Australia

[midgetwars]

The selectors should of at least put a bowler that can bowl good line and length and not spray the ball everywhere.

Even Hastings or McKay or Harris could of helped. We can't carry 3 fast bowlers that have the capabilities to go awesome then to crap.

 

[War]

Australia's work cup review IMO

At the end of day they make-up weren't good enough in all departments. If the world cup was played in England, Australia/NZ, Windies or S Afrca - they probably would have been in the semi-finals right now.

But AUS lack of quality spinner & balanced side (like how S Africa are currently) is what eventually hurt them in the end. If the W Cup was not in the sub-continent the all-pace attack would have been more lethal.

With the batting obviously the forms of Ponting & White were big issues. While the overall batting against was exposed to AUS historical weakness vs quality spin (a weakness they did a very good job of eradicating during the glory years of 95-2006/07) affected their batting on these slow tournament wickets. Since i reckon if this was the AUS of 2003 & 2007 - they would have made 275+ - the batting today & throughout the cup was understandably 1990s like tentative AUS vs spin.

However AUS ODI team unlike the test- set-up is still in a very healthy state. Moving forward (although i wouldn't recommend much changes or rebuilding for the rest of year until the end of 2011/12 AUS home summer), id still back them beat most international sides in ODI series.

 

[midgetwars]

Watson, Ponting, Clarke, Husssey, Haddin, Smith, Johnson, Harris are all in the ODI team and the test. Yikes.

 

[aussie1st]

The selectors should of at least put a bowler that can bowl good line and length and not spray the ball everywhere.

Even Hastings or McKay or Harris could of helped. We can't carry 3 fast bowlers that have the capabilities to go awesome then to crap.

Agree I had Hastings in ahead of one of the quick bowlers for this reason.

 

[harishankar]

My personal feeling is that Ricky Ponting's ODI career might well be over now and it would be great time for him to end it though he has indicated that he is not finished yet.

It's time to give the younger captains the go now and concentrate on his Test career. This is what most great Australian captains of the past did and I think Ponting has reached that stage now.

As for the bowling attack, the genius of McGrath and Warne will be very, very hard to replace but Australia still are one of the strongest bowling sides in the world at the moment.

They never had the momentum in this World Cup and somehow came off as under-prepared in the league stage to beat a Test playing nation at full tilt.

Still a great side though. Their 3 consecutive WC wins will always remain part of their history. And they will have the opportunity to rise up again.

 

[midgetwars]

We have Finch, Ferguson, O'Keefe, Starc, Hazlewood, the Marshs. Yet the selectors stick with the team that lost to Sri Lanka against.

 

[sifter132]

We have Finch, Ferguson, O'Keefe, Starc, Hazlewood, the Marshs. Yet the selectors stick with the team that lost to Sri Lanka against.

There's some potential in those names, yes, but it's a complete fantasy if you think the selectors should have dropped half the #1 ranked ODI team, coming off a 6-1 thrashing of England, based on a short series in October that no one wanted to play? Even then, Australia would have had 2 big wins in 3 games were it not for Malinga's innings of a lifetime. I can't see it...

My personal feeling is that Ricky Ponting's ODI career might well be over now and it would be great time for him to end it though he has indicated that he is not finished yet.

It's time to give the younger captains the go now and concentrate on his Test career. This is what most great Australian captains of the past did and I think Ponting has reached that stage now.

I hope Ricky steps down from ODIs too. Even if he still wants to play on for another year or so in ODIs then let him, but I really can't see the point of him continuing as captain. There is no long term good to be gained from Ricky keeping the captaincy, all it's doing is denying Clarke experience that he'll find very useful in 4 years time.

 

[Rehan_24]

Guys!!! I guess you just have to face the reality that Austrailia does not have a proper placement of Mcgrath,Shane Warne, Martyn,Gilchrist,Mathew Hayden and Symonds. These players absence are the reasons of Austrailia decline in my view.

Plus, I feel that selectors are not at guilty because players like Mcgrath,Hayden, Warne and Ghilchrist are born in ages!!! No matter how fantastic your first class structure is which I have heard that its World Class. But those players were super-talents in my humble opinion.

 

[War]

Forget the keeping debate, had the selectors picked Ferguson in Paine spot do you not believe they would have been more confident in carrying Hussey? For the record I have never argued that not picking Hussey originally lead to Nannes not being picked but I'm pointing out that another path could have been taken.

Actually that would a been a fairly good idea to take Ferguson & Hussey.

