*Official* Pakistan in Australia

[stephen]

Interesting that you leave Siddle out, i'm not disagreeing, but surely you couldn't leave out Bollinger now. It makes the selection table very interesting.

I maintained at the time of his initial selection that Siddle should not have been picked over Bollinger or Noffke anyway. Noffke has since gone off the boil and suffered greatly from injury, but nothing since then has convinced me that Siddle is a better bowler than Bollinger.

Siddle has a lot more potential as a bowler than anyone else in Australian cricket at the moment except Johnson. If Johnson keeps bowling like he did in this test I wouldn't be surprised to see him take 400 test match wickets at 25. If he reverts to his Lords form though we'll be lucky to see 250 wickets at 35.

 

[Rant0r]

Poor old Noffke must wonder what he's done wrong, his time has probably passed now. I'm still flabbergasted to see fast bowlers picked from nowhere seemingly cue jumping. Although i'm a big fan of Siddle. Bollinger has been scaring batsmen in the Shield Comp for a few years now.

 

[Nate]

Surely you're not going to pick him on 4 overs of McCricket ?

But seriously, did he actually look like he was landing them ok ?

I'm not suggesting at all he play Test Cricket anytime soon. Just that I think he may have turned a corner.

 

[Prince EWS]

I'm not suggesting at all he play Test Cricket anytime soon. Just that I think he may have turned a corner.

Yeah, tend to agree actually. I mean, it's completely possible he just had an uncharacteristically good day but the whole package did look a lot better in general. Looked like his hips and his shoulders were on the same brainwave for the first time for a start, and as was mentioned he had a bit more momentum into his delivery. Still think it's a complete joke he's in the squad as a bowler mind you but just from a development POV he looked a lot better.

 

[Rant0r]

Yeah I know, i'm just taking a stab at T20. But I am seriously interested in his progress

 

[Matt79]

Yeah, tend to agree actually. I mean, it's completely possible he just had an uncharacteristically good day but the whole package did look a lot better in general. Looked like his hips and his shoulders were on the save brainwave for the first time. Still think it's a complete joke he's in the squad as a bowler mind you but just from a development POV he looked a lot better.

Warne's a genius....

 

[Matt79]

If Lee was fit and in form I'd definitely have him over both Siddle and Hilfenhaus, easily. I doubt he'll ever be at his best again though and his test career is almost certainly over.

But yeah, assuming he was bowling like he did in the Ashes warmup game for example, or for a year or two leading up to the tour of India last year, he'd be in Australia's best team. Lee/Bollinger/Johnson/Hauritz/Watson would be a hell of an attack.

Unfortunately at this stage, its looking increasingly likely that saying "if Lee was fully fit" is as realistic as saying "if McGrath were fifteen years younger".

 

[Rant0r]

I'm not sure that I would pick a fully fit Lee over the current lot, but granted I have some bromance for Hilfenhaus and Bollinger

 

[pasag]

I'd pick a fully fit Lee in an instant. Johnson and Hauritz are stable and Watto's doing well so if things go horribly wrong you can sorta hide him. But if they go right = win. Lee will never play for Aus in whites again though.

 

[Rant0r]

Agreed, another Bollywood single on its way

 

[aussie]

Interesting that you leave Siddle out, i'm not disagreeing, but surely you couldn't leave out Bollinger now. It makes the selection table very interesting.

Dont have to leave him out. Pick him & have all 4-quicks & only pick Hauritz on real turner or similar flattish MCG type decks.

 

[Jayzamann]

Can't understand why the notion of a second spinner was entertained (read: Smith) by the selectors. If anything, a turning deck in Sydney is an opportunity to let North actually do something instead of nearly lose his match fee when he doesn't score runs.

 

[Rant0r]

Surely you wouldn't go into a test in Australia bar maybe Brisbane and Perth without a specialist spinner, even Perth these days actually.

Unsure why North and dare I say it Katich aren't being used, not that it made much difference in the most recent test.

 

[stephen]

Katich does not want to bowl many overs at all.

Given his age and the fact that the last time he had a poor run of form he got dropped can you really blame him for wanting to focus on what is by far his strongest discipline?

 

[Rant0r]

Sadly he's alright at it

 

[aussie]

Surely you wouldn't go into a test in Australia bar maybe Brisbane and Perth without a specialist spinner, even Perth these days actually.

Yea only Birsbane & Perth. I would say Perth was very lively this year compared some of the shocking roads that where present vs SA 05/06 & 08/09 .

Adelaide & Sydney you GOT to have a spinner there. MCG it depends on the day i guess, since in this decade there has been some fairly lively MCG decks at times.

 

[Rant0r]

Perth was pretty docile this year as well, sadly I think it will never get back to where it was, they need to sack that useless curator, he's been there for years and keeps banging on about making it return to the old days but never does. Sadly the Australian Pitches now have a sameness, which leads to flat track bashing and no swing bowlers and spinners just get bashed

 

[stephen]

Perth was pretty docile this year as well, sadly I think it will never get back to where it was, they need to sack that useless curator, he's been there for years and keeps banging on about making it return to the old days but never does. Sadly the Australian Pitches now have a sameness, which leads to flat track bashing and no swing bowlers and spinners just get bashed

The old days are probably exaggerated somewhat. However, I do still remember Ambrose' deadly spell. *shudder*

 

[Rant0r]

Same, and there was no respite, Bishop took 6 for in that game as well.

 

[aussie]

Off my head i'd say Perth has played all-right this decade TBH. Has fluctuated alot though..

- vs WI 2000. It was quick, McGrath hat-trick vs WI & all
- vs NZ 01. A bit flat, but was a great test
- vs ENG 02. Quick, remember Lee hitting Alex Tudor
- vs ZIM 03. Oh yea that was road
- vs PAK 04. Quick again. McGrath's 8 for
- vs SA 05. Absolute road
- vs ENG 06. Quickish, flattened out at the end
- vs IND 07. Flattish, didn't live up to its pre-match hype with all the talk that Tait was going to kill IND.
- vs SA 08. Like ENG 06, started quick, ended up flattt
- vs WI 09. Quickish early, then got slower as the game went on.