*Official* Fourth Test at the MCG

[Spark]

FWIW if the pitch does flatten out second dig then I think, based on what I've seen today, Clarke will ton up.

Unfortunately one feels that "what it's worth" is not nearly as much as we would have liked.

I don't even feel angry, or sad, or particularly empty, or anything like that. Just surprising that any team, especially ours, could put up such a horror show.

 

[Ruckus]

In an important series, Marcus North without a doubt. There are of course other better options, cricketers who consistently perform domestically.

Yeah at least North is a reliable century scorer (reliable as in every 5 innings). At the same time though, with Smith the team is moving foward - if he does consistenly fail, it will be easier for him to move to another position or be replaced by someone better (e.g. Khawaja), where as with North his presence in the side was really holding the team back.

In terms of results just for this series though, if the choice was Smith or North, I'd go North.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Lets face it no Australian could say hand on heart that the batting performance of today hasn't been coming.

Think it is a bit unfair to give Smith such a hard time but it is always fashionable to pick on the new kid rather than look at the real culprits in Ponting and Clarke. Still nothing will change though as these guys are champions and undroppable.

 

[Spark]

The irony is, that if North had been kept, he would probably be well due for another hundred.

That's not to say that he shouldn't have been dropped or should be brought back though...

Lets face it no Australian could say hand on heart that the batting performance of today hasn't been coming.

Think it is a bit unfair to give Smith such a hard time but it is always fashionable to pick on the new kid rather than look at the real culprits in Ponting and Clarke. Still nothing will change though as these guys are champions and undroppable.

In the end, this. Everyone was worrying about our soft lower-middle order before the series, weren't they? Well without it, where would we be now...

 

[Goughy]

Logged on to read about the cricket and waste my time in an official thread listening to whining about ground sizes. Related, the MCG does look magnificent for a Boxing Day Test. Amazing sight (for at least 2/3 of the day)

I dont have too many issues with the way Australia played today. I think England turned in a fantasitcally professional and disciplined bowling performance. They just got it spot on. The other team is allowed to play well and I think, more than Aus batting issues, it was a case of England just nailing it.

It would have been hard to expect Australia to replicate such a top notch performance. I dont think they were terrible. I have a high opinion of both Cook and Strauss (there are plenty of England players that I dont like or rate but these are 2 that I backed when others were calling for their heads) and they dealt with the presented threat.

If I am Australia I still think we have a chance in this game. Day 1 was not good but the game isnt over. Role England for 275and look to get close to 400 in the 2nd dig.

Good days cricket and I am happy for Bresnan. I cant claim that he excites me but he gets the ball in the right areas.

 

[GIMH]

Pssst.... If they want to grow the game, you play it elsewhere. Moreover it's an historical thing anyway. The first test was played at the MCG mate, in 1877. What, nothing doing since then? It's not a recent phenomenon. It would **** me to tears if I couldn't get a ticket to a game and the house full signs go up with 20,000 in.

Doesn't have to be an MCG sized ground. Is 40-50k just unheard of? Still have the joke-sized fields if you must, just improve the capacities FFS, or move the games to grounds with bigger capacities. Or, you know, build them...

I do agree that bigger grounds would be nice but it's not sustainable financially, as they can become white elephants in the winter. Aussie grounds (correct me if I'm wrong) tend to be multi-purpose AFAIK.

I never said you did.. It's a common bitch on here by English cw'ers though that the test(s) has/ have been moved to another locale and they can't go that far to watch the game. When one examines a map, we discover it's about 40-50 miles away and there's a direct train link.

If you'd been here more than five minutes before making comments about different supporters, you'd have known about it.

LOL I have certainly complained about them taking Tests away from the North West, but I still go and watch elsewhere. The thing is it's all well and good saying there's a train link - there are train links all over the show here in the developed world - but the train fares here are really high. When you're laying out 50 quid for a ticket (minimum, pretty much), twice that for ale and food, then an expensive train fare on top of that is a bit of a kick in the gut.

 

[M0rphin3]

FWIW if the pitch does flatten out second dig then I think, based on what I've seen today, Clarke will ton up.

Unfortunately one feels that "what it's worth" is not nearly as much as we would have liked.

I don't even feel angry, or sad, or particularly empty, or anything like that. Just surprising that any team, especially ours, could put up such a horror show.

Won't back any of them to score a biggy tbh. Clarke & Skippy to throw it away and as usual some resistance from Hussey/Haddin/Smith probably, but that's that. And of course twatto to chip in with his obligatory 50.

 

[BoyBrumby]

David Hussey at #6, tbh. Will have played plenty against all of our bowlers (team mate of Swanneh to boot), bowls little tweakers so ticks that box and has oodles of FC runs over many seasons at an average comfortably north of 50.