But then again people may had said it was a batsman overkill & if the injury bug had fell on Haddin instead of Bollinger. One cant be confident Paine or Wade would have given us the kind of starts Haddin did.

4 fer on debut coupled with being the best domestic spinner in the OD format is more than enough reason to suggest he could have gone better.

FC form doesn't always equate to international success. Especially for post Warne era spinner coming out of AUS.

Its interesting that you are stressing on his 4 for on debut. But managing to ignore his next 4 ODIs after than when he wicket-taking threat decline significantly.

McKay might not look threatening but you can't argue with his record. He is the consistent bowler we lacked and has that knack for taking wickets.

Maybe - but i doubt it. On those wickets in India his lack pace would have got him exposed at the end. Has had a lucky international career so far wickets wise if im to be frank.

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Guys!!! I guess you just have to face the reality that Austrailia does not have a proper placement of Mcgrath,Shane Warne, Martyn,Gilchrist,Mathew Hayden and Symonds. These players absence are the reasons of Austrailia decline in my view.

Plus, I feel that selectors are not at guilty because players like Mcgrath,Hayden, Warne and Ghilchrist are born in ages!!! No matter how fantastic your first class structure is which I have heard that its World Class. But those players were super-talents in my humble opinion.

Warne, McGrath, Gilly are once in generation players. Can easily find replacements (some may argue AUS already have) for Martyn, Hayden, Symonds type players.

Watson has done a excellent job in ODIs doing the Hayden like bully opener for AUS in the last 2-3 years.

White before his current rotten trott has been easily doing the role Symonds did with the bat.

Clarke has been doing Martyn's role as # 4 replacement (although in a less aggressive way) very well since the 2007 world cup.

 

[Rehan_24]

Aussies the best team

Warne, McGrath, Gilly are once in generation players.

Rightly so, but when those players were there in Aussie Team. Trust me, They were really un-beatable. Lot of old school greats say that the Old Westindies team has been the greatest of them all in Cricketing History. I don't buy it much because I haven't seen them playing plus at that time Cricket was not that fast. To me, I haven't seen team like Austrailia in the era between 1999 to 2007. The best team in cricketing history in my view.

And you know that players like Wasim Akram who has said many times On-Record that in my era, Aussies were un-beatable. Maybe the combination of players was fantastic in the team at that time.


Shane Watson has been doing a tremendous job. He is my favourite batsman in the recent years. He has to be so proud on himself that he has grown into a proper class batsman. I remember he used to bat at number 7 as an all-rounder. The Match Winning Innings which he played against England recently where he scored 161. BOY!!!! What an Inning that was!!!!

I don't think he is as consistent as Hayden was. Hayden was such a power-house. Tough Guy!!! Clarke vs Martyn, Its a tie between two. I have to think a lot and watch previous videos to decide which batsman is better.

 

[aussie1st]

Its interesting that you are stressing on his 4 for on debut. But managing to ignore his next 4 ODIs after than when he wicket-taking threat decline significantly.

Again the 4 fer shows he has the ability to do it. Krejza has never shown that ability. What he would have done we will never know now because the selectors didn't pick him but he was the better option.

 

[sifter132]

FC form doesn't always equate to international success. Especially for post Warne era spinner coming out of AUS.

Its interesting that you are stressing on his 4 for on debut. But managing to ignore his next 4 ODIs after than when he wicket-taking threat decline significantly.

Well there's a choice, you can harp on Doherty's ODI 4fer when he actually has done well in domestic cricket before that, or you can harp on Krejza's Test 12fer when he's done nothing in domestic or international cricket before or after that.

Once that's out of the way you are left arguing about potential.

 

[midgetwars]

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Warne, McGrath, Gilly are once in generation players. Can easily find replacements (some may argue AUS already have) for Martyn, Hayden, Symonds type players.

Watson has done a excellent job in ODIs doing the Hayden like bully opener for AUS in the last 2-3 years.

White before his current rotten trott has been easily doing the role Symonds did with the bat.

Clarke has been doing Martyn's role as # 4 replacement (although in a less aggressive way) very well since the 2007 world cup.

Didn't some guys say that hazlewood has the action of mcgrath?

 

[woodzy]

There's some potential in those names, yes, but it's a complete fantasy if you think the selectors should have dropped half the #1 ranked ODI team, coming off a 6-1 thrashing of England, based on a short series in October that no one wanted to play? Even then, Australia would have had 2 big wins in 3 games were it not for Malinga's innings of a lifetime. I can't see it...



