2nd Test Australia v West Indies Jan 25-29 1430hrs @ the Gabba

[Topkent]

Who is better than us then currently in world cricket in tests? No side is outstanding.

India best us home and away but that's irrelevant. We can be the best, best of a shit bunch

 

[Topkent]

You will struggle to find 5 people who think this team is the best Australian team ever or that Cummins is the best captain ever. This is literally something you have made up in your head. Probably because you want something to wack the team with. No doubt you shat over all the team when they lost the Ashes badly here in 2010 and also whinged when the team never lost at home for 15 years because it was "boring". Just one of those weirdos that whinges about the team no matter what which makes one wonder why you even bother pretending to be a fan. There's no "we" here bud, just drop the act because you're no good at it.

Nah I loved the old Aussie team that's something you needed to make up to fit your rant mate. Hate this one though and I love that it triggers you.

 

[Santana]

Nah I loved the old Aussie team that's something you needed to make up to fit your rant mate. Hate this one though and I love that it triggers you.

If you hate them so much then stop watching them. Don't you have anything better to do? Sad

 

[Neese]

Trollololololol

 

[Around the Wicket]

Personally think the No.6 spot should be occupied by Marsh or Green,can not play both in the same team.

There going off Greens FC record..bits far better then any other fringe player

 

[PhatBoy]

My take as a non Aussie fan.

You need more time to assess what’s going on.

Most teams don’t make decisions about this sort of things based on guys who:

- have just started opening in Smith’s case and have played one really excellent innings. Whatever you think about his approach (I happen to think he played it about as well as he could have and the likes of Starc and Lyon need to have a good hard look at themselves as to the shots they played) he nearly single handedly won a test match despite his two failures in other innings.

- have been hovering around the 35-40 average mark across an extended period after a really prolific period. Few if any teams dispense with a top order player who has done what Labuschagne has done even if his last 12 months has been below par. It hasn’t been sub-35. He gets more time yet.

- Green has only just been brought back in. He gets more than two tests, plus he bowls. Two tests isn’t an experiment or a trial, it’s two games.

- Head is going nowhere but he’s the one player I would actually be concerned about because he has to learn to change his game and at the moment he seems incapable of doing it.

- Marsh needs to do that too but his form is better than Head’s. He needs to develop gears to his game.

- Carey has been adequate and his keeping has been really good.

The bowlers have all been outstanding.

The team does not deserve the sort of scrutiny it’s under, at least for the time being. A defeat in New Zealand may change that but they have their own issues at the moment

 

[Freezin]

There was blood coming from it: yes it’s not a war wound I understand that but when the ball doesn’t actually deflect further towards fine leg or the slips cordon, that usually means it’s actually hit flush, ie. it’s trying to push the nail in. That is ******* painful and you could see him walking between deliveries that he was in real genuine pain and he didn’t even have his own shirt at the ground to begin with so his own team staff weren’t expecting him to bowl

It wasn’t Graeme Smith but it was a bloody big effort

You said he had a busted foot....now it's a busted toenail.....mate, the kid did fantastically well, showed immense courage, but stop exaggerating the narrative.....you sound like the fella who comes into hospital, wailing he has partially amputated his finger, and when the bandage comes off, there is a 1cm paper cut underneath.....but nonetheless just as painful no doubt.

 

[Freezin]

My take as a non Aussie fan.

You need more time to assess what’s going on.

Most teams don’t make decisions about this sort of things based on guys who:

- have just started opening in Smith’s case and have played one really excellent innings. Whatever you think about his approach (I happen to think he played it about as well as he could have and the likes of Starc and Lyon need to have a good hard look at themselves as to the shots they played) he nearly single handedly won a test match despite his two failures in other innings.

- have been hovering around the 35-40 average mark across an extended period after a really prolific period. Few if any teams dispense with a top order player who has done what Labuschagne has done even if his last 12 months has been below par. It hasn’t been sub-35. He gets more time yet.

- Green has only just been brought back in. He gets more than two tests, plus he bowls. Two tests isn’t an experiment or a trial, it’s two games.

- Head is going nowhere but he’s the one player I would actually be concerned about because he has to learn to change his game and at the moment he seems incapable of doing it.

- Marsh needs to do that too but his form is better than Head’s. He needs to develop gears to his game.

- Carey has been adequate and his keeping has been really good.

The bowlers have all been outstanding.

