To complicate things even more Roy and Billings are both in the England ODI squad to tour India with the first game on the 16th of Jan. They will definitely miss the last 2 games and possibly even the last 3.

I quite enjoy listening to BT. I understand why people find him annoying but he’s a far better choice for Friday night than Zempilas. Can’t understand how he gets anywhere near an AFL match when he regularly gets player’s names wrong. Not to mention the Leon Cameron gaffe or saying that Australia’s gold medal drought in the 100m has been broken by Cameron Mcevoy (just before Kyle Chalmers medal ceremony). The Basil and Hamish Saturday arvo combination is enough to make me nod off.

100 career sixes…has only been done twice by McCullum (107) and Gilchrist (100) and isn’t likely to be achieved again anytime soon.

And in the old days 100 first class hundreds which may never happen again.

Went to two World Cup games at Hagley last year and even though both games were lopsided (WI vs Pakistan and Eng vs Scotland) they were two of the best days I’ve ever had at the cricket. Friendly locals who gave us great NZ-Aus banter (having worn my Aussie shirt) ,stunning ground and walking through the park to get to the game all made for an unforgettable experience. I hope they get to host many more tests in the future.

Interesting comparison and one that would be fascinating for other eras as well..say 80’s vs 90s for example. The 2000’s are ahead for me – they have Clarke and Hussey in the middle order vs Smith, Haddin is the only keeper since Gilchrist with any longevity plus Watson and Symonds for the all rounders. I’m not a Watson fan at all but somehow he has survived — probably hindering the development of the 2010s crop in the process.

Well said. How is quitting football to go and serve the community selfish?

Jeremy Cameron. His 2013 season was indeed extraordinary, and all achieved as a 20 year old in a team that lost 20 of the 21 games he played in.

Joe Root was really handy for England in the Caribbean. .to me he actually looked more dangerous than England’s frontline spinners (Tredwell and Ali) at times.

I would love to see Voges get a game, but I’m fully expecting S Marsh snd Watson to get the last two spots. Agree with Ronan that Watson shouldn’t be there at all, but they keep picking him. If they must have him then at least have the good sense to put Smith at 3.

By selecting both Moeen and Stokes they are creating a big problem for their batting by relegating Jos Buttler to number 8. The consequence of this is that potentially their most destructive batsman runs out of partners. He was just starting to look really dangerous in the second innings in Barbados but was stranded on 39 not out..another 25-30 runs and a target of 220-230 instead of 192 and it might have been a different ball game. Regular not outs might make his average look good but not much else.
As to who they pick out of Moeen or Stokes going forward, it all depends on whether they are prepared to play a frontline spinner or if they have decided that Moeen is it.

After all the hype dies down a couple of weeks rest for two of their key players might be a blessing in disguise come September.

Test average 44 and an ODI average over 50. No shame at all in walking away now.

Well played Dogs. I thought they would be a 7-8 win team especially without Liberatore. As a Brisbane supporter I wish that my team would play with the same heart as the young Bulldogs. I hate the description of “everyone’s second favourite team” but given that my team deliver 120 minutes of guaranteed pain on a weekly basis I’ve developed a soft spot for the Dogs! Bring on the Saints.

Can’t fault the commitment of Beams, Christensen or Robinson on the weekend but with the benefit of hindsight Ryder is the one that got away. Good decision by Paddy and his management though, starring in front of 50,000 in Adelaide or playing in front of 12,000 in the battle of 17v18, no contest.

Close being injured is a bad blow – long term it hurts more than Hanley or Rockliff being out, even if he had no impact on results this season it robs him and the club of another 15-20 games experience and development. Freeman is injured too which compounds the issue. Not sure where our first win is coming from.

Agree that Root looks an England great in the making. I doubt he will still average 57 in 12 months time with NZ, Australia, Pakistan (in the UAE) and South Africa away in the next 12 months, but long term I predict 8000-10000 test runs at a very good average. He will also obliterate England’s ODI batting records which are woefully low. Ian Bell is their all time leading ODI scorer on 5416 and he might not play too many more ODI’s if the selectors take a 2019 World Cup view when picking the team. Marcus Trescothick’s England record of 12 ODI centuries will also go – again terribly low by World standards.

In terms of captaincy, it may happen sooner rather than later if the article in the UK Telegraph today is correct, which suggests that he could replace Eoin Morgan for the June series against New Zealand.

The pitches can’t be helping them to produce genuine quick bowlers. Who would want to try and be a fast bowler in those conditions? Anderson’s spell on the fifth morning was outstanding given the conditions even when considering how chaotic some of the batting was.

The commentators suggested during the match that Barbados would offer a bouncier surface but time will tell. 8 out of the last 10 matches there have produced a result.

As for the Windies bowlers Gabriel looks quick but Roach was quick a few years ago too and now he is really struggling. Injuries have slowed him down but perhaps the frustration of bowling on unforgiving surfaces has contributed too. If they are to have any chance of winning the third test they need Taylor and Holder both fit and to retain Gabriel ahead of Roach.

