Roar Guru
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A Queenslander never forgets a selection slight.
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It was Jeff Thomson’s birthday recently - the legendary Thommo, pig shooter, fisherman, gardener, after dinner speaker and at one stage the fastest bowler…
It’s always a stress when a champion retires, especially when that champion is hard to replace. How do you substitute Shane Warne, for instance?…
Consider this scenario. It’s a crucial Test match - the Ashes are in the balance. One team is under the pump, due to some…
There have been some positives during the current Australian tour of India. Er....,Todd Murphy bowled well. Oh, and Nathan Lyon too. Usman Khawaja and…
And so the Aussies are in India to face the final frontier. Well, it's one of the final frontiers, because we haven’t won a…
This is the last in a four part series I’ve done on unsuccessful Queensland Sheffield Shield Cricket campaigns of the 1970s - ones where…
Today’s piece looks at a differently painful failed Queensland Sheffield Shield campaign. They all hurt - to Queenslanders, anyway - but this one had…
This piece is a sequel to one I wrote the other day about the 1973-74 Sheffield Shield season - the one where Queensland learned…
In the world of Queensland cricket, there were three great “almost” eras - times when we (warning: I identify with the Queensland cricket team…
Most Australian World Cup campaigns live on in the minds of fans. The thrilling epic of 1975 (“Mano a Mano against the Windies!”), the…
If you think I've been obscure on this site before, I’m about to double down with this piece – the story of Queensland’s failed…
The tour of the current West Indies side is making me, like many others, nostalgic for the old West Indies side, when they ruled…
Phil Carlson, the 1970s Queensland and Australia all-rounder, died in July this year. His passing was overshadowed by the other high-profile cricket deaths of…
The 1979-80 season is somewhat forgotten but worth a revisit.
I’ve written a number of pieces for this site that allude to probably the most traumatic sporting event of my childhood - events, rather:…
I’m guessing Robbie Kerr would be mostly forgotten now by all but the most hard core cricket fans and/or Queenslanders. But for a few…
There are few more backhanded compliments in cricket than 'honest toiler', but it’s also a kind of accurate description, especially the 'toiling' part. We…
I recall reading a cricket book years ago where a bunch of celebrities picked their all-time ODI XIs. Andrew Denton listed his, putting as…
As part of my series on obscure-but-not-to-me Australian cricketers of the early 1980s, I thought I’d shine a light on the West Australian Ken…
Today as part of my series on obscure early 1980s Australian cricket matters, I thought I’d look at the brief international career of Tasmanian…
Just a quick note that I appreciate the hard core early90s stats nerd-dom of this Mark Waugh argument… 🙂
Shane Warne's standout tour of New Zealand in 1993
I had to google it though to be sure 🙂
Shane Warne's standout tour of New Zealand in 1993
That was 2000 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2000/feb/19/cricket1
Shane Warne's standout tour of New Zealand in 1993
This was stated also in Graham Yallop’s book “Lambs to the Slaughter”. Yallop replaced McCosker who was batting at three… so they figured “well he can bat at three then”. To be fair, Yallop batted at three for Victoria. I don’t think Yallop was divisive so much as he just struggled being captain.
Test XIs we should have picked: 1977 Ashes
I agree you need a back up. You don’t necessarily need a specialist, but I think you need someone who has done the job in the past and can step in to the role if need be.
Test XIs we should have picked: 1977 Ashes
From memory I think Boycott was asked but turned it down.
Test XIs we should have picked: 1977 Ashes
Agree on 1981 I wrote this piece about it earlier https://www.theroar.com.au/2021/07/26/test-xis-we-should-have-had-1981-ashes/
Test XIs we should have picked: 1977 Ashes
True. Fair point.
'Missed opportunity': Five big talking points as Australia’s Test squad to tour Pakistan named
Rare to have a back up keeper on a three-test tour though, surely?
'Missed opportunity': Five big talking points as Australia’s Test squad to tour Pakistan named
I loved Hookes as a player. I think what counted against him most as a test player was his run of scores – he’d always get a start but not go on with it. Post-his century in Sri Lanka he made 32, 10, 23, 21, 30, 9, 51, 29, 36, 7, 0, 38*, 14, 7, 34, 42, 0… that’s a lot of starts. I feel they should’ve kept him on for a few more tests but wasn’t to be.
'Incomplete and confused': Why Greg Chappell never reached the heights as a selector that he did as a player
Hi Andrew. Thanks for reading and commenting. The headline wasn’t mine – I wanted it to read “Greg Chappell and Queensland cricket” to emphasise it was just about Chappell and his comments on Queensland. All the best Stephen
Greg Chappell has achieved so much, why is he padding his resume?
Absolutely. The reference to the Queensland players though was the ones playing alongside him.
