Australian Fans - Get Ready For The Free Fall

[DIG]

For those who are saying that I am making a mountain out of a mole hill, I predict the Aussies won't even make it passed the second round in the WC. Let's not forget the 'mickey mouse' ODI format where our boys are falling apart is the same 'mickey mouse' stuff they'll be playing over in the Caribbean. Maybe CA should lobby to have the WC changed to a test format?

Hey, I hope the guys can turn it around and win every game in the WC like they did last time but on current form I can't see it happening.

And the bowlers seem to have been having a 'bad run' since the last game against the Poms before the ODI finals.

Wow - we make 330+ against NZ without 4 of the world's top 10 ODI batsmen and we're in free fall??

Our bowling's been a real worry lately - definitely, but we are still massive contenders for the world cup.

Not the buildup anyone would've imagined but you still can't just dismiss how much we've dominated one day cricket over recent years and say it's all over already.

 

[DIG]

But I thought Australia A would cane every team in the world apart from Australia

No not australia A - the PM's XI!

 

[SWANNIES RULE]

All of these foreign tossers have come out of the woodwork all of a sudden just because we have lost a few low-priority games, with half our side missing.

They live in Australia, reap in the benefits, and then criticise our sporting teams when they happen to lose a few games.

Go and play in the traffic.

 

[ShearMagic9]

All of these foreign tossers have come out of the woodwork all of a sudden just because we have lost a few low-priority games, with half our side missing.

They live in Australia, reap in the benefits, and then criticise our sporting teams when they happen to lose a few games.

Go and play in the traffic.

What benefits?

They also all contribute to the economy, which helps the people that live in Australia. They all pay tax, they all do everything an Australian would.

They dont have to like your sporting teams FFS

 

[Borry]

All of these foreign tossers have come out of the woodwork all of a sudden just because we have lost a few low-priority games, with half our side missing.

They live in Australia, reap in the benefits, and then criticise our sporting teams when they happen to lose a few games.

Go and play in the traffic.

No one here is obliged to like everyone that is Australian

 

[Sanks]

Yeah, we aren't travelling great just at the minute. We've been doing strange things at the selection table all summer and the squad for the world cup is no different. But lets not be talking 'end of an era' b4 the WC has been played. Steve Waughs boys came from ordinary form and seemingly bad selections to win it in '99. Even if we do go off the rails for a bit, it wont be long before we have analysed the problems and fixed ourselves up, just like after the 05 ashes. Australian cricket has too much depth to be down for too long in either form of the game.

Free fall? I think that is a bit of wishful from the other mug countries.

 

[beatnik]

You lost, small ground or big ground, you guys got OUTPLAYED by NEW ZEALAND when you had over 330 on the board.

Pathetic infact.


Excuses, South Africa had Pollock, Ntini, Nel, Kallis and De Villiers out for the ODI agaisnt Australia, I was told I was making excuses and sooking.

Mate, now you're the one making excuses and sooking, suck it up buddy, you have a few more years to go.


Not a true fan, sick when you lose and dont like watching the game, but when you are winning and have milestones?

"Oh how good is cricket!?" "Warney got his 700th wicket!! wooo!"



It's good enough for RSA to win nearly all their games, excuses once again.


Only thing you said that was right.

it's pretty obvious that we are not playing like the best ODI team in the world in the moment and the ICC ranking reflects that

south africa have had a little run of success at the exact time that the Australians have a run of rotten form and SA have nudged ahead - this is the first time since the listings began in October 2002 that Australia has not occupied top position - sure it is a little sad to see that a brilliant run has ended but it's hardly like the Dream Team finshing 3rd at the World C'ships or West Indies cricket bottoming out, is it

if we are on top of the ladder in time for the 1st April cutoff (even if we don't win the World Cup) we would still be crowned ICC Test and ODI champions for the sixth time in the six times it has been awarded

people have long been predicting a dramatic Australian demise in both forms of the game and it hasn't happened yet - I wouldn't get all gooey just yet sport

i am absolute certain we have somewhat sacrificed our chances of winning these last two series by making decisions with an eye to the World Cup - why else would Watson be rushed back in? why else would gilly and Punter be allowed to rest while our number 1 ranking is at risk? why else would we be training ourselves into the ground?

no i am really not worried about form - the only thing that is worrying me are the injuries...will the advantage of taper-training be lost if key players are off the park?

