Should Australia stick by their young batsmen? Have the Aussies created a monster in Joe Root? Why are the failures of England’s top order being overlooked? How was Steve Smith’s catch not awarded? Why do the umpires continually check for no-balls after a dismissal?
Should Australia stick by their young batsmen?
Australian fans seeking a distraction from yesterday’s carnage at Lords would have felt no comfort upon perusing the scorecard of Australia A’s clash with Zimbabwe in Harare.
After the Aussies’ cataclysmic capitulation on day two of the Test, their followers were desperate to locate willow-wielding saviours. None were to be found playing on the dark continent.
A workmanlike cricketer with an uninspiring career average of 38 at first-class level, Tasmanian Alex Doolan was the best-performed batsman for Australia A.
However, his return of 35 and 52 against a popgun Zimbabwean attack does not quite amount to overwhelming evidence of his preparedness for Test cricket.
When a batting line-up capsizes in the manner Australia did, the instinctive response is to demand a complete turnover of personnel.
But Australia’s line-up has been in a perpetual state of renovation ever since the retirements of veterans Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.
Having decided the trio of Phil Hughes, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja are the best youthful exponents of the blade in the country, the selectors must now back them in.
What purpose would it serve to shoehorn into the side a woefully-out-of-form David Warner or yet another uncredentialed rookie?
It pains me to say it but the series is done and dusted – Australia cannot feasibly triumph. But they can potentially make some headway by showing faith in their young batsmen.
Have the Aussies created a monster in Joe Root?
Impish opener Joe Root should have spent yesterday watching from the sidelines, fretting over his average of 12 for the series.
Instead, thanks to the rampant ineptitude of Aussie keeper Brad Haddin, he enjoyed the most enchanting day of his infantile Test career.
Late on day two, Siddle induced an edge from Root which flew at waist height through the gap between the keeper and first slip.
To that point, the 22-year-old Englishman had floundered in his debut Ashes series, having scored just 48 runs. Few doubted his talent but the Aussie quicks had managed to get into his head.
Had the keeper pouched that regulation chance it would have fuelled claims that former English opener Nick Compton had been dudded and heaped further pressure on Root.
As most gifted batsman are wont to do, Root exploited his second chance with aplomb.
Now Australia face an assured young player rather than one preoccupied with his position in the English side.
Why was Steve Smith’s catch not paid?
Luck has deserted the Australian team in England. But it is often said that you make your own and certainly it is common to witness struggling sides drown in poor fortune.
If ever Australia were in dire need of a fortuitous occurrence it was yesterday, with back-to-back-to-back Ashes centurion Ian Bell fresh at the crease and England in possession of an imposing 373-run lead.
Instead they were handed another wretched umpiring decision which left commentators David Gower and Shane Warne flabbergasted.
Bell sliced a delivery from Ryan Harris to the gully where gun fieldsman Steve Smith snatched it just above the turf. The on-field umpires, unable to be certain it was out, referred it to the third umpire.
Upon seeing the initial replays, Gower and Warne considered it to be an obvious dismissal.
Betraying his loyalties, the Englishman expressed anger and incredulity when the catch was deemed to be unfair.
“I cannot believe he has given that not out, there are just so many signs to me that that’s out,” Gower said on air.
Former English skipper Michael Vaughan swiftly took to Twitter to vent his frustration over the decision.
“That was out,” he wrote. “Really frustrates me that third umpires continue to give those catches Not out”.
Ex-Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar backed up Vaughan’s claims, tweeting that “Tv Umpires need to be educated better about tv angles.”
I concur with all of the above observations. Third umpires must be better trained to adjudicate in such circumstances.
Why are the failures of England’s top order being overlooked?
The English team will be delighting in the listless performances of Australia’s batsmen.
But Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior have even greater cause to rejoice in the failures of their opponents.
While pundits and fans have been clamouring to lambast the Aussies, that quartet of Englishmen has managed to escape scrutiny for their lacklustre efforts with the willow.
So far this series Prior is averaging just 13, Cook and Pietersen only 21 apiece, while Trott’s average of 26 is half his career mark.
Not in Michael Clarke’s most luxuriant dreams could he have conjured such failures from a group of opponents so accomplished.
