Cricket: Summer 2018-19

[Froggy]

Great work by Cummins, bit of luck but he deserved that, has been imo the best of the Aus quicks without the figures to show for it.
Sadly, this batting line-up won't go near the requires runs, not that they won't try, just way below test standard. The younger players are so focused on short form cricket, they just don't know how to build an innings. As to the Marsh brothers, how they keep getting selected is beyond me. They say they're very popular among the playing group, ffs I know some really nice, popular blokes, doesn't mean they should be batting in Australia's top six!
Also, wtf were the Indians doing this afternoon? Surely if you weren't going to enforce the follow-on, you'd just get in there and blast away to a 400 plus lead as quickly as possible, then give yourself maximum time to bowl Aus out, just on the chance a miracle occurred and a couple of batsmen dug in. But all they seemed to do was jab and defend until they got out. You almost felt like they didn't really know why they had gone out to bat again, rather than force the follow-on.

 

[Derpus]

Great work by Cummins, bit of luck but he deserved that, has been imo the best of the Aus quicks without the figures to show for it.
Sadly, this batting line-up won't go near the requires runs, not that they won't try, just way below test standard. The younger players are so focused on short form cricket, they just don't know how to build an innings. As to the Marsh brothers, how they keep getting selected is beyond me. They say they're very popular among the playing group, ffs I know some really nice, popular blokes, doesn't mean they should be batting in Australia's top six!
Also, wtf were the Indians doing this afternoon? Surely if you weren't going to enforce the follow-on, you'd just get in there and blast away to a 400 plus lead as quickly as possible, then give yourself maximum time to bowl Aus out, just on the chance a miracle occurred and a couple of batsmen dug in. But all they seemed to do was jab and defend until they got out. You almost felt like they didn't really know why they had gone out to bat again, rather than force the follow-on.

Has stumped a few people.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Yeah strange tactics from India, especially with the forecast being not so great for the next couple of days.

I've said plenty on the batting and I know these guys are trying their guts out, but they just aren't good enough. I mean them no ill will but at least three, maybe four of them aren't test standard. Well done to Pat Cummins though, what a wholehearted competitor that bloke is. I think he's been close to our best bowler and today he got some cheapies to make up for those he should have had earlier in the series. At least his figures will now bear some relation to how well he's played.

 

[Derpus]

Khawaja is test standard and he's done fuck all. He's been the most dissapointing. The rest, yeah, shouldn't be in the team and no one else to pick. Someone mentioned Maxwell, but he's exactly what we don't need. Need a real test cricketer capable of building an innings.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Completely agree mate

 

[Brumby Runner]

This would have to be the weakest batting lineup, perhaps ever, in an Aussie test team. Even in the start of the WSC era, the test team at least had Allan Border scoring a mountain of runs alone.

But, just like the Wallabies side when it has underperformed to its worst record ever, posters come out and say there are no better options. Bullshit.

Finch would be the least talented opening batsman at test level in living memory. And on top of that he is a woeful in close fielder. Renshaw has it all over him in both batting and fielding. That's one change that should have been made earlier but is essential for Sydney.

The two Marshes must have played their last test match each (how many times has that been said about Sean? It is almost a certainty that he will score a 50 in the second innings and cement his place with the selectors for another twelve months). Until either or both of Smith and Warner are recalled, it is time to blood one or two up and comers to see if they have the makings of a test batsman. Harris is the one shining light so far in the batting side of this series. Not the finished product by any means but has shown technique and shot making capability to hold out promise of better things to come. There are others around the country who could well perform just as good if given a chance. I'm sure many names could crop up, but just for starters I'd suggest Patterson and the Qld keeper selected just as a batsman.

Just like the Wallabies, change must be made and if the selectors haven't got the balls (see RA for similarities), then it's time for them to go as well.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

India's declaration of their rather pointless second innings leaves Straya 399 to get & India ~950 balls to get ten wickets. Weather potentially a factor, too, it would seem.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The problem is that we've broken the production line that brings new batsmen through the ranks into first class and test level. The article I linked to makes the case that the previous generation of players made sizeable quantities of runs before being picked for Australia. I know we don't have the same quality of players right now, but maybe we're not promoting the right blokes from grade level to begin with and picking on underage comp performance straight to the elite level? Sound familiar?

Take the example of Mike Hussey. He played a long time at grade and state level before he got a chance and the reason was pretty clear: he was middling at best early on. I recall him averaging mid thirties for WA and then he played county cricket, hit his straps in the Shield and went on to be top class. Who among the current generation has grafted like he has and put the sheer amount of runs on the board before getting picked? Practically nobody. Travis Head has made 7 FC centuries in 144 innings. Aaron Finch 7 in 135 innings. Marcus Harris 9 in 128. We're picking blokes who are OK first class cricketers and expecting them to develop into good test players and thus setting them up to fail. It's a lot like the situation in WSC and the mid-80's and will take a long time to fix for mine.

