The Australian cricket non-official thread!

Matty76 said:
I’m interested in people’s views on Cameron Bancroft’s return to cricket during the last week or so. I found myself feeling sick in the stomach watching him bat (briefly) against Hobart on Sunday. Coupled with the ill-advised “new and improved” PR machine that has dominated discussion in recent times, I found myself having no positive thoughts towards him whatsoever. My worry is that he will be back in the national set-up very soon in the name of “re-integration”. To be completely honest, I view him in the same way that I do Mohammad Amir from Pakistan.
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Can't see him playing for Australia any time soon. Not based on what happened - based on reputation and form.
Think it will be a different story when Smith and Warners bans are over. Smith was always going to go straight in, however with Warner I think if the others were actually scoring plenty he would have struggled to get back in.
We will see what happens I guess
 
Credit where credit is due Kohli's men have been all over Australia pretty much from day 1 @ Adelaide bar a minor hiccup in Perth if Pujara doesn't win man of the series then it's rigged lol, as for the Aussies it's a very very big lesson that hopefully they learn from ,but in saying that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger let's hope that in the near future it can only get better finger's crossed!
 
Matty76 said:
I’m interested in people’s views on Cameron Bancroft’s return to cricket during the last week or so. I found myself feeling sick in the stomach watching him bat (briefly) against Hobart on Sunday. Coupled with the ill-advised “new and improved” PR machine that has dominated discussion in recent times, I found myself having no positive thoughts towards him whatsoever. My worry is that he will be back in the national set-up very soon in the name of “re-integration”. To be completely honest, I view him in the same way that I do Mohammad Amir from Pakistan.
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An interesting conversation topic this one.. I personally harbour no ill feelings towards Cameron Bancroft or Steve Smith for what they did/what happened. David Warner on the other hand, we all know he’s a prick in every way, and I wasn’t at all shocked that he was the instigator. To be completely honest, as soon as I heard about it that morning my first thought was ‘Warner’s involved’, how could the biggest ego of the team not be involved in such a blatantly terrible plan?

For me, the interviews are a good insight in to where their heads are at and what they endured, but being a media interview, nothing said should be taken as fact. Of course, Bancroft’s “I didn’t know any better” line is a poor excuse, but I feel like that’s one of those things that you just say in the moment when trying to explain yourself? I’m sure he knows that he definitely did know better. His explanation that he would have felt just as bad having declined to do it as he did after doing it and being caught really struck me though. To feel like an outsider in your own team, and then have that preyed upon and manipulated by the most divisive person in the room’s is a sad indicator of where Australian cricket was at.

Steve Smith’s admission of ‘overhearing something’ and saying he didn’t want to know about it rather than stepping in and shutting it down seems reasonable. He acknowledged that was a failure of his leadership. His chat with Gus Worland was very revealing too. His emotional state following the ‘scandal’ and media circus was a horrible experience as it would be for anyone. Did he really deserve that? Do Bancroft or Smith really deserve the shit that has been slung at them and will continue to be slung at them?

Don’t get me wrong, I know what happened was wrong. I know it shouldn’t have happened. We cheated. But come on. I love this game, we all do. Eating, breathing, drinking and living this game is something most of us will do until we’re laying on our death beds. But is a bit of sandpaper on the ball really worth all the hassle that’s followed? The ICC only threw them a ban for a couple of games, which sets the precedent for how serious the incident was in the eyes of the governing body.

I have no qualms whatsoever for Bancroft and Smith to rejoin the squad, and as unlikely as I think it is to happen, I’m happy for Smith to captain again in the future. Perhaps he can be a vice captain. They’ve acknowledged their mistakes and are willing to move onwards and upwards. But they did not deserve to be pushed to the brink emotionally like they were.
 
When I go to my deathbed (hopefully later rather than sooner!) I believe that even THEN we still won't know exactly what did happen in Cape Town last year. It will be another "Essendon" situation I think, with many nudges and winks but very little facts revealed. It has unfortunately led to the inevitable question in some circles: is Australia's recent lack of success at Test level due to a. the absence or Warner and Smith or b. the cricket ball no longer being tampered with?