Cook has been strangled by the Aussie quicks who have restricted his scoring avenues by offering him no width.
Pietersen, meanwhile, has looked rustier than an ’84 Holden Camira. Australia will hope he continues to donate them his wicket.
Uncharacteristically impatient at the crease, Trott has undone himself on more than one occasion with negligent strokes outside off stump.
Prior has been similarly reckless in his strokeplay, although the Aussies deserve some credit for setting appropriate fields to him and bowling accordingly.
Unfortunately, Australia have been unable to take advantage of the feeble form of these key batsmen and it is not likely that players of such pedigree will continue to underperform.
Why do umpires continually call for needless reviews of no-balls?
It seems the umpires do not monitor the landing of the bowler’s front foot as intently as they used to.
At least three times in this Test following the fall of a wicket the central umpire has called for a video review of whether the delivery was a no-ball, only for the bowler to be shown to have been well within the rules.
After Bresnan spooned a limp pull shot to Chris Rogers at square leg from James Pattinson yesterday he hovered near the pitch while the third umpire again double-checked the bowler’s stride.
No less than 10cm of Pattinson’s foot was ensconced behind the crease. It was yet another unnecessary use of technology by the umpires.
Legendary former Aussie keeper Adam Gilchrist echoed the sentiments of many cricket followers this week when he argued that the Umpire Decision Review System had removed some of the cherished spontaneity from the game.
Doubtless it has, although the statistics show it also has improved the percentage of correct decisions which are made.
But the referral of no-balls following dismissals has become excessive and is a source of tremendous frustration.
nickyc
Guest
I'd like to oblige Ronan, but I fear that Oz has turned to the darkside of the Force - or as it is sometimes known 20/20 cricket.
Blackie
Guest
We should keep the same XI for Old Trafford. We just need to get the right batting order. If we have not got the cattle then we have to best use what we have. What we need firstly is to win the toss so we can bat first. This way Swan will be less of a factor. Swan bowling many overs from one end enables the England quicks to rotate and be fresh from the other. There are 2 first class openers in the team namely Rogers and Hughes. They should go in first. They also then have a better chance to get in before Swan gets the ball as they are clearly having difficulties with the ball turning away. The best batsmen goes in next - Clarke. The upper middle order is then comprised of 2 right handers Watson and Smith.This eliminates the some of the Swan vs lefthanders issue. Then comes Kawajah followed by Haddin.
topher-mac
Guest
ronan, id argue that kohli and dhawan are both typical one day players, in fact id suggest that kohli is one of the best in the world in the 50 over game on his day. plus the law of averages suggest that india are just going to happen upon some great players seeing as though they have over a billions people to choose from! im not convinced by dhawan in the test environment yet, and kohli has yet to produce consistently to be considered a world class test batsmen. on the other hand i think pujara is an absolute star
topher-mac
Guest
scary thing for the aussies is that boycs has already tipped another one of his yorkshire lads as being even better than root! and good old geoffrey has an eye for talented young batsmen! alex lees has just scored 175 in a county game and is 20 years old - the lads going to be a star and should be taking the number 4 spot off KP in a couple of years time. its got to be about succession planning - replacing your quality veterans at the right time. i appreciate its difficult replacing the quality of batsmen australia had, but it has to be done, and thankfully the future of the english is looking grand!
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Can you please take me back there too nicky? It sounds like such a more comforting place.
ChrisB
Guest
When did the selectors try Ferguson? He play some one day games around 08/09, stuffed his knee (I remember it well, was in hospital post-knee reconstruction myself the night it happened) and hasn't had a look in since. Ive always thought he had something special. I reckon he;s the kind of guy who would lift once he got in the test team (yes, that used to happen in the days before we used to insist on stellar records before people got picked - ie. pre-1990) Ditto for Paine, despite all the armchair experts on here who say he's in bad form, despite, i'd wager having not seen a first class game all year themselves.
nickyc
Guest
Ray, A decent attempt to rewrite history! Let me take you back, long ago to a galaxy far far away - well Brisbane in 2006/07. Oz score 602-9 and then bowl Eng out for 157 a first innings lead of 445. But did Ponting enforce the follow on? No, of course he didn't he batted again and set Eng 648 to win. I guess you think Ponting and his team were "spineless" as well.