Greg Chappell has achieved so much, why is he padding his resume?
Interesting to compare Ritchie with David Boon… both super talented and on the tubby side. But Boon was seen to put in the work on the field whereas the impression was Ritchie didn’t.
Greg Chappell has achieved so much, why is he padding his resume?
In fairness, I think his argument was the players were good enough to be selected for the national side… which is still pretty good. Carlson was a very solid state player who kind of got lucky for a baggy green due to WSC. Ogilvie had such a good summer in 77-78 he may have broken into the official side. Kerr was going to be the next big thing for a few seasons but it didn’t pan out. Ritchie was meant to be a cornerstone of Oz batting and came close in 1985-86 but couldn’t lock it down. Hohns weirdly retired after finally cracking test cricket.
Agree the one superstar of the bunch was Rackemann. Everyone knew he was the real deal from the get go… but he kept getting injured. With better medical care he could’ve reached Lillee-style numbers.
Greg Chappell has achieved so much, why is he padding his resume?
I should add that Peter Neville should be in the conversation too. I know he’s getting on a bit but he should be talked about as an option.
Why Jimmy Peirson should be Australia's Test wicketkeeper
This is Hartley? Here are his stats. After 2008 he was a solid batter.
2003-04 134 runs at 44.66
2004-05 50 runs at 17.75
2005-06 – 473 at 31.53
2006-07 – 355 runs at 22.18
2007-08 – 349 runs at 23.26
2008-09 – 524 runs at 34.93
2009-10 – 839 runs at 46.61
2010-11 – 377 runs at 29.00
2011-12- 544 runs at 32.00
2012-13 – 510 runs at 28.33
2013-14 – 376 runs at 34.18
2014-15- 522 runs at 37.28
2015-16 – 529 runs at 44.08
2016-17- 535 runs at 76.42
Why Jimmy Peirson should be Australia's Test wicketkeeper
Lawson bowled really well in the 1982 tour… that was the making of him as a test bowler, really. (https://www.theroar.com.au/2021/08/14/test-xis-we-should-have-had-pakistan-1982/) Bright was 1980.
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80
Ray Bright did well in Pakistan. But the word was the pitches were doctored to help the local bowlers for the first test, then the second and third tests were on batters’ paradises… to ensure two draws and a 1-0 result for the locals.
I don’t think Lillee would’ve gone that well in India but Greg Chappell would’ve added strength to the batting… and the scoreboard pressure would’ve helped.
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80
I remember Hookes saying that in his memoirs.
It is interesting what would’ve happened had Hookes stayed with establishment cricket. Depends on his form of course – Craig Serjeant was vice captain in 77-78 then dropped, ditto John McLean in 78-79… if either of them had stayed in form they could’ve been captain in 79-80 (I think McLean would’ve done a good job of that).
Hookes is one of the great enigmas of Aussie cricket. What if he hadn’t gone with WSC? Hadn’t broken his jaw? Hadn’t been dropped so early in 85-86? He never really seemed to crack it at test level – even in his best summer, 82-83, he never quite got there. Great player though. So exciting.
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80
I think the selectors liked him, they just liked other bowlers more. It’s interesting though that he was not offered a WSC contact, or picked in 77-78 even without WSC players (Wayne Clark, Sam Gannon, Alan Hurst and Ian Callen were all picked over him).
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80
I enjoyed your thoughts. If they were allowed to take WSC players I’m not sure Ian Chappell would’ve been available, and/or as captain – he captained for Packer but in 75/76 and 79/80 played as just a batter. Yallop’s skill with spin might’ve seen him get the nod as a replacement.
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80
In fairness, I think the one who should’ve played over Walker was Mick Malone. A very good bowler. Though I do love Dymock.
First class stats for the tour https://cricketarchive.com/CricketIreland/Events/Australia_in_British_Isles_1977/f_Australians_Bowling.html
Dymock 13 wickets at 31, Walker 53 wickets at 22, Pascoe 41 wickets at 22, Malone 32 wickets at 26
Based on first class stats and experience you can’t really blame them for going for Thommo, Pascoe and Walker
Just for whatever reason Walker didn’t do that well at test level.
Same for spinners – O’Keefe took 36 FC wickets at 29 and Bright 39 at 20. Bright’s figures were better but O’Keefe didn’t do horribly in tour games, just the tests.
I’ve sometimes wondered if Australia wouldn’t have just been better off using their Centenary Test side with Thommo for Lillee, i.e.
1) Davis 2) McCosker 3) Chappell 4) Cosier 5) Walters 6) Hookes 7) Marsh 8) Gilmour 9) O’Keefe 10) Walker 11) Thommo
You have deeper batting plus Cosier’s bowling
Test XIs we should have picked: 1977 Ashes