*Official* Road to the 2010/11 Ashes

[Uppercut]

It's not unlucky when you glove a short legside ball to the keeper because you suck seriously badly at playing short legside balls.

 

[tooextracool]

Everyone else took care of Hughes last time.

Primarily Flintoff though it was Harmison who exposed his weakness in the tour games.

 

[Riggins]

Everyone else took care of Hughes last time.

Yeah Harmison got the best of him in a tour game, of that there is no doubt. Other than that he only batted 3 times for 2 failures before he was canned, and was dismissed by a half volley catch, strangled down the leg side and an inside edge on a wide ball he went to cut, his money shot. If that isn't unlucky I don't know what is.

FTR Hughes' test record would have been even better pre-ashes if he didn't get fired after another good start in the last test in SA.

 

[zaremba]

Quite enjoying the "half volley catch" whingeing that we're being treated to by our colonial brethren. I suspect some of them actually believe it to be true. Self-pity and self-delusion often go hand in hand.

As for whether Hughes was unlucky, I'd say he was, not because of any umpiring decisions but because he got chopped after only 2 games while sitting on a pretty bloody awesome record

 

[Woodster]

Be interesting to see howe Phil Hughes comes back when he returns to Test cricket. Any reports on whether he has sorted his issues with the short ball, or is it too early to tell yet ?

India is not a bad place to be returning to the Test fold, it's unlikely he'll be tested with anything too threatening on those pitches in terms of the short stuff, and with the relatively tame Indian attack at present.

 

[TumTum]

Be interesting to see howe Phil Hughes comes back when he returns to Test cricket. Any reports on whether he has sorted his issues with the short ball, or is it too early to tell yet ?

Err he did come back against Pakistan at home and in NZ if you mean after he got axed. Hasn't struggled against the short ball iirc, but it wasn't employed anyway.

 

[TumTum]

Quite enjoying the "half volley catch" whingeing that we're being treated to by our colonial brethren. I suspect some of them actually believe it to be true. Self-pity and self-delusion often go hand in hand.

Nah mate I honestly think it was a bump catch. But that is cricket, sometimes the wrong decision is given.

 

[Spark]

Quite enjoying the "half volley catch" whingeing that we're being treated to by our colonial brethren. I suspect some of them actually believe it to be true. Self-pity and self-delusion often go hand in hand.

As for whether Hughes was unlucky, I'd say he was, not because of any umpiring decisions but because he got chopped after only 2 games while sitting on a pretty bloody awesome record

It was a half volley to me, but as with all catches like this I won't hold one iota against Strauss for claiming it - if you feel it go in, you'll think it's out. It's the umpires' fault for not checking it.

 

[akilana]

unless it's AB Devilliers

 

[Woodster]

Err he did come back against Pakistan at home and in NZ if you mean after he got axed. Hasn't struggled against the short ball iirc, but it wasn't employed anyway.

Yes you're right, but I was meaning over a more prolonged period of time against more threatening attacks. However, I didn't see much live action of the New Zealand game and was unaware whether the short ball had been employed to any great extent.

 

[Burgey]

It's not unlucky when you glove a short legside ball to the keeper because you suck seriously badly at playing short legside balls.

But if you generally play it well it IS bad luck?

That's bull****. Was a ball he'd normally turn to fine leg. That was bad luck.

Though he was batting like a cat on a hot tin roof. Never looked like it tbh. Was still a bit stiff to get dropped so soon. He got the arse because they needed cover as Johnson was pretending he was Harmison and couldn't hit the pitch. Hence the need for Watto as bowling cover.

 

[Uppercut]

But if you generally play it well it IS bad luck?

That's bull****. Was a ball he'd normally turn to fine leg. That was bad luck.

Though he was batting like a cat on a hot tin roof. Never looked like it tbh. Was still a bit stiff to get dropped so soon. He got the arse because they needed cover as Johnson was pretending he was Harmison and couldn't hit the pitch. Hence the need for Watto as bowling cover.

He certainly didn't play short leg-side balls well back then.

I don't think Watto was brought in as bowling cover, I'm pretty sure there were murmurs at the time that he wasn't fit to bowl, and in the end he only bowled a couple of pretty poor overs in the tests he did play. I suspect it was just that they felt Watto was more likely to score runs than Hughes was. Was seriously tough on him to be dropped after three poor innings but you don't really take any concept of fairness into account in the middle of an Ashes series. Watto looked like scoring runs, Hughes didn't, so they picked Watto.

 

[Spark]

If Watto was in as bowling cover then I don't know what they were doing. Barely bowled all series and when he did bowl it was clear that he was rusty as a sunken wreck and hence very very hittable. I thought it was very unfair on Hughes, though, given that not four test matches before he had scored twin hundreds. If anyone deserved to be dropped on batting form, it was Hussey. That 1st ball leave on the second morning of Edgbaston still draws a shake of the head for me, and became something of a joke amongst my friends - leaving like Mike Hussey.

 

[GIMH]

He certainly didn't play short leg-side balls well back then.

I don't think Watto was brought in as bowling cover, I'm pretty sure there were murmurs at the time that he wasn't fit to bowl, and in the end he only bowled a couple of pretty poor overs in the tests he did play. I suspect it was just that they felt Watto was more likely to score runs than Hughes was. Was seriously tough on him to be dropped after three poor innings but you don't really take any concept of fairness into account in the middle of an Ashes series. Watto looked like scoring runs, Hughes didn't, so they picked Watto.

Watto's three overs at Edgbaston were the highlight of the series tbh.

Bowled them to Flintoff IIRC.

 

[Top_Cat]

Definitely remember Watto's bowling being brought up at the time of selection, tbh.

 

[zaremba]

As I recall, I don't think he had been bowling prior to his call up. I saw him warming up with other bowlers before play got underway at Edgbaston and he looked to have as much pace as Nathan Hauritz.

 

[Top_Cat]

Yeah pretty much why, when his bowling was brought up as a reason for selection, most Aussie fans said "What the..?"

http://www.cricinfo.com/engvaus2009/content/story/416006.html
http://www.cricinfo.com/engvaus2009/content/story/417065.html

Whether the selectors saw Watto as bowling cover, not 100% sure but the press assumed so and I remember Ponting saying words to that effect.

 

[Burgey]

He certainly didn't play short leg-side balls well back then.

I don't think Watto was brought in as bowling cover, I'm pretty sure there were murmurs at the time that he wasn't fit to bowl, and in the end he only bowled a couple of pretty poor overs in the tests he did play. I suspect it was just that they felt Watto was more likely to score runs than Hughes was. Was seriously tough on him to be dropped after three poor innings but you don't really take any concept of fairness into account in the middle of an Ashes series. Watto looked like scoring runs, Hughes didn't, so they picked Watto.

He was mentioned partly as bowling cover, iirc. I think he didn't end up bowling much because Johnson got a bit better.

By "better" I mean he hit the cut stuff btw.

 

[zaremba]

Yeah pretty much why, when his bowling was brought up as a reason for selection, most Aussie fans said "What the..?"

Watson ready to step into Hughes' shoes | Cricket News | England v Australia 2009 | Cricinfo.com
The Watson gamble pays off | Cricket News | England v Australia 2009 | Cricinfo.com

Whether the selectors saw Watto as bowling cover, not 100% sure but the press assumed so and I remember Ponting saying words to that effect.

Love that Watson interview in the first article you posted. Talking about Mitch Johnson, he said this:

He knows he's not exactly at his best, but it wasn't too long ago that he was at his absolute best in South Africa. At his best, he's one of the best bowlers in the world.

 

[Jarquis]