 

[Derpus]

Mitch Marsh steals a living

 

[Up the Guts]

I’m aware no one is making big shield runs but can we just pick some guys with no obvious technical flaws? Wow, what a surprise Finch struggles against the full and straight one. The worst thing that can happen is for some of these guys with dicey techniques to make runs in Sydney or against Sri-Lanka and get into the Ashes squad. I hear Labuschagne has been added to the side for Sydney, feels very much like a stop gap selection. We can’t afford to sit on our hands until Smith and Warner are back, who knows whether they’ll be able to carry us anymore.

 

[Up the Guts]

Oh and Cummins = David Pocock.

 

[Brumby Runner]

UTG you are precisely correct about the technical flaws in some of the Aussie batsmen. Just as obvious was the Indian bowlers' abilities to recognise those flaws and to target them.

Clearly, Finch just doesn't have the technique to face red ball fast bowling, but just as clearly, the bowlers identified a problem with Head's technique to a ball on a good length or just short about 30cm outside off stump. He played and missed regularly, and was dismissed with similar deliveries either caught behind the stumps or played on. Sean Marsh seems to be particularly vulnerable to an in-swinging yorker or full pitched delivery and is susceptible to lbw decisions, (although I thought he was hard done by with the lbw decision in Melbourne). Most of the right handers had problems with the in-swinger that cut off the pitch towards slips.

And didn't the Indian bowlers exploit those deficiencies. No persevering bowling over the wicket when coming around the wicket immediately put the batter under pressure. The results speak for themselves.

Starc could learn most from the Indian bowling attack. At times he had the ball swinging half a metre into the right handers but by coming over the wicket a good many deliveries were wasted wide down the leg side. He should be bowling those deliveries around the wicket from the start to right handed batsmen. Similarly, I think Hazelwood would benefit if he came around the wicket earlier and more often to the left handed batsmen with his outswinger (inswinger to the LHer) attacking the stumps for opportunities for clean bowled, lbw or caught behind the wicket off any leg cut (to the LHer) he can conjure.

All in all, there needs to be at least three changes to the batting lineup for Sydney and a change in attitude by the bowlers.

 

[Up the Guts]

I think our bowling has been pretty decent for the most part but not nearly as disciplined as India, particularly when the ball gets older. Hazelwood and Starc have been guilty of just floating it up there at times and we haven’t seen much in the way of those two executing direct plans to get the Indian batsmen out like coming around the wicket as you suggested BR. Cummins in contrast has stuck to the plans, noteably choking Kohli outside his off stump and the leg trap that was set for Pujara and Kohli in the second innings. I also thought it was pretty impressive the way he dismantled Vihari with the short ball in both innings.

 

[Sully]

Look it's easy to have a go at Australia's bowling but remember they are bowling a hell of a lot more overs than their rivals.

 

[Derpus]

We can still tie the series anyway. Paine needs to win the next toss though. An opening innings of 250ish would give us a fighting chance.

 

[The torpedo]

 

[Brumby Runner]

From ABC news reports this morning, Paine is not reluctant in acknowledging the impact of the Smith/Warner suspensions on the stability of the Australian batting lineup. I don't disagree that action had to be taken against them for the ball tampering issue, but I doubt that any other country in the world would have taken such a harsh approach. And if the attitude of Sutherland and Howard was truly that "we don't pay you to play, we pay you to win" as reported, then the pressure they were operating under at the time must have been immense.

Good to see the Captain being his own man and describing things as he sees them, not just toeing the company line.

 

[Froggy]

Personally I would bring Joe Burns back in place of Finch. He averages over 40 in Shield (compared to Finch in the 20's), is averaging 45 this year so his form isn't bad, and while he didn't set the world on fire in his last stint with the test side, he averaged 37 with a fundamentally sound technic. I reckon he's worth another go.
Don't know about Labuschagne, but a better option than M Marsh. I would have thought Stoinis a better prospect, although not exactly knocking the door down to get picked, averages 33 with the bat in shield and has 52 wickets (albeit at 42). Labuschagne has a similar batting record, but playing a novice leggie with 24 shield wickets at 48 against India seems to be flirting with danger.
Agree with BR regarding the bowling, our guys are quality bowlers putting in a whole-hearted effort, but seemingly without a plan. Look back at McGrath and Warne, they had a very specific plan for every batsman the bowled to.

 

[Up the Guts]

Yes I’d have Burns in for Finch and Maxwell for M Marsh but I think they’re going to bring in Labuschagne for Mitch and drop Finch down the order.

BR, on your comment regarding the harshness of the bans, Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal was found guilty of ball tampering in July and served a two match ban from the ICC while the Sri Lankan Cricket Board gave him no further punishment. I’ll be interested to see what sorts of bans are imposed by the respective cricket administrations of Eng/SA/India ever stoop to ball tampering in the future.

 

[Derpus]

Yes I’d have Burns in for Finch and Maxwell for M Marsh but I think they’re going to bring in Labuschagne for Mitch and drop Finch down the order.

BR, on your comment regarding the harshness of the bans, Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal was found guilty of ball tampering in July and served a two match ban from the ICC while the Sri Lankan Cricket Board gave him no further punishment. I’ll be interested to see what sorts of bans are imposed but the respective cricket administrations of Eng/SA/India ever stoop to ball tampering in the future.

The punishment was pretty fucking stupid, but, things in the dressing room for whatever reason were clearly wrong too so hopefully that has been adressed.