Ricky Ponting has to win this Ashes Test

Hadlee actually complained about it and it got worse http://www.theage.com.au/news/Geoff-McClure/Sporting-Life/2004/12/05/1102182152261.html "....Hadlee later told the media, perhaps rather foolishly, that he questioned Australia's education system. "I think it's fair to say it wasn't a very good thing to say," said Sir Richard.....

truly a class act

Hadlee took it in his stride though. I seem to recall an interview where he said that the Aussie public seemed to think he worked in a Bank. Classic.

I have been hoping for an article about crowd behaviour ,some booing Ponting , but there isnt one. So sorry Spiro, I just have to park it here. One of my favoutrite cricketers of all time was the now Sir Richard Hadlee. A fine competitor ,graceful athlete and a thorough gentleman.I often imagined him having the luxury of say a Thommo at the other end,but it was never to be.One of the worst and saddest thing I witnessed at a cricket match was Australians chanting ,"Hadlee's a wanker". Words fail me.From time to time some Australian cricket supporters secretly enjoy the Australian side being beaten.I have felt this way.I honestly dont know why I occassionaly take pleasure in watching the Australian team loosing ,but think maybe 'Hadlee's a wanker' highlights an unbearable arrogance,subtlely underpinned by the media,where winning for winnings sake is greater than the game itself. On face value the Balmy Army are well behaved people that enjoy an ale and a bit of cheeky exchange.I have never seen them fight for example.But it seems booing Ricky Ponting has gone too far.What surely started out as a joke,a good spirited taunt ,has crossed the line.But it pales into insignificance with those Australians that back then constanty chanted 'Hadlee's a wanker'. Ok, thats it Spiro ,now back to the subject.

Agree Spiro - Punter is a great batsman but a mediocre captain who regularly misses the pivotal moments of the game. We were spoilt with Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh who regularly seized the moment - Carpe Diem! Ponting is a good one day captain but takes the same strategies into test cricket. There is no point in giving him an attacking spinner as he lacks understanding the finer points of employing spin. IMHO - it depends on Johnson and the quality of the support bowling. If Johnson picks up 7+ wickets for the match at around 30 runs each and Hilfenhouse, Clark and McDonald share the rest, then I believe that we are in with a show. My greatest disappointment has been Pontings disregard for Simon Katich's spin bowling. He is the one guy, with his confounding googlies, that I would have tried to turn into a strike weapon.

Katich or Haddin would possibly be better captains than Punter.

Kersi, Katich has a lot of captaincy exerience with NSW (at one point when he was in the wilderness he was advised to step down so he could focus on his batting and get back in the Aus side). He seems to be well regarded and respected, but not sure how he'll work with Pup (remember the clash inthe dressing room in Sydney?). Re Watson, fair has nothing to do with it - it's about what's best for the team. What's unfair is the Australian selectors' obsession with allrounders which has unfairly affected others in the side over the years (eg Katich, Hodge and others getting dropped when in good form to make way for Symonds and Watson in the deparate search for our own Flintoff). Watson's never really proved himself and he keeps breaking down, but they keep persisting with him.

Spiro, I agree with you that captaincy could be affecting Ponting's batting. Also to me, he is not a great captain. But who else, if Ponting sidesteps as Australia's captain? Michael Clarke, as vice-captain, would be the obvious choice. But he has little experience as a leader. And Australia under him did not do that well. Also won't his batting form be affected too? Can we imagine Australia without Pup scoring runs? Hussey has brains but is going through a rough patch with batting and is not a certainty in the side. Katich? Hardly any experience as a leader. Haddin?? No, the captaicy cupboard is pretty bare. Stick with Ricky, I say. He is the best option. Although I am a Phil Hughes fan, to drop Watson after he did so well as an opener (50s in both innings) at Edgbaston would be unfair to him. Stuart Clark for Siddle is the only change I can see in the Leeds Test starting today.

the conundrum in winning this Test Match (for oz): 1. oz bowlers.....achieving 20 wickets 2. Ponting's intermittent brain-melt decisions 3. Consistency in top/middle-order batting 4. fielding lapses 5. diminishing confidence 6. English crowds 7. increasing English confidence 8. English weather

