Roar Guru
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A Queenslander never forgets a selection slight.
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The recent announcement of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad took me back to the 1983 ODI World Cup campaign - one of our great…
The latest Paul Kent fracas has livened up things for rugby league fans this week, and looks like providing plenty of storylines over the…
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…
I feel obliged to say in fairness to India, a lot of decisions went our way in 1977-78
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80
I recognise how niche this article was going to be esp just after Australia won a World Cup but I appreciate all the comments!
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80
In India in 2013 when he didn’t bowl he made 99 runs at 16.
How England could win the Ashes
I used to think that but playing all arounders as specialist batsmen never seems to work. They never seem to score the runs they did when they bowl (unless they are basically batsmen eg Kallis, Smith). And when they don’t score runs, they don’t get dropped because they can bowl even when they’re not bowling.
The advantage of picking specialist batsmen means they are more accountable, have a specific job and can be dropped of they are not performing. If Anderson and Broad too injury prone to bowl don’t pick them If Stokes can’t bowl, don’t pick him. I think a lot of damage is done with “spare tyre” selections where we are always covering for players breaking down on the field.
Anyway it’s just my opinion. I can’t imagine England actually doing it but I wanted to flag it as an option.
How England could win the Ashes
Wood was always an average-around-30 type opener – he tended to get centuries or nothing from memory. Good player but I got the sense they always wanted someone better. I don’t think Wood was injured, they just felt Phillips would do better… just like when Wessels came available for selection I don’t think they disliked Laird or whoever he replaced they just thought Wessels would do better.
Also for 83-84 Australian selectors were worried about Qadir and Phillips was a left hander and they thought left handers negated him so they stacked the team with left handers. Hookes was unlucky after a great 82-83 but Yallop was in the form of his life (Yallop was super unlucky to miss out in the 82-83 Ashes) – hard for Hookes to dislodge Yallop, Border, Hughes and Chappell. Hookes wondered if it was his criticism of Hughes’ captaincy in 83 World Cup which hurt him but I honestly think they picked the best batsmen.
I’d never thought of what would’ve happened had Chappell retired in 83 though… You’re right, Hookes would’ve had a home series to bed himself in. Mind you Hookes did get a few chances and he never seemed to be able to quite grab them. If he’d been in the side in 84/85 they would’ve picked him as captain over Border for sure.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
He would’ve been terrific in the West Indies. Laird is an interesting case. Many players who went on the 77 and 81 Ashes tours say him not being picked was a key reason why we did badly on those tours.
I think the selectors were very much looking towards the future with Smith and Phillips as openers to partner Wessels but then Wessels was injured, Smith was mostly injured then lost form and Phillips became keeper, so I guess the moral of the story is: you just never know. If he’d stuck around another season he could have well gotten back in the side after the Sth African bannings happened.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
I know Hogan was a better batter but think Holland simply had a stronger chance of dismissing teams. The only test Australia won in 1985 Ashes for instance, was when he took a five-for at Lords. For instance a more potent bowling attack and Australia’s first innings of 429 in the third test could’ve won them the game. But like I say, I would’ve picked Hogan in my squad over Matthews, not Hogan, and the tour games would’ve given some indication of Holland’s effectiveness.
Laird was a fantastic player but from memory he retired at end of the 83-84 season.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
True. He may have done terribly. But Holland had a better record as a match winner. I also think his stats would’ve been better had he bowled to a specialist keeper who would’ve taken every knick and stumping chance and had a captain sympathetic to spin bowling.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
I have read that was Jim Maxwell’s first tour for the ABC I think.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
You’re right. You have to be careful picking a bowler or keeper because of the batting. It’s a consideration but it shouldn’t be the main thing. I wish there were stats for catches missed by keepers.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
I’ve got a soft spot for Rodney Hogg. He was so entertaining. Good bowler too. He was always overshadowed by his achievements during that 1978-79 summer but he had some good series at home. Less effective overseas – in a lot of countries I feel Australia would be better off picking a medium pacer (eg Hogg was outbowled on the 79 India tour by Geoff Dymock and on the 84 tour by Maguire). He had health issues (asthma, a bad back) that one feels would’ve been far better handled today. Smarter than he was credited for (throwing punches at the captain isn’t great for the image, admittedly). He was vice captain of Australia after Kim Hughes resigned during 84-85. But no surprise he went to South Africa.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
West Indies pitches are more conducive to spin than is normally credited. In the first class games over there it’s the spinners who get the bulk of (or at least a lot of) the wickets. In 77-78 tour Yardley and Higgs got 15 wickets each. In 1972 tour Australia used two spinners for most games, and spinners won one of the tests. Jenner took 13 wickets. But I think far too often in the 80s (and even now) Australia thinks of spinners as this thing where you have to have one to give the fast bowlers a break and maybe dismiss people on the 5th day.
