Gilchrist denies retirement talk (Edit: and announces his retirement)

[Laurrz]

thats good.. would like to see him play for another couple of years.. i think he is still a handful for opposition

obviously will be such a sad day when he retires... he is so different to anything we have seen.. but lets not talk about that

 

[Craig]

Well one just hopes for his sake he keeps on crunching out the runs and doesn't fall into a form slump he can't recover from and his career being remembered for that instead of his exploits. It would be unfair if that was the case, but we know how the world works.

 

[Richard]

He's already been in a fair form-slump for the last 4 years now, and it's seen his average go from 59 to whatever it is now.

Let's hope most people are capable of looking at two parts of a career and realising how different they were.

 

[pup11]

Well it won't be wrong if i say that i am a huge Gilchrist fan and he has been such a great entertainer and such a great cricketer that the day he retires his absence would be felt and that would be a very sad day for me and lots of other Gilly fans across the world, but i think he still has enough gas in the tank to go on for sometime Ashes 09 would be the perfect stage for him to retire IMO.

 

[Richard]

I really rather wish he'd retired after last summer TBH, and Hayden too.

I've never rated Hayden, obviously; Langer and Martyn were decent but not outstanding for mine; and Gilchrist, Warne and McGrath are (or probably were in Gilchrist's case) something a bit special. Would've been nice for them all to have bowed-out together.

Would also have been nice, of course, if Watson and Hodge hadn't have been injured.

In said event, we can safely imagine (presuming the lack of injuries continued throughout the season) the side in that SCG game would probably have looked like this:
Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Hussey
Hodge
Watson
Gilchrist
Warne
Brett Lee
Clark
McGrath

I guess we could assume (again given universal fitness and that all had performed in said Ashes which isn't too long a shot) Clarke would have been straight back in this summer, along with Jaques, hopefully meaning Hussey moved to open, Haddin would've replaced Gilchrist, MacGill Warne, and then as now it'd have been a straightforward shootout for the remaining seam-bowling place which Johnson has won so far.

Jaques
Hussey (who knows who'd face first)
Ponting
Hodge
Clarke
Watson
Haddin
Johnson?
Brett Lee
Clark
MacGill

 

[AKkAz]

Surely hodge must be dropped after his terrible performance overseas

 

[Julian87]

Seems Richard rates Hodge and Watson.

It's a pity, because they don't come close to the likes of hayden and langer who he doesn't rate.

 

[iamdavid]

It will be interesting when does pull the plug. I think when he does Haddin will probably get the nod in ODIs while Hartley could very well get the gloves in Test cricket.

I very much doubt Hartley will ever play for Australia, the game has just moved on too far and just about everybody accepts that to be picked for test cricket as a keeper you need to be just about worth your place as a batsman alone. And apart from the obvious (Haddin), I think Ronchi and down the track Matthew Wade will be at that level where they're contributing very strongly with the bat in domestic cricket. I was very impressed with Hartley back in 03/04 but unfortunately his batting really hasnt developed like I'd hoped it would, he's not the worst, well capable of doing a job and it might help him if he batted higher than number 9 for QLD, but he's really only half the batsman Haddin is and unless his batting improves significantly then I dont think he'll ever get a look in despite being probably our best 'keeper'.

It'd be interesting hypothetically, if Ian Healy were starting his career out for Queensland now to see how things went for him, I dont think he'd ever play a game for Australia

 

[iamdavid]

In said event, we can safely imagine (presuming the lack of injuries continued throughout the season) the side in that SCG game would probably have looked like this:
Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Hussey
Hodge
Watson
Gilchrist
Warne
Brett Lee
Clark
McGrath

Clarke would've been in ahead of Hodge, was named in the squad for Brisbane and had been taken on tours of South Africa and Bangladesh during the winter ahead of Hodge.

 

[Prince EWS]

who knows who'd face first?

Who cares?

 

[Craig]

I very much doubt Hartley will ever play for Australia, the game has just moved on too far and just about everybody accepts that to be picked for test cricket as a keeper you need to be just about worth your place as a batsman alone. And apart from the obvious (Haddin), I think Ronchi and down the track Matthew Wade will be at that level where they're contributing very strongly with the bat in domestic cricket. I was very impressed with Hartley back in 03/04 but unfortunately his batting really hasnt developed like I'd hoped it would, he's not the worst, well capable of doing a job and it might help him if he batted higher than number 9 for QLD, but he's really only half the batsman Haddin is and unless his batting improves significantly then I dont think he'll ever get a look in despite being probably our best 'keeper'.

