Michael Clarke

[Slats4ever]

I know Doug Walters personally
I don't think he likes me though
i asked him too many questions

 

[marc71178]

I don't think he likes Steve Waugh either though, so you're in good company!

 

[age_master]

ahh the wonders of the great game of Golf

 

[Kenny]

I apologize to all the Lehmann supporters, but get him out of there. Get Clarke into the team. He's an outstanding player and it's a crime that he's practically a second XI player. Wonderful batsman!

Hi all.....another Aussie cricket nut here. Found the site through Lucky Eddie leaving a link on my fave metal bands BB.

I have to say I totally agree with this post. I was shocked when Lehmann was put in the test side when the selectors dumped Mark Waugh.
It was a perfect oppurtunity to freshen an aging side up a bit, so it made little sense to me to replace a 37 year old with a 32 year old player, who has been tried before with mixed results. Even now, after that dodgy 160 odd Lehmann got in the 3rd test, when he was clearly out caught in the 60's and given not out, he still only averages about 30 in test cricket.
Clarke is the future........an exciting talent who does everything Darren Lehmann can do....only better.

Get him in there........NOW!!!!

 

[luckyeddie]

Hi all.....another Aussie cricket nut here. Found the site through Lucky Eddie leaving a link on my fave metal bands BB.

I have to say I totally agree with this post. I was shocked when Lehmann was put in the test side when the selectors dumped Mark Waugh.
It was a perfect oppurtunity to freshen an aging side up a bit, so it made little sense to me to replace a 37 year old with a 32 year old player, who has been tried before with mixed results. Even now, after that dodgy 160 odd Lehmann got in the 3rd test, when he was clearly out caught in the 60's and given not out, he still only averages about 30 in test cricket.
Clarke is the future........an exciting talent who does everything Darren Lehmann can do....only better.

Get him in there........NOW!!!!

Hi, Kenny (insert superfluous South Park gag here) - good to have you aboard. I told the other staff members that the best way of getting noticed is the occasional blatant thread-jack.

Totally agree with Clarke - he has impressed no end and should have an excellent future.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Clarke is destined to be a great. It's a beautiful thing to watch him at the crease .....his cricket that is. :P

 

[Top_Cat]

Good to see you here Kenny. As one of the mods, it would normally be one of my duties to ask you to adhere to the rules, blah, blah but to put it more succinctly, don't mess with us.

And again, I still disagree with all you guys. Mike Clarke may be able to hold a bat very, very well but it's too early. Give him another season of FC cricket and if his form holds, then pick him. Any sooner is just too soon for me and I think the Aussies selectors will probably go that way too. They've given no indication that he's genuinely in line for a regular Test spot yet.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Yet Clarke has shown that he can score runs (classily too) at international level. <Sigh> another year of Lehmann then.....

 

[luckyeddie]

Good to see you here Kenny. As one of the mods, it would normally be one of my duties to ask you to adhere to the rules, blah, blah but to put it more succinctly, don't mess with us.

Can't go messing with a fellow heavy metal maniac - and a Iron Maiden fan too. Eddie'll (as in the Maiden mascot) get you.

Can we have a 'headbanging' emoticon?

 

[Kenny]

Good to see you here Kenny. As one of the mods, it would normally be one of my duties to ask you to adhere to the rules, blah, blah but to put it more succinctly, don't mess with us.

And again, I still disagree with all you guys. Mike Clarke may be able to hold a bat very, very well but it's too early. Give him another season of FC cricket and if his form holds, then pick him. Any sooner is just too soon for me and I think the Aussies selectors will probably go that way too. They've given no indication that he's genuinely in line for a regular Test spot yet.

Gee Top_Cat thanks for the .......warning. It's ok dudes, I am a BB veteran, I know how to play.
What about Ricky Ponting? Was it too early when he was put in the test side at 21? Shane Warne? Brett Lee?
I don't feel we are in a position to wait, and to make players wait any longer than they should. Our entire top 6, with the exception of Ponting, who is 29) is over 30........

 

[Rich2001]

Can we have a 'headbanging' emoticon?

Not quite the headbanging you had in mind, but will this do?

 

[luckyeddie]

Not quite the headbanging you had in mind, but will this do?

Close enough, Rich, but I just might have to 'borrow' the one from the Iron Maiden BB. Your one would be fine if I was listening to Megadeth, though.

 

[Simon]

it fair to say thay he is yet to prove himself in 4 or 5 day game. Afterall i think he does still only average in the high 30's (which is succesful for an english batsman )
But its a different story for 1 dayers, he has a domestic 1 d average of 49 and his impressive start to his international career, he has to be in the 11.
Plus the more 1 d cricket he plays at international level will only be a plus when he finally does become a test batsman.
Look at adam gilchrist for example, he played 80 ODI's before a test, and he averages 58!