Agree about consistency. In fairness there were a few injuries but they chopped and changed the team every game including the batting line up.
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
Thanks Jeff. I think AB always better down the order than at number 3. He was more suited to fighting rear guard actions than dominating a game.
Impressed that you followed this live. Was it broadcast on ABC?
Test XIs I wish we’d played: 1984 in the West Indies
Yes the South Africans loved that 1970 series. Can’t say I blame them. Their team of the 70s would’ve been amazing.
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
That’s maybe a little rough. They’d certainly given their all over the years. And they started the same season in tests (70-71) it wasn’t that shocking they ended it at the same time.
I think it was the replacements. Lillee didn’t seem to leave as big a hole at first bc Australia had so many good fast bowlers but then a bunch of them went to South Africa and the cupboard suddenly became bare. That’s not his fault. For Marsh, he would’ve kept playing for a bit if he’d been captain, but the selectors made a big mistake not replacing him with Rixon, who would’ve been perfect. Instead they tried to convert Phillips into a keeper. Chappell I think was more affected by the events of 80-81 (eg underarm) than he let on. But Yallop and Hookes looked as though they’d step up to replace him but it didn’t work out that way.
South African defections did more damage to Oz cricket in the mid 80s that Lillee, Marsh, Chappell retirements, IMHO.
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
Gilchrist learned how to keep at state level first though. Test cricket is not a good place to learn a whole new skill set.
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
Wayne Phillips is a big “one that got away” for me. Exciting, aggressive opening batsman. Slater before Slater. Career wrecked by being a wicketkeeper.
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
Australia have a bad track record of simply ignoring a dud overseas tour. Let’s see how often they bring up the recent t20 tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh!
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
I do think they had more potential than they were allowed to realise. With more support I think they could’ve achieved more than they did, especially overseas.
Agree about Chapell. I actually don’t begrudge him for taking time out… being captain and the best batsman is super draining. But to give up the captaincy and then take it back (and stay on as selector) was a bit much. So much pain could’ve been avoided if they gave the captaincy to Marsh.
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
Yeah I remember they picked the team deliberately with an idea to negate Qadir. Pakistan didn’t have Imran as a bowler that series. Still, they almost won in Adelaide. They weren’t walk overs. They did better over here than we did over there. Great side. Easily second best in the world at the time.
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
Just off you tube… It’s utterly fascinating to watch. The commentators speak like they went to Cambridge or something.
Test XIs we should have had: Pakistan 1982
Inverarity being there might’ve really helped Border.
Test XIs we should have had: 1985 Ashes
I did try not to be wise in hindsight which is why I admitted I wouldn’t have taken Smith, which would’ve been wrong.
For David Hussey though I would’ve just taken the punt on him because of his overall career record.
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
I think Dymock was always very reliable… he was picked for test cricket as early as 73-74… He was just back in the pecking order after people like Lillee, Thomson, and Walker. And in 77-78 for whatever reason the selectors went for other bowlers over him like Clark and Callen.
I think on Aussie selectors preferred faster bowlers. But Dymock never did badly. And overseas, where there’s less help for pace bowlers, his skill would go really well. Generally medium pacers do better than fast bowlers in India.
He had a wonderful season over 79-80… but by 80-81 selectors went back to younger bowlers.
There’s a whole bunch of bowlers like him – reliable, fast medium, never trendy or the hot young thing… Jackson Bird is one, Trent Copeland, John Maguire…
Test touring sides we should have picked: Australia versus India 1979-80