Australia announce bowling-heavy squad for India

[Choora]

After having a good look at the squad i can say that Aus simply doesn't have the bowlers to trouble Indian batters in India (the exception is McGrath, but is he still that good enough?)

Thats another thing that Indian batsmen are struggling atm, but hopefully they will be right at top when the series starts in India.

As for Harbhajan,he's still deadly, beware Aussies!!

BTW, whoever selected the spinners for Aus team did a wonderful job

 

[tooextracool]

After having a good look at the squad i can say that Aus simply doesn't have the bowlers to trouble Indian batters in India (the exception is McGrath, but is he still that good enough?)

even though i probably disagree with this, seriously did you only realise that after they selected the squad? i mean were you expecting something different?

 

[anzac]

IMO the key for this series is going to be how the AUS batsmen face the IND spin - that's why I like this squad because they are heavy on batsmen who play spin well.................I think they have learnt some lessons from last time in this regard.............

the AUS bowling will still be spearheaded by their pacemen - but this time there are plenty of back up options available in the potential starting lineups to be able to keep the pacemen fresh or to tie up an end for some time etc.........

in short this squad blunts the IND strength without taking too much away from their own strengths.............

 

[age_master]

Australia are probably heavy favourites but I'm supporting the underdogs India in this series

lol i would hardly call australia heavy dfavourites, this is hardly the ashes, India in India is about the 2nd toughest assignment in World cricket atm...

 

[marc71178]

And what would you say is the hardest?

 

[Linda]

Could be something to do with Australia in Australia Marc...

 

[JASON]

'I'm a better option', says MacGill

Wisden Cricinfo staff

September 10, 2004





MacGill is distraught about missing the Indian challenge © Getty Images



Stuart MacGill, rated by most as Australia's second-best slow bowler, has expressed his dismay at missing out on the tour of India next month. The selectors' decision to accommodate Cameron White, a legspinning allrounder, and Nathan Hauritz, the Queensland offspinner who had a horrendous domestic season, may also have spelt the end of MacGill's Test career, which has realised 152 wickets from just 32 Tests.
"I think I'm the untested option in India," said MacGill, quoted in the Herald Sun newspaper. "It will remain as one of the biggest regrets in my career that I have not played a Test there. I'm a valid option and I'm disappointed I haven't been given the opportunity.

"At this point in time I believe I'm a better onfield option than anyone outside Shane Warne. That's not a personal comment, it's a professional comment because both Nathan Hauritz and Cam [White] are friends of mine. I'm really happy for them and I have big hopes for both of them. But whether I think it's right or wrong doesn't matter. Selectors make the calls and Australian cricket has been so strong for so many years, who am I to argue?"

Hauritz had a wretched Pura Cup season, with his 16 wickets costing 64 apiece, and he was as surprised as anyone over his call-up. "I just couldn't fathom it; I was just dumbfounded to think I was part of the squad," he said. "My goal was to play Test cricket at about 25 or 26."


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I feel Macgill has been hard done by the selectors. As he himself has said, he has never played in India and may have done OK. (Unfortunately comparison with Warne would always show Macgill in a poorer light and thus IMO he has suffered unfairly because of people trying to compare the two).As he says IMO he has been the second best option after Warne and therefore should have been considered thus ahead of the others. 152 wickets from 32 Tests is not bad at all. Infact that's nearly 5 wickets a Test.

But may be there may be room for Macgill to get back to India after the first two tests as the last paragraph of this Cricinfo news item suggests.

There remain seeds of doubt, however, as evidenced by the decision to review the composition of the squad after the second Test of the four-match series.

 

[age_master]

Could be something to do with Australia in Australia Marc...

bingo

 

[aussie_beater]

I would say Australia's best bet would be to play 3 quicks in the form of McGrath,Gillespie and Kasprowicz and 1 spinner in Warne. This combination almost won them the series last time around and so I don't think anything has changed siginificantly, not to give these blokes another shot at it. And the part timers can be Lehmann, Katich/Clarke(prefer Clarke because of his batting abilities against slow bowling, but Katich has test match experience on his side and is good too).

As Ponting said today/yesterday, that the key to the whole series for Australia is scoring a lot of runs and the batsman spending time in the middle instead of doing the Aussie slam bang style cricket.Then the bowlers have a chance of having a go at the Indian lineup.

All in all, this will be one hell of a series, unless Tendulkar's tennis elbow plays spoilsport. That would be plain disaster for India psychologically and I can't see India defending the Border-Gavaskar trophy without him.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Harbhajan singh is not the same bowler he was in 2001.

I reckon he's bowling better than he did in 2001.

 

[biased indian]

dont compare how Harbhajan bowled in the ODI's to how he should bowl in tests.England dealt with him ok when they got into the frame of mind that they didnt have to score much off him

i know people like u and marc will jump on me comparing his performance in ODI. thats y i put those things in ()

and when was the last time ENG did try to score much off him

 

[marc71178]

and when was the last time ENG did try to score much off him

In Odi's, prior to those 2 games, his previous 4 games against England had yielded 0-185.

And I seem to recall a Test at nottingham - 45-3-175-3...

 

[Tom Halsey]

In Odi's, prior to those 2 games, his previous 4 games against England had yielded 0-185.

And I seem to recall a Test at nottingham - 45-3-175-3...

To be fair though, since his spinning finger operation he appears to be a new bowler. He may have been not great in the past, but I can see him being a great, if he carries on the way he is ATM.

 

[Swervy]

i know people like u and marc will jump on me comparing his performance in ODI. thats y i put those things in ()

yeah you put control and loop in brackets...and???

his line in those ODI's was a much more defensive one than what should be bowled in tests. He bowled really well, but it would take more than that in a test to really trouble a team that wasnt trying to score 4 an over...England werent in that second one dayer, they were trying to not get out..and Flintoff (who isnt the best payer of spin) and Collingwood really didnt have any problems with playing Harbhajan,he never really looked like getting them out.

But thats ODI's, and so really cant comment on tests judging by ODI performances

 

[honestbharani]

In Odi's, prior to those 2 games, his previous 4 games against England had yielded 0-185.

And I seem to recall a Test at nottingham - 45-3-175-3...

And I seem to recall an ODI at Mumbai - 5/45 for Bhajji, I think.

 

[marc71178]

He was asking when England did try to score runs of him though

 

[biased indian]

In Odi's, prior to those 2 games, his previous 4 games against England had yielded 0-185.

And I seem to recall a Test at nottingham - 45-3-175-3...

assuming that he bowled 40 overs in those four games i dont think that is a bad return at 4.3 runs per over i will have those figures for any game.

pls recall some thing in india since the series going to be played in INDIA and not in England or Australia

 

[telsor]

All in all, this will be one hell of a series, unless Tendulkar's tennis elbow plays spoilsport. That would be plain disaster for India psychologically and I can't see India defending the Border-Gavaskar trophy without him.

And yet whenever any Aussie mentions how during the Indian tour of Aus, Warne and McGrath were both missing, we're either shouted down, ignored or told that it had no effect.

I agree with your point, just observing the inconsistancy.

 

[biased indian]

And yet whenever any Aussie mentions how during the Indian tour of Aus, Warne and McGrath were both missing, we're either shouted down, ignored or told that it had no effect.

I agree with your point, just observing the inconsistancy.

Missing McGrath was a big blow for the Aus and gain for india

but the team who missed warne will be india more than Aus

 

[telsor]

Missing McGrath was a big blow for the Aus and gain for india

but the team who missed warne will be india more than Aus

I find it hard to believe you think MacGill is better than Warne when even MacGill says he's not.