Cricket: Australia v. India v. Sri Lanka 2011/12
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AngrySeahorse
Peter Sullivan (51)
I agree with BaaBaa about the points made about team formation & obsessing with youth before they are ready, a bit like 'building for the world cup' as he said. They say you live in the past you die in the past but I also think if you plan for the future too much you forget what you need to do in the present. Ageism annoys me, you need to bring younger players in but when they are ready, if an older player is doing a better job then I say let them have the job - experienced at the top level or not (Michael Hussey is a good eg of a player that started later but was doing better than a lot of younger players).
In regards to comparisons between Kym Hughes & Clarke as capt's both have similar 'looks' if you could call it that but their circumstances were different. Kym was made capt of a team that would only accept a certain kind of capt, as was the stereotype at the time. Players just didnt rally around him. For mine poor Kym was set up to fail no matter what he would have done. Clarke is playing at a time where there has been generational change. The younger players & new players in general coming into the team have reported positively about Clarke & those players will be forming that future team. I'm sure there are still cliques & the boys club mentality to some degree like in many teams but the culture has changed enough to allow someone like Clarke to possibly be a successful capt. Situational circumstances are almost as, if not more important than leadership attributes in my view.
In the early days I wasnt a Clarke fan. I'm a Simon Katich fan & I still believe he was hard done by. I also didnt like the scenario when Clarke wanted to leave early with Bingle, I was happy that Simon got stuck into him. However, I have to give Clarke credit that he dropped Bingle (I question the mentality of any woman that would consider keeping Fevola in her company) & he dropped the ridiculous bonds ad that didnt help his image to the public. Put simply he was trying to sort himself out, similar to Ponting early on. On his captaincy he has IMO been better than Ponting when it comes to bowling changes & field placings.
All in all very happy for him to get over 300 today & Husseys 150. Despite being a fan of Ponting I was calling for him to be dumped but I'm happy to be proved wrong.
In regards to comparisons between Kym Hughes & Clarke as capt's both have similar 'looks' if you could call it that but their circumstances were different. Kym was made capt of a team that would only accept a certain kind of capt, as was the stereotype at the time. Players just didnt rally around him. For mine poor Kym was set up to fail no matter what he would have done. Clarke is playing at a time where there has been generational change. The younger players & new players in general coming into the team have reported positively about Clarke & those players will be forming that future team. I'm sure there are still cliques & the boys club mentality to some degree like in many teams but the culture has changed enough to allow someone like Clarke to possibly be a successful capt. Situational circumstances are almost as, if not more important than leadership attributes in my view.
In the early days I wasnt a Clarke fan. I'm a Simon Katich fan & I still believe he was hard done by. I also didnt like the scenario when Clarke wanted to leave early with Bingle, I was happy that Simon got stuck into him. However, I have to give Clarke credit that he dropped Bingle (I question the mentality of any woman that would consider keeping Fevola in her company) & he dropped the ridiculous bonds ad that didnt help his image to the public. Put simply he was trying to sort himself out, similar to Ponting early on. On his captaincy he has IMO been better than Ponting when it comes to bowling changes & field placings.
All in all very happy for him to get over 300 today & Husseys 150. Despite being a fan of Ponting I was calling for him to be dumped but I'm happy to be proved wrong.
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
I'm not sure hate is the right word for how people think of him.
I get the feeling that everything he does is contrived, his declaration today is a good example.The timing of it was all about his score(nearing Bradman & Taylor).
Having said that I have a lot of respect for him as a player and a captain. No doubting his dedication either.
So i like him & respect him, but it has a bit of a hollow feeling.
Swat
Chilla Wilson (44)
Really? I saw it in a completely different light... I thought he made the best decision for the team at the most appropriate time
Badger
Bill McLean (32)
ABC Grandstand mentioned this tweet: "It's not the first time Michael Clarke's given up chasing Lara"
Swat
Chilla Wilson (44)
Holy shit that is awesome!ABC Grandstand mentioned this tweet: "It's not the first time Michael Clarke's given up chasing Lara"
Badger
Bill McLean (32)
I reckon Clarke is a decent player, but was a bit weary when he was appointed captain in 2011. However, he has done pretty well both as captain and batsman since then. If he continues in this vain, there will be a lot more man love for him.
He isn't really "blokey" guy which may count against him.
He isn't really "blokey" guy which may count against him.
Swat
Chilla Wilson (44)
You got to give him points on the girlfriend upgrade though...
What a load of shite. Surely if it was 'all about his score' he would have batted on and either equalled 334 or surpassed it. As it was the score he declared on proved that it was totally NOT about his score, and all about timing- giving them a session and a third to get stuck into the Indians before stumps. As it happened the tactic worked pretty well.
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Badger
Bill McLean (32)
Would have been even better if Haddin had caught Gambhir before stumps.
Karl
Bill McLean (32)
That was a BAD miss.
Inside Shoulder
Nathan Sharpe (72)
I think 334 is like 99.94: they all know it
Scotty
David Codey (61)
He declared at the drinks break. Do you think he asked the umpires to call drinks when he wanted it?
Hussey was interviewed after and said all the talk in the middle was about how many runs they needed, not what clarkes score was.
Spent the day at the cricket yesterday, life doesn't get much better than live test cricket. Pup's triple ton, Huss's 150, two Indian wickets, a great day all round.
There were two senior fellows sitting behind my mate and I, very knowledgeable about the game, having a discussion about the declaration. I suggested 10 minutes before tea would be a good time, it would extend the last session by 10 minutes. Although Australia were in a commanding position time was still extremely important in the bigger picture. We may not be in such a good position for the rest of the series, it is paramount we win THIS test. As play went on the thought of the fast bowlers getting three starts at the Indian batsmen crossed my mind, that's when a declaration before tea became a better choice. Pup must've been listening in! We all expected them to walk off when Hussey hit 150 but Clarke had the good manners to wait until the end of the over.
There were two senior fellows sitting behind my mate and I, very knowledgeable about the game, having a discussion about the declaration. I suggested 10 minutes before tea would be a good time, it would extend the last session by 10 minutes. Although Australia were in a commanding position time was still extremely important in the bigger picture. We may not be in such a good position for the rest of the series, it is paramount we win THIS test. As play went on the thought of the fast bowlers getting three starts at the Indian batsmen crossed my mind, that's when a declaration before tea became a better choice. Pup must've been listening in! We all expected them to walk off when Hussey hit 150 but Clarke had the good manners to wait until the end of the over.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
Haddin is higher on my list to be dropped than anyone else. He is missing at least one straightforward chance per game and almost always gets out to a stupid shot. Siddle has shown him up for batting skills when then have been in together.
I also heard Hussey say Clarke told him to try and get his 4 runs to tick over 150 that over.
O'Keeffe was saying to watch out for Haddin in our first innings, he's the best player of a non-moving ball in the country.
I like to watch
David Codey (61)
That's my point, he was NEVER going to go past it,just get close and be magnanimous by not continuing.
Once they got more than 400 in front, the issue to me was how long do we have to get them out, more than are we far enough in front.
He has made plenty of more aggressive declarations in the past than he did yesterday,especially in the context of poor weather forecasts for the following day.
Badger
Bill McLean (32)
Barring rain, if they don't get them out within the remaining scheduled play, they don't deserve to win.
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