 

[DKA]

You lost, small ground or big ground, you guys got OUTPLAYED by NEW ZEALAND when you had over 330 on the board.

Pathetic infact.


Excuses, South Africa had Pollock, Ntini, Nel, Kallis and De Villiers out for the ODI agaisnt Australia, I was told I was making excuses and sooking.

Mate, now you're the one making excuses and sooking, suck it up buddy, you have a few more years to go.


Not a true fan, sick when you lose and dont like watching the game, but when you are winning and have milestones?

"Oh how good is cricket!?" "Warney got his 700th wicket!! wooo!"



It's good enough for RSA to win nearly all their games, excuses once again.


Only thing you said that was right.

Post of the year.

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

Aussies are struggling, the second tier players coming through look as though they may be competitive, but they certainly aren't world beaters. I have a feeling over the next few seasons australia are going to lose more games then they will win. Tait no good, talk about Lee conceding 5/6 RPO, at least Lee will get you a couple of wickets, Tait usually will give 0/70 (10 ovs., thats including the 10 leg side wides he usually gives away. This bloke should concentrate on wickets rather then "look at me, i can bowl 160 kph" White, no good at international level, may hit a few sixes here and there, but looks out of his depth at times. Great domestic cricketer, international level very ordinary. Jacques GONE, this bloke has one score under his belt, since then would have been lucky to reach 10 (bring in Dave Hussey). McGrath should have left like Warne, after the final test in Sydney, he has no pace and continually gets creamed in the later overs.
In todays second game of the Chappell - Hadlee trophy, out of the six bowlers used, 5 are in the world cup squad, and they couldn't defend 336, worrying signs indeed. Today should Aussie cricket is on a down turn, but that's good for cricket, with the Ausies struggling, my tip is India to take out the World Cup.

 

[likka]

The one aspect of their game they have lost is the aura of invincibility. See West Indies post mid 90's.

Many countries were intimidated by the quality of the team and the champions within it. This has already started to dwindle and will gradually reduce over time.

Don't kid yourselves, this Aussie team will go down as one of the greats and will not be repeated for a long time. People who regarded this as normal are going to hit the hardest after the free fall begins.

We will still have a strong team, but expect more ODI form oscillation and a weaker test record (ie more draws).

The coaching and captaining roles will evolve over the next 2 years also. Buchanan and Waugh were concerned with the mgmt of a great team with strong individuals within it (ie Warne).

Nielson and Ponting now have the responsibility of moulding the next generation as picked by the selectors. Balancing results, player mentoring, and leadership development will be a difficult job.

 

[crownie]

We've just seen the confirmation that Australian cricket is about to enter into a free fall to the depths as experienced back in the late 80s. Not only have we lost top spot in the rankings but the fact that we were unable to defend such a high total with the young bowlers available to us paints a very grim picture of what is to come in the next few years.

We're now seeing finger pointing as was the case with the Poms during their Ashes demise and injuries to some star players are exposing some very disturbing weaknesses in our stocks.

I'll be honest with you - I thought Tait, Johnson and White, just to name a few, could cut it at the top but I have my doubts now. The fact is, we don't have any stand out bowlers coming through the ranks. Only one player that impressed me this summer was Stewy Clark, but he was dumped for the ODI's and for what?! I'm so glad he continued his awesome form in the domestic comp and stuck it up the selectors.

In terms of batsmen, apart from Punter, Mr Cricket and Hodge, all over 30, no one else stands out to me. Our other current greats in Gilly, Hayds and Roy are all nearing the final years of their careers too.

So, whether it be bowling or batting, no one in the domestic arena is really floating my boat.

On a side note, IMO, the selectors are preferring to keep players in the team based on reputation rather than form and Gilly is a classic example of this. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but he isn't pulling his weight therefore why is he in the team? Pup is another.

So get ready folks! Parachutes won't be required. I hope not but I can't see anyone stopping what is going to be a dramatic demise.

*******'s told us this at the end of the 2005 ashes series

 

[crownie]

LOL Renegade, you're the biggest bandwagoner, I've ever seen.

he likes soccer now

 

[crownie]

Want some butter?

he prefers mayonaise

 

[Smokey_22]

Back the Aussies against the wall at your own peril...

