Future ****Stars**** of Australian Cricket

[Mr Casson]

I haven't? Really? You know what I've watched, do you? Because I've told you every single cricket match I've ever watched?
No, you don't. I've watched plenty of games at Bellerive and there are some flatties there, but no flatter than a flat pitch anywhere else. And equally there are some that help the bowlers.
No, I've not seen Griffith bowl, but I do know that accurate bowlers don't go for 3.42-an-over in First-Class-cricket without bowling fairly inaccurately.

Even if the pitch is the same, the boundaries are very small. Games played at Bellerive usually end up being higher-scoring matches than the others around Australia.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Well of course he was this season, but even when he previously was averaging in the 29-30 bracket, he was still described as a "swing bowler".

Bracken is definately a swing bowler. One of his major faults in fact is that when he doesn't get the new ball to move much he's a weak bowler, and he's not very good with the old ball. When he gets swing however he is quite lethal, as evidenced by his 7/4 and 6/20 odd performances this year in the Pura Cup, utilising brutal swing. If you can find the Wade Seccombe dismissal in the first innings of the Pura Cup final this year you will see what I mean, that ball was heading to first slip before it swung around a corner and trapped Seccombe in front. Magnificent bowling.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Is there anyone in Australia who you don't rate would be a more appropriate question, I feel.

is that in reference to me, or aussie?

 

[aussie]

aussie

is that in reference to me, or aussie?

to me mate

 

[vic_orthdox]

fair enough then.

 

[Nate]

Bracken is definately a swing bowler. One of his major faults in fact is that when he doesn't get the new ball to move much he's a weak bowler, and he's not very good with the old ball. When he gets swing however he is quite lethal, as evidenced by his 7/4 and 6/20 odd performances this year in the Pura Cup, utilising brutal swing. If you can find the Wade Seccombe dismissal in the first innings of the Pura Cup final this year you will see what I mean, that ball was heading to first slip before it swung around a corner and trapped Seccombe in front. Magnificent bowling.

When Bracken is swinging the ball, its awesome to watch. I remember in the TVs Cup, he got Sehwag out 1st ball LBW, a beautiful ball. When he is not swinging the ball, I must admit, sometimes he doesnt look like taking a wicket anytime soon. But he has a VERY good line and length, extremely accurate indeed. This keeps the economy down a great amount, and often batsmen get out as they are frustrated. He also can move the ball a touch off the seam.

He has an excellent ODI record and his Test record is very un-flattering, for various reasons which I am sick of recounting. But I believe if selected for the Ashes tour (he should only play if one or two of the main fast bowlers are injured) he would perform very well indeed.

This coming from THE Major Bracken fan. Actually, the ONLY Bracken fan!

 

[Nate]

And as for Richard`s view on Harvey... what the!?! Stats dont tell the whole story mate! And if you truly believe they do, check out his One-Day bowling record! Up there with the best in the world!

 

[aussie]

aussie

not alone nanden, i'm a fan too

 

[Nate]

not alone nanden, i'm a fan too

yes, but then again, who aren`t you a fan of?

 

[chaminda_00]

When Bracken is swinging the ball, its awesome to watch. I remember in the TVs Cup, he got Sehwag out 1st ball LBW, a beautiful ball. When he is not swinging the ball, I must admit, sometimes he doesnt look like taking a wicket anytime soon. But he has a VERY good line and length, extremely accurate indeed. This keeps the economy down a great amount, and often batsmen get out as they are frustrated. He also can move the ball a touch off the seam.

He has an excellent ODI record and his Test record is very un-flattering, for various reasons which I am sick of recounting. But I believe if selected for the Ashes tour (he should only play if one or two of the main fast bowlers are injured) he would perform very well indeed.

This coming from THE Major Bracken fan. Actually, the ONLY Bracken fan!

Im also a fan of Bracken but like u i know that he has weakness in his game when he doesn't swing the ball. He biggest problem is probably his lack of reverse swing, most top swing bowlers Vaas, Akram, Imran etc all could get reverse swing to go with their accuracy and swing with the new ball.

I think he might just miss out on the Ashes tour, cus u have Lee and Tait in front of him, plus Watson. I don't see them taking 6 pace bowlers (seven if u inculde Watson).

Note: im not saying Vaas is in the same league as Imran or Akram

 

[Nate]

Ian Harvey One-Day:

414 wickets in 266 matches! A bowling average of under 21, a strike-rate of under 30 and a bowling economy of just 4.3!
One in every Fourteen overs he bowls is a maiden!

Not bad!

 

[Nate]

Im also a fan of Bracken but like u i know that he has weakness in his game when he doesn't swing the ball. He biggest problem is probably his lack of reverse swing, most top swing bowlers Vaas, Akram, Imran etc all could get reverse swing to go with their accuracy and swing with the new ball.

