*Official* Fourth Test at the MCG

[Woodster]

Pitch has been in since October.

"Bollocks!" cries the nation that turned the fastest pitch in England to Chemnai day four in 2009.

Don't get all defensive, it's the home nations prerogative to play on pitches that best suits their side, if Australia see a quicker, bouncier pitch as their best way to win back the Ashes, then produce a pitch that does so. That's why winning in other countries is always hard earned and deserved when you do so.

Your boys couldn't cope with the different conditions, and I cannot believe you think we'd produce a pitch that may help you!!

 

[Woodster]

Here's the link to the MCG drop-in pitch -

Tricky Ricky in pitch switch! Australia skipper Ponting in bouncer plot for the fourth Test | Mail Online

 

[BoyBrumby]

Finn's actually bowled better than I expected. He's been a key partnership breaker and rolled Australia's tail cheaply regularly. It's one thing to say he's got a lot of tailend wickets, but it's not like he's been letting them all score 30 odd before getting them (first innings in Perth excepted), so he's been doing a job. His wicket tally flatters him, but I think dropping him would an unnecessary gamble now, especially now that it's Bresnan and not Tremlett who'd be replacing him.

I think it's fair to say his wicket tally has benefited from the pressure built by England's other bowlers, but at the same time I don't think his economy rate really is a true indication of the accuracy he's bowled with either for the same reason. Australia have gone after him and he's leaked runs at times but he's been good enough to still be a threat despite that. I don't think we can say Brensan would definitely offer that if he was attacked in these conditions, and I'm a bigger fan of Bresnan than most.

Think that's quite an assumption. If Shahzad wasn't a live option he wouldn't have been retained in the squad.

Finn's leaking runs and making it harder to build pressure plus he was clearly struggling with more than just fatigue at the end of the second innings in Perth. At the risk of repeating myself he offers nothing that Tremlett doesn't and the big fella comfortably outbowled him in the one game they had together.

With Flower hinting he might shuffle his deck I'd be surprised to see him in the XI come Boxing Day.

 

[Burgey]

Don't get all defensive, it's the home nations prerogative to play on pitches that best suits their side, if Australia see a quicker, bouncier pitch as their best way to win back the Ashes, then produce a pitch that does so. That's why winning in other countries is always hard earned and deserved when you do so.

Your boys couldn't cope with the different conditions, and I cannot believe you think we'd produce a pitch that may help you!!

Oh yeah, wasn't directed at you mate, rather any outrage at it, if indeed it's happening.

 

[Prince EWS]

Think that's quite an assumption. If Shahzad wasn't a live option he wouldn't have been retained in the squad.

Replace "Bresnan" with "Shahzad" in my post and I still completely stand by it. My point was that his replacement isn't going to be of the Tremlett standard, and that's true regardless of who you pick from the squad.

 

[Jarquis]

Pitch has been in since October.

"Bollocks!" cries the nation that turned the fastest pitch in England to Chemnai day four in 2009.

Meh, we were in the middle of a real hot summer by English standards and you decided not to pick a spinner. Smooth.

 

[Burgey]

Meh, we were in the middle of a real hot summer by English standards and you decided not to pick a spinner. Smooth.

Lol... Hot summer.

 

[Jarquis]

Lol... Hot summer.

lol. By English standards
Big enough font for you gramps?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Replace "Bresnan" with "Shahzad" in my post and I still completely stand by it. My point was that his replacement isn't going to be of the Tremlett standard, and that's true regardless of who you pick from the squad.

Unarguably, but besides the crucial point which is "would Shahzad or Bresnan perform a more useful role for the team than Finn at the MCG?"

Both offer some different and, pertinently, have lower FC economy rates than Finn.

 

[Woodster]

Oh yeah, wasn't directed at you mate, rather any outrage at it, if indeed it's happening.

I know mate, would you be in favour of producing a Perth-like pitch at the MCG if it is possible ? Do you see that as the best way of Aussies regaining the Ashes ?