 

[pinkus maximus]

Nah that's ok, i might have a pie instead. Tait is gonna deliver it to me.

ahahaha oh man i love tait but i found that funny

 

[Romeo]

I think the aura of invincibility is the thing; teams and individual players think they can take us now.

With the recent one dayers, it's not just the chopping and changing and lack of stability it's the fielding losses. Lose Clarke, Punter and Symonds from the inner ring and we lose a core reason for our success. Without them we don't have a fielding edge over teams like NZ and even England, especially with guys like McGrath lumbering around the arena.

Our bowling has lacked venom and hitters will now take them on. You could also argue that White and Watson at the moment are bits and pieces players.

Then confidence goes and mental strength has been a cornerstone of our success.

 

[WynyardCat]

Anyone predicting years of doom and gloom based on a clutch of losses over a few weeks in ODIs, and then harking back to the mid-80s is getting a bit over-excited.

The famous '80s 'slump' is regarded as happening after Lillee, Chappell and Marsh retired in January 1984.

Following that, we got creamed by the West Indies in 84/85 - but so did everyone who played them.

Then came the rebel tour to South Africa decimating the playing stocks and resulting in a barren couple of years in test series, then we won the World Cup in November 1987.

The difference this time is there's no rebel tours cleaning out the next players in line. The core of the Australian team still contains some of the best players in the world. In the mid 80s only Allan Border was regarded as being in the top bracket.

Australia still has Ponting, Clarke, Symonds, Hussey, Lee, S.Clark and MacGill to build a test side around.

We may not be streets ahead of the pack anymore, but we sure as hell will remain a competitive unit. Being number 2 or 3 in the world isn't a slump.

 

[Roobunny]

I'm a very proud Blackcaps supporter this morning BUT I still think Australia are and should be the favourites for the World Cup. Half the A team aren't playing this series and they'll be back and very hungry to prove themselves over in the Carribean.

 

[Asty]

This is not a new problem we have struggled at times to defend totals over the last few years (not just since white and tait went for a few) look at the top run chases and you will see the top 3 have been against australia in the last few years.

Hilfy, Tait and Johnson are only going to get better over the next few years sure they might have some games where they struggle but that is one day cricket eventually every bowler is going to cop a spanking.

Tait went for a fair few runs but how many were from edges? I think if he is bowling during the fielding restrictions then the captain needs to defend the boundries at fine leg and third man and if they get a good drive or pull away then good on them. Seemed to me they got more 4's from bad shots than from good early against him.

 

[Ted Ed Fred]

All of these foreign tossers have come out of the woodwork all of a sudden just because we have lost a few low-priority games, with half our side missing.

They live in Australia, reap in the benefits, and then criticise our sporting teams when they happen to lose a few games.

Go and play in the traffic.

Couldn't have put it better myself

Literally the ONLY Pom who posted on here during the Ashes was eddiesmith, where were the rest of them? Crying into their pillows no doubt. Before that this place was crawling with them (lindas legs etc). Talk about sing when you're winning.

 

[ShearMagic9]

Couldn't have put it better myself

Literally the ONLY Pom who posted on here during the Ashes was eddiesmith, where were the rest of them? Crying into their pillows no doubt. Before that this place was crawling with them (lindas legs etc). Talk about sing when you're winning.

Incorrect.

I posted here all ashes as well.

 

[Coin_Toss]

Big statement. We still have the players in queue, and we were missing a five key players, such as Symonds and Ponting, in the recent New Zealand tour.

On the Test scene, I reckon we can remain the best for a few more years. I'm confident Jaques and Rogers can fill the shoes set by Hayden and Langer, MacGill can play on and have an impact, and we've found the next best thing: Stuart Clark.

 

[apollo_creed]

Nah that's ok, i might have a pie instead. Tait is gonna deliver it to me.

Edit - Forget it. I could get nasty with this guy, but why bother? No need for me to get personal.

 

[Ljam]

What are the odds on Australia to win the world cup now is it worth having a punt with all these doubters or have the bookies not bought into this crap at all.

Does anyone else agree that Eden park is a joke it looks like a bloody baseball field

 

[bus24]

Its a rugby ground.