Trevor Hohns doubles down on two VC folly

I don’t see it as a slap in the face to Clarke, Watto was upfront that he wanted to have a meeting with the coach (as VC and part of the leadership group) rather than slide a note under the coaches door. Do the crime – serve the time. That said, It sure was peculiar as the proverbial

I'm with you Bushie - as far as being an actual cricket captain (ie. on the field), Clarke was very good; much better than Ponting. Clarke was always aggressive and played the game to win, which I like.

I’ll end with some agreement: 1. I too thought we did much better in 13 than the scoreboard showed. Better than 15, despite the series’ margins. 2. Agree re Clarke and his tactics etc. very astute It was really only his insistence on Siddleism, and the subsequent blunting of Watson, that irked me. But he clearly had a blind spot that Ponting didn’t His defining moment - the 151 in SA in the 9-21 test. As good as Hughes on Boxing Day. But nobody was watching...

But you must agree the idea of being dropped for disciplinary reasons then flying rapidly back to lead the same team was a massive slap in the face for Clarke? Maybe it is a testament to Clarke’s character that he didn’t quit on the spot, but stayed and led many of the Dropped players to ashes glory not long after. Quite a bizarre couple of years. They all seem to be bizarre now... (Huge Watto fan, the player and the man.)

It is simply that he was captain when those things occurred. I neither hero nor villain him. His record is too impressive for that.

We’ve picked two guys - one that isn’t interested in the gig, and another who’s on mediocre, on thin ice and thus won’t ever publicly call the Selectos BS for what it is

Interesting comments Peter. Ponting lost two Ashes series (first captain to ever do so) and he had much better sides than Clarke had (at least in 2013 anyway). Ponting has a huge number of wins under the belt, but it's interesting that he wasn't in charge when we won in '04 in India and he presided over two Ashes losses - yet people obviously don't challenge his record. I suppose I just don't remember what Clarke's issues were as VC. The Symonds thing was Symonds fault - you turn up to training drunk, I think you've basically killed your career, regardless of who is in the leadership group. Homework gate wasn't pretty and that whole series probably marks his darkest period as captain, but I'm not sure what he did wrong in the 2013 Ashes? Australia was a very weak team and despite this we didn't do too badly all things considered - Rogers emerged as an opener for us, Smith scored his maiden century, Clarke himself scored a century, Harris was great. It laid the platform for MJ to come in and turn us into a machine. I'm totally lost on the "Warner banishment"? Are you referring to when he punched Root? How is that not a banishment offence? Ponting's aura certainly meant he had a more unified dressing room. There was an interesting article about this not too long ago talking about the sheer presence he had in the change rooms even after he gave up the captaincy - I guess no coincidence that less than six months later we're imploding in India? But that says to me that the team at that stage was made up of a bunch of children that only didn't misbehave because the head master was watching. Like I said though, he clearly wasn't the best man manager - but I care more about their tactics and personal performance than that stuff - and Clarke was top shelf with those things. Anyway, I guess we all have our favourites and villains.

Watson went home as his partner was 9 months pregnant and having complications. That aside, the fact that Watson was initially putting the Baggygreen over childbirth before homeworkgate - where he was seeking a more fruitful face to face meeting with Arthur, rather than a “drop and run, jobs done” slide a piece of paper under the door - is a testament to his character. Oh to have a Watson instead of a Marsh these days

the evidence for the contrary is 2017-18. Maxwell's run of a circumspect 60, a chase 60, a slow 45* playing for a draw, 278, 96, 80 off 40 with conjunctivitis, 3-for and 100* in a T20I - these didn't stop him being less preferred, as the incumbent and in-form Test 6 at the start of the summer, than: - Shaun Marsh - Bancroft - Mitch Marsh, recalled for his "bowling" the week after Maxi's 278 - Burns - Renshaw - the reinstated Handscomb and then: Finch, Head, Labuschagne. Then Harris, on the basis of a 250+, because now one big innings is enough. etc etc etc and now, with Maxi's golden run a mere blur on memory's horizon, they roll the players through. (anytime they are picking young guys with talent like Pukovski and now Patterson, they have my support.) in all of this they found a different reason to keep him around the fringe, limiting his options. to have him as the reserve batsman three times, but never pick him. flew him to SA overnight in an emergency, just to pick someone else, because THEY were the reserve batsman. found different reasons to drop and shame him. some of those who shamed him are not currently welcome in Australian cricket. the Defense submits it won't matter what Maxwell does with his talent. he won't ever be better than last summer. and that wasn't enough. they picked absolute duffers ahead of him, then. so better to hold the anger close and draw the line under all of it. (As for poor old Hilton Cartwright, who dropped 15 places in the pecking order - at least he has time on his side, plays for the coach's side, and bowls military rubbish...!)

no, that was later. in 96/7 he got an 88 first up against the windies but was dropped not long after, for technical and temperament issues. this was despite him kicking off a young career with a 96 and a 71, and clearly being the anointed one after succeeding in Shield from 18 on. that dropping was the making of him as a batsman. the disciplinary dropping was the making of him as a captain, 4 years later.

yes. his results were ok but the two losses in england will hurt. his world cup not much down to him. Clarke the captain was different to Clarke the VC. that's the issue here. the blemishes on his copybook to me are Homeworkgate and the Ashes in 13 and Warner's banishment. but the madness was collective. Watson being dropped ridiculously, then going home, then coming back as Captain - somehow they both played together after that. whitewashes paper over everything. it seems that Ponting was able to accept different cats into a unified team. Clarke seemed a different cat who was less tolerant of different cats. something like that...

Reminds me of the "Captain Morgan" rum ad. Captain ???? Captain ???? Captain. Just call me captain.

"to find two vice-captains who will support and help drive the team’s goals and objectives,” Hohns said at the time. Absolute twaddle, of the type you hear in a corporate setting every day of the week. Cricket in Australia has a long way to go, and ejecting Hohns and others is one of the next steps.

Be surprised if they don't try out Stoinis. Looks the complete cricketer to me. Maxwell also should be playing, but probably won't- have NFI why.

I thought Punter's strategic dropping happened outside the Bourbon and Beefsteak bar circa 1996, courtesy of a right cross

No doubt Clarke wasn't everyone's cup of tea as a person, but we've definitely had worse captains. I've never understood why these people all need to get along - as long as you're able to perform well, why do they have to be friends? Clarke inherited a failing team and took 'em back to the top and then won a World Cup. Can't have been totally useless...

some of Head's dismissals were worse than any of Maxwell's, in terms of lack of care. but they love him... he seems a reasonable bat. could maybe do with a strategic dropping, as happened with Punter.

ask clarke, he said he was poor. (Symonds... Watson... a few other issues. There was a strong push to block his appointment. Tubby got him a cross the line. Fair enough.)

Head may miss out at some point, but I expect him to make the initial cut. He's probably done just enough in his tests so far to be the most secure of the insecure bunch. I expect that, with Patterson getting picked for this test, and therefore surely playing, and surely needing to have more than 2 tests in that case, that the top 6 for the first Ashes test will almost certainly be: Warner Harris Khawaja Smith Patterson Head It may well not still be the top 6 by the end of the Ashes, but I'd back that to be the top 6 for that first Ashes test.

Didn't Ritchie basically start his career as a batsman and then develop his bowling more as he went along, and by the end of it he was more known for his bowling than his batting? It was before my time, but I'm sure that's what I've heard.