now it's fair to say that his batting has improved considerably and he looks like a proper Test batsman.



They needed to go young again considering that there is another new wave of retirements that will hit in the next one or two years (Haddin 37, Clarke 33, Rogers 37, Harris 35, Johnson 33, Watson 33). It seemed it was only very recently that we had that big rebuilding phase but here comes another one. Warner (28), Smith (25) and Lyon (27) are the nucleus of the next team but a lot of slots are still very open, I have a feeling lots of people are going to be tried out over the next few years.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Smith is clearly the longterm captaincy choice. I thought Haddin should have been given the captaincy until Clarke's future is definitively decided. He is obviously the most senior and respected member of the squad, apart from having a reasonable amount of captaincy experience. I agree with what's been said about Warner- he'd be a terrible option based on his behaviour, and more importantly his unwillingness to learn (in stark contrast to Ponting who put his early misdemeanours well behind him early in his career).



Pax, Ashwin's record outside of India is hopeless, but his overall record is undisputably good. I'm not sure how the selectors expect him to improve if he doesn't get match time. If that meant dropping a proven performer, then I can understand the reticence. If they chose Jadeja because he bowls tight lines and has a good record against Clarke, I could understand. But for a guy whose CV features nothing more than a couple of decent IPL spells??


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dizzy wants Ireland to be given Test status.

Lame link because I'm posting from my phone - http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/30489047

I, for one, am all in favour of that. None of this waiting until 2018 malarkey. Can there really only be a maximum number of Test nations to make cricket work, anyway? Just stop with 5 match series (outside of Ashes) and 7 match ODIs. Cricket will never get stronger without making it clear that countries can come through and progress to the top table.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder if MS Dhoni being back as Indian captain we'll get a return of the fear of losing tactics?

One hopes that after the thrills of the First Test, they will see that the best form of defense is to attack. They were extremely close to snatching that Test and their team should get better assuming they drop the spinner Sharma.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I expect that India's attitude to batting won't change, at least amongst the top six. Apart from Vijay, the rest are aggressive batsmen who look to score quickly. I doubt Dhoni's presence in the team will do change their outlook. But the field placements and bowling options will probably be more defensive. To be fair, I think a certain degree of defensiveness (not to the extent we've seen over the last 24 months from Dhoni) is warranted given the quality of the Indian bowling attack.



I do like Australia's bowling selections. Siddle was unwell and still forced to bowl lots of overs- can't see him being ready for tomorrow. Harris uncharacteristically lacked incisiveness. Really looking forward to watching Hazelwood and Starc bowl.


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...