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The Roar

Stephen Vagg

Roar Guru

Joined February 2014

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A Queenslander never forgets a selection slight.

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Not that long actually… just going through the scorecards, really. I knew of the 82-83 innings of course and the 75 World Cup chase… I wondered if there were more and it turned out there was. Great competitor.

It's not all about the wickets: Celebrating Jeff Thomson's best batting performances

Are there any statistics to support any of these assertions? Honestly not having a go – just when people declare “team X” is popular and “team Y” is unpopular, on what grounds are such declarations made? Have any surveys been conducted? (Such things are routinely done by marketing departments of large organisations). A lot of people went to matches this summer. Ratings very good on television. Amazon are unlikely to have commissioned a second season of “The Test” for an unpopular team. Don’t deny everyone was furious when we lost against India but everyone was furious after the 2010-11 Ashes, after six test losses in a row in 2016, after homeworkgate in 2013, after sandpapergate in 2018, after (if you can believe it, we were that spoiled) the 2005 Ashes… and there was constant fury and anger from the years 1984-1987. From newspaper reports there was intense fury in 1978-79 Ashes and I’m guessing there was similar fury in 1970-71 Ashes and after 1954-55 Ashes. Australian cricket fans are notoriously terrible losers.

On the nose: Are Australia’s male cricketers the nation’s most unappealing national team?

great piece

The history of Australian domestic limited-overs cricket: Part 1

Think Kuhnemann is very good and for his own sake he might be better off moving to SA or Victoria to get more of a go. Swepson will block him in Queensland.

Australia's touring team analysed – and why the selectors have missed a trick

His constant omission through the 2010s never made any sense. Did us particular damage in 2010-11 Ashes, 2013 tour of India, 2013 Ashes, 2018 South Africa tour, 2018 UAE tour, I wrote a whole piece on it https://www.theroar.com.au/2020/04/16/the-missed-opportunities-of-steve-okeefe/

Australia's touring team analysed – and why the selectors have missed a trick

Steve O’Keefe – 88FC games, 301 wickets at 24.66 vs Agar, 64 games, 157 FC wickets at 42.21… And I think O’Keefe would’ve won us that first test in Sri Lanka in 2016 had he not broken down injured…
I do agree you never know with a spinner… but in the pst even when not-that-great Oz spinners go to India and have incredible fluky games and take bags of wickets we tend not to win the actual match, eg India 2004 when Hauritz and Clarke got all those wickets in the last test we still lost that test – ditto in 2008 when Krejza got all those wickets.
Having said all this Agar will now prob bowl Oz to a win with a ten-fer.

Australia's touring team analysed – and why the selectors have missed a trick

The 4IP contract came in 1975-76 – there’s a piece on that coming soon. Thanks for reading and commenting.

More silver! Queensland’s 1974-75 Sheffield Shield campaign

Botham/Ritchie was in 1987-88. NSW beat Qld in finals in 84-85, 85-86, 89-90, 02-03, 04-05.. but we beat them in 2020-21

The false dawn: Queensland’s Sheffield Shield campaign of 1973-74

PS Gideon Haigh’s The Summer Game is an excellent resource for the post-Bradman pre-Chappell period

Queensland's first heartbreak: The 1956-57 Sheffield Shield campaign

A black hole in my knowledge too! Then I saw on wikipedia in the entry for the Sheffield Shield that Queensland came second three times in the late 50s/early 60s so I did some digging.

Queensland's first heartbreak: The 1956-57 Sheffield Shield campaign

I think dropping Willie Watson three times constitutes a choke.

Queensland's first heartbreak: The 1956-57 Sheffield Shield campaign

Intentional! 🙂

Queensland's first heartbreak: The 1956-57 Sheffield Shield campaign

I also read WSC were going to tour Pakistan. Entire Pakistan side could have come out.
Graeme Wood signed for WSC he might’ve made the 79-80 side. I think South Africans would have flocked in increasing numbers Fascinating to imagine what a third season would’ve been.

The 1979 World Series Cricket tour of the West Indies

The Purr is a great alt title for a spin off site!

Remembering the brief international career of Phil Carlson

That is a good book.

The 1979 World Series Cricket tour of the West Indies

Time zone isn’t get with the West Indies. Have no idea if there’s a highlights package haven’t been able to find it.

The 1979 World Series Cricket tour of the West Indies

You’re 100% right. That’s a shocker on my part. Have asked them to change. Thank you.

Remembering the brief international career of Phil Carlson

Mallett bowled terrifically that summer in the Shield.

One crazy summer: Why selections of Australian cricket team in 1979-80 still impossible to work out

I was surprised too. From reading contemporary accounts though the vibe was (a) Laird was a lock (b) we need someone to partner Laird (c) Wood and Hilditch did badly in India, Dyson was picked too soon, Yallop can’t face fast bowling, Davis and McCosker did badly in WSC, so… (d) let’s try Wiener. I think the selectors were a little impatient with their openers.

One crazy summer: Why selections of Australian cricket team in 1979-80 still impossible to work out

That’s a terrific stat about Dymock -as good as Larwood! Larwood probably the better batter 🙂 Dymock is my favourite story of 1979-80 because if any cricketer would’ve felt time had passed him by it would’ve been him – Thommo moved past him, then Gimour and Hurst, then Pascoe, and during WSC then Wayne Clark and Ian Callen and Sam Gannon and Hogg… but when he got an extended run he really made the most of it.

One crazy summer: Why selections of Australian cricket team in 1979-80 still impossible to work out

SA also briefly had Kim Hughes.

My favourite unsuccessful Queensland XI of the 1980s

Jim Christy was a good one I’d never heard about. Lumb was just T20 yes? I knew I was stretching it with Walmsley but couldn’t find a bowler. Which in hindsight may have been a problem with their recruiting – too many batters!.

My favourite unsuccessful Queensland XI of the 1980s

SA had some incredible imports. Barry Richards, Garfield Sobers, Bradman. (Plus Andy Flower who, interestingly, didn’t do that much from memory).

My favourite unsuccessful Queensland XI of the 1980s

Don’t know what’s happened with SA in recent years. Am sure they can turn it around soon. Feel maybe they’re just a bowler or two short.

My favourite unsuccessful Queensland XI of the 1980s

I remember that game followed it on line. Wasn’t as traumatic as 84-86 more annoying. I’ve been lucky to see a few victorious Shield finals since the mid 90s.

My favourite unsuccessful Queensland XI of the 1980s

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