Trevor Hohns resigns as chairman of selectors

[BoyBrumby]

Around the same time that people were saying that Hayden was a flat track bully, I was saying that Smith was even more of a one and I got blasted. We've just seen over the last few months that Smith isn't all he's cracked up to be.

TBF I don't think there are too many quarters that actually rate Fat Gray anyway.

However if the ICC ever ban in-swingers he'll be up there with the best.

 

[marc71178]

We've just seen over the last few months that Smith isn't all he's cracked up to be.

We saw that back in 2003 when England worked him out after 2 Tests against them.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Smith isn't a poor batsman by any means, but he's got some technique issues and even more significantly he has a rather poor temprament for a test batsman, I think. He seems to fall apart as soon as anyone puts him under a bit of pressure, and while Lee did work him out pretty thoroughly during the Australian leg of the recent series and got him LBW with inswingers a few times and caught at slip with straighter ones a few more, half the time he got himself out against other bowlers by playing silly shots.

He'd be better suited to not opening the batting, I think. Unfortunately all three of the major opening options that South Africa have at the moment in Smith, Gibbs and De Villiers would all be better suited to not opening. Smith is definitely the best of the three.

 

[Langeveldt]

We saw that back in 2003 when England worked him out after 2 Tests against them.

and after he scored 600 odd runs

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

and after he scored 600 odd runs

Not the fastest of learners are the English.

 

[marc71178]

and after he scored 600 odd runs

In the 17 innings since then he's averaging under 30 and having to hide in the middle order from the Hogg-meister.

 

[vic_orthdox]

People just talk about the inswinger getting wickets against Smith (well, WRT Lee anyways). He also knicked quite a few very wide balls. I think there's a lot of similarities between Trescothick and Smith, and what we saw towards Smith was how Australia used to dismiss Tresco... keep it tight into the body for a while, and then throw in a wide one and he chases it. Being used to having to play so straight, instead of moving across to play it, Smith was reaching out wider than what he usually would.

 

[Top_Cat]

People just talk about the inswinger getting wickets against Smith (well, WRT Lee anyways). He also knicked quite a few very wide balls. I think there's a lot of similarities between Trescothick and Smith, and what we saw towards Smith was how Australia used to dismiss Tresco... keep it tight into the body for a while, and then throw in a wide one and he chases it. Being used to having to play so straight, instead of moving across to play it, Smith was reaching out wider than what he usually would.

To be fair, that's how you tuck up most lefties, though (unless they have a blatant weakness against short ones like Ganguly, for example). Ditto the above for Mike Hussey, Brian Lara, Justin Langer (maybe not in the last few years) and Saeed Anwar.

 

[Tom Halsey]

i dont think you can be too certain about that as yet. He has pace & has the ability to swing the new & old ball, all he needs is to improve his control & he could be a lethal prospect in the future.

It's useless bowling a wicket-taking ball once every while (and I agree with Richard here - the Trescothick ball was the only good ball Tait bowled in The Ashes, the rest were a load of crap) if you're going for 50 or 60 runs in between those balls.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

It's useless bowling a wicket-taking ball once every while (and I agree with Richard here - the Trescothick ball was the only good ball Tait bowled in The Ashes, the rest were a load of crap) if you're going for 50 or 60 runs in between those balls.

Yeah, but not if you're going for 20 runs in between those balls, like he did in the 04/05 Pura Cup season.

I fail to see how the other deliveries which got wickets were "a load of crap" too. How can a ball that knocks out middle be crap?

 

[aussie]

It's useless bowling a wicket-taking ball once every while (and I agree with Richard here - the Trescothick ball was the only good ball Tait bowled in The Ashes, the rest were a load of crap) if you're going for 50 or 60 runs in between those balls.

what, so the reverswinig inswinger that got got Collingwood, the ball 90 mph beauty that bowled Jones, the delivery that got Bell & the Flinotff Lbw were all crap? you got to be joking.

Has sean just said it wont be crap you are going for 20 rusn between that, but what i'm saying is all he needs to do is improve his accuracy since he has all the tools to become a lethal prospect in the future.

 

[marc71178]

Has sean just said it wont be crap you are going for 20 rusn between that

Yes, he has, why ask a question when it's clear the answer is there to be seen.

 

[aussie]

Yes, he has, why ask a question when it's clear the answer is there to be seen.

no he hasn't showed it at international level, but the fact he did it domestically shows what he is capable of.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Whoosh, yet again.

 

[luckyeddie]

Whoosh, yet again.

You'd think that living in the proximity of an international airport (Heathrow, like most Man U fans) he'd know what it sounds like by now.

 

[marc71178]

no he hasn't showed it at international level, but the fact he did it domestically shows what he is capable of.

Yes, Sean had just said that when I posted.

As a hint, it's the post directly above the one I quoted

 

[Richard]

1. How could ODI performances mean nothing?, in Bracken case it would have since he has always done better at domestic level than Clark & the fact that his ODI recently was good would in most people's thoughts put him ahead in selection over Clark (but the selectors didn't thhink so).

Bracken certainly hasn't always done better than Clark at the domestic level - before 2005\06 he'd done little of note. ODIs mean nothing as far as Test cricket are concerned.

I dont agree with your idea about Gillespie. He wasn't that far off from going to SA, i remember reading the article when the squad was announced & Hohns saying Kasper had bowled slightly better the Dizzy that why he went.

That's as maybe - but he didn't go, did he? And I never thought he was likely to, even with no McGrath.
That means there were 6 bowlers ahead of him.

2. He was?

Yep, certainly was.

3. Based on what?

Based on the fact that he seems a pretty decent bowler, especially on seaming pitches.

4. What are you saying here you always thought Clark while you saw him was better than Lee or Bracken.

Err, yes. Considerably. I've seen both Bracken and Lee bowl so many piles of rubbish it's untrue.

 

[Richard]

You mean like someone labelling Smith the next Bradman (or was it best batsmen since Bradman?)

No, it was had the potential, unlike most people, to be closer to as good as Bradman (nowhere near as good) than almost everyone else.
Clearly, that has not come to pass and that's none too suprising.

 

[Richard]

We saw that back in 2003 when England worked him out after 2 Tests against them.

Really?
Care to explain how they worked him out by him standing on his stumps and by him being given out incorrectly (as happened in the Third Test that series)?

 

[Richard]

Yeah, but not if you're going for 20 runs in between those balls, like he did in the 04/05 Pura Cup season.

I fail to see how the other deliveries which got wickets were "a load of crap" too. How can a ball that knocks out middle be crap?

It wasn't crap, but he wasn't the cause of it creeping along the floor.