The Australian cricket non-official thread!

Scotty_WCE said:
Completely agree - that swap probably should have happened during the Perth Test at the latest. Would suit both players better.

Not quite true - he scored one 4 innings ago versus Sri Lanka. And I wasn't debating whether or not he is deserving of his spot; I was saying that after the comments the selectors made last week about Marsh definitely having at least one more Test, it is very poor to then drop him immediately.
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I don't personally think he did enough to be in the test side to begin with, averaging 30 at domestic level isn't exactly bashing the door to be picked at 6 in the test side.

Think there is flaws in his game that needs to be sorted at domestic level, when he's averaged 45 with the bat and 27 with the ball for a couple of seasons back to back maybe look at the all rounder position again.

Otherwise pick a specialist batsman at 6
 
I also think David Warner should be made captain.

I suspect there are change room issues at play too. Warner and Smith don't seem buddy-buddy. And the reason for Smith's 'sudden' 'break' from SL tour during ODIs was absolute tripe. They must think we're dumb.
 
Phew, we have surpassed 26, the lowest team total in Test cricket. Now for Australia's lowest score of 36, set back in 1902. Small blessings admittedly, but that's what it has come to! :-)

Tough days these are for cricket in this country. I can guarantee that (assuming this Test ends in a South African victory) there will be an "exciting BBL" press release within three or four days!! It is how Cricket Australia operates, sadly.
 
Matty76 said:
Mitchell Marsh has been dropped from the Australian team, a week after Mark Waugh publicly declared that he would play the three Test matches.

Anyway, I could spend an hour talking about our selectors! For now, congratulations to Callum Ferguson and Joe Mennie, Test debutants today. @Keatoboy, bloody South Australians win two Shield games and they reckon they own the joint!! :)
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Great to see South Aussies finally getting a go!

The Mad Hatter said:
Joe Mennie isn't even a third change bowler. FMD, our playing stocks are so, so very thin.
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Are you serious? Joe Mennie is one of our country's best first class bowlers. (Maybe you haven't been watching the first class cricket? :P ) No doubt Pattinson and Cummins would be in ahead of him but they're underdone right now.

Scotty_WCE said:
Very disappointed with the dropping of Mitch Marsh after the selectors' comments last week. That's one way to ruin his confidence.
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You're dead right! I was surprised to see those comments from Mark Waugh, but it came as no great surprise to see him not make the team. I personally think he needs to go back to Shield cricket for a bit and prove himself again.

Matty76 said:
Perhaps I'm stupid (and enough evidence exists to support the premise!!) but would it not simply be a matter of swapping the batting positions of Peter Nevill and Mitchell Marsh? We have see Nev stuck with the tail as far back as in Adelaide against New Zealand last season and he is more of an industrious, steady batsman than one who can thrash bowling with the tail batting around him. I am astounded - particularly as they want the kid to do his share of bowling too - that this hasn't happened.
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I agree. Nevill does seem to be a lot more steady compared to Marsh and would benefit from having a bat with the top order. I think Marsh has a spot in our limited overs teams, but isn't cut out for test cricket just yet.
Parrapaul said:
I don't personally think he did enough to be in the test side to begin with, averaging 30 at domestic level isn't exactly bashing the door to be picked at 6 in the test side.

Think there is flaws in his game that needs to be sorted at domestic level, when he's averaged 45 with the bat and 27 with the ball for a couple of seasons back to back maybe look at the all rounder position again.

Otherwise pick a specialist batsman at 6
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One explanation: He's a Marsh! Therefore he must be good! It's been the same with Shaun Marsh for years. The selectors kept picking him even though he was so inconsistent but I think he's settling in now and will be a good option for the team.
The Mad Hatter said:
I also think David Warner should be made captain.

I suspect there are change room issues at play too. Warner and Smith don't seem buddy-buddy. And the reason for Smith's 'sudden' 'break' from SL tour during ODIs was absolute tripe. They must think we're dumb.
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I personally suspect that Warner is a figure who probably tries to run the show in the change rooms when it isn't his job. I would prefer to change the vice captain than sack our current captain, that would be a careless decision.

--------------------------------

We've seen the Aussie cricket team go through bad phases like this before. No doubt we'll come out the other side eventually and have a great period and once again be hailed the best cricketing nation. But it will take time and patience.
 
Parrapaul said:
I don't personally think he did enough to be in the test side to begin with, averaging 30 at domestic level isn't exactly bashing the door to be picked at 6 in the test side.

Think there is flaws in his game that needs to be sorted at domestic level, when he's averaged 45 with the bat and 27 with the ball for a couple of seasons back to back maybe look at the all rounder position again.

Otherwise pick a specialist batsman at 6
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I don't necessarily disagree with you. I'm saying the selectors should have stuck to their word instead of saying something and going back on it a week later.

And, well... he can't have done much worse than the rest of the team today!
 
Are you serious? Joe Mennie is one of our country's best first class bowlers. (Maybe you haven't been watching the first class cricket? :p ) No doubt Pattinson and Cummins would be in ahead of him but they're underdone right now.
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I'd have thought Jackson Bird was higher in the pecking order.
 
Salvation may come in the form of torrential rain - I just looked at the Bureau of Meteorology radar loop for Hobart. It reminds me of Richie's weather update on one of the 12th Man albums: "Well, the rain's coming down in f**kets-bull....er...buckets-full..." :-)

It is going to be an interesting postscript to this series against South Africa - I wonder if the failings of the team are a case of "if the teacher hasn't taught, the learner hasn't learnt"? These are very good individual cricketers with strong domestic records who mostly have shown the ability to survive and succeed at the top level. However, as a collective there is "something" missing. It's either mental, physical or technical. Maybe it's all three. Responsibility should start with unbiased performance appraisals/reviews of those who monitor, manage, guide and coach the national team.

There is a lot of "matey mate" relationships within the Australian set-up. Mark Taylor is a Cricket Australia board member AND prominent Channel Nine commentator. Mark Waugh is a national selector AND Channel Ten BBL commentator. Darren Lehmann and Greg Blewett are "good blokes". In no way am I suggesting that any of those gentlemen are responsible for the current malaise. However, you can start to see why objectivity is bloody hard to come by in Australian cricket circles these days.
 
I think our bowlers have generally been very good over the past 12 months, especially when you consider the loos of Johnson and Harris. Our fielding at times has been so poor and costly, not very Australian like. To add to that sentiment I would be close to getting Maxwell in the squad as out #6. He is likely to only average mid 20's but is a handy bowler and is the best fielder in the country, I reckon you could add 20 runs per innings to his batting average for some of the efforts he pulls off and runs he prevents.

Our batsmen need to mentally toughen up and learn how to play a tough innings that might be ugly but effective. I think this is where T20 cricket is becoming a detriment, from the shortened boundaries and massive tree trunks they now call bats to the roads they constantly prepare to get the crowds in for the big hits.

How about preparing a few really green tops and get our domestic and international batsmen used to dealing with a seamiing ball again.

How about a dusty track or two like we had in Sri Lanka and will no doubt have in India?
 
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