Roar Guru
Joined February 2016
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Essendon fan, cricket fan. Not necessarily in that order.
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Every year, at the end of the home-and-away season, the AFL’s All-Australian squad of 40 is announced. And every year, fans and media pundits…
This was just meant to be a two-week gig, but AD only got home late yesterday and I've managed to wrangle a third round…
For the most part, the footy was highly entertaining this week, with several tight, frenetic encounters. The logjam of teams competing for spots in…
AdelaideDocker is away for a couple of weeks so I’ve been asked to fill in. It’s a brave call, handing this responsibility to a…
England's World Cup campaign is wobbling, with the No.1 ranked ODI side a chance to miss the semi-finals following their heavy loss to arch-rivals…
Just over four months remain before the first ball of the 2019 World Cup and it is difficult to recall the Australian One Day…
Warmup matches for touring Test sides in Australia have become nothing more than glorified centre-wicket practice. If that somehow wasn't apparent before this cricket…
Widely tipped to be cellar-dwellers in season 2017-18, the Bulls and the Tigers flipped the domestic cricket pecking order on its head to book…
BBL07 has come to a close, with the Adelaide Strikers defeating the Hobart Hurricanes in the final. That must mean it's time for someone…
After a disappointing 12 months of One Day cricket, culminating in an awful home series loss to England, Australia is in need of a…
Yep, always looks dangerous when he bowls. With his injury history though, I’m thinking of him more as a bonus if he ever comes good.
Windies' dynasty decline a cautionary tale for Australian selectors with major transition period looming
At this point I’m happy to chalk it up to a bit of a lull after such a big year of cricket. It’s so easy to unintentionally lose a bit of intensity when playing lower ranked opposition. They would want to lift for the NZ tour though
Test Mortem: Green’s golden status fading as batting unit becomes fragile, Windies need help to kick on from Gabba glory
I disagree. Cam Green got noticed through strong Shield performances. His FC average is better than Bancroft’s is, and I’m told he averages north of 60 batting at 4 in the Shield. That’s a major factor in why they want to keep developing him as a test cricketer.
I think the selectors just recognise that the Shield is no longer as strong or deep as it once was. They seem to balance Shield performances against how someone performs at Aus A level and in the County competition, which I think is why Renshaw was preferred over Bancroft as the next in line. Bancroft played a few County games during the Ashes and averaged 20. I suspect they also have concerns about Bancroft’s technique, which got exposed against the moving ball in his previous test stints.
Windies' dynasty decline a cautionary tale for Australian selectors with major transition period looming
Absolutely, I was just going off the top of my head!
Inglis is almost a given as next in line for the gloves right now, although if Carey holds onto the spot for a few more years the selectors might be looking at younger options to succeed him.
Windies' dynasty decline a cautionary tale for Australian selectors with major transition period looming
Definitely not, but he probably has enough credits in the back to not be judged too harshly on a few quiet games. He’d be well behind Boland and Morris at this point though.
Windies' dynasty decline a cautionary tale for Australian selectors with major transition period looming
I think the bowling will take care of itself. Starc is likely to retire next summer but Hazlewood will go for another 12 months after that (assuming he’s over the side strains) while Cummins still has a few years left. Morris seems a likely straight swap for Starc, Boland and Neser will be handy cover for another year or two, and there’s some really promising raw talent around like Fergus O’Neill, Spencer Johnson, Lawrence Neil-Smith and Xavier Bartlett. Murphy should be a solid replacement for Lyon but Corey Rocchiccioli is another option.
The batting is the big question mark. Green and Renshaw should give us some degree of regeneration but CA will really be hoping the likes of Nathan McSweeney, Aaron Hardie and Henry Hunt can take the next step. The depth just isn’t there like it used to be.
Windies' dynasty decline a cautionary tale for Australian selectors with major transition period looming
And also because he had the power game to reliably find those tiny English boundaries. Smith trying to hit 4s and 6s at the Gabba with the field out is a tougher proposition.
Trust the lower order or farm the strike? Smith follows Waugh path but tail ends poorly after his crucial late error
He’s never dull, that’s for sure
Test Mortem: Green’s golden status fading as batting unit becomes fragile, Windies need help to kick on from Gabba glory
All these weird comments online saying how Smith was selfish and batted for red ink… I’m just left scratching my head. The guy literally ramped a 6 trying to get us home.
Every Aussie rated from second Test and series vs West Indies: Did Smith the opener get vindicated even in defeat?
Just ignore him. His whole schtick is throwing out absurd takes looking for bites. He’s one of those green men who live under bridges…
Test Mortem: Green’s golden status fading as batting unit becomes fragile, Windies need help to kick on from Gabba glory
Head also scored 160-odd vs India in the WTC final immediately before the Ashes. And that ‘poor West Indies’ just ran through us multiple times, with Head saving our blushes in Adelaide.
Test Mortem: Green’s golden status fading as batting unit becomes fragile, Windies need help to kick on from Gabba glory
Agreed, although Greaves was only playing because Holder pulled out. Solid bowler but he’s definitely not a long-term test no. 6.
