Australia A / promising youngsters

[Eclipse]

Worthington has had a good start to the year as well he looks a good prospect as a bowling allrounder.

 

[iamdavid]

Im a big fan of Peter Worthington , very gutsy player allround , if he continues to play like this he might just pip Higgs for the Australia A spot.

 

[age_master]

Mitch Johnson looked fantastic today and he is still only 21-22.

Problem is he has been very injury prone but if he can overcome those problems he could be a very good bowler.

aparently he has had stress fractures in his back, that puts you out for a while, he has worked on his action and it is aparently much less injury prone now. but he did look very good on the weekend

 

[Top_Cat]

Paul Rofe anyone??

had a top start to the year, and can bowl!!

I'd rate Paulie as a high chance of an Aussie A spot but he needs a bit more variation than movement off the seam to play higher (and I've told him this in person).

Mitch Johnson looked fantastic today and he is still only 21-22.

Problem is he has been very injury prone but if he can overcome those problems he could be a very good bowler.

He bowls with good variation too. I've seen him hoop the ball back into the batsman regularly and let's face it, Australia have been in the market for a leftie for a while now so he's been looked at closely.

When he was at the Academy, I watched him (with his back in plaster recovering from stress fractures) bowl off a two-step run-up for a few deliveries and was stunned as the speed-gun reached 138km/h. I couldn't believe it. So he bowled another one; 139km/h. Unbelievable.

Make no mistake, Mitch Johnson is super quick. Quicker than Brett Lee was at the same age. He hoops the ball around quite a bit too so he could potentially be a brilliant bowler.

 

[age_master]

When he was at the Academy, I watched him (with his back in plaster recovering from stress fractures) bowl off a two-step run-up for a few deliveries and was stunned as the speed-gun reached 138km/h. I couldn't believe it. So he bowled another one; 139km/h. Unbelievable.

Make no mistake, Mitch Johnson is super quick. Quicker than Brett Lee was at the same age. He hoops the ball around quite a bit too so he could potentially be a brilliant bowler.

yeah he has a super quick arm action though - i would assume thats why he bowls so fast off 2 steps, still, a very fast left arm bowler is always difficalt for right handed batsmen to play. hes also very young - definatley a player to watch provided his back holds up and he can get some consistancy.

 

[iamdavid]

I'd rate Paulie as a high chance of an Aussie A spot but he needs a bit more variation than movement off the seam to play higher (and I've told him this in person).

Are you in some sort of position within the SACA or do you just play grade in Adelaide?

 

[Craig]

What is Johnson's seam position like? That is an important aspect.

 

[iamdavid]

What is Johnson's seam position like? That is an important aspect.

I've only seen him bowl twice . however on those 2 occasions it looked very good , he swings it both ways which in my opinion is what sets the real pace bowling prospects apart from the pretenders.

 

[Top_Cat]

Are you in some sort of position within the SACA or do you just play grade in Adelaide?

Used to play grade cricket but keep in contact with a few friends.

What is Johnson's seam position like? That is an important aspect.

Well he does get an awful lot of late swing so it can't be too bad.

 

[iamdavid]

Used to play grade cricket but keep in contact with a few friends..

According to you're profile you're only 24 & Ive heard you say you used to play for South Australia under age teams , why did you quite so young??

 

[Rik]

According to you're profile you're only 24 & Ive heard you say you used to play for South Australia under age teams , why did you quite so young??

A long story told many times.

I'm sure T_C won't mind just this once though

 

[Top_Cat]

A long story told many times.

I'm sure T_C won't mind just this once though

According to you're profile you're only 24 & Ive heard you say you used to play for South Australia under age teams , why did you quite so young??

I played for SA U/19's when I was 16 as an opening bowler in the tournament in Melbourne. I came second in the bowling for the tournament (missed out by two wickets, beaten by the guy who played in the final I missed due to injury; another long story ) and I missed out on making the U/19's Aussie squad. I was sad, bitter and ****ed-off when I came back to play grade cricket. I had a horrendous attitude, let everyone know within earshot that the selectors were a bunch of [insert expletive of the month here] and it meant that I clashed with every coach I played under after the tournament. I saw I had annoyed just about everyone with any clout so I quit and went to Uni on a science scholarship and here I am, Intel Analyst for SA Police. That's the short version, anyway.

Unfortunately my skills have gone the way of all things because I haven't played serious cricket for years (I'm 24 and quit at 17). I can still bowl relatively accurately but my pace is down. You need years of development and conditioning to reach decent speeds and I obviously haven't been doing that. I was clocked at 138km/h at 15 but I'd struggle to get anywhere near that anymore, not without some serious work anyway. Uni food got the better of me too; I'm a little pudgier than I used to be!

I can tell you, I'm much happier now than I was a teen so I don't mind that I'm not playing serious cricket anymore. Anger was what sustained me as a cricketer (tough childhood; ANOTHER loooooooong story!) and I have no desire to revisit that. So instead, I'm just an armchair critic.

I still play indoor cricket occasionally but haven't played a full season of outdoor for a while. Too scared to see how much I've declined, I guess!

 

[Rik]

That was shorter than I remember T_C

 

[Top_Cat]

As I said, it's the 'short' version. Hey if you want the no-holds-barred, no-punches-pulled version, I can oblige. Just give me a couple of days and I'll turn it into an article or something entitled "Why Top_Cat is a Cricketing Has-Been" or a 'never was', really.

 

[gibbsnsmith]

138kmph as a 15yr.

f****** hell, thats around 86/87 mph, there must be a mistake, the fasetes u-16 ive even heard of bowlas at 80mph, MAX!

 

[Top_Cat]

f****** hell, thats around 86/87 mph, there must be a mistake, the fasetes u-16 ive even heard of bowlas at 80mph, MAX!

1) I was pretty mature physically for a 15-year-old. I have an unusual ability to build muscle too (apparently). My body type, according to a couple of doctors is that of an 'extreme endoplast' meaning I put on muscle REALLY easily but fat just as easily, hence why, without exercise for the last few years, I've put on a bit of weight.

2) I suspect the gun may have been a little off too but I was averaging around 128-130km/h so maybe I just bowled a freak ball where all the muscles in my body were in synch. Either way, that's what it said on the speedgun so I'll take it!

 

[iamdavid]

138kmph as a 15yr.

f****** hell, thats around 86/87 mph, there must be a mistake, the fasetes u-16 ive even heard of bowlas at 80mph, MAX!

I turned 15 last month & I got clocked at 125kph at the AIS , I open the bowling for ACT U15's.

 

[Craig]

Anyone see Michael Dighton bat today for Tasmania? He is the sort of batsman i like to watch. Good technique, a nice range of shots and has the ability to stay in.

And unlike Adam Gilchrist and Matt Hayden, when he hits the ball, it flyso f the bat, so he has a good bat and a good timer of the ball. When Hayden and Gilchrist hits the ball is because their bats are like clubs and so when they swing it goes like a rocket.

Dighton plays and hits the ball how I like to see a batsman bat.

Very impressive.

 

[age_master]

I turned 15 last month & I got clocked at 125kph at the AIS , I open the bowling for ACT U15's.

there are number of bowlers in NSW that can bowl about that speed, though from what ive seen of them they all like the short ball abit much

 

[iamdavid]

Hasnt Brad Hodhe started the season nicley , two great hundreds against good attacks , he's probably next in line for a call up to the ODI squad , although Katich might push him the way he's playing at the moment.

I reckon they'll call up Stuart Clark or possibly Griffith if Kaspa has to come home.