 

[Eclipse]

I say we might as well give him a go even if one more year of FC cricket would be good for him.

Even if he is shown not quite to be ready we can afford to carry him for a year or so while he finds his feet.

 

[Kenny]

I say we might as well give him a go even if one more year of FC cricket would be good for him.

Even if he is shown not quite to be ready we can afford to carry him for a year or so while he finds his feet.

As we did with Steve Waugh..........for 2 or 3 years.
Why have our selections become so conservative?

 

[Top_Cat]

Yet Clarke has shown that he can score runs (classily too) at international level.

Rubbish. He hasn't proven anything. He's played well but it'll take more than a few games before he's 'proven' anything to anyone.

Gee Top_Cat thanks for the .......warning. It's ok dudes, I am a BB veteran, I know how to play.

No worries. I wasn't serious anyway.

What about Ricky Ponting? Was it too early when he was put in the test side at 21? Shane Warne? Brett Lee?
I don't feel we are in a position to wait, and to make players wait any longer than they should. Our entire top 6, with the exception of Ponting, who is 29) is over 30........

The situations aren't really analogous. Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn and in fact all young batsmen for the last 20 years have been picked on the strength of at least two full seasons of FC cricket for their state. I doubt you'll find one batsman picked after only one full season. Rick Ponting had performance against all states and under pressure for two and a bit seasons before he was picked.

The reason is because it's been shown that guys picked after only one season (i.e. before all the bowlers in the land have figured them out) don't really have the experience neccessary to succeed at the top level. Find me one batsman in the last 20 years that bucks that trend and I'll eat my hat.

And don't even try to use Steve Waugh as an example. There were extenuating circumstances there and let's face it, he took a long time to establish himself and was only retained initially because there was no-one else around and he 'looked' the goods. In the current very strong Aussie line-up, he certainly wouldn't have gotten 25 Tests before hitting a hundred like he did back then.

As for Warne and Lee, Warnie was 22 when he was picked and Brett Lee was 23. Sure they were picked earlier than after two seasons but you have to pick your bowlers early as they have a more limited life-span at the top than batsmen do as a rule. Plus with Warne, there were extenuating circumstances yet again; we didn't have a decent leggie, were playing India and Peter Taylor wasn't doing the job. You do the math.

I say we might as well give him a go even if one more year of FC cricket would be good for him.

Even if he is shown not quite to be ready we can afford to carry him for a year or so while he finds his feet.

And just who would you drop, bearing in mind an in-form Damien Martyn has to fit back into the side too? If you say Lehmann, you ain't saying it for form reasons.

I think that ultimately, the Aussies will drop Lehmann, slot Marty Love in at 5 and Clarke in at 6 (particularly when Martyn returns). That'll be a while yet because two things need to happen; Steve Waugh needs to retire and Lehmann needs to either fail or show himself to be an inferior prospect to Clarke. Clarke continuing to bat well just wont be enough I feel because Lehmann had been averaging 50+ for years before he was eventually picked, same as Marty Love.

 

[Top_Cat]

As we did with Steve Waugh..........for 2 or 3 years.
Why have our selections become so conservative?

Something to do with the fact that whatever the selectors are doing seems to be working. Just a thought.

Very rarely has throwing players in at the deep end worked ultimately.

 

[marc71178]

Find me one batsman in the last 20 years that bucks that trend and I'll eat my hat.

And don't even try to use Steve Waugh as an example.

To be fair isn't that almost 20 years ago anyway?!

 

[Kenny]

Something to do with the fact that whatever the selectors are doing seems to be working. Just a thought.

Very rarely has throwing players in at the deep end worked ultimately.

Well, I don't think Darren Lehmann's selection (in the test side) has worked at all.
He failed against England, and scored one dodgy century against a Windies attack that was demoralised, beaten, and didn't even include Merv Dillon, perhaps the Windies only proven quick at test level.

As I said before, it was a ludicrous decision to pick a 32 year old player as a replacement for a 37 year old, when age was supposed to be the reason Junior Waugh had run out of chances........and Lehmann's stats after 12 tests?

698 runs @ 39.88........1 century and 4 50's from 19 innings!
His hundred in the West Indies makes up nearly a quarter of his test runs.........I liken him to Grame Hick - both bullies at domestic level, suspect at test level.

Now is the best time to bring a young player in - while there is still plenty of experience around him. Wait 2,3,4 more years, and there may be no Hayden, Langer, S.Waugh, Martyn........it is so much better to do it by degrees.

So there!!:P

 

[Simon]

langer, hayden and martyn will still be there in 3 years, form permitting.
Clarke has to wait his turn like everyone.
there is a big possiblity that australia would be a stronger side with clarke in there for lehmann, but we are already the best team, surely we dont need to get better at the risk of stuffing up the balance of the side.