ING Cup

[Craig]

To me Nash looks like a poor man's Merv Hughes when you look at him and if he ever intends on playing for Australia (he probably wont), then he would need to lose some weight.

Do anybody agree with the choice to open with Simon Katich?

 

[deeps]

exactly spot on top cat! they say their going 2 blood younger players for the future...but they can do that now...or later,it doesn't make a difference...if we do it later,the player will b more mature and stuff...later,he's slowly learn...

and neways...fine,they dropped swaugh for youth...and who did they bring in? Lehmann,whose almost as old as swaugh...lehmann is almost 33ish... That really ****es me of! if they'd brought in michael clarke (that boy has talenT and class!) i wouldn't b so annoyed

And symonds is no where near the batsman swaugh is...yet symonds seems to b the teams no5 now...that's ludicrous for anyone to believe that symonds is a better bat than swaugh... if ne1 thinks that,they need 2 take a seriously good look at them selves

 

[Richard]

Stewart, Gough, Caddick for another 3 years?

Infact, bring back Curtly for WIndies, id love to see him bowl again

At the time Stewie and Curtley retired, I don't doubt both would have been easily good enough to carry on. Curtley probably wouldn't be that good now (I imagine he's having a thoroughly well-deserved break from the fitness levels needed) and Stewie soon won't be, but Goughie chucked it in early for me. If he'd been brought back two Tests later he'd be on these winter tours, I haven't a doubt about that.
However, the simple fact of the matter is Curtley, Stewie and Goughie all chose to pack it in. You just can't argue with that.
For me Caddick's action means he's got a good two years at least in him if his fitness holds-up. And a year out can help extend your career - it refreshes you, it gives you more relish of what you've been missing, and it makes you realise the truth of the "long time retired" cliche.

 

[Richard]

Who cares if he's still doing the job? And when he finally DOES retire, who's to say that the generation which is around at that point won't be any good?

I know people go on about how players such as Hussey, etc. 'deserve' a chance by virtue of the fact that they haven't played any Tests but 'should have' but if the player who got there first is doing the job, well that's bad luck.

By playing on, considering he's still scoring runs, Steve Waugh isn't holding anyone back. If Steve Waugh was continually failing, the team was losing because of him or he was half the player he was etc., then you could make a convincing argument that he was holding the youngsters back. As I see it, Steve Waugh is batting as good as he ever did and his best has always been world-class, up there with the best of all time.

So instead of thinking of reasons to promote a young player in his place, try thinking of a reason to drop him. I can't think of one. He's batting well, fielding well, the team is winning and from what I've seen, he hasn't lost his tactical edge. Would he stay in the side as a batsman if Ponting was given the captaincy? On form, absolutely.

Couldn't agree more. You simply cannot justify dropping someone who is doing his job.
Even if Stephen Waugh was only 4\5ths of the batsman he once was, he'd still be as good as most going round ATM. As it is, his average has been massive recently (opposition bowling was popgun, pitches were flat but you simply can't argue with Test runs). The idea of dropping him is quite ludicrous.
Exactly the same applied to Stewart. Sadly, he was hounded-out by Press. Goughie hit the nail on the head when he said "once the Press gets a bee in it's bonnet about you it's almost impossible to get them off your back".
While Aussie media are some of the most one-eyed fools I've ever seen sometimes, at least they don't have quite such a fixation with youth as ours do, perhaps because Australia's success is more consistent than ours.
What percentage, reckons the Aussies of the panel, support Stephen Waugh?

 

[Richard]

fine,they dropped swaugh for youth...and who did they bring in? Lehmann,whose almost as old as swaugh...lehmann is almost 33ish... That really ****es me of! if they'd brought in michael clarke (that boy has talenT and class!) i wouldn't b so annoyed

D'you mean they dropped Mark Waugh for youth and brought in Lehmann?
Or that they brought in Lehmann for the ODIs in South Africa? If so, Clarke's got in eventually and he's done pretty well (sady with ball on the most recent occasion, as well as bat).

 

[marc71178]

He could probably make the england team as a batsman...but then again..so could glenn mcgrath :P

:rolleyes: And you expect anyone to take your opinions seriously when you say things like that?

 

[Rik]

Slater has never been a 1day player and IMO shouldn't be in the NSW 1day squad.

Due to his style of play he's allways looked like someone who should have excelled, but for some reason never has in OD cricket. Odd but true.

 

[Rik]

he could probably make the england team as a batsman...but then again..so could glenn mcgrath :P

So by your recconing Michael Clarke and Darren Lehmann would be our spin attack and Steve Waugh, Damien Martyn and Matthew Hayden would be our seamers?

 

[Mr. P]

Maybe not Waugh, Hayden and Martyn, but Clarke and Lehmann are as good as any of your spinners.

 

[age_master]

Slats is a champ yes he should be in the OD squad,


depending on how clarke plays this season in the pura cup he may be selected when steve waugh retires, Katich, Hussey and Love would probably be the other candidates, lehmann if he comes back. thats apparently going to be after we tour india but who knows these days.


The NSW OD opening combo seems to be working well at the moment, not too explosive but solid, Thornley is a good player, pretty good technique and a pretty cool head, Katich when he gets going really scores fast, even if he is sometimes a little slow early. and hes in terrific form at the moment, some of the shots he is playing are amazing.

 

[deeps]

haha,clarke and lehmann are heaps better spin bowlers than giles!!! steve waugh was a damn good bowler in his younger days! and the part bout mcgrath being picked as a batsman in the england team... IT WAS A JOKE!!! a lil 'jab' at the english supporters!

Q: What would Glenn Mcgrath be if he was English?

A: An all-rounder!

no more said

 

[Craig]

One of the most stupidest things I have read on his forum.

 

[Gaijin-san]

Yeah Rik, just because we can breed batsmen here whose batting far outweighs their bowling, doesn't make their bowling crap (or English). Garry Sobers was probably not as recognized for his bowling as he should have been, but DAMN he was fine.

 

[marc71178]

Maybe not Waugh, Hayden and Martyn, but Clarke and Lehmann are as good as any of your spinners.

As Lehmann proves by his excellent record in CC, and Clarke shows by bowling so many overs in his career.

For crying out loud, they are good batsmen, and can fill in a few overs, but they are not as good as some seem to make out.

 

[Top_Cat]

Yeah Rik, just because we can breed batsmen here whose batting far outweighs their bowling, doesn't make their bowling crap (or English).

Or their bowling any good either......

For crying out loud, both Lehmann and Clarke bowl nudes (nothing on them) and will NEVER be front-line bowlers or even reliable part-timers without a lot of work. Boof says so himself (well, he did at the pub one night until he got drunk and was the greatest left-arm spinner Australia has produced) and is just enjoying all the success while he can as an unexpected bonus of being in the top side.

 

[Gaijin-san]

Who was arguing they'd be frontline/strike bowlers? I wasn't.

 

[Mr. P]

As Lehmann proves by his excellent record in CC, and Clarke shows by bowling so many overs in his career.

For crying out loud, they are good batsmen, and can fill in a few overs, but they are not as good as some seem to make out.

Yeah well, your spinners are tailenders who fill in lots of overs with just as much success.

 

[Gaijin-san]

Who was the last truly great English spinner? I mean world class.

I can't think of any in recent years (decades?). Compared to your spinners our part time tweakers are next to Godly.

At least ours can bat! :P

Although, compared with our own frontline spinners, you English are right. They aren't that great. But keep in mind you don't need to be world class to be a competent allrounder.

 

[age_master]

Who was the last truly great English spinner? I mean world class.

Jim Laker?

 

[Neil Pickup]

Derek Underwood?