The team does not deserve the sort of scrutiny it’s under, at least for the time being. A defeat in New Zealand may change that but they have their own issues at the moment

Spot on assessment....that is a great read.....too many folk pushing the destruct button with Smith and Green....great post

 

[PhatBoy]

You said he had a busted foot....now it's a busted toenail.....mate, the kid did fantastically well, showed immense courage, but stop exaggerating the narrative.....you sound like the fella who comes into hospital, wailing he has partially amputated his finger, and when the bandage comes off, there is a 1cm paper cut underneath.....but nonetheless just as painful no doubt.

You know what I meant. I wasn’t literally trying to say ‘he had a broken foot.’

 

[Freezin]

Green is not a specialist batsman

With an average of over 60 batting at number 4 for WA, yeah that sounds specialist batsman to me.....2 tests at number 4 is not a true indication of whether Green is a bust just as yet.

 

[Freezin]

You know what I meant. I wasn’t literally trying to say ‘he had a broken foot.’

Only a teasing mate, as an E.D nurse you do laugh at folk exaggerating the narrative from time to time.....toe contusion's are painful....but good to see the young fella chuck a few laps of the GABBA after that Hazlewood wicket.....adrenaline is a wonderful analgesic

 

[Blue1980]

India best us home and away but that's irrelevant. We can be the best, best of a s**t bunch

We did beat them at the oval in the world test championship final, I don’t think there is much in it. If we won 2 series and lost the final people would then dismiss the series wins and call us chokers.

India did lose yesterday as well in a test btw.

 

[PhatBoy]

On Green, again this is

Only a teasing mate, as an E.D nurse you do laugh at folk exaggerating the narrative from time to time.....toe contusion's are painful....but good to see the young fella chuck a few laps of the GABBA after that Hazlewood wicket.....adrenaline is a wonderful analgesic

Oh mate I know it myself, I’ve had a chronic knee problem for years but it was never anything that two quick wickets couldn’t fix

 

[Blue1980]

My take as a non Aussie fan.

You need more time to assess what’s going on.

Most teams don’t make decisions about this sort of things based on guys who:

- have just started opening in Smith’s case and have played one really excellent innings. Whatever you think about his approach (I happen to think he played it about as well as he could have and the likes of Starc and Lyon need to have a good hard look at themselves as to the shots they played) he nearly single handedly won a test match despite his two failures in other innings.

- have been hovering around the 35-40 average mark across an extended period after a really prolific period. Few if any teams dispense with a top order player who has done what Labuschagne has done even if his last 12 months has been below par. It hasn’t been sub-35. He gets more time yet.

- Green has only just been brought back in. He gets more than two tests, plus he bowls. Two tests isn’t an experiment or a trial, it’s two games.

- Head is going nowhere but he’s the one player I would actually be concerned about because he has to learn to change his game and at the moment he seems incapable of doing it.

- Marsh needs to do that too but his form is better than Head’s. He needs to develop gears to his game.

- Carey has been adequate and his keeping has been really good.

The bowlers have all been outstanding.

The team does not deserve the sort of scrutiny it’s under, at least for the time being. A defeat in New Zealand may change that but they have their own issues at the moment

I think it’s just a minority who are giving them the scrutiny. Most people accept you aren’t going to win every test ever.

The batting averages are a bit lower the last 12 months I think in part due to a combination of more bowler friendly wickets both home and abroad and tougher opposition (particularly abroad but Pakistan and West Indies bowled well too).

There isn’t an XI available which will turn this side into the Australia circa 2002 or something.

 

[PhatBoy]

I think it’s just a minority who are giving them the scrutiny. Most people accept you aren’t going to win every test ever.

The batting averages are a bit lower the last 12 months I think in part due to a combination of more bowler friendly wickets both home and abroad and tougher opposition (particularly abroad but Pakistan and West Indies bowled well too).

There isn’t an XI available which will turn this side into the Australia circa 2002 or something.

That’s a fair take.

I think Cummins and McDonald have to do a bit of a tactical reassessment.

Head, Marsh and Carey have to change tack a bit.

I mean if they want to adopt the English approach then fair enough you do it and stick to it and back yourselves but to paraphrase Ricky Ponting there seems to be an element of the ‘eyes spinning like poker machines’ at times when they are batting recently especially with Marsh. He’s not just batting positively - he’s trying to hit the cover off every ball he faces

 

[apollo_creed]

That’s a fair take.

I think Cummins and McDonald have to do a bit of a tactical reassessment.

Head, Marsh and Carey have to change tack a bit.

