Mega Thread 2022/23 Off-Season Sports Thread

[Joao]

I dunno. I know I harp on about it but it feels to me like Warner, Smith, Starc, Lyon and Hazelwood (the NSW contingent) just walk into the team as soon as they’re fit. Everyone else (except Marnus) seems like they’re a poor run of form away from being on the outer again. Head earned his spot. You can only perform in the conditions presented, he earned the chance to push his case in India.

Basically what Docker82 said.

Smith is in the conversation for the 2Goat of batting all time, all nations.
Warner is clearly our best opener since Hayden/Langer. Probably top 6-7 all time as well.
Hazlewood is world class. Blokes getting poles @ 25-26 aren't that common
Starc is not as consistent as Hazlewood but is good in most conditions and one of the few bowlers we have that can take wickets on flat decks. Can bat too.
Lyon I think underdelivered on his potential but still has 400 test wickets bowling off-spin in Australia. By a wide margin the 3rd best spinner of the last 30-40 years behind long retired Warne and Macgill

They are all there because they are ****ing good.

Sandwiched between two great home summers for Head (where he is clearly world class) was tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka where he made scores of

8
13
23
26
11*
6
12
5

Dude is village in the sub-continent. Not the first and won't be the last to excel in some places and not others. Still shouldn't have been replaced by Renshaw, but not playing isn't a travesty.

 

[sumavich]

Looks like Schultz is mates with Oz's new sports star

 

[Docker82]

Looks like Schultz is mates with Oz's new sports star

Was mentioned by Schultz in a presser the other day. Both are from Moama just on the NSW side of the border. Schultz was mates with Todd's older brother.

 

[Piggy Smalls]

Murphy with a 5 on debut. Still 3 wickets to fall too

 

[Joao]

Murphy with a 5 on debut. Still 3 wickets to fall too

I was annoyed when Lyon got a wicket. Let him get 10 ffs.

 

[Purple Suit]

I was annoyed when Lyon got a wicket. Let him get 10 ffs.

We’d have to be able to catch for that to happen.

 

[holybishop]

I was annoyed when Lyon got a wicket. Let him get 10 ffs.

Probably the beginning of the end for Lyon. Murphy will be the sole spinner in England.

 

[Joao]

Probably the beginning of the end for Lyon. Murphy will be the sole spinner in England.

I think he'd have to similarly outbowl him all tour for that. Lyon has credits in the bank.

Could happen though. Murhpy takes 30 wickets in 4 tests or something and Lyon takes 10 it might be hard to ignore.

 

[nurries]

I think he'd have to similarly outbowl him all tour for that. Lyon has credits in the bank.

Could happen though. Murhpy takes 30 wickets in 4 tests or something and Lyon takes 10 it might be hard to ignore.

He is not part of the NSW boys club though

 

[Joao]

He is not part of the NSW boys club though

I don't take much interest in that, tbh.

 

[nurries]

I don't take much interest in that, tbh.

I only wish the selectors wouldn’t either

 

[Docker82]

I only wish the selectors wouldn’t either

Glad you’d rather us drop players like Warner, Smith, Cummins, Hazlewood, Lyon and Starc over the last five years.

Warner has been poor for 18 months but outside of Labuschagne they’ve been the best cricketers in Australia for some time.

Some Australian cricket fans need to take the chip off their shoulder.

Also Murphy is from NSW so picking him was obviously selection bias.

 

[Joao]

The only player I can remember being ejected from the "boys club" was Hodge. Supposedly not great to tour with. Never met the guy but pretty sure he scored 203* in his second last test.

The Marsh's are the obvious counter example to the NSW bias given they both got about 6 more chances than their Australian form warranted.

The super talented players always get more rope. It isn't a state thing. It's why Green played T20I despite never hitting it off the square for the Scorchers.

 

[MadDocker]

Aussies copping a hiding in India. What a surprise...

 

[Kram]

The only player I can remember being ejected from the "boys club" was Hodge. Supposedly not great to tour with. Never met the guy but pretty sure he scored 203* in his second last test.

Hodge was unlucky but his batting in the Test side wasn't really that great apart from the big score and he was trying to break into a great batting line up.

They also gave him 25 one day games and he averaged 30.

 

[holybishop]

Blinked and you would have missed it

 

[nurries]

Glad you’d rather us drop players like Warner, Smith, Cummins, Hazlewood, Lyon and Starc over the last five years.

Warner has been poor for 18 months but outside of Labuschagne they’ve been the best cricketers in Australia for some time.

Some Australian cricket fans need to take the chip off their shoulder.

Also Murphy is from NSW so picking him was obviously selection bias.

The problem is that they stay too long and don’t turn players over and bring in newbies until it’s too late. Half of those names you mention shouldn’t be playing now. 5 years ago, yes, but you need to refresh the team constantly. We Will lose this series and the Ashes and THEN they will start the cull. Warner wants to play in the Ashes FFS. I don’t even think he is the best opener in his household (Candice says so )

 

[Docker82]

The problem is that they stay too long and don’t turn players over and bring in newbies until it’s too late. Half of those names you mention shouldn’t be playing now. 5 years ago, yes, but you need to refresh the team constantly. We Will lose this series and the Ashes and THEN they will start the cull. Warner wants to play in the Ashes FFS. I don’t even think he is the best opener in his household (Candice says so )

Smith is one of the best batsmen in the world.