 

[wpdavid]

I know mate, would you be in favour of producing a Perth-like pitch at the MCG if it is possible ? Do you see that as the best way of Aussies regaining the Ashes ?

I know you weren't asking me, but .....

imo yes, they'd want to go for the jugular now rather than go to the 5th test one-all with England having regrouped in the meantime.

 

[howardj]

My wise counsel is to not expect momentum gained in Perth to necessarily mean anything in Melbourne.

Different pitch, different breezes, different circumstances.

 

[Howe_zat]

Unarguably, but besides the crucial point which is "would Shahzad or Bresnan perform a more useful role for the team than Finn at the MCG?"

Both offer some different and, pertinently, have lower FC economy rates than Finn.

In case anyone is still listening, my vote goes to both.

I will stand by this opinion no matter what, as it will never be tested.

 

[Burgey]

I know mate, would you be in favour of producing a Perth-like pitch at the MCG if it is possible ? Do you see that as the best way of Aussies regaining the Ashes ?

My attitude to this sort of thing has softened a bit of the past few years.

I used to be quite vociferous in decrying countries rolling out certain types of wickets which alter the normal characteristics of a square (The Oval as an example).

But if it's home ground advantage I can see why they do it, and there's nothing wrong with it.

From my own POV, I prefer wickets to be consistent with their normal characteristics. For example, when we had Warne, and say he was our only great bowler like Murali was with SL, then if the WACA rolled out a dust bowl, that would not sit well with me. If McGrath was our only great bowler, and Sydney rolled out a green top, likewise that wouldn't sit well with me either.

I'm not pontificating btw, just saying what my own view is on things. If a wicket is normally quite good to bowl on but has a little bit more grass, then I don't see it as a drama. But if all of a sudden it changes character completely for one match, well I just don't like it tbh.

 

[Spikey]

Here's the link to the MCG drop-in pitch -

Tricky Ricky in pitch switch! Australia skipper Ponting in bouncer plot for the fourth Test | Mail Online

DAILYMAIL

 

[Jacknife]

It would seem a harsh move, but imo he hasn't bowled that well. In between the wickets he has struggled with his length and generally looked pretty average, throw in the fact he may be struggling with a niggle, and it does become a possibility. He's 21 and may be struggling with the workload.

To be honest I think Finn has struggled mainly down to having next to no experience and with changing his length to suit the different pitches. The other thing he does, is bowl may be 2 good deliveries, then he'll bowl a third good delivery but the batsman will drive him,but instead of maintaining his line and length, he'll try a bouncer and more often then not he'll go for another 4 and then he'll come back with a fuller delivery, but won't get it in the right place. If I were the bowling coach, I would be telling him to, just find that good length and keep it there, doesn't matter if you get driven, keep bowling the same area.He reminds me of Broad from a 18 months ago in a lot of ways.

 

[Burgey]

My wise counsel is to not expect momentum gained in Perth to necessarily mean anything in Melbourne.

Different pitch, different breezes, different circumstances.

Yep. And tbf England has been good at bouncing back from losses the past few years, save for 06-07 of course, when they got arse-raped.

 

[Jacknife]

Yep. And tbf England has been good at bouncing back from losses the past few years, save for 06-07 of course, when they got arse-raped.

You've been a little to kind there ,it was a lot worse than a arse rapping.

 

[Howe_zat]

Yep. And tbf England has been good at bouncing back from losses the past few years, save for 06-07 of course, when they got arse-raped.

England were of course a very different team back then, the best way to judge the current side would be from once Flower took over.

They have somehow ended up losing one match per series since then (except vs Bangladesh), and it has always been a debacle - Kingston, Headingley, Johannesburg, The Oval.

I'll hope they've got it out of their system for this series. Each occasion was when facing some stunning bowling, so we seem on course.

Flower has done wonders for the side IMO but he can't shake that English will to horribly collapse every now and then.

 

[howardj]

Harris could find it tough to do the Melbourne/Sydney double.