Michael Clarke's captaincy

[Spark]

How will you prove that?

The ball that got Dilshan out was angled across him, outside off stump and short-of-a-length but not half-tracker short.

The balls that got pulled again and again were middle-leg and half-tracker length.

Now tell me which one is the better ball

(I cannot believe I'm having to explain this)

 

[Matt79]

Half trackers from bowlers bowling at well over 140 clicks and plenty of Test match experience and well know for their aggressiveness.

Did you ever happen to think that those might be good balls?

No, never thought that at all really. Most of them were offline and too short. I think the short ball is an under-used tactic in ODIs precisely because it gives the batsman something to think about besides picking up good length balls, but you have to execute it just right. If it's wide either to the off or to the leg, and/or too short, it's going to go the journey. It would be poor batsmanship not to hit that for four. Mathews is an international top order player - when he's set and playing well, the fact a bouncer is at 140kph shouldn't make it in anyway unplayable for him.

 

[Prince EWS]

Half trackers from bowlers bowling at well over 140 clicks and plenty of Test match experience and well know for their aggressiveness.

Did you ever happen to think that those might be good balls?

Okay, test them out with the short ball a couple of times. After Mathews showed everyone he could probably pull a low flying aircraft for four though they should've stopped doing that, and they just fed it to him constantly.

 

[GotSpin]

How will you prove that?

I can't...this is fairly subjective. Think it was a bit fuller than the other crap. Still think he bowled piss paul almost the entire match

 

[TumTum]

The ball that got Dilshan out was angled across him, outside off stump and short-of-a-length but not half-tracker short.

The balls that got pulled again and again were middle-leg and half-tracker length.

Now tell me which one is the better ball

(I cannot believe I'm having to explain this)

They are both practically the same Yeah sure you can get into the smaller details but at the end of the day a short ball is a short ball and a good enough batsmen can pull from any way it was directed.

Okay, test them out with the short ball a couple of times. After Mathews showed everyone he could probably pull a low flying aircraft for four though they should've stopped doing that, and they just fed it to him constantly.

He was hitting almost everything tbh.

No, never thought that at all really. Most of them were offline and too short. I think the short ball is an under-used tactic in ODIs precisely because it gives the batsman something to think about besides picking up good length balls, but you have to execute it just right. If it's wide either to the off or to the leg, and/or too short, it's going to go the journey. It would be poor batsmanship not to hit that for four. Mathews is an international top order player - when he's set and playing well, the fact a bouncer is at 140kph shouldn't make it in anyway unplayable for him.

No, but what would you have suggested Siddle and Johnson to bowl? Good length balls? They were all traveling.

Anyways you are all missing the point, none of this would have taken place if Clarke had placed men saving the single all around the circle.

 

[TumTum]

I can't...this is fairly subjective. Think it was a bit fuller than the other crap. Still think he bowled piss paul almost the entire match

Agree. My point being that good batting resulted in those boundaries, not bad bowling, Bowling was the same the entire match.

But the reason for the good batting was piss poor pressure applied by Clarke, as if he was expecting SL to surrender their wickets rather than taking them himself.

 

[Spark]

it was a ****ing powerplay! where were the singles that were supposedly on offer?

 

[GotSpin]

Agree. My point being that good batting resulted in those boundaries, not bad bowling, Bowling was the same the entire match.

But the reason for the good batting was piss poor pressure applied by Clarke, as if he was expecting SL to surrender their wickets rather than taking them himself.

Clarke put up all the fielders during the batting PP and look what happened. Total carnage, and by the time it was over, the lankan batsmen were set

 

[Matt79]

No, but what would you have suggested Siddle and Johnson to bowl? Good length balls? They were all traveling.

Watson got driven for four once I think, and otherwise seemed to manage to avoid getting smashed too badly (relatively) by bowling generally sensibly.

 

[TumTum]

it was a ****ing powerplay! where were the singles that were supposedly on offer?

Aerial shots in-between the minimum amount of fielders that Clarke had placed.

Had there been more people saving the single, they would have been dismissed.

Also they were pretty **** house at running.

 

[Spark]

Watson got driven for four once I think, and otherwise seemed to manage to avoid getting smashed too badly (relatively) by bowling generally sensibly.

Watson bowled well but he didn't look like getting a wicket at all. By then the RRR was about 3 or less, so...

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Doing himself out of the test job which may please some of the Aussies.

Can't see who they give it too though out of the current side,probably have to be Katich unless they do something daft and bring in a player who isn't in the side and make him captain but that is something only Pakistan and NZ do.

 

[GotSpin]

Doing himself out of the test job which may please some of the Aussies.

Can't see who they give it too though out of the current side,probably have to be Katich unless they do something daft and bring in a player who isn't in the side and make him captain but that is something only Pakistan and NZ do.

Katich is king.

 

[Prince EWS]

Katich is king.

Haddin's a better captain than Clarke as well. What I've seen of Clarke's captaincy hasn't been terrible though; just a bit inexperienced.

 

[Spark]

Haddin's a better captain than Clarke as well.

Not seen him. What's he like?

 

[Son Of Coco]

No, but what would you have suggested Siddle and Johnson to bowl? Good length balls? They were all traveling.

You bowl a length that is most likely to trouble the batsmen as a rule. Short generally doesn't fit that description, especially if you've already seen others do the same and get hammered. Don't think the Aussies necessarily deliberately bowled short all the time though. Was probably a bit of pressure involved.

Reckon you've more chance on a good length of picking up a wicket than you have just bowling short. At least that way, if the batsmen go the smash and get away with it, they'll of either had to have played some very decent shots and/or got lucky.

Sometimes think taking slip out in this situation makes it harder to bowl too. Makes the bowlers bowl straighter, which is generally in the slot for guys going for runs. Guess if you take him out and put him on the off-side though there's no excuse.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Matthews and Malinga knew they were getting at least one bouncer an over. It wasn't smart bowling, especially when they were set.

 

[Spark]

There were two slips through most of the PP.

It should've been clear from the first ball of the PP which was a wide that Johnson had basically no control.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Haddin's a better captain than Clarke as well. What I've seen of Clarke's captaincy hasn't been terrible though; just a bit inexperienced.

Might be inexperience but will they allow him to take the top job given he has had so many defeats.

They may think a fresh face may be better as it will give the side the kick in the wotsits it probably needs.

 

[vic_orthdox]

And I think TumTum has a point here, but he's dancing all around it. In general, Australia didn't use enough slower balls, bowled three lengths for too long (fair enough to focus on it at the start, but once it wasn't working then they had to go back to bowling line and length) and should have brought up certain fielders to get Malinga to slog, but then bowled at those lengths consistently.

For example, bringing up the deep cover (square of the cover inside of the circle), and asked him to hit inside out, off a short of a length delivery or maybe slightly fuller. And then maintain it, with the odd slower ball if he does want to slog it. Or maintain the same plan with either long-on or long-off inside the circle, give him an area where there are singles and make him hit to a certain area for boundaries.