Paul D's Roar Profile

Other thing not in the article is that a lot of Hawks members have had a gutful of the club’s reliance on pokies – Ian Silk certainly is spearheading those on board who want to wean themselves off those as a revenue stream. I don’t think this is so much about Clarkson, that’s just a convenient excuse.

This is all about Jeffrey Kennett, as has always been the case. If it’s not about Jeff he makes sure it is. As someone said below too, Hawks know he’s a liability, state government is not going to lift a finger to help the Hawks out while he’s running the show. Jeff will make a call to quit hopefully in the off-season – given he’s already agreed to go early, if he hangs on into 2022 it’s going to roll on in the headlines for months and continue to reinforce the view it’s all about Jeff.

Which of course it is.

Hawks AFL members 'disenchanted' by board

Once enough blood has spilled in the boardroom they’ll say it meets standards. They just want some scalps to brandish in front of the media to say it’s all been sorted.

'Gobsmacked' England great responds to Yorkshire racism scandal allegation

Vaughan taking the Prince Andrew defence, say whatever you need to say to get through it, it’s not like anyone has any hard evidence that it happened apart from he said/he said.

Oh please, he’s only batted as opener 7 times out of 77 innings.

Statistical anomaly

Ashes Scout: Joe Root's big Gabba call, fresh concerns over Pucovski, legend's brutal Khawaja verdict

Ian Chappell has been deathriding Khawaja for years, so nothing new there, except now I think he’s right in saying it. I think the only spots in contention are opener or 6th and he’s not suited to either.

Exactly the right analogy. India is most definitely a permanent member on the Security Council of the ICC so to speak, as is England and Australia to a lesser extent, with all the veto powers included.

The tough decisions the ICC needs to make around domestic and international cricket

If Maddinson is picked as an opener and shoved into the Test side to face the new ball after scoring all his runs in the middle order I can only shake my head in frustration. Joe Burns got burned exactly the same way.

Maddinson is the last person I’d be putting pressure on with the unknown given how badly he got hung out to dry in his brief cameo in the test team last time.

Could Nic Maddinson's hot form see him be an Ashes bolter this summer?

No I am done.

RE: asking about unadulterated averages think it helps sometimes when you’re trying to present a new concept to contrast it against the existing data – people will find this stuff more accessible if there is a point of reference to what is familiar to everyone, and then it also emphasises what your work is designed to achieve. But you’re right I can easily go look that up on cricinfo statsguru.

I like all sorts of comments. Don’t take it personally.

Comparing the Waugh twins with peers in Ashes battles

Out of interest what is each of these players unadulterated averages without any capping? I get what you’re trying to do with the number manipulating but a point of reference I would find useful.

I think also your scheme of capping unduly penalises someone like Steve Waugh who comes in down the order. The fact you’ve capped his second dig in 1997 at 55 is illustrative of the unfairness – Australia was 5/132 when Bevan went for a blob, they were 8/333 when Waugh went for 116 – but most of the runs came from Healy Warne Reiffel and Gillespie who made 47, 53, 45 and 28. You reckon having a well set batter at the other end perhaps enabled them to play freely and with confidence?

Best of luck Stirling. Always intelligent and well considered in your words, and very fair.

Revisiting my AFL predictions for 2021 - and a farewell to The Roar

You made a personal attack on an author of an article, you didn’t just criticise editorial standards. That’s why it would have gone

'I am not a racist': Quinton De Kock apologises, says 'for me, black lives have mattered since I was born'

Well that didn’t take long. Now he just has to get on both knees and ask CSA to take him back

Refusing to take a knee isn’t refusing to make a political statement.

it is making a political statement.

De Kock is in exactly the same boat as Folau. If he wants to defy a directive from his employer and exercise his freedom of speech/action then his employer is free not to select him to play cricket. End of discussion.

There is something rotten in the Rainbow Nation

Well said Lewis. I think there should be a lot more focus on the recent history of what has gone down in the Cricket South Africa team – the accounts of Paul Adams, Telemachus, Prince – you could also mention Mkaya Ntini who was treated like a pariah during his whole time in the test cricket side.

I note no-one is actually contesting this part of the article – everyone’s running off on tangents talking about woke and constructing strawmen as far as the eye can see. I found it hilarious that SA players blamed the quota system in 2007, personally I’d blame Jacques Kallis – I note too they didn’t try to blame the quota system in 2003 or 1999, Shaun Pollock & Allan Donald were more than capable of having brain fades themselves. Maybe they were distracted by the prospect of being replaced by a black player in the future.

It doesn’t matter at all. I’m not criticising, I’m asking a question in an impolite manner. Others are free to respond however they like. See my response to Sheek above.

'How racist do you have to be?': ABC presenter stunned by de Kock decision as cricket world divided

Yet another person who thinks criticism = censorship. Opine away mate.

They’re free to love it too.

I think you’re confusing inflammatory with reactionary.

I’m loving all the crying from the usual gaggle of reactionary old farts on this topic. You insecure little fairies. Why does it matter to you what Tony Armstrong thinks?

De Kock’s encouraging racism by doing what he’s doing. Look at all the stuff falling out on this comment page.

Agreed though De Kock is under no obligation to kneel, and CSA are under no obligation to pick him ever again. Everyone’s a winner!

South Africa star refuses to play World Cup match after being directed to take a knee to support BLM

“No one is forced to do anything. Not in life.”

This has to be the dumbest thing to ever fall out of De Kock’s simple little mind. Nelson Mandela volunteered for a few decades chipping rocks apparently. Looking forward to him playing out the rest of his career in the IPL, even if he got on both knees and begged now they’re not going to pick the little racist scrote again.

You’re arguing against everyone’s lived experience. I grew up drinking in the glorious square drives, the way he could both bat middle order in tests and open the batting in ODI’s, he peeled off 173 in an ODI and never looked hurried. He was one of the best catchers I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching.

And yet.

As Ian Chappell said, he does find some ways to get out. And did. Imagine Steve Waugh doing that on 61. At least he waited until the 90’s to start having his brain fades.

Capping is not only legitimate but in fact absolutely imperative when comparing batsmen

I’d be interested to see how this approach stacks up against someone like Adam Gilchrist, who made a career out of putting bowling attacks to the sword after Australia had generally – not always – wrested themselves into the ascendancy.

We seem to be a far cry from that old cricketing cliche around runs vis a vis “they all count”

Apparently with the benefit of hindsight some runs don’t count as much as others. While I doubt many people would argue that, trying to analyse the “quality” of runs based on match situation is scarcely a new debate. Flat track bully is another expression that’s been around for a long time.

Can you ever reduce that debate to numbers? I think it’s doubtful. I think it’s always going to be one of those in the eye of the beholder type debates. Matthew Elliott would be picked ahead of Joe Burns in my team every day of the week if that helps.

Certainly once you just start deducting runs off the batters based on your own rules to try and achieve that (all the while calling it legitimate and cloaking what is basically an opinion behind legalese) you’re gonna lose a lot of your audience straight away because it’s just beyond the pale to do so and doesn’t seem legitimate or fair at all.

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