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Roar Rookie
Joined June 2019
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Usman is largely correct here, but the main issue is the drop-i pitches at the MCG, Adelaide and now Perth. Because of their inherent composition they just do not break up and thereby assist spinners. They will be as good on day 10 as on day 1. Nathan Lyon was quoted a few years back as saying that he hadn’t spun a ball at the MCG for about 5 years. The only way to give drop-ins any life is to leave the grass longer (as they now do in Adelaide, which then favours the quicks) or over water them (as they did at the MCG in the 2010 Boxing Day Ashes Test when we were shot out before lunch for 98 on a wet deck when it hadn’t rained in Melbourne for a week, or the now infamous abandoned Shield game v WA last summer). The football lobby continues to press for drop-ins in Sydney and Brisbane and I suspect Hobart will be next. if that happens spin bowling will be in even worse shape than it is now. Tassie and Qld don’t help things by deliberately rolling out pea green decks for Shield matches – they don’t have to do this, as evidenced by the excellent wickets prepared for Gabba Tests which bear only a passing resemblance to Shield pitches (or else they’d be 3 day Tests!) and in Hobart last season for the Aust U19 game v England Lions when both teams made about 600 in their first innings. So they can do it if they want! The traditional strength of our cricket has been that we have played Shield cricket on pitches with differing and unique characteristics, but that is being lost, to the massive detriment both of spin bowling and the art of batsmanship. CA must fiercely resist any more drop-ins and mandate the preparation of pitches with variety and individuality. But they won’t. They supinely allowed the football lobby to insist on drop-ins at Adelaide. And then one day they will wonder what happened! And it will be too late.
Usman Khawaja calls for positive spin on pitches
Whilst there was much to be admired about this campaign, given where this team was 6 or so months ago, there are some harsh lessons which should be heeded. The first is that, as most observe below, Stoinis has finally been revealed as clearly inadequate at this level and should be “red-lined” (and we should ignore Warne continually talking him up). He is a totally one dimensional player suited only to T20 and sate cricket (at best). The second is that Maxwell cannot be indulged any longer. He’s 31 and will continue to make the same basic mistakes and be found wanting. Time to leave him behind. The last is that Handscomb is short of this class. His glaring technical deficiencies remain (despite him declaring that he had “worked on them”. He’s a fair player when the ball doesn’t move. Put him on a drop-in road in Melbourne or Adelaide and he’ll look good. There is no future for him at ODI or (even less) at Test level. With these three at 4,6 and 7 last night we were cooked.
Australia smashed by England in horrendous end to World Cup campaign
But at least England do hold one record – highest number of times as the losing finalist (3) behind Australia and Sri Lanka (2 each) and NZ, Pakistan, India and West Indies (1 each). Note that poor old South Africa have never made a final of course, so are in the company of the other Test nations Bangladesh and Ireland there!
The ICC has created a World Cup devoid of character
Hey Roar Guru. You’re not quite right. There is one of the current contenders that has never won the WC. And that’s England!!! They have, of course, made three finals and won the silver medal in all of them. It would be a terrible shame, after all their (self) tyre pumping, if they lost two or maybe all of their last three matches and didn’t qualify….
The ICC has created a World Cup devoid of character
Buttler should never play Test cricket again and in fact should not have been playing for the last 3-4 years unless England were prepared to pick him as a batsman at No 5/6. England have been completely seduced by his ODI and T20 pyrotechnics but any keen observer of keepers can detect that he is severely limited. He is athletic and so can take the odd “hanger” but his work to slow bowlers (in my view England currently only have slow bowlers, not spinners) is below average and his footwork to the quicker bowlers is also deficient which is why he drops so may catches. He will continue to cost England dearly if they persist with him. However, the poor planning by England on this trip has continued as Foakes (Test average 31 v Buttler with 33) has been sent home, so their only option is Bairstow who is much the same – a decent batsman and a part time and limited keeper. The comparison with Carey – a proper keeper – has been stark. From an Aussie perspective I hope England continue making the same fundamental error!
Stokes, Woakes and Foakes: Why England should dump Buttler