Roar Guru
Joined February 2014
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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…
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
No I wouldn’t have dropped him 2009-11. He was great. But apart from that Katich period he only held his position over better batsmen because he could bowl. I didn’t hate Watson. I just think he unbalanced the team when not opening with Katich.
Clarke should’ve been dropped at the end of 2010-11 with Haddin made captain for the 5th test and then Katich to take over for Sri Lanka.
I do love the term “the one true guitar playing genius” though 🙂
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
They seem to have this dream of an ordered transition which never, ever works because life always, always throws up curve balls – whether it’s loss of form, injury, people flaming out like sandpapergate or international things like COVID…
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
Agree good to get in younger players esp fast bowlers (feel it’s more of a mistake with spinners). But think it can be overdone. And too often selectors ignore first class records in the process.
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
My theory was John Inverarity (head of selectors at the time ) was influenced by the success he had at West Australia – where he had a lot of all round cricketers (Ian Brayshaw, Tony Mann, himself). I just don’t think it’s ever worked at test level. I think you’re better off with specialists, if only because you know when to drop them whereas with all rounders it’s tricky i.e. “well they got runs but took no wickets… well they got no runs but took some wickets…” Having said that I love a batsman who can bowl a few overs is always useful just as long as what they’re judged on is the batting.
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
Thanks for the detailed reply. I actually don’t have any contemporary memories for 77-78, 78-79 or 81 it’s all off research!
In response – Katich retired from first class cricket in Oz in 2012, but kept playing first class cricket in England in 2012 and 2013, so was still active in addition to still playing short form in Oz. Even Clarke says in his book he pushed for Katich in the 2013 Ashes.
David Hussey was still playing first class cricket at the time – he retired April 2015. Hussey had a real knack for only not making runs when there were spots open.
I picked Khwaja bc I would’ve gone for him at the time over Smith. I’m trying to be honest, and say who I would’ve picked then and there. Smith hadn’t been great domestically but Khawaja and Hughes had been. I felt at the time Khawaja had more potential than Smith. I don’t think anyone except a few people could imagine Smith would turn into what he became. I don’t know of any other Oz player who improved so much after he got in the test team.
On Jacques, etc I agree… the selectors were hooked on a “youth first” policy at the time, what Jarrod Kimber called “the search for the ten year player”, ie. trying to find champions. It led to them discarding veterans: Hodge, Jacques, Katich, Andrew McDonald. They only picked Voges and Rogers reluctantly. Some players like Quiney and Doolan seem to have scored domestic runs at just the right time.
I understand the importance of bringing in new players but I think in the 2010s they did it to a degree that was just plain silly.
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
I think in 2013 he’d been averaging 26 or something for two years. Post Katich his form really dropped away. He came back a little bit in 2013-14 but the one time he was really great was opening with Katich. I am hard on him but he never got dropped.
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
Two things (a) not playing six batsmen, and (b) playing Johnson and Starc at the time same (both wicket taking run leakers).
Test XIs we should have had: India 2013
True. From memory Hughes even tried to change states. Just a shame, that’s all. Would’ve loved for him to end his test career on a better note. By 1988-89 he wasn’t the same batsman.
Test XIs we should have had: 1985 Ashes
Border was sublime that series. It was the high mark of Greg Ritchie’s career. Kepler Wessels (an extremely good batsman) had an average series for him. Wood was erratic as Wood always was – highs and lows. Hilditch started strongly then got addicted to the hook shot. David Boon scored mountains of runs in the county games but struggled in the tests – I think they eventually realised he had to bat in the top three. Phillips had some good knocks. I would’ve loved to see him just as an opener.
I do think going out to bat after the opposition has scored 500 must feel debilitating!
Test XIs we should have had: 1985 Ashes
I loved McCurdy as a kid. Rackemann was a world beater who just needed a good physio. Phillips was so talented. For me he was the biggest mismanaged talent of the mid 80s.
Test XIs we should have had: 1985 Ashes
Wellham was super consistent for NSW. I think he got in because of his captaincy as well – they wanted to give Border some help.
From what I gather, Wessels didn’t want to go to South Africa, he wasn’t involved in recruiting, but as the one South African in the test side, everyone pestered him with questions about it so he became de facto involved. But my belief is he wanted to keep playing official cricket for Oz.
Test XIs we should have had: 1985 Ashes
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