Test Mortem: Green’s golden status fading as batting unit becomes fragile, Windies need help to kick on from Gabba glory
I don’t disagree with your general point about rewarding form, but Green did play a Shield match prior to the tests and scored 96 at a SR of 64, rescuing WA from 3/29 with Cartwright (Bancroft scored 7). He followed that up with 46 for the PM’s XI vs Pakistan (Bancroft scored 53).
Green also performed marginally better in the Ashes than Bancroft did at the same time in the County comp, after coming off a test ton in India (albeit on a featherbed). He was lacking a bit of match practice but I don’t think he was necessarily out of form.
It seems to me that the selectors just don’t see Shield alone as a good indicator of how likely a player is to succeed (and Green’s average batting at 4 in the Shield for WA is some absurd number north of 60 anyway). They look at County cricket performances, they look at Australia A performances, and they presumably also factor in perceived technical weaknesses. At the end of the day they clearly think Green is a better prospect at 4 than Bancroft is as an opener. If I’m honest I agree, even though he still has a way to go to find consistency.
Test Mortem: Green’s golden status fading as batting unit becomes fragile, Windies need help to kick on from Gabba glory
Most of the Aussie men didn’t play enough T20 Internationals to be considered. Behrendorff was probably our best player with 8 wickets from 5 matches at 16.5, and an economy of 6.6.
Aussie women's quartet named in ICC T20 team of the year but men snubbed
You could go back to 11 December 1931 and the Statute of Westminster, which was Australia’s original legislative independence from Brtain.
Cricket can’t solve Australia Day conundrum - it’s not up to sports to make tough decisions for governments
Hell, make that Australia Day. What better event to celebrate as our national holiday than when we first BBQ’d the Poms?
Cricket can’t solve Australia Day conundrum - it’s not up to sports to make tough decisions for governments
Stop conflating anti-zionism with antisemetism.
COMMENT: What's the point in playing the Windies? Only the future of Test cricket itself
Nope. The ICC schedule from 2018-2023 didn’t include any Aus vs WI tests other than last summer’s home matches.
https://icc-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/ICC/document/2018/06/20/6dc2c8d4-e1a5-4dec-94b4-7121fab3cd7f/ICC_Tours.pdf
COMMENT: What's the point in playing the Windies? Only the future of Test cricket itself
Yes, but what we *really* need to do is play test matches in the Caribbean. Not only would it be a more competitive series but it would help engage young WI cricketers in the pinnacle of the game.
India went there last year, England went there in 2022, but we haven’t had a test tour there since 2015. By the time we return in 2025 it will have been a 10 year gap, which is pretty disgrceful.
COMMENT: What's the point in playing the Windies? Only the future of Test cricket itself
Is he? For all his bogan aggro and the stupidity of Cape Town, he seems to be a devoted family man who puts his kids and friends first. Early in his career he bought his working class parents a home, got them out of debt and set them up so his old man could retire. Most people who have played with him as a teammate in the last 5 years or so speak highly of him. (MJ seems to be the outlier but given the way he tore into Cummins a few years ago, I’m not sure he’s the best judge of character.)
Yet Shane Warne, who repeatedly cheated on his wife and made lifelong enemies out of teammates and opponents alike, is hailed as a top bloke. Go figure. Sometimes the public persona doesn’t necessarily match the private individual.
Main character energy with villainous synergy: Deciphering David Warner and his pitch for greatness despite the headlines
Absolutely. He’s still good for a quick 40-odd at the top of the order
Australian cricket calendar overhaul on the way - shaking up summer to strike right balance between Tests and BBL
You’ve overestimated the relevance of that to this particular discussion. The profile of the BBL is not going to be raised by hitting a few more sixes, as much as Channel 7 would try to have us believe it. I suspect that the number of sixes per game has generally risen over the last few years but the tournament has stagnated. It needs names people know. It needs the prestige that comes with international-calibre players taking it seriously.
Australian cricket calendar overhaul on the way - shaking up summer to strike right balance between Tests and BBL
Evans is one of the best players in the tournament though. He’ll be there regardless of whether or not the national players front up, so that’s a false equivalence. The problem is how sides often have to fill their last couple of spots with lesser-known players. Guys like Nick Hobson, Matt Gilkes and Mac Harvey might be tidy T20 crickets who can play a role for their side, but replacing them with guys in the national setup is a no-brainer. Particularly so for the younger fans who care more about seeing their heroes than they do about how many boundaries they hit.
We’re also talking about a bit of an outlier in Marnus. Most of the test players are at least good – if not excellent – T20 players. Having Smith, Uzzie, Head, Marsh, Green, Carey, Cummins, Hoff, Lyon and Starc playing in the BBL is a huge boost.
Australian cricket calendar overhaul on the way - shaking up summer to strike right balance between Tests and BBL
I’d love to see Australia invite other countries to send say, u23 sides over to play a few games. It might help as something of a stepping stone for the former u19 national players to get into first class cricket.
Australian cricket calendar overhaul on the way - shaking up summer to strike right balance between Tests and BBL
Right? Considering his age he’s actually shown a fair bit so far in domestic white ball cricket. He just took 13 wickets in 6 BBL games and was a big reason why the Strikers came back well from a poor start.
I don’t think his style of bowling will suit the longer format but who knows. He’s got time on his side and we all know spinners generally take a while to mature.
Champions! Australia U19s break 14-year drought with dominant World Cup final win, India bridesmaids again