1st Test Border Gavaskar Trophy November 22-26 1350hrs @ Perth Stadium

[philreich]

I'm more disappointed in the state of Australian Cricket then I am in the players honestly.

This team has had a good run but there have been signs the peak of our Test team has been over for a while now and I'm struggling to see how things don't descend pretty sharply from here.

This is all about the batting. We no longer have a single batsmen in or out of the team who is currently great and we haven't been in this situation in a long long time.

While our batting weakened in the late 2000s, we had Ricky Ponting. When he declined, we had Clarke, when his back gave out Smith emerged... now? No one.

Our entire top 4 is people who're very likely past their best (We can give Khawaja the benefit of the doubt but he's at an age where it could be over at any moment). The scary thing is, I'm not sure if anyone outside the team can actually do any better.

It took some time, but we've finally reached the moment where the consequences of going all in on T20 and destroying our grass roots / FC systems has entered what feels like a point of no return.

In the past, we've overcome this by focusing all our attention on a handful of supremely gifted players and using that as a substitute for genuine systems and pathways but that bit us on the backside in the most direct way possible. Pucovski was seen as that next star and problems outside anyone's control have meant he's gone and the next best is multiple tiers below in quality.

Our aging stars will likely continue playing and we might see some token deck chair shuffling, but once they're gone we'll have to opt into the same strategy as the weaker Test nations. This means basically picking on potential and having these people learn on the job, hoping they'll come good after a couple of dozen Tests and develop into solid enough players.

I don't even want to get into the bowling. Our main 4 are still great and very little about this loss will be there fault, but they are also all reaching the end and replacing them won't be pretty.

Ignoring all this, I think we need to bring Cameron Green back as a pure batsmen when he returns. His bowling isn't worth losing our most promising young bat & fielder to injury as sad as it is to say. You cannot drop or move McSweeney, you need to commit to at least the series and consider moving him to the middle order for a spell if the opener experiment fails.

Labuschagne is the most droppable, but no one else in the Shield will come close to matching his early career record. If someone has to go it'll be him but I could see him back as early as next series given we're going to lose both Smith & Khawaja soon. Travis Head will never be more than a 40 average feast or famine bat, he's fine where he is, talk of making him opener is laughable unless we commit to pure flat decks at home like England have now done.

The key point there is the T20 domination - our batsmen don't know how to build a long innings. And after the next round of Shield games, there's no more red ball cricket until February, so how do Shield batsmen impress the national selectors ahead of the Sri Lankan tour?

 

[Big Bryza]

The Poms will try their Bazball stunt and get smashed 4-zip again.

This Aussie test side is cooked. Look at all the blokes 34+ years old.

If the poms are half fair dinkum they'll come out here and win next summer.

 

[Big Bryza]

Why isn't Green in the team? And is this McSweeney guy actually any good?

Living under a rock?

 

[PhatBoy]

Why do these 3 keep getting a free ride?

I’d say Hazlewood’s match figures or 5-50-odd off 34 overs would give him one for now hey mate

 

[Bucking Beads]

Firstly we are mostly just bad at cricket at the moment but one thing is for certain. We are being too nice. This is not how we play our best cricket. Blowing kisses and giggling with the Indian players is not it. Fire the **** up and show some ticker. The IPL has our players kissing Indian Dicks instead of showing some intent.

 

[sabso]

If the poms are half fair dinkum they'll come out here and win next summer.

Don't think we'll even be a quarter fair dinkum, but there'll be a handful of good honest triers

 

[PhatBoy]

Firstly we are mostly just bad at cricket at the moment but one thing is for certain. We are being too nice. This is not how we play our best cricket. Blowing kisses and giggling with the Indian players is not it. Fire the **** up and show some ticker. The IPL has our players kissing Indian Dicks instead of showing some intent.

Just to reiterate, it doesn’t work if you’re PRETENDING to be tough.
Do you think Virat Kohli is going to be scared of the quiet-his-whole-career Josh Hazlewood? The guy has played for 15 years against Steyn, Morkel (who was quiet himself but f**king intimidating with how he bowled), Johnson, Nortje, Anderson, Wood etc - the fastest bowlers or best bowlers and in some cases biggest sledgers. As if that’s going to ruffle him.

Jaiswal isn’t going to give a shit. He’s reverse ramping Mitchell Starc to fine leg for 6 to bring up his hundred in Australia in his first test here. As if some words are going to upset him.

How about, like the smiling guy from India who hardly says an intimidating word, they just focus on taking wickets

 

[Bucking Beads]

Just to reiterate, it doesn’t work if you’re PRETENDING to be tough.

Show some intent!

 

[Gough]

Firstly we are mostly just bad at cricket at the moment but one thing is for certain. We are being too nice. This is not how we play our best cricket. Blowing kisses and giggling with the Indian players is not it. Fire the **** up and show some ticker. The IPL has our players kissing Indian Dicks instead of showing some intent.

