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Topic: God help me - the Test Cricket thread (Read 85078 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #270
How on god's green earth does Henrique's make a test squad. Really!?!  FMD,  play for NSW get a baggy green in a brown paper bag...   Was finished five years ago.
Probably on the back of his BBL work Prof, I wonder if BBL form is more important than Shield form sometimes, makes no sense.Digressing to Purple circles and elitist matey groups, Maxwell has been rumoured not to be popular in the dressing room at test level and I wonder if this has halted his career
more than form.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #271
BBL form is not test form,  but our dumbass selectors just don't get it. No wonder we're sh1t at test level.   Why don't we just  pick Phillippe  and Darcy Short to open...and Maxwell!   Now there's some BBL form. I'm not bagging you EB,  but the eye stinging hypocrisy emanating from the selectors is just bewildering.   Moises Hen....I can't even type it,  it makes me nauseous.  It's devaluing the baggy green to a new low.

DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #272
Test squad:
Tim Paine (C), Pat Cummins (VC), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #273
Given Pucovski's issues with the short ball, he will get plenty of practice in South Africa. I like the look of Green and he should improve on the tour, but I wonder about our top order against that attack. They will go after Smith and Labuschagne with a lot of short pitch stuff and leg slip fields as it has been successful before. Who makes the runs?

EDIT: I just checked the run-scorers list for 2020/21 season at shield level, Shaun Marsh is the real standout there not presently in the squad. I would like to see him added as reserve opener/top order filler. He can play the short ball and has the game to make runs in South Africa. Marsh has three hundreds and a fifty from four games whereas many others scored the bulk from one innings. It is a sad state we don't have more real competition outside of this group.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #274
BBL form is not test form,  but our dumbass selectors just don't get it. No wonder we're sh1t at test level.   Why don't we just  pick Phillippe  and Darcy Short to open...and Maxwell!   Now there's some BBL form. I'm not bagging you EB,  but the eye stinging hypocrisy emanating from the selectors is just bewildering.   Moises Hen....I can't even type it,  it makes me nauseous.  It's devaluing the baggy green to a new low.


That was the point I was making Prof, BBL skills don't translate to Test skills and we end up with players with poor techniques vs the moving ball etc who play wild short format shots at the wrong time. Don't see Henriques playing much cricket as a test tourist and is probably just backup for the injury prone Green.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #275
Given Pucovski's issues with the short ball, he will get plenty of practice in South Africa. I like the look of Green and he should improve on the tour, but I wonder about our top order against that attack. They will go after Smith and Labuschagne with a lot of short pitch stuff and leg slip fields as it has been successful before. Who makes the runs?

EDIT: I just checked the run-scorers list for 2020/21 season at shield level, Shaun Marsh is the real standout there not presently in the squad. I would like to see him added as reserve opener/top order filler. He can play the short ball and has the game to make runs in South Africa. Marsh has three hundreds and a fifty from four games whereas many others scored the bulk from one innings. It is a sad state we don't have more real competition outside of this group.
Agree on the short pitched stuff vs Smith, Pucovski and Marnus, though that wicket the Saffies and Pakis were playing on was lifeless and the ball was keeping low on day 2.
If Shaun Marsh is our saviour then we have real problems, can't see him playing for Aus again. Not sure how Head got in the squad either...

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #276
For the first time in decades I've watched precious little cricket this summer. Not sure whether it's poor selection or poor leadership or whatever, but it just seems that CA has lost direction and too many of our selection choices are not the best available. I hope it changes, and soon. I used to love the cricket.
Only our ruthless best, from Board to bootstudders will get us no. 17

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #277
Much of the game has descended into a dumbed down circus ...

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #278
Test squad:
Tim Paine (C), Pat Cummins (VC), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.

No Jhye Richardson is just wrong.  Just takes wickets (including at test level).  GIves a bit of difference to HWood and Cummins (pitches it up a bit more)

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #279
No Jhye Richardson is just wrong.  Just takes wickets (including at test level).  GIves a bit of difference to HWood and Cummins (pitches it up a bit more)
On form you'd take Richardson over Starc without even blinking, on consistency you'd take Richardson over Starc without blinking, but Starc can bat even if he didn't deliver against India, and while we got such a soft batting line up I suspect Starc is welded into the line-up regardless of poor bowling form. Plus Starc moved the NSW which always means double the opportunity.
The Force Awakens!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #280
No Jhye Richardson is just wrong.  Just takes wickets (including at test level).  GIves a bit of difference to HWood and Cummins (pitches it up a bit more)
Been injury prone and I think the selectors want some more long game minutes from him, agree he is lively and bowls a good length. Its very hard to prise Starc and crew out of the team given the boys club that exists.....interesting that Pattinson has made the tour, if fit he might be the one bowler that may oust Starc from the team.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #281
Been injury prone and I think the selectors want some more long game minutes from him, agree he is lively and bowls a good length. Its very hard to prise Starc and crew out of the team given the boys club that exists.....interesting that Pattinson has made the tour, if fit he might be the one bowler that may oust Starc from the team.
Pattinson and Richardson can both swing the ball late at good pace, Pattinson was the bowler most feared by the Pommie top order batsmen.

I think Starc cleaning up the tail with old ball reverse swing is valuable but over-rated, I'd much rather guys who can knock over the top end and let Lyon clean up the dregs while the others have a break.
The Force Awakens!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #282
Pattinson and Richardson can both swing the ball late at good pace, Pattinson was the bowler most feared by the Pommie top order batsmen.

I think Starc cleaning up the tail with old ball reverse swing is valuable but over-rated, I'd much rather guys who can knock over the top end and let Lyon clean up the dregs while the others have a break.
I think both Lyon and Starc struggled to clean up the tail and thats where some of our problems were...both got hammered and Starc hardly moved one off the straight yet the Indian net bowlers moved the ball. Starc was unlucky with some poor fielding but was generally was the bad Starc with no accuracy and bowling inane bouncers wide of the mark.
I wouldnt play him in the first test and go with Pattinson who swings the ball away from right handers even though the Saffies have a few decent left handers in Elgar and DeKock.


 

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #284
Travis Head is another who is really at the crossroads. I know it's only BB but his most recent dismissal in the BB was dreadful.  Trying to drag Marnus from wide of off,  that's not the shot of a bloke comfortable with his game.  He's running out of time to get his crap sorted out.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?