I mean if they want to adopt the English approach then fair enough you do it and stick to it and back yourselves but to paraphrase Ricky Ponting there seems to be an element of the ‘eyes spinning like poker machines’ at times when they are batting recently especially with Marsh. He’s not just batting positively - he’s trying to hit the cover off every ball he faces

They are naturally attacking batsman. You’re suggesting they play differently to what they’re best suited to. Head tried that before at test level and was not successful, his recent success at test level has been because he has backed himself and played his natural game.

Carey looks better when he’s positive and attacks.

Green is the opposite, he’s often getting himself into trouble because he’s too negative at test level.

 

[1990crow]

The whole batting lineup had a poor summer.

 

[PhatBoy]

They are naturally attacking batsman. You’re suggesting they play differently to what they’re best suited to. Head tried that before at test level and was not successful, his recent success at test level has been because he has backed himself and played his natural game.

Carey looks better when he’s positive and attacks.

Green is the opposite, he’s often getting himself into trouble because he’s too negative at test level.

Well that’s debatable.

You could call this cherry picking and yes that’s fine but the marked lift in Travis Head’s strike rate began at the start of last summer. His strike rate was around 60 and since then it has been 80.

He’s averaged 48.

So you could say that, fair enough, his approach has been a success.

A closer look would cast some doubt on that, though.

That figure of 48 with a strike rate of 80 includes a 99 at a run a ball, and a 176 at a run a ball in the very first two innings of that stretch, against a decidedly inferior West Indies team to the one that just toured, the 99 came after Smith and Labuschagne had both hit 200 at Perth and the 176 came at Adelaide when the Windies had lost a frontline bowler (Marquino Mindley) two overs into his debut test while other luminaries included Anderson Phillip and Roston Chase.


Since those two tests his strike rate has been fine but his average has dropped to 37.5.


So the question has to be asked: is the approach still working? Yes the opposition and the conditions have undoubtedly gotten tougher, but that would also suggest that the batsman himself would need to reassess whether he needs to make some allowances for whether his approach needs some fine tuning.

Before all that he averaged 39.4. So remove those two tests from his entire career and basically what he did before them, was slightly more successful than what he’s done since, or maybe AS successful if you make an allowance for the increase in his scoring rate in the time since.


Marsh is obviously playing great cricket since he returned and his natural inclination is to attack but at least 3 of his scores this summer could have ended early from memory (pretty sure his Perth knock was chanceless) - there’s nothing wrong with attacking but as I said he looks like he’s trying to literally hit the cover off everything. He will score at 70+ just batting normally.

 

[gtrxuone]

Just reading a story on News.com.au
Shamar Joseph spoke to Jason Gillespie during the Adelaide test.
Shamar was impressed by Jason and loved the Adelaide Oval.He wants to play BBL for the Adelaide Strikers next season.
Depending on WestIndies commitments and being the hottest property, in World Cricket.An unknown a fortnight ago.
We will see what happens

 

[Topkent]

If you hate them so much then stop watching them. Don't you have anything better to do? Sad

I watched the west indies slaughter them and it was glorious, why does that make you wanna cry lol

 

[frankrizzo]

Nobody got slaughtered it was a great game and 13th narrowest victory margin in test history quit your trolling.

 

[Topkent]

We did beat them at the oval in the world test championship final, I don’t think there is much in it. If we won 2 series and lost the final people would then dismiss the series wins and call us chokers.

India did lose yesterday as well in a test btw.

England have 14 wins in their last 19 tests
We've only won 1 of our last 4 series lol
Joke

 

[Freezin]

I watched the west indies slaughter them and it was glorious, why does that make you wanna cry lol

Obviously you didn't watch Border and his Aust team get slaughtered by the WI in the 80's, to fully understand the definition of the term slaughter. Some right characters back then in that Aust 80's test team too, many who sank beers and smoked their durries with the best of them.....yet got slaughtered day in day out from memory.

 

[Topkent]

Obviously you didn't watch Border and his Aust team get slaughtered by the WI in the 80's, to fully understand the definition of the term slaughter. Some right characters back then in that Aust 80's test team too, many who sank beers and smoked their durries with the best of them.....yet got slaughtered day in day out from memory.

From arguably the greatest team of all time with only the Aussie team from 98-06 comparible.

 

[Gough]

Obviously you didn't watch Border and his Aust team get slaughtered by the WI in the 80's, to fully understand the definition of the term slaughter. Some right characters back then in that Aust 80's test team too, many who sank beers and smoked their durries with the best of them.....yet got slaughtered day in day out from memory.

The nadir wasn't even getting belted by the West Indies, that happened to most back then, it was losing to New Zealand followed by the Ashes at home in 86/87. That was really bad.