*Official* Second Test at the Adelaide Oval

[LongHopCassidy]

He might go back to WA, take another 5-fer, score another ton, and that would arguably prove absolutely nothing.

Except that he's Graeme Hick.

 

[four_or_six]

Don't see the benefit in Johnson playing for WA. Would rather him stay around the team as 12th man or have a break from cricket all together for a week.

He's not really benefited when he's had a break before, though.

 

[Ruckus]

I don't get all this stuff about our tail being much weaker if Bollinger and Harris come in. Imo Harris is basically equivalent to Johnson in batting (probably better considering Johnson's abysmal form of late). So that basically means the difference comes down to Bollinger's vs Hilf's batting - which is pretty much negligible in the context of a entire match.

 

[Prince EWS]

I don't get all this stuff about our tail being much weaker if Bollinger and Harris come in. Imo Harris is basically equivalent to Johnson in batting (probably better considering Johnson's abysmal form of late). So that basically means the difference comes down to Bollinger's vs Hilf's batting - which is pretty much negligible in the context of a entire match.

Nah, people were saying that the tail would be weaker if Bollinger came in for Johnson and Harris didn't come in.

 

[Son Of Coco]

He's not really benefited when he's had a break before, though.

I'd have him play for WA personally. If he wants a break, then I'd also have him play at least 1 state game before he is a chance of being reselected.

If he sits out the state game and then is selected for the next test you'd have to wonder what the point of it all was.

 

[Ruckus]

Nah, people were saying that the tail would be weaker if Bollinger came in for Johnson and Harris didn't come in.

I wasn't referring to to any of the posts in here, just mentions of it in various articles etc. E.g. on Michael Vaughan's twitter:

"Johnson Axed by the Aussies... Expected.. Tail starts at 8 now.. Doug and Harris look like playing".

 

[Prince EWS]

I wasn't referring to to any of the posts in here, just mentions of it in various articles etc. E.g. on Michael Vaughan's twitter:

"Johnson Axed by the Aussies... Expected.. Tail starts at 8 now.. Doug and Harris look like playing".

People who don't follow Shield cricket don't know Harris can bat. This is not a surprise.

 

[Ruckus]

People who don't follow Shield cricket don't know Harris can bat. This is not a surprise.

I think it's more that people think Johnson is a lot better batsmen than he is. He might have some potential, but really atm he is just a handy tailender.

 

[BoyBrumby]

People who don't follow Shield cricket don't know Harris can bat. This is not a surprise.

It's worse than that, tbh. Harris had his abortive spell at Sussex thanks to his GB passport (played one FC game v the MCC IIRC) and he was widely trailed as "the all-rounder Ryan Harris".

Find it mildly irksome when one's better informed than these wastrels who're paid for their opinions.

 

[Redbacks]

I think it's more that people think Johnson is a lot better batsmen than he is. He might have some potential, but really atm he is just a handy tailender.

He's a lot better than harris for sure.

 

[Uppercut]

Have to say, should Hilf get the nod, a lower order of Doherty-Siddle-Hilfenhaus-Bollinger is the longest tail I've seen an Aussie test side have for quite some time.

Not seen a lot of Doherty's batting, but his FC record suggests a competent 9 or 10 at best.

Yeah, but the difference is only really on paper because their tail hasn't been making any runs anyway.

Harris looks likely to start in place of Hilf, which I think is the right decision.

 

[Midwinter]

Who cares how long the tail is !!

It's starting to sound like England in the 90's

Want bowlers who can take 20 wickets, and 6 batsman who can make the runs to win the game.

if the top 6 can't make the runs, the bottom five won't.

 

[GotSpin]

Some good decisions finally getting made about the bowling. Also pretty obvious why Merv was a horrible selector. Who cares if Johnson's confidence gets dented if he's bowling rubbish anyway.

 

[zaremba]

Who cares how long the tail is !!

It's starting to sound like England in the 90's

Want bowlers who can take 20 wickets, and 6 batsman who can make the runs to win the game.

if the top 6 can't make the runs, the bottom five won't.

Miles wide of the mark.

Runs are important whoever scores them, and runs from numbers 7-11 can frequently have an enormous impact on the course of a match.

If you have a crap tail (if you're talking about England in the 90s, think Caddick, Malcolm, Tufnell, Mullally) then when you lose your 6th wicket you're basically sunk. That becomes a big point of weakness for your team.

 

[zaremba]

Good call by the Oz selectors dumping Mitch, he was a complete liability to his team and Adelaide doesn't strike me as the best pitch for a struggling fast bowler to try to rehabilitate himself. They can always recall him at Perth on a "horses for courses" pretext if they need to.

Not sure what the news is on Hilf. Good bowler, and pretty reliable, and I'd be surprised if they dropped 2 of their bowlers after one Test (having jettisoned their first choice spinner before the first Test, and with their new spinner looking as though his days are numbered as well).

 

[Howe_zat]

It sounds like Hilf is struggling for fitness, so he likely won't play either.

 

[Uppercut]

Not sure what the news is on Hilf. Good bowler, and pretty reliable, and I'd be surprised if they dropped 2 of their bowlers after one Test (having jettisoned their first choice spinner before the first Test, and with their new spinner looking as though his days are numbered as well).

Have you seen much of Harris and Bollinger bowl?

 

[four_or_six]

The bowlers Australia used in India:

Johnson
Hauritz
Hilfenhaus
Bollinger
George

If Hilfenhaus goes, in the space of just a couple of tests Australia will have dropped the entire attack, and Bollinger will even have found the time to come back in. Incredible stuff!

 

[zaremba]

Have you seen much of Harris and Bollinger bowl?

A little bit of both, but not particularly recently - aren't both coming back from injury? - but they looked Test quality to me, which dear old Mitch wasn't at the Gabba

 

[NUFAN]

Who cares how long the tail is !!

It's starting to sound like England in the 90's

Want bowlers who can take 20 wickets, and 6 batsman who can make the runs to win the game.

if the top 6 can't make the runs, the bottom five won't.

Haddin's runs were quite crucial last test to be fair.

I know this is being captain ****ing obvious but it would be awesome if we had Shane Warne in our team.
It would mean we could pick the 4 best bowlers in the country, we wouldn't have to worry about how good they bat as Warne could handle number 8 quite well, we would have a better slip cordon and we wouldn't have to pick a guy like North who I'm sure is in the team as a bit of a backup to the spinner if he is struggling.

I can't think of any Cricketer in the history of the game that would help benefit this Australian team the most. Yep not even the Don..