Disgraced Aussies in need of a cleanout

yeah your right cos it really helps the side when we drop everyone after one bad game, idiots, a ridiculous article, one bad game and the world ends, why dont you actually support the side

It's called Cricket Australia delusion.

Indeed, it's astonishing.

Nine of the partakers in the most recent collapse played in Melbourne. Only Marsh and Lyon were different. I don't expect any changes from this latest one apart from Marsh going out of the line-up due to injury.

Yes, I think it's more down to the pitches. Shaun Marsh has played more T20 than anyone else in the Aus team apart from Watson and he's got plenty of patience in the long format. Steve Smith scored another ton during the last Shield match which was getting lauded in the press and by his fans, but he came in with over 300 on the board on a road. Tom Cooper scored a 200 in the second SA innings which really tells you all you need to know about the state of the pitch. How Steve Smith will be helped by this I have no idea. It won't convince him to tighten his technique up when he can just slog through the line without any danger.

I believe that lack of discipline and technique is what caused the problems for Australia, not to mention application and concentration, but technique has and will continue to pelage the Australians for sometime with quality bowling attacks, unless they go back to basics and learn fast from their experiences yesterday. Nevertheless to be fair, the Australian national cricket team is going through a rebuilding phase and it will take time to replace talented and experienced players of the past. But, the national selectors have not done any favours to anyone least of all themselves by playing a close book, until the horse has bolted from the cart, so to speak, with their rather interesting selections, which has made some interesting observation to state the least. That is why a more professional approach based on calculated gables would have been better, rather than keep Ricky in the captaincy role when we all knew that he was not the same in this department, as was the case in regard to his batting, which was magnificent, until a few seasons ago, when he started to on the decline. I think in conclusion that Australia can learn enormously from the Englishmen who are the best in Test Match cricket, even though some may disagree in this respect, because the Englishmen play for each other more than any other cricket team in world cricket. In my view the English national cricket team is a team’s team and that speaks volumes for them both individually and collectively as a bunch of players. That is what Australia must try and emulate, if they wish to climb the rankings in Test Match cricket and become number one again. I cannot see this taking place for some time, but it could and will hopefully place at some time, but it needs patience and fine planning and execution on part of the administrators and players.

Certainly shows that as soon as there's anything in the wicket they're in trouble (and to think Aust won the toss and batted in both those games v Pakistan!).

It's remarkable that in the past 2 years we've had (not quite as bad but similar) collapses against Pakistan in Sydney (and Pakistan were trying to lose that game!), Pakistan in Headingley and England in Melbourne but the core batting group is still the same.

Adam - There's a lot of the old Watson in Siddle. Focussing too muchon bowling fast when slowing it down 5-10km and focussing on hitting the right spot would provide better results. Hopefully Siddle can learn this like Watson did. I think it's too early for Cummins. We know that, given his age, he will inevitably get dropped in the next year or two due to natural inconsistency that players his age will have so I think he's better off in the Shield. Copeland has made the squad after a couple of seasons dominating the Shield and i think it would be wise to let Cummins do the same. Play him in T20s and ODIs but he's only had 2-3 shield matches in his career. Apparently hazlewood had to change his action due to his injury so it will probably take him a while to get back. He's young enough and certainly has the talent.

Hi Brett, whether or not it's a direct by-product of T20 is hard to know, but we constantly see players going "hard at the ball" even when they're not actually trying to play run-scoring shots. For a few years now Australian players have had a reputation for stroking the line, i.e. playing with their eye, which is why we see so many nicks and LBWs. They're seeing the ball out of the hand and if it moves in the air or off the pitch they're sitting ducks. I think Ian makes a good point too, in that the tracks all over the world are pretty flat, and this current team has an inordinate number of flat track bullies!

Hi Kristin, I actually think the bowling stocks in general are going ok. We did bowl SA out for under 100 after all! Siddle is a lion hearted bowler, I don't think anyone would doubt that, but I think his biggest problem will be the ability to consistently threaten top order batsmen. Hopefully Harris can stay fit for a few more years, he, along with Watson have improved out of sight. It's funny how for years and years Watson steamed in at about 140kph and never looked a top bowler. He has learnt well, added variety, bowls stump to stump and moves the ball in the air and off the pitch. Out of those new breed you mentioned I'd like to see Cummins get a game, whether he's ready or not now remains to be seen, but he looks to have loads of potential. I rated Hazlewood highly but he looks a little off the pace since returning from injury, but I'm sure with time and confidence he can become a threat again.

