The great paper innings

[the big bambino]

Obviously not going to agree. Hussey's form was toilet for a long time before that game; even the series iirc. He should have been dragged alot earlier so it wasn't just a choice of Macca or Hussey. But your point about Hughes underscores the favour done for Hussey. Hughes was dropped at the 1st opportunity. Someone had to replace him. I would have kept him in the middle order and benched Hussey.

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Also I would like to give a big shout out to Stuey Broad's 169 at Lords vs Pakistan in "that" Test. Never done anything like it before or since. Sure he batted well, but I would put it down to part fluke, and partly something fishy going on. Of course it did get overshadowed by all the kerfuffle that followed, so I suppose it was controversial in that sense.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Which would've been silly, because for all Hussey poor form in the series up until that point Hughes was a ****ing embarrassment.

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Geez has this guy got an axe to grind on Mr Cricket or what..

Wonder what the score woulda looked like in the next Ashes if they hadda binned him like you wanted

 

[the big bambino]

Well who knows? Atleast the new guy would have had a few years to settle. Btw it was Hussey's form that was the embarrasment and I just don't get the contradiction of dropping Hughes lickety split but propping a comatosed Hussey in the side for so long.

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Yeah Hughes has been mismanaged and remodelled so badly the monty python gang woulda got more out of him. Kid had gun talent that's for sure.

 

[Jono]

Bambino, did you feel this way about Hussey (or at least as strongly) prior to his retirement? Genuinely curious as to whether his retirement has particularly pissed your off or you always felt this way about him and his retirement was just further proof to back up your belief.

 

[the big bambino]

Perhaps I should blame the selectors. Its unusual an out of form player is given such licence. Its clear Hussey is a talent with ability to play bowling short and full. But if it aint working drop him. The idea is to wound his pride. Would we have suffered in the short term? No more than continually underperforming Hussey. But we may have got a good replacement and a fired up Hussey with the love of sweet jesus in his pretty blue eyes kicking the door down with shield runs.

There was plenty wrong with Ponting's captaincy. Funnily enough one of his virtues, loyalty, being one of them. I'm guessing Hussey had a powerful friend in the team as well as on the panel. That's the cause of my anger I guess. It seems to me the individual was more important than the team. Worse still his retention was said to be good for the team. I just think that's a lie or, if genuinely believed, deluded.

Looking at it as rationally as I can I guess I'm being ott cricticising his character. Unfair of me. Though I still don't like the way he handled his retirement. Maybe its just the circumstances surrounding his selection and the concommitant misplacing of priorities that I find hard to square.

 

[Jono]

Definitely don't think its wrong to be pissed at the way he retired. But I really don't see Hussey being kept on is even in the top 10 ****test things Australian selectors have done in the last 5 years.

 

[the big bambino]

I agree there's alot to be pissed about.

 

[Adders]

All this focus on Hussey being carried makes no sense to me when at the same time you had a much worse performing batsmen in Ricky Ponting who was carried in the team far longer than Hussey.

Hussey had 2 poor years and repaid the selectors faith in him with 4 very good ones right up to his retirement. Ricky Ponting lost his mojo in 2007, had a passable 2008 (albeit by his lofty standards) and was pretty bloody crap from then till the end.

So that's 1 reasonable year in his last 6........so why the focus on Hussey???

Fact is if there were any batsmen banging down the door for selection both could have been dropped during these times, but there was and is no one screaming to be selected.

I'd even go as far to say if I were an Australian selector and if either Hussey or Ponting made themselves available for this Ashes I'd still pick the pair of them.

 

[social]

Bob Simpson's 311

4th Test: England v Australia at Manchester, Jul 23-28, 1964 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

Batted more than 2 days at a strike rate of 42 on a pitch so flat that the opposition replied with 600+ of their own in a match that contained little more than 2 innings

 

[sledger]

Wrong.

 

[the big bambino]

You realise this...

All this focus on Hussey being carried makes no sense to me when at the same time you had a much worse performing batsmen in Ricky Ponting who was carried in the team far longer than Hussey.

Hussey had 2 poor years and repaid the selectors faith in him with 4 very good ones right up to his retirement. Ricky Ponting lost his mojo in 2007, had a passable 2008 (albeit by his lofty standards) and was pretty bloody crap from then till the end.

So that's 1 reasonable year in his last 6........so why the focus on Hussey???

Fact is if there were any batsmen banging down the door for selection both could have been dropped during these times, but there was and is no one screaming to be selected.

...is contradicted by this:

I'd even go as far to say if I were an Australian selector and if either Hussey or Ponting made themselves available for this Ashes I'd still pick the pair of them.

Don't you?

 

[Adders]

You realise this...



...is contradicted by this:



Don't you?

How am I contradicting myself?? Did you miss this.....

Fact is if there were any batsmen banging down the door for selection both could have been dropped during these times, but there was and is no one screaming to be selected.

I didn't say once that either of them should have been dropped. I said that Hussey could have over a 2 year period and Punter could have over a much longer time.

But they weren't and I don't think they should have been, because what is the point of dropping them when there is no candidates putting their hands up as better replacements??

Sad state of affairs the Australian batting stocks because Hussey and Ponting are the 2nd and 3rd best batsmen in the country.

 

[uvelocity]

and one day the poms might produce one as good. doubt it though

 

[Adders]

and one day the poms might produce one as good. doubt it though

As both of them?? Cook will smash Husseys test record and could very well go past Punters 13K. Whether that will make him a better batsmen or not is a conversation we'll have to have when he's done.

And according to Chappell the Aussies will probably never see their like again either.

 

[NUFAN]

Ordinari Post Tijdender

368 years and still going strong.

 

[the big bambino]

How am I contradicting myself?? Did you miss this.....



I didn't say once that either of them should have been dropped. I said that Hussey could have over a 2 year period and Punter could have over a much longer time.

But they weren't and I don't think they should have been, because what is the point of dropping them when there is no candidates putting their hands up as better replacements??

Sad state of affairs the Australian batting stocks because Hussey and Ponting are the 2nd and 3rd best batsmen in the country.

You said that Ponting was crap for 6 years but you'd still pick him. Who would you drop for him when you know that his reflexes are completely shot for test cricket?

 

[Adders]

You said that Ponting was crap for 6 years but you'd still pick him.

Well you still have to put 11 players on the park, whether he was crap or not is irrelevant if he was the best you had available. I think his subsequent Shield season showed that whilst he might have been struggling in tests he was still in front of anyone else in the wings.

Anyway, the point of my post was to see why you were ****canning Hussey so hard when it is obvious that Ponting was in a far more tenuous position at that time??