Should Australia Drop Brett Lee?

[age_master]

i dont think that they would bother flying him over if they werer not planning on picking him in the XI

 

[luckyeddie]

Originally posted by age_master
i dont think that they would bother flying him over if they werer not planning on picking him in the XI

I do.

Australia's success is not built on sentiment. He's there as cover IMO. Bichel to play in the second test (or even Hauritz at a pinch)

 

[Simon]

haurtiz will not play, it goes against everythins else australia have done in recemt years.
Australia could be playing on the moon and they would only play 1 spinner.

 

[luckyeddie]

Originally posted by broncoman
haurtiz will not play, it goes against everythins else australia have done in recemt years.
Australia could be playing on the moon and they would only play 1 spinner.

I probably agree.

Just wondering what the wicket will be like

 

[Simon]

turning at right angles id say.

 

[Anil]

Originally posted by Top_Cat

McGrath is similar to those guys, perhaps more to Garner than anyone else especially the way he bowls these days, but let me tell you Holding and Marshall in their prime were way better than McGrath in his prime, and if I were a captain I would personally pick Roberts over McGrath if I already had other wicket taking bowlers in my team, just for pure intimidation. Also Croft on his day could be just devastating. And I did not even include Sylvester Clarke!!

Well that's your opinion and your entitled to it but I'd stack up Glenn McGrath's record and performances against any of those bowlers and in my opinion he'd fare quite well, at least being on par with them.

And I was a big Fleming fan, sad how he has disappeared from the scene, a bit of a bruce rei syndrome I guess.

Now come on, he's not quite THAT injury-prone! But then, who is? I swear, Bruce Reid had more metal in his back than some computers I've worked on.

These WI bowlers worked as quartets, which explains why except for maybe Marshall, they didn't have as rich a haul as McGrath(what I mean is they shared the booty). As great a bowler as he is, no captain would trade him for Holding or Roberts or Marshall or Garner or Ambrose(they all had McGrath's quality of accuracy and it was complemented by great variety, greater pace and intimidation). If any of these bowlers were their country's lone strike bowler(ok, apart from Warne, but he fails against quality players of spin), they would have had a richer haul than McGrath.

[Edited on 10/8/2002 by anilramavarma]

 

[Gotchya]

Just wondering what the wicket will be like

A batting featherbed no doubt, but it will be a turner for sure, Warne should have a feast.

 

[marc71178]

Australia could be playing on the moon and they would only play 1 spinner.

Of course they would, with those craters the quick's would have the ball all over the place with uneven bounce, it'd be a nightmare!

 

[Anil]

Of course they would, with those craters the quick's would have the ball all over the place with uneven bounce, it'd be a nightmare!

Anil Kumble would have a field day on those crater-ridden moon tracks.

 

[Rik]

Ahhhh but then we come to Gravity :P Sorry to ruin the party!

 

[Anil]

Originally posted by Rik
Ahhhh but then we come to Gravity :P Sorry to ruin the party!

...but then, we could have those specially made anti-gravity balls....

 

[Rik]

Darn...didn't think of that!

 

[full_length]

I remember Steve Waugh proclaiming once that Australia would pick two leggies if they thought both were good- they weren't bothered by conventions. That somehow came unstuck...

I think Aussies should drop Lee for a while, and when they pick him, they should take advantage of the couple or four years of top pace that he has left with him.

 

[marc71178]

Originally posted by anilramavarma

Originally posted by Rik
Ahhhh but then we come to Gravity :P Sorry to ruin the party!

...but then, we could have those specially made anti-gravity balls....

And in those conditions, batsmen wuldn't be afraid of being hit as they'd all be in big spacesuits!

 

[Rik]

Hmmm but if the ball hit the visor they would be in quite a bit of trouble :P

 

[anzac]

Lee should be selected as an attacking strike bowler of express pace, which is his strength. As such he should be entitled to use of the new ball as an opening bowler to enable him to get as much advantage from the shine & seam as possible.

The current pattern of using him as 1st change indicates wanting him to become line and length with his pace used to make up for any wear on the ball!!!

Lee 'destroyed' the opposition in his early series by attacking them - maybe he did not get the wickets but he was certainly a factor in the performance of the opposition batsmen. He has never shown this form / consistancy since the ODI injury prior to the last Ashes. This could be both as a result of changes to his action from the injury (lacking consistant control?), and changes in the way he is being used and asked to bowl. Eg he used to be express attack for both Test & ODI, now he is performing a number of different roles.

I think he should open the attack and that he will gain better control - Dizzy used to be a bit erratic at times but has become more consistant.

Funny thing is I think they are trying to turn everyone into McGrath clones of consistancy nagging the batsmen out while giving nothing away to hit.

I think Dizzy was more threatening in his early days than he is now as a result of this current fixation on 'line & length'

As an aside - was Thommo always accurate with line & length???? I know he got the wickets to compensate for any runs against, but I do not think Lee is really being given the chance to do so!!!!

8D

 

[Eclipse]

well while he was bowling yesterday he looked very dangerus with the new ball swinging it around and seeming it at the same time.

 

[anzac]

yeah it was good to see him open the bowling - even if it was only as a result of injury.

I don't think they will but....Australia can't really afford to drop Lee without bringing on some more youngsters for experience....

with both McGrath and Bichel now in their 30's, it means that in another couple of seasons that Lee & Gillespie will be the basis of their seam attack.!!!!! The only other seamers they have used recently is Bracken and Watson in ODI. If Watson is being developed as an 'all-rounder' they will need to blood a couple of more seamers to have some options available.

I know that 30 is not 'old', but Fleming is about the same age and is no longer on the scene. You more succeptable to injury with the amount of cricket played, and it is that much harder to come back after injury.......

with this in mind the 3rd Test may be the opportunity to give these guys a run....

 

[Kimbo]

How good is Watson? I have only seen him once and he didn't look like anything special...

 

[Tim]

Watson looks like a bit of a Jacob Oram to me. Both bowl medium/fast deliveries & are big hitters & have so far been fairly inconsistent with the bat.

Both of them have also played 2 or 3 first class seasons of cricket, so they can't complain that they've been rushed into international cricket without much experience.