It’s summer. In Australia. Why is anyone surprised that it’s hot?
We have the highest incidence of sun-related skin cancers in the world. Every year, half the bloody country burns down.
It’s routinely 50 degrees on centre-court at the Australian Open and that’s in Melbourne. Queensland is known as the stickiest, sweatiest and most humid of states.
Yet if you listened to the commentary or the press conferences you’d think that Australia was in the midst of a freak heatwave. How the team weren’t adequately prepared for the heat, sweat, and loss of salt and electrolytes is a mystery… and hopefully a lesson learnt (albeit one that we’ve learnt every summer for the past 200-odd years but clearly forgotten).
Shaun Marsh’s inability to contribute to the team
His supporters have always talked about Marsh’s potential and his talent, although even his most loyal fans describe him as mercurial.
If a 13-year career averaging 36 at first-class level wasn’t enough to convince selectors of Marsh’s unqualified mediocrity, his boom and bust pattern since first being given a baggy green cap surely should.
Marsh debuted spectacularly as an injury replacement with a century. Two Tests later he went on a run of 44, 0, 0, 3, 0, 11, 3, and 0. From that time, when Marsh was dropped from the Test side until his recall against South Africa earlier this year, he averaged 25 in first-class cricket.
No that’s not a typo, two seasons of averaging 25 runs got Marsh back into the Test side. Rather astonishingly the move paid off with Marsh scoring a century in his first innings back in the side… followed by 44, 0 and 0. There’s a pattern there.
To be fair, Marsh averaged 61 from the first five matches of the Shield this season, but he is also not fully fit, with a left elbow that prevents him from throwing. That left elbow injury has seen him drop two catches already in the Brisbane Test, costing Australia a grand total of 108 runs from the bat of Murali Vijay.
Colour me shocked that Shaun Marsh’s contribution to Australia’s cause so far has been negative 76 runs. Maybe he’ll come good in the second innings.
We’ve been saying that for a decade, but it could totally happen this time.
Shane Watson getting out to a soft dismissal between 20 and 50
Once again Shane Watson looked good getting a start, and then got out to a brain fade with a very soft dismissal in the first innings.
Clearly this was a shock to Watson (who is always amazed that the fielding side has the temerity to take his wicket) and the national selection panel, who believe Watson offers something to the side batting at three that a bag of sawdust couldn’t do just as well.
Mitchell Starc being unable to put two balls in a row within cooee of each other
Dye the ball white and Mitchell Starc bowls searing in-swinging Yorkers at 150 kilometres an hour. Dye the ball red and he’d be lucky to hit the side of a barn.
Starc has form in this area, being played and dropped continually during his short Test career. The only people who were surprised by the left-armer’s inaccuracy with the ball were those who’ve never seen him play.
Shane Warne saying something stupid on air
Idiotic comments from S.K. Warne are par for the course really, almost as certain as death and taxes. Quite why anyone would put a microphone in front of him and let him broadcast his thoughts to the masses is perplexing.
That he offended someone during his commentary is surely not a shock?
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
The mammoth rise of Jake Fraser-McGurk - his enormous potential and the destructive shot-making that he possesses makes him a very tempting option.
Marcus Stoinis produced his first IPL century and it was a beauty. He went 6, 4, 4, 4 to finish off the Lucknow Super…
The Aussie needed every centimetre of his height and reach to reel that one in!
Royal Challengers Bengaluru needed 21 off the final over...but after three sixes, a caught and bowled and a run out, Mitchell Starc's Kolkata had…
Test great Steve Smith is to play for Washington Freedom in the second season of Major League Cricket as the Australian influence in the…
Nathan Lyon has revealed his disappointment that Australia's cricket chiefs have prevented him from playing his first full season of county cricket in England…