Bearfax
Guest
Dumping Rogers would be the biggest mistake the selectors would make since they gave Shaun Marsh a test spot. Rogers wiil come good. He's got the pedigree.
Bearfax
Guest
Sorry James but I have to agree with Ronan on this one. though I' still think the jury is out on Doolan who is almost 28 with a first class average of 38.66. But selectors have tried Ferguson, S. Marsh etc before and ended with egg on their face because they are just not up to the next level and are too old to develop much further. Khawaja, Smith, Warner, Hughes, Maddison, Silk, Burns etc are the future for Australia for the next few years and need to be persisted with so they can learn against the best. Time is on their side to learn. And I agree with Ronan that they have insufficient old heads around to help them through and instead of being the new kids being nurtured into their role, they are expected to be what Ponting, Hussey, Langer, Hayden etc were in their early 30s. They'll learn the hard way which will either break them or make them into very tough cricketers in a couple of years.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I'm not sure what needlessly pegging the ball at the stumps would achieve. Plenty more effective means of showing spirit.
David
Guest
That's true. Also, even if all the calls went in our favour, we would still not be good enough. Can't blame the umpire for Haddin's miss of Root or any of our dismissals in the first innings - all down to either good play on the part of England or poor play by us. Yes, the umpiring has not been good but it's no excuse for poor cricket.
David
Guest
No more iron ore till they deliver some snow in the English summer - I like it!!!
David
Guest
If Watson is named as Australian test captain, I'll start following baseball - he doesn't deserve to be in the team, let alone captain.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
It has been great to see Clarke place T20 as his last priority. Hopefully more follow his lead.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Yeah there has been a fair few calls to dump Rogers, dump Watson...but we need some experienced players around these youngsters. If you think the current situation is bad, imagine if we had two rookie openers followed by Khawaja and Hughes. Watson's bowling is also invaluable against a strong batting lineup like the Poms to save our frontline pacers from getting run into the ground.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
If Aus are going to take a punt on guys I'd rather they be in their early to mid 20s like Burns, Doolan, Silk or Maddinson than 30-year-olds like Marsh and Ferguson.
James
Guest
i want a contest if australia deserve a contest. this team doesnt deserve a contest, its been spanked and has taken it without so much as a complaint. if any australian bowler had after the ball was blocked back to him thrown the ball at the stumps or a fielder had tried to throw down the stumps even though he knew the batsmen was already home that would have been something, but nothing. thus australian team doesnt deserve a contest. and watson needs to work on his sledging to young root, root himself said that his own brothers sledging to him when he came out with the drinks was worse. granted its hard to sledge someone when your team and he is playing so much better but still. on the topic of sledging or glaring can someone have a word with pattison that after you bowl a bad ball you dont stare down the batsmen. you stare them down when they hit you for four or you just bounced them. not when you bowled badly.
Bob
Guest
About time CA set itself regaining the Ashes as its number 1 priority. We all know by now how to develop test crcketers and it certainly does not involve teaching them a million different shots involving getting your head outside the line of the ball. Doubt Root, Cook, Trott, Anderson will ever be seen playing much T20. England know what they want to be good at. Do we?
David Thorman
Roar Rookie
I agree 100% about the stupidity of reviewing no-balls after a batsman has been dismissed. The game should just go on. The crowd has already either celebrated or groaned with disappointment. It simply does not matter if the bowler has overstepped by a few centimetres. The batsman can only blame himself for getting out, not the umpire for allowing the bowler to get a fraction of a percent closer to the stumps before releasing the ball. Using video to review possible no-balls is like using GPS tracking in rugby to determine whether a forward pass has been thrown. As Adam Gilchrist wrote recently, using video replays takes away from the spontaneity and drama of Test cricket. When it comes to no-ball decisions, the immediate decision made by the on-field umpire should stand.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Australia getting completely outclassed however poor umpiring certainly adds to the carnage. Haddin has to make that regulation catch, his keeping is just not up to standard anymore. Wade isn't much better. Tim Payne anyone ? This Lords wicket is brilliant for batting which makes our pitiful effort all the more galling. England will rightly believe they can wn this series 5-0. When does the pressure start mounting on James Sutherland and Pat Howard.