Yes he's not in the first flush of youth, but when the boiler blows up you want the boilermaker not an apprentice. If selectors were chosing a team with an eye on some potentially illusory future they want shooting. Although including a 31yo with a buggered knee suggests they weren't, so it's just incompetance probably.

 

[Ruckus]

Just surprising that any team, especially ours, could put up such a horror show.

Were you really suprised? As flibbertyjibber said, we can't pretend we didn't know something like this was going to happen at some stage. Most people were predicting Hussey couldn't keep saving us, and what happens - he fails, and so does the team. That's because we haven't played like a team so far. Playing like a team is standing up when another player falls, and Ponting, Clarke and Smith haven't done that.

 

[Ruckus]

I dont have too many issues with the way Australia played today. I think England turned in a fantasitcally professional and disciplined bowling performance. They just got it spot on. The other team is allowed to play well and I think, more than Aus batting issues, it was a case of England just nailing it.
.

England did bowl very, very well, especially Anderson, but at the same time the approach shown by Aus was poor. All of the Aus batsmen were feeling for the ball rather than withdrawing their bat into their bodies like Strauss and Cook did with success later on. The English batsmen are probably pretty adept at it because of much practice in swinging conditions. It's something Australia desperately need to improve on.

 

[Spark]

I'm not enormously surprised at us being 100 all out. I am quite surprised to see England 150 odd for none. I am astonished that the two could come on one day.

 

[Jarquis]

Have a go at Anderson gobbing off when he's bowling half rat power hoopers with a thunderstorm over his head.

Wouldn't feed the ****. Hope someone crushes his larynx when he bats with a well placed short one.

Lolbitter

 

[Spark]

Won't back any of them to score a biggy tbh. Clarke & Skippy to throw it away and as usual some resistance from Hussey/Haddin/Smith probably, but that's that. And of course twatto to chip in with his obligatory 50.

On a flat pitch, based on what I've seen today, Clarke can score a big one.

 

[pup11]

Well played England!

I just can't believe Hughes and Smith both get picked again when clearly this series wasn't the right time for them and t was never going to be.

Lol at the people who were so pumped up for Smith at 6, what a disaster, I would have to say he's the worst top 6 batsman to play for Australia in the past 20 years.

Lets get honest here mate, likes of Hughes and Smith are future of Australian cricket and tbh if they were in Australia's Ashes plans then they should have been blooded into the side a long time ago.
Though now during an Ashes series its pretty optimistic to expect even an in-form domestic batsman to come in and straight away start scoring runs. Its just unfortunate that runs aren't coming for either Hughes or Smith but they aren't bad selections.
Its also pretty convenient to make Smith or Hughes the scapegoat of these batting failures, but when experienced blokes like Watson, Ponting or Clarke can't do the job in such an important series, then its pretty harsh to expect these rooks to carry the batting order all by themselves.

 

[Spark]

but when experienced blokes like Watson, Ponting or Clarke can't do the job in such an important series

Huh?

 

[wpdavid]

Having just seen the highlights, the best bit had to be Jimmy doing a Tardelli after dismissing Hussey.

All great stuff of course, and massively unexpected after Perth. They need to bat all day tomorrow though. Pleasantly surprised at how well Bresnan bowled, even if everything was in his favour. Not quite a WI-style conveyor belt of great fast bowlers, but to see some strength in depth is hugely pleasing.

 

[Burgey]

England did bowl very, very well, especially Anderson, but at the same time the approach shown by Aus was poor. All of the Aus batsmen were feeling for the ball rather than withdrawing their bat into their bodies like Strauss and Cook did with success later on. The English batsmen are probably pretty adept at it because of much practice in swinging conditions. It's something Australia desperately need to improve on.

Actually thought Clarke and Ponting were playing the ball later. Much, much later than earlier in the series.

 

[Xuhaib]

your were terrible Australia so disappointed as I always support Aus over the Poms.

 

[Spark]

Actually thought Clarke and Ponting were playing the ball later. Much, much later than earlier in the series.

Yeah this. Ponting got a gem. Very difficult to leave that.

Clarke's was a nothing shot, but if you move it both ways like Anderson was you're going to have most batsmen in trouble and Clarke is even more prone to this.

 

[Ruckus]

Lets get honest here mate, likes of Hughes and Smith are future of Australian cricket and tbh if they were in Australia's Ashes plans then they should have been blooded into the side a long time ago.

Yeah so true. The selectors are ****ing idiots. How many of us were calling for North and Hauritz to be replaced months and months ago? Yet they decide to do it both right before, and during, the actual series! Stupidity personified...

Assuming Smith was the only replacement they would consider for North, if he was given time before the series and failed abysmally then they would still have had time to bring back North or try someone else. The same goes with Hauritz. Why risk everything on Doherty's debut? If he was given a chance even in India the series before, his value to the team could have established before the Ashes...