Fair call..I would love to have seen him have to contend with a silly point as soon as he came in. But watching him I just felt that he didn’t look like getting out…with 40 overs to go I thought that the West Indies would survive -which is as much an indictment on England’s bowlers. In a strong team he would stay at no.8 for a decade, but I think he’ll end up top 6 in a couple of years. Perhaps he isn’t the greatest technivally but Blackwood at 5 isn’t either. I would still back his ability to play at 6, in a Flintoff type role, but time will tell of course. I just think that given the circumstances it was an outstanding innings and long term he would be wasted batting that far down.

Good point he certainly looks capable of batting in the top six. It’s not as though WI have anyone else bashing the door down to take Chanderpaul’s place. For that to work though they will need to find another bowler of Test class. Batting 6 and bowling first change might be a bit much to ask especially when he will eventually become captain as well. Stokes and C Anderson usually play as the fourth seamer. The key could be to get Narine and Russell playing Tests. Russell was inconsistent at the World Cup but looked capable and has pace. Ultimately his availability comes down to the IPL vs Test Cricket dilemma. ..which could eventually become an issue with Holder and his availability as well.

With four more Tests still to be played by England before the Ashes even start there are six who are definites, the rest of the places are well and truly up for grabs. Bell, Root, Ballance, Buttler, Ali and Anderson will be in Cardiff but Cook, Broad, Trott and Moores might not.

Great analysis Paul spot on. The low attendances are a combination of sustained poor on field results, overpriced tickets (yes the general admission is cheap but it’s also very hard to see the game properly from most of the GA area – personally I won’t sit there because I just can’t see) and as you rightly mentioned the fickle nature of Brisbane sports fans. We just don’t have an ingrained footy culture here. It wasn’t that long ago that Friday night matches including finals weren’t even shown live on free to air TV. Slashing ticket prices, beer prices and food prices would be a great place to start. Ticket prices are too high for Gold Coast games as well. I know both clubs and the AFL are rightly trying to encourage fans to buy memberships but it’s cheaper to buy a one off ticket to most games in Melbourne than it is up here. I paid $40 to go to the Anzac Day game at the G last year but for some Gabba games you can’t get a decent seat for under $50.

Prime example of the lack of footy culture here is the atrocious turnout against North Melbourne last year when Browny was doing his farewell lap. 15,000 people and some reports blamed the cold weather! Cold? It was barely jacket weather. Try sitting at the footy in Melbourne in July.

Faulkner’s bowling could have been useful in the West Indies. His variations would have been a handful on the slow low pitches. But if he was picked in the squad he would have been no chance of getting a game anyway. Even on the Ashes tours these days there aren’t many first class games for squad players to make a strong case for selection. He might end up on one or both of these tours anyway; not to wish misfortune on players but
I would be surprised if both M Marsh and Watson get through back to back tours unscathed.

Having attended the game in my Aussie shirt I say NZ have absolutely nothing to apologise for. I’ve never been to Eden Park before and the venue, the atmosphere and the view of the game was absolutely brilliant. 99 percent of the fans were sensational and it was mainly just good banter. A couple of idiots here and there but it’s not as if we don’t have those in abundance at the MCG or the Gabba! In terms of the atmosphere it was just as good if not better than any event I’ve been to in Australia – Origin, Grand Finals, Ashes, Bledisloe included. It really was a wall of noise every time a Black cap fielded a ball. So well done NZ on not only playing well but staging a great event so far – (we went to games at Hagley vand the Cake tin as well). The game itself will be talked about on both sides of the ditch for years to come just like 1992.

If I was a Sth Africa fan I wouldn’t be too worried about them getting thumped by NZ today. Steyn didn’t bowl and Amla didn’t bat. They have a pretty easy first game against Zimbabwe so they could play below their best early on and should still be well set up for the harder games.

The main concerns about the team should be 1. the fact that their strongest team basically has three number 11s. Steyn did make 76 in an MCG test a few years ago and a 50 against the Windies recently but his batting isn’t very reliable. Morkel and Tahir are both genuine number 11s as well.

2. Imran Tahir as the number one spinner. Yes he has been excellent with the white ball but how will he cope if they have to play Australia in a semi final. He was absolutely mauled in Adelaide a few years back by Australia and two of the key players in that game (Warner and Clarke) will be there again. Plus he is a complete liability in the field, as bad as Tufnell or Monty Panesar..

Stuart Macgill.

Anti establishment, controversial, always in trouble for abusing the umpires, definitely had a “villian” demeanour on the field.

Two of the greatest innings were played in the 2003 World Cup, not only Ponting’s innings in the final which Alec has listed but also Andrew Symonds 143 not out in the first game – also at The Wanderers.

Came in at 4-86 with Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib bowling at high speed and looking likely to bowl Aus out for 150. Had never made an international 100 at that stage and also with the team no doubt rattled by Warnie being booted out of the tournament the day before the game. Everyone remembers Aus being the dominant team in 2003 but it could have been very different if not for Symonds.

No doubt Tom that he was outstanding in the last out of the 3 but he was pretty quiet in the first 2 (only 3 wickets across the first two games) – not that he had to do much in the first one with Johnson tearing up South Africa in both innings. I seem to remember there was even talk of him being dropped or rested during the series – glad they didn’t.

I’m really hoping they pick him for the World Cup but I have a bad feeling that they won’t.