It'd be interesting hypothetically, if Ian Healy were starting his career out for Queensland now to see how things went for him, I dont think he'd ever play a game for Australia

Wow, I can't say I have ever been quoted for something I posted over 12 months ago. Yes you are right, even though I didn't have the advantage of hindsight, that yeah Ronchi will get the nod at some point. What happened with Adam Crosswhaite (or whatever his name is), given how highly I remember he once was.

It would be interesting hypothetically if Luke Ronchi had decided to play for the country of his birth, New Zealand, would he picked ahead of Brendon McCullum or not?

 

[vic_orthdox]

Crosthwaite is still playing the one dayers. He hasn't been consistent enough with the bat in 4 dayers, nor with the gloves. A freak underage player, so he was earmarked very early. He'll be back at some stage, maybe a little "loose" as a player. Got all the shots, maybe more than he needs...

 

[Craig]

Crosthwaite is still playing the one dayers. He hasn't been consistent enough with the bat in 4 dayers, nor with the gloves. A freak underage player, so he was earmarked very early. He'll be back at some stage, maybe a little "loose" as a player. Got all the shots, maybe more than he needs...

Do you think he has the potential to go on with the hype that he had as an underage player?

 

[Richard]

Who cares?

I'd guess the two openers probably would TBH.

 

[Prince EWS]

I'd guess the two openers probably would TBH.

Firstly, I doubt it.
Secondly, they don't post on CW anyway.

 

[Richard]

Clarke would've been in ahead of Hodge, was named in the squad for Brisbane and had been taken on tours of South Africa and Bangladesh during the winter ahead of Hodge.

You maybe right, but wasn't Hodge unfit when said 'Gabba squad was announced?

 

[Richard]

Firstly, I doubt it.

I imagine they probably would actually - you'd be surprised how few openers have no preference at all.

Secondly, they don't post on CW anyway.

No, they don't, but I do, and I always prefer disclaimer to no disclaimer, should some smartaess quote that post if Hussey and Jacques ever were to open together and say "haha, you always put the real number-one first, and you claimed with such authority and were wrong" etc. etc.

 

[Richard]

Seems Richard rates Hodge and Watson.

It's a pity, because they don't come close to the likes of hayden and langer who he doesn't rate.

As with Fuller, you'd be wrong to make chains like that. Neither Hodge nor Watson have had notable Test-careers yet, so I can't say that either are better than either Langer or Hayden.

I've never said I don't rate Langer, either, he was a perfectly acceptible Test batsman, but perhaps not as good as some paint him.

 

[Prince EWS]

I imagine they probably would actually - you'd be surprised how few openers have no preference at all.

Interviewed a lot of openers lately then Richard?

I am an opening batsman, funnily enough. I do have a preference; I like to face first. However, I really do not care much at all; it's not something that would effect my game at all, nor is it anything that ever gets thought about for longer than a second. In fact, I've been in situations where I'm unaware of which end the opposition is opening from and just picked an end. I've spoken to a lot of openers at this supposedly crucial moment as well and none have them have ever had a preference they seemed adamant about.

should some smartaess quote that post if Hussey and Jacques ever were to open together and say "haha, you always put the real number-one first, and you claimed with such authority and were wrong" etc. etc.

I don't think anyone actually noticed the difference between #1 and #2 except for you, though. Smartasses could find much better things to argue about that team than those two positions anyway, given Clarke was clearly ahead of Hodge in the pecking order.

 

[iamdavid]

Wow, I can't say I have ever been quoted for something I posted over 12 months ago. Yes you are right, even though I didn't have the advantage of hindsight, that yeah Ronchi will get the nod at some point. What happened with Adam Crosswhaite (or whatever his name is), given how highly I remember he once was.

It would be interesting hypothetically if Luke Ronchi had decided to play for the country of his birth, New Zealand, would he picked ahead of Brendon McCullum or not?

Lol sorry didnt realise how old the post was.