Australia in South Africa

[puddleduck]

Thing with Gilchrist is he is for all his talent with the bat a wicket-keeper, so unless his form with the gloves becomes dreadful as well as his form with the bat, they do not really need to drop him.

I mean England have had a wicket-keeper batsman not scoring runs for 2 years, but then his glovework is nowhere near Gillys

 

[vizard]

The point i'm trying to make about Symonds is not that he shouldn't be playing his shots but he could certainly be more selective and more adaptive to the conditions and match situation.. You can't have a car with only a 5th gear and the thing is he is capable , whats more he has done it many times in ODI's. more recently against Murli on a turning track where he just saw him off taking singles. I'm not buying the 'that's the way he plays' or 'he sucks when he defends' arguments because if you a test batsman you should be able to do it and you could be postive in defence too. If a quick 30 and a occasional 50 spaced between several low scores is what is the best he can offer, would rather have someone else. It is ok for an all-arounder i suppose but how much of an all-rounder he is in Test cricket is anyone's guess. But that's the point though, this isnt he best he can offer, everyone knows he's lot better than this.

 

[angryangy]

It's kinda ironic that you're saying Symonds should be more selective about his shots, when he got out playing a tame shot.

His problem in tests isn't that he plays one too many wild shots at the wrong time, rather, it is that he isn't at his best playing to conserve his wicket, but he keeps trying to do so.

He doesn't play every innings with lusty lofted drives and vicious pulls. His average strike rate in tests is 57. Does that look like the strike rate of a abject slogger? No, of course not, it's no higher than Ponting or Hayden. This is because he has played a number of low scoring innings where he has tried to play like he is expected to, patiently and conservatively.

Especially in the ODI arena, while he has played some notable innings of consolidation, what is by far his best cricket has come when he plays with total irreverence, for bowlers, fielders, the ground itself or even his own wicket.

 

[aussie1st]

Well said angry, Symonds needs to bat like he does in the ODIs. It has paid of in that arena and I can't see why is can't pay off in the test arena. It's not like he slogs every ball in some of his ODI knocks anyway. He can play defensively but he puts any ball slightly off line away.

 

[IloveGilly]

Poor Gilly...retirement is looming.

Symonds will never get used to test. He probably thinks that because he plays test he has to change his style of play when all he needs to do is play his natural game.

 

[James219]

But it's not always that easy, he needs to find the balance right for him, he's criticised if his natural game doesn't pay off, so he tries to cater for that with a different approach, fails again, and is told to resume his natural game... It's a confusing concept to come to terms with when luck isn't going your way and when your position in the side is unstable.

 

[puddleduck]

Don't forget that playing in a Odi and the test arena are two different entities entirely.

In test cricket bowlers are trying to get you out and if you as an attacking batsman try to take them on that often means they have a chance of getting you out, in odi cricket a bowler is more often than not trying to restrict the scoring. Symonds could feasibly not be suited to being attacked by a bowling attack.

In test cricket just think of him as a poor mans Sobers, can bat a bit, can bowl a bit of seam and a bit of spin and is a quality fielder

 

[Sman-21]

Symonds played perfectly its probably one of his top 5 highest test scores.
He got out trying to defend a ball.
I cant be bothered looking up the stats but Symonds has played about 10 tests and has around 280 runs to his name.
Average of under 20.
While Hussey has only played about 7 and already has about 800 runs
How often do you see symonds get out when playing shots.
I would say most his dismissals come from caught in the slips/keeper,LBW and bowled through the gate when trying to defend.
He is a capable test player if he plays his game,when hes out there trying to play safe and hang in there he is useless.

No idea whats going on with Gilly maybe he has been practicing baseball?
Hopefully he can get back to his best soon.
hes showed glimpses of it but then struggles again.
Maybe its age.

Our openers are starting to bother me aswell, there not putting on many decent partnerships together anymore.
And quite often 1 is out very cheaply.

Also looks like Hohns has quit from the board of selectors.
Would like to see AB back on it and hoping to see some new young faces given the chances they deserve.
Jaques, Cosgrove, Watson.

 

[tsyrmas]

will Langer or Kasper bat tonight??

 

[James219]

Kasprowicz almost certainly will I would think, and Langer's condition may be unsteady, but if needed, I'm sure he'll muster up the courage to bat.

 

[IloveGilly]

I just think that Symonds is better off with just becoming a specialist ODI player like Warne and his Test matches.

 

[genghis_khan]

damn boucher reckons that if Langer bats then they will pepper him with short balls. i hate boucher, little ferrit.

 

[Sman-21]

I agree i would rather see Katich
Clarke, Watson, or Cosgrove in the test team.
But if they are going to stick with Symo he needs to continue to play naturally, sometimes it will pay off sometimes it wont but thats the price they pay for picking him.

 

[BigCrickNan]

damn boucher reckons that if Langer bats then they will pepper him with short balls. i hate boucher, little ferrit.

What else would they do? If Langer came in with like 15 to win they wouldn't bowl him half-volleys.

 

[genghis_khan]

What else would they do? If Langer came in with like 15 to win they wouldn't bowl him half-volleys.

u obviously know nothing about concussion.