I hope Ricky steps down from ODIs too. Even if he still wants to play on for another year or so in ODIs then let him, but I really can't see the point of him continuing as captain. There is no long term good to be gained from Ricky keeping the captaincy, all it's doing is denying Clarke experience that he'll find very useful in 4 years time.

The problem with alot of those young stars is that they're injured! The likes of Hazlewood, Pattinson, Marsh etc were all injured in the lead up to the world cup or this season. My main issue is not necessarily with the players but with the people that make the selections...I have to be brutal in saying this...but Andrew Hilditch and his selection panel have to be the most incompetent, illogical and unprofessional selection panel that Australia has had in recent memory! Some of the selections have been bizare to say the least. I'm not in contact with them nor am I around them but why does every team Greg Chappell is associated with do badly. I cannot stand the influence that the Chappell brothers have...Ian makes some valid points but Greg doesnt have a clue..yes hes been a great player but he should not be a selector after whats happened with his teams in the past i.e. India! I'll make this clear...this isnt Greg Chappell's team or Andrew Hilditch's team...its Australia's team and we're not paying these jokers who sit on selection panels to pick a team that gets crucified in the Ashes and in the World Cup. These are just some of the issues ive have about selections going back to the ashes:
- the selection of steve smith: why on earth is this man constantly being touted as a future test match material let alone be selected against england. The selectors say hes being picked for his batting...does anyone seriously believe that hes the best no. 6 in the country? He is one of the most technically incorrect players in world cricket...yes hes got a couple of 50s when the game is already over...but hes never even looked close to making runs when it matters...at best hes a one day all rounder but his bowling is crap
- the selection of Michael Beer/dropping of Hauritz...this is one that really irks me...Shane Warne may be the king of spin and hes a true champion but when it comes to leg spin and judging spin talent...i dont think he has much of a clue mainly because i think hes biased. This is the same man who labelled Bryce McGain as the best spinner in the country...dont need to mention what happened to him! Beer plays something like 5 first class matches and is selected in the squad but not picked...in the mean time Nathan Hauritz picked up plenty of wickets and scores centuries for New South Wales but isnt picked because the selectors wouldnt be able to justify Beer's selection. Why pick Beer in the squad and then drop him when a spinner was required at the SCG...Beer being picked was the selectors saving face.
-Australia's world cup squad - I think theyve picked the wrong players as simple as that...the bowling line up lacks balance..somewhere in there you need to have containing bowlers who can keep things tidy...Nathan Hauritz is the best ODI spinner in the country by miles but he was injured..hes does the Brad Hogg role perfectly...another containing bowler spinner or seamer should have been picked to replace him...i'm not sure if he was fit or not but what about Andrew McDonald? Then there was Hussey being selected to replace Bollinger...as soon as it emerged that Australia's leading batsman this summer wasnt given a chance to prove his fitness for the world cup, there is this massive uproar! Again the selectors save face by picking him to replace Doug because if Australia's batting failed like it did against Pakistan the selectors would have been slammed for staying with mediocre players such as Cameron White.
-I'll finish up on the Cameron White issue because there are so many selection issues...why wasnt the likes of Callum Ferguson give some time out in the middle against the likes of Canada so we could afford to drop White without there being a fear of Ferguson not having had match time.
My point is that this rubbish that "Australia lack talent and are not good enough" that you hear in the meda isnt true. Yes we're not as good as we once were but an incompetent selecion panel has compounded our problems.

As for the Ricky Ponting debate...I think he should continue unless there is someone who can do a better job...and for mine..there isnt...Michael Clarke struggles with his captaincy when under pressure and against quality opposition. He was decent against an ordinary England one day team but against a quality ODI team like Sri Lanka...he was hopeless! That game in Melbourne where we had Sri Lanka 8-120 and we lost...some of his field placings were stupid! Dont forget..hes been our VC for around 4-5 years now and hes still hopeless..time to find a new VC if you ask me! I think Ponting's problems are technical...I think he need to shorten his back lift...ive never played test cricket but in fair few of his dismissals...it looks like hes chopping down on the ball. I like Allan Border's suggestion that Ponting move down the order...perhaps to no. 5. Number 3 is such a key position that you need someone who is in their prime. I mean Sachin Tendulkar doesnt even bat 3 anymore in tests...hes moved himself down to 5! As for one day cricket..I think he can continue playing the short form of the game...he doesnt need to play every single game but there is certainly a job for him to do.