This is the uneasy situation Cricket Australia faces, and is I think a large part of the "good blokes" mantra that coach Justin Langer is sometimes guilty of. I have heard Ian Chappell and Kerry O'Keefe - probably 15 years apart - speak about team selection. "Skull" once spoke on the old C7 Pay-TV show "At the Wicket" about the then-struggling NSW Sheffield Shield team and pleaded with state selectors to just pick people who can perform their specified roles. More recently, Chappelli said that he wanted players in his team who could "make a hundred or take five wickets". The "fitting in to the team" part was the role of the captain, he suggested. Australia's recent results are no more than should be expected. It's been square pegs in round holes since the bans were enforced and the firestorm began.

What frustrates me is the stage managed "return" of Bancroft and Smith - from Bancroft's nonsensical "letter to my younger self" to Smith's PAID FOR Vodafone ad. The managers of both men are doing them no favours whatsoever. Compare this to the (for now) low-key comments from David Warner recently. Sometimes less is more.
 
It is a rare exception for players to average better at test level than they do in shield.
The current side seems to be picked on the hope those chosen can average 10-20 better than they do at shield level.
Labuschagne is a classic example averages low 30's with the bat over 50 with the ball in shield.
At the same time we have the youngest century scorer in shield history with a average over 40 across 6 seasons, is still only 25 and has averaged close to 50 for the past few seasons who cant even make a squad.
 
Glad to see they made a few changes for the Sri Lanka series. I like Renshaw but he has been horrible in domestic cricket and his couple of BBL games have not been much better. I know that he can show tenacity and patience, something our top order has really lacked but I don't think he has earned the recall. Glad to see Burns get another shot, been pretty sold in shield cricket this year, thought Wade deserved a go as a batsman also.
 
Loving the retro jersey today!

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Brendan_B said:
What happened to Yorkers or pitching the ball up at the death? These half tracked slower balls obviously have a place but I think they cost us a series win tonight.
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Exactly what I was thinking. Very frustrating. Great opportunity to seal our first series win in 2 years and they stuffed it with that bowling.
 
What an extraordinary day in the brief history of the WBBL, with both semi-finals influenced by last-ball boundary saving heroics. From Haidee Birkett's wonderfully judged catch (at full tilt!) to Erin Burn's desperate dive, Sarah Aley's throw and Alyssa Healy's direct hit at the non-strikers' end. It was all rather bloody exciting, I must say! :-)

The women's game has shone like a beacon this summer.
 
BLOWN8 said:
No one putting their hand up by the look of it.
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Well Patterson certainly did, Renshaw Burns, Labuschagne & Pocovski scored 155 in 8 innings with one not out. Patterson was 157no first innings so more runs that the 4 of them combined for the whole match and then backed it up with 102no in the second innings.

We have a clear winner but the selectors wont pick him in a squad let alone a starting IX preferring to pick players with worse figures at shield level.
 
Matty76 said:
What an extraordinary day in the brief history of the WBBL, with both semi-finals influenced by last-ball boundary saving heroics. From Haidee Birkett's wonderfully judged catch (at full tilt!) to Erin Burn's desperate dive, Sarah Aley's throw and Alyssa Healy's direct hit at the non-strikers' end. It was all rather bloody exciting, I must say! :)

The women's game has shone like a beacon this summer.
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How good was it to watch. Amazing fielding and some awesome entertainment.
 
220 said:
Well Patterson certainly did, Renshaw Burns, Labuschagne & Pocovski scored 155 in 8 innings with one not out. Patterson was 157no first innings so more runs that the 4 of them combined for the whole match and then backed it up with 102no in the second innings.

We have a clear winner but the selectors wont pick him in a squad let alone a starting IX preferring to pick players with worse figures at shield level.
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In my defence when I wrote that it was looking pretty ordinary. But Patterson curtainly stood up.
 
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He is one I think could average more at test level than he does in domestic cricket. Averages better than half the batsmen in the current squad at first class level, was the youngest century scorer in shield history when he scored his first ton 7 or 8 years ago, still only 25, has been averaging close to 50 the last few seasons but cant get picked. He seems to be on the outer for some reason when he is just what we are looking for, young consistent and could possibly improve if given a chance at test level.
 
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