Its not T20, or even one day cricket. Its the pitches they play cricket on. When was the last genuine Gabba greentop, or SCG turner, or fiery WACA pitch, or up and down MCG pitch ? Australia has two, three, many Adelaide Ovals, and it shows.

This has been the story for years now. There is a worsening trend across world cricket, courtesy of the truncated versions of the game, ofa lack of batting substance, grit and dicsipline however it is most prevelant amongst Australian players. Our Test side will struggle to defeat a side like NZ truth be told but that it matters - Test cricket ie. is a moot point indeed since the viewing public seem more interested in the hit n hope version of Cricket anyway.

Adam, agree 100% with what was written in the article - although I dont think P Siddy will be on the chopping block yet. Was one of our best bowlers in the Ashes, did well in his one test in Sri Lanka and hardly got a bowl on day 2 with Harris and Watto on fire. It brought a tear to my eye to see Punter in this test - you dont want a legend of the game to keep on going when he is clearly past it. His 6 to get in the mark was the only glimpse of hope, but it is time to draw the curtain on a great career and give Khawaja his chance. Warner has shown a tremendous degree of improvement in the last year and is crying out for a shot at opening - as mentioned he cant do any worse than Hughes. Brad Haddin must be paying someone to keep breaking Tim Paine's fingers - that is the only thing that is keeping him in the side at the moment. Time for the Tassie boy to come in and Wade to be the understudy. Then we come to Mitch...again, a cricketer I love, but sadly he has gone downhill steadily since his last visit to the southern cape. His confidence with the ball is basically non existant, and the bowling department is the one area where we have the greatest depth of all. Copeland, Cummins, Pattinson, Bollinger, Starc, Hazlewood, McDermott, Richardson, George, Faulkner, Coulter-Nile - take your pick! This is going to present the new selection panel with a chance to really assert themselves as being distant from the shambles of recent years.

Adam, I've seen the T20 angle raised a few times today, but I'm not sure that's the issue. Limited overs batting may certainly be a factor, but look at the current top seven, and think about how much T20 they all play: Watson, Marsh and Hussey are really the only regulars in the IPL and pointless T20I scene, and even then Hussey often loses his spot to his brother. Hughes is in and out of the NSW T20 side, Ponting hasn't played IPL since the first season retired from T20Is several years ago, Clarke doesn't play much T20 and wasn't effective anyway, and Haddin has recently retired from T20Is too and didn't play much IPL/BBL anyway. By all means, there were ordinary shots played, and application and attitudes certainly need to be questioned, but I don't buy that it's a T20 thing...

"It was naive of Hilditch and co to abandon recent policy and extend Ponting’s career beyond his captaincy tenure." Let's not beat around the bush here.....we all know the reason for this ---> the ill-suited Michael Clarke. Had a more suitable heir apparent been chosen as captain (Shane Watson, Simon Katich, even Hussey), then Ponting surely would have been given the flick. CA had years, years I tells ya, to plan for Ponting's succession....but old grumpy lost his mojo, reflexes and got a lot grumpier a lot quicker than expected and CA got caught with their pants down.... and when the public called for a captaincy change, they had no choice but to appoint the poor-form, unpopular and disliked Clarke. So of course you’re going to keep the previous captain to manage the risk of having a new captain who doesn’t cut the mustard.

I agree Matt, it's great to see more of a contest between bat and ball, far more exciting than the slow/low tracks where each side makes 500. The conditions suited bowlers, but there were no real demons to cause a score of 47, just poor batting and a reluctance to dig in.

You won't see many changes for the second test. Khawaja will come in, probably for the injured Marsh but we don't have any other batsmen so the rest are safe. Copeland/Cummins might come in if Siddle/Johnson fail tonight. Well they should at least. Ponting, Haddin and Johnson need to go. Hughes will be saved because of his hundred in SL but there's a reason that players are very rarely ready for test cricket before their mid/late 20's. I don't blame T20. Warner is the T20 poster child yet averages around 70 at Shield level (only 10 matches though.) It's more that 95% of pitches are flat and the ball does nothing apart from minor swing for about 2 hours and minor turn on Day 5. As soon as we see a pitch that helps the bowlers just a little bit the batsmen go to water. Their aggressive 4 runs an over approach works on the roads but can't work on these pitches. This is a pitch that would have been considered "a bit challenging" 20+ years ago but teams still would have ground out 200+. Personally I hope these pitches continue. it's great to see the battle between bat and ball becoming more even.

I doubt we will see many changes in the second test, purely that the cost of flying in and sending home that many players will cost far too much! -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.