Lyon is one of the best spinners in the world

Cummins is literally ranked the best bowler in the world.

Starc and Hazlewood have very good test records and their performances have not dropped when they’ve been on the park the last 12 months.

Warner is the only exception and he’s been a good player for a long time. I’m confident the openers in the shield bar the a miracle with Pucovski aren’t good enough for test level.

You’re talking rubbish.

The NSW bias BS is always the argument when the National team is losing but IMO I’ve never seen how it stacks up. There’s more players from NSW in the test side than any other state. No **ing sh the state with twice as many people as the next produces the most cricketers. It just is what it is and will always continue to be so.

I’m worried about the young talent coming through in Australia (only Green and Hardie have impressed me consistently - Murphy I’ve seen maybe five times but looks good) but they shouldn’t just be given opportunities. What we’ve got on the park bar maybe Warner and the bizarre non-selection of Head is the best we had available.

 

[nurries]

Smith is one of the best batsmen in the world.

Lyon is one of the best spinners in the world

Cummins is literally ranked the best bowler in the world.

Starc and Hazlewood have very good test records and their performances have not dropped when they’ve been on the park the last 12 months.

Warner is the only exception and he’s been a good player for a long time. I’m confident the openers in the shield bar the a miracle with Pucovski aren’t good enough for test level.

You’re talking rubbish.

The NSW bias BS is always the argument when the National team is losing but IMO I’ve never seen how it stacks up. There’s more players from NSW in the test side than any other state. No **ing sh the state with twice as many people as the next produces the most cricketers. It just is what it is and will always continue to be so.

I’m worried about the young talent coming through in Australia (only Green and Hardie have impressed me consistently - Murphy I’ve seen maybe five times but looks good) but they shouldn’t just be given opportunities. What we’ve got on the park bar maybe Warner and the bizarre non-selection of Head is the best we had available.

The only one talking rubbish is the one accepting that performance with so many “best” in the world players.

Something isn’t right when you lose by an innings and 150 runs, but by all means keep accepting that shit.

Warner should of been turfed 18 months ago, he has been poo since the last ashes in the UK.

 

[Docker82]

The only one talking rubbish is the one accepting that performance with so many “best” in the world players.

Something isn’t right when you lose by an innings and 150 runs, but by all means keep accepting that s**t.

Warner should of been turfed 18 months ago, he has been poo since the last ashes in the UK.

I listed three players that played in this latest test match. Three.

Good debut from Murphy but realistically outside of those three and Labuschagne the team that played is really average and there isn’t the options back home that I think would do better. Warner continues to get a game because hacks like Harris are the one getting runs in the shield and the selectors quite correctly realise he’ll fail again at test level.

The biggest problem is that Labuschagne and Smith are the only two batsmen capable of averaging more than 30 in India against India’s bowlers.

Cummins (or Hazlewood or Starc), Lyon, Murphy and Green (if fit) wouldn’t be the worst attack for Indian conditions if we had a decent left arm spinner or leggie but we don’t.

We simply don’t have the cattle to win in India and that can’t be put down to the selectors. There may be other issues like the development of players etc I must admit though.

We have good players but not enough of them in spinning conditions. And most of them happen to be from NSW. That’s the reality.

 

[Joao]

Hodge was unlucky but his batting in the Test side wasn't really that great apart from the big score and he was trying to break into a great batting line up.

They also gave him 25 one day games and he averaged 30.

Sure, but he literally scored 200 and got dropped. You don't have to like the guy but that is unlucky.

 

[Docker82]

Sure, but he literally scored 200 and got dropped. You don't have to like the guy but that is unlucky.

From memory he scored the 200 in the first game we played against South Africa and then played the rest of the summer. It was obvious in those 2-3 games South Africa had his measure and we just happened to be touring South Africa next.

But yes, he was unlucky.

Also he was dropped so the skippers best mate could be brought back into the side only for said player to retire mid series the following summer.

Also I’m pretty sure Hodge got another opportunity or two at test level. I can certainly see how it could be argued he didn’t get a proper go though.

 

[Joao]

From memory he scored the 200 in the first game we played against South Africa and then played the rest of the summer. It was obvious in those 2-3 games South Africa had his measure and we just happened to be touring South Africa next.

But yes, he was unlucky.

Also he was dropped so the skippers best mate could be brought back into the side only for said player to retire mid series the following summer.

Also I’m pretty sure Hodge got another opportunity or two at test level. I can certainly see how it could be argued he didn’t get a proper go though.

Yeah I am definitely not hung up on it, but imagine if Marsh (either one) or Marcus Harris had scored 200. They'd get another 20 tests regardless of output from there.

 

[Kram]

Those guys weren't competing for a spot in a batting line up of

Hayden
Hussey
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Symonds

 

[Docker82]

Those guys weren't competing for a spot in a batting line up of

Hayden
Hussey
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Symonds

I’d argue that Symonds had very similar issues to Hodge at test level tbh. He might’ve scored two hundreds instead of one.

Hodge, Katich, Watson and probably others were superior options imo.

Symonds was a ODI/T20 gun but was never more than an okay test player. Seems to be remembered differently though.