I think he might just miss out on the Ashes tour, cus u have Lee and Tait in front of him, plus Watson. I don't see them taking 6 pace bowlers (seven if u inculde Watson).

Note: im not saying Vaas is in the same league as Imran or Akram

A very wise post mate. He has said he has beeen working on reverse-swing, Id like to see it happen soon!

 

[dro87]

Ronchi seems to be a very Italian name... if he can't make in Aus, or Nz why not playing for Italy?

 

[kendall]

there is a young leg spinner in the queensland youth called, stuart kewel, he looks an exellent prospect, look him up on cricinfo to see his impressive stats

 

[aussie]

aussie

Im also a fan of Bracken but like u i know that he has weakness in his game when he doesn't swing the ball. He biggest problem is probably his lack of reverse swing, most top swing bowlers Vaas, Akram, Imran etc all could get reverse swing to go with their accuracy and swing with the new ball.

I think he might just miss out on the Ashes tour, cus u have Lee and Tait in front of him, plus Watson. I don't see them taking 6 pace bowlers (seven if u inculde Watson).

Note: im not saying Vaas is in the same league as Imran or Akram

well australia will carry 17 to the ashes 7 batsmen, 2 keepers, 1 allrounder in Watson, 2 Spiners and 5 Fast Bowlers, bracken would fight for a place with tait for that 5th Bowling spot

 

[vic_orthdox]

there is a young leg spinner in the queensland youth called, stuart kewel, he looks an exellent prospect, look him up on cricinfo to see his impressive stats

had a look. don't think he exists.

 

[Richard]

So the fact that Michael Bevan broke the all-time first-class run record by playing at Bellerive this season means nothing.

Because of course he's never looked like doing that before?

And maybe Griffith bowled well enough (as indicated by his wicket return) that the captain was willing to sacrifice a few runs in order to maintain more fieldsmen in catching positions. Unless you had watched the matches, you'd never know.

Oh, I would, because unlike certain correspondants, I read-up on stuff I've not watched.
And however many fielders you have catching, accurate bowling is accurate bowling and equally difficult to score off.

 

[Richard]

Shaun Tait is early 20s and might have improved since last season as indicated by his outstanding domestic season.

He'd done pretty well in Australia before this last season anyway; his 2004 season indicated quite clearly that he can't bowl for sh*t in England and unless he's improved that (which he'd have a job to do, given that he hasn't had the chance to do it) his participation in The Ashes is an enticing prospect indeed for an English batsman.

Kaspa, as indicated by his returns in NZ, should already have been replaced by Lee.

MacGill has the best strike-rate of any spinner since 1900.

You're right! The Ashes are in the bag.

MacGill's strike-rate, and more importantly average, is going up by the match (since 2002\03 it's 38.37 and the strike-rate is 68.3). You're making yourself look more and more stupid every time you talk as if MacGill's deeds in 1997 or against Bangladesh matter at all.
Kasprowicz bowling poorly in NZ gives the encouraging possibility of Lee starting the series; the only worry is Kasprowicz coming back in

 

[Richard]

ahhh mate u talking about that little stint he had at durham, i dont read too much into that he has very well in in the Pura cup(the most challenging domestic 4 day competion in world cricket) and coming to the ashes would be a good learning experience for him. Come on Rich u making Magilla sound quite poor we all know in late august and september wickets over here become conductive for spin so he could be very dangerous alongside warne if picked. But i'm an English fan by heart richard just like you but the australians r my favourite team, everytime an ashes has come about since 97 i cant support neither side, but if i were to be honest and u should too mate, its goin to be pretty though for England to win this Ashes series, i would say a better chance down under next year before the world cup

It is indeed going to be incredibly tough, almost impossible, should Australia be at full-strength. But if their attack were to contain Lee, MacGill and Tait we'd have one hell of a chance.
MacGill is extremely poor, and while English pitches in August and September are more spin-friendly than earlier, they're still not generally that helpful. Even if they were, we all know MacGill is more than capable of wasting spin-friendly conditions.
Tait may have done well in The Pura Cup but he did rubbish in The Championship and whether or not that's a lower level of competition, if you can do well in the good stuff and poorly in the poor stuff that doesn't suggest you're much of a bowler. And his Championship stint will be far more important than his Pura Cup one, because this series is in England, not Australia.

 

[Richard]

Well Clarke got run out in the current test, and he just ran out Lou Vincent. So, I guess it's not that uncommon!

And how many other times has it happened twice, or even once, in a Test?
I don't know what the average is, but I do know that it's not at all unusual for a 3 or 4 Test-series to go by with just one or two run-outs.