Wouldn't have made a single iota of difference yesterday.

 

[Iceman!]

Agreed. The elephant in the room. Been putrid for ages. Plus he's about 58 years old.

Been our best batsmen over the past 3 years? He’d be almost our most safe batsmen for this series. After that more dicey.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Wouldn't have made a single iota of difference yesterday.

most likely correct. We are so far off the pace but our mindset is beyond weak. So timid and out of our depth.

 

[Iceman!]

Firstly we are mostly just bad at cricket at the moment but one thing is for certain. We are being too nice. This is not how we play our best cricket. Blowing kisses and giggling with the Indian players is not it. Fire the **** up and show some ticker. The IPL has our players kissing Indian Dicks instead of showing some intent.

Yeah but being ‘tougher’ would make up for technical flaws and aging players. We are in the same position either way.

 

[the_interloper]

Howie in love with Cummins for making himself nightwatchman.

Absolute Fluffer.

I thought it was a great move by Cummins, not much else he could do, I liked it.

That said why is "Howie" a thing, I agree with you, he just seems to suck up to everyone.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Yeah because being ‘tougher’ would make up for technical flaws and aging players….

not about being tough but for whatever reason that is the way you are choosing to take it.

 

[Big Bryza]

If you play watch carefully Cummins was abit annoyed when he seen Labs walking out, he wanted another night watchmen.

It was a joke that Cummo went out in the first place. The batsmen need to grow a set and go and do their job.

 

[Iceman!]

not about being tough but for whatever reason that is the way you are choosing to take it.

Okay, being friendly is not impacting the outcome of this game… like of all the issues this team is having I wouldn’t have that in the top 100.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Okay, being friendly is not impacting the outcome of this game… like of all the issues this team is having I wouldn’t have that in the top 100.

You would be in correct then.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

I thought it was a great move by Cummins, not much else he could do, I liked it.

That said why is "Howie" a thing, I agree with you, he just seems to suck up to everyone.

No issue with Cummins doing that. The captain should lead like that.

Point was more about Howard gushing like a Swiftie. He was so desperate to say something positive I guess.

 

[Gough]

Okay, being friendly is not impacting the outcome of this game… like of all the issues this team is having I wouldn’t have that in the top 100.

Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting's teams didn't win because they were aggressive, they won because they were packed with generational players.

 

[Maybe Tomorrow]

Okay, being friendly is not impacting the outcome of this game… like of all the issues this team is having I wouldn’t have that in the top 100.

Head was chirping at the Indian batsman constantly yesterday. Didn't look very friendly.

 

[PhatBoy]

You would be in correct then.

So how did that result in Australia losing 13 wickets for 116 runs?

Which is essentially the issue here.

Because they can be as unfriendly as they want. It’s not going to bother the two blokes that made hundreds, nor for that matter the bloke that made 70, who has already made centuries in Australia and SA before.

The idea that people are going to be ‘scared’ of the Aussie bowlers just because ‘they’re Australian and they act scary’ is under 14s shit.

 

[kickazz]

I thought it was a great move by Cummins, not much else he could do, I liked it.

That said why is "Howie" a thing, I agree with you, he just seems to suck up to everyone.

I'd had enough last night so was reading a book in another room of the house, kid still had the cricket on.

The only sound that carried was Howie's yobbo nasally voice.

I knew we had a problem when a day or two ago, just before the ad break they had a highlights package. But, instead of printing in the screen the name of the batter or bowler in the highlight, they printed the commentator's name.

Same with the camera on themselves. It's not about you, fellas.

 

[Bucking Beads]

So how did that result in Australia losing 13 wickets for 116 runs?

Which is essentially the issue here.

Because they can be as unfriendly as they want. It’s not going to bother the two blokes that made hundreds, nor for that matter the bloke that made 70, who has already made centuries in Australia and SA before.

The idea that people are going to be ‘scared’ of the Aussie bowlers just because ‘they’re Australian and they act scary’ is under 14s shit.

Cricket is a mental game. You need to find an edge. We have lost ours. We are not as technically poor as people would suggest. Being too nice to India over the last 3 home series has worked well for us hasn't it.

 

[PhatBoy]

Cricket is a mental game. You need to find an edge. We have lost ours. We are not as technically poor as people would suggest. Being too nice to India over the last 3 home series has worked well for us hasn't it.

So you’re saying those results had nothing at all to do with India simply getting better and could have just been reversed with some bowlers calling the Indian players ‘c**ts’ and natural order would have been restored?

Hahahahahahahaha f**k me no wonder cricket fans in other countries laugh at the ones here.

 

[BStaff17]

So the peanuts in CA didn't think to have any shield games next weekend.

In the leadup for the 2nd test.

The next round starts the same day as Adelaide test starts.

I guess the BBL starts in 3 weeks and everything now revolves around it.