"The King must Die" This is the objective of chess. And chess can be a dour,plodding game or a streetfighting attacking game. This fourth Test will show us which category Ponting slots into. The leadng Engish batsman is Strauss and he is the "king". In the time honoured strategy of past Australian captains Ponting has to take Strauss out. Like Hughes ,Strauss loves to cut but unlike Hughes he has a better technique. But he was out trying to cut at Lord's to one close to his body and bouncing. The other target should be Flintoff,if he plays. He was wicketless at LOrds and though he scored runs the bowling to him was tripe. Johnson and Lee have to target the big man's body and not give himroom to free his considerable arms. Ponting has to forget about boundary riders and put enough catchers where the ball is likely to go. He has to demand better bowling from his men. I am not saying attack blindly but attack cleverly and sustain the attack for long periods of time. England will be conservative so it is up to Ponting to make all the running. And I agree it is a pity Hughes is not atop the batting order.

Yeah ... I think Mitchell Johnson has paid the price for an Australian set-up that has overbowled their key bowler against the South Africans in the previous series. Just look at the number of overs he has bowled over the past few months. The stats may prove to be alarming. Pundits are constantly blaming a technical flaw in Johnson's bowling that suddenly has become one of the reasons for his slump in form. His arm is too low they say. Fact is, Australia since the retirement of Glen McGrath, the Gillespie's and others, has struggled to find a strike bowler, who can well put up his hand when the chips are down. Of course, they have Brett Lee in their armoury, but unfortunately he is once again on the sidelines, as seems to be the case as age becomes a factor. What the heck is Stuart Clarke sitting out for? Is he injured? Peter Siddle puts it down hard and that worked in South Africa for him. However in England where wickets seem to be more susceptible to swing than bounce, Siddle could be found struggling. It seems blogger, Neil, who is wary of Proteas taking over number one ICC Test spot, actually presumes that the South Africans may well deserve that elusive number one placing. Imagine sitting on top of both the Test and ODI tables! And like hell, they may well deserve it as the most consistent team the past few seasons. Led by the in your face Graeme Smith, and a well-balanced team, who thrive on challenges - one could gauge from their success in Australia - and who have in their armoury out and out strike bowlers such as Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini and the 'golden arm' of Jacques Kallis at their disposal - and more than accomplished batsmen, could well run over both Ashes sides. England despite their talent, is coming off second best against South Africa these days. With Warne in their team, Australia had the psychological edge, and therefore it is pontificated the Aussies are battling to get twenty wickets in Tests. Nathan Hauritz has a lot of work to do in my opinion, one commentator labelled his bowling 'a lot of meat pies' Or as Geoff Boycott would put it, "dibbly-dobblers". He needs to bring an 'air of confidence' and spin them out convincingly. Cricket fans of Australia and anybody else who is battling to understand the conundrum Aussie is faced with, seem to forget very easily what the Aussies have lost in terms of manpower over the past few seasons. People say it, but don't really think properly about it. Players of the ilk of McGrath, Gilchrist, Martyn, Warne, Gillespie, and we go even further back to the Waugh era, cannot be replaced overnight. The problem is players like Warne probably come around once every generation - my, how time seems to have flown. We who have witnessed arguably the greatest ever wrist spinner, not to mention cunning at that,should be thankful and honoured for having been able to watch him (Warne) at play. It may be that we are trying to match the present Australian side, with the ones that immediately preceded them. That won't happen soon. England seem to move up a gear when the Ashes comes around .. but they are a side with talent, but little to show for it. Really, when they have to shore up their team with South African born players it really begs the question: Where is England's cricketing talent? Jonathan Trott is already 29-years-old. Golly, is there no younger players in England who coud step into the breach? With the number of South African born players on the county circuit, it won't be long before we have half the English side comprising "SA-born players". C'mon guys put some spike into the Ashes play.

Go on then Baggy Greens, an english ashes victory would be too much to bear. Mitchell Johnson to take ten this match. Class IS permanent. Also don't want the Proteas to grab number 1 off an aussie loss.