Gilchrist was a specialist bat with gloves. Wade is a gloveman (an inconsistent one) with a bat.
Gilly was always a keeper, hence his shift from NSW to WA so he could play as one. He was an exceptional circumstance admittedly. Anyway, not so relevant here.
Sadly in Wade's case so is he an exceptional circumstance but for a different reason. 3nd highest average in the side (forgot about Warner) amongst a pile of sh1t, inconsistent batsmen. We only have so many bats on tour so our choices are bare. Not normal circumstances but if we're only going to pick from the current tourists there's no alot of choice.
I'd be going outside the 18 on tour personally so we don't have to pick a keeper as a specialist bat. May as well look to the home Ashes series.
We miss Hussey like you wouldn't believe. With him there he and Clarke, with strong resistance from the tail, often turned 3/40 into 500 and could've won us the SA series with a bit of luck. Without Hussey there's just no resistance after poor starts.
Calls to play Wade as a specialist bat are insane. Has zero idea of playing spin. Zero.
Correct....it never works playing the reserve keeper as a batsman only and is a move reserved for desperate teams only.....akin to playing ruckman as a FF.
I remember Wicketkeeper Richie Robinson from Victoria who was a great shield batter and was picked to play some tests as a specialist batsman with Rod Marsh I think it was as the keeper.....Robinson failed and its a dumb move. Only AB Devilliers has proven a success and he was/is a part time keeper who played second fiddle to Boucher but was never seen as a frontline keeper and you are talking about a freak multitalented sportsman anyway.
I guess the only other I can think of his Kumar Sangakarra who gave away keeping to be a specialist batter but his batting is in the elite category unlike Wades...
Add McCallum from NZ in there too.
We're in the unusual position of having our reserve Keeper having the 2nd best average in the side so these are not normal circumstances. Not the preferred circumstance but what do you do.
Reckon I could've played Gilchrist as a specialist batsman no problems if we had to.
Calls to play Wade as a specialist bat are insane. Has zero idea of playing spin. Zero.
Why not. Has a batting average higher than anyone else in the team other than Clarke, which, is really an indictment on our batting. As least he has a bit of backbone and capable of maybe making a 100. More than anyone can about anyone else other than Clarke.
There's plenty of others that have zero idea of playing spin either.
My personal opinion, pluck Klinger out of country cricket and bat him 3 and bring Doolan over from the A tour and bat him 4.
Right now I'd play Doolan, who had a good game in an extremely low scoring match in Zimbabwe, pluck Klinger out of County cricket as he looks like he can at least bat the long form of the game. He'd have to be better than Hughes, Khawaja, Cowan and Smith. Put Warner at 6, where he is capable of taking a game apart if he gets going. A punt but could change a game within a session if he got going. I'd play Fawad. Bird obviously in for Pattinson but I'd bring Cummins back over from SA, who had a great game there, as a replacement bowler with a view of giving him a Test with this series done and dusted. Get our blokes ready for the return series where the winner holds the Ashes for 3 years, not a bit over 4 months.
Some of our mids aren't 100%. Wonder if we need to bring others in to freshen it up? Will Waite be fit? Make a strong forward line with Henderson and Rowe.
like to see Graham and Menzel get a run but haven't decided my ins and outs yet.
The problem is, just like the 80's, development suffered on the back of a superb national team.
Plus, they gave Michael Clarke the captaincy 5 years ago and since then he's been waiting to get it from Punter officially, who was a crap skipper himself.
Clarke is the worst thing to happen to Oz cricket ever.
Clarke is a **** pure and simple and I don't mean a **** when he needs to be, like Alan Border, I mean just a **** every **** day of the week.
screw him, Watson and Haddin (all ****s) off and start again.
You're kidding about Clarke. He's made you look silly quite a few times so I suggest you quit that one while your behind. Especially as he's averaging 52.
As I said, try some blokes from the A Team currently touring SA.
Australia are 1-0 down in the series and are facing not a world record chase, it'll be a universe record number of runs they need to win this second Test. However, the cracks that have appeared in this series, which will undoubtedly turn into gaping chasms by the time the team arrives back here for the return series, are not something that has just magically appeared. It is my strong belief that this has been coming for some time, its just that the pressure & microscope of an Ashes series has made them more visible than ever before.
Australian cricket, not dislike our fabulous football club, goes in cycles of success based on the quality of key players assembled at any given time. We have been giving the Poms some serious wallopings for some years on the back of having player like Warne, Waugh, McGrath & Gilchrist in the team.
If we take a look at the current team, only Michael Clarke is genuinely up to world standard although Ashton Agar has given us some future hope. Siddle & Pattinson are good bowlers, but not great, with both having some control issues and not knowing when & when not to be aggressive and in their face. Haddin is not a 'keepers bootlace yet if you ask anyone, they'll tell you he's the best of a bad bunch. Khawaja, Rogers, Cowan etc all have reasonable techniques but don't have the iron-clad mettle to build a long innings whilst Hughes is just a complete dud with an equally dud technique and footwork.
Basically, we have not been able to replace the gun players of the previous era (it is not something done with ease either) but the players we keep pinning our hopes on are too soft mentally or are too focussed on themselves, not the team (read : Watson).
We have recently seen the players have a hand in former coach Mickey Arthur being sacked with Watson's sooky-la-la attitude being central to it all. There is a culture within the playing ranks that is in complete contrast to that of yesteryear whereby the players did what was expected of them and didn't quibble about being pushed harder to achieve greater heights. They had genuine character and lived up to the standards that go with wearing the famous baggy green cap.
It seems like this behaviour is not only tolerated, it is considered acceptable by many of them too !!
To add insult to injury, the ACB is being run by one James Sutherland who to the best of my knowledge, has not done anything ever to promote the game in this country nor focus on producing better cricketers overall. I say this because I keep getting the online newsletters telling us at grass roots level how well cricket is going in this country yet he is undoubtedly out of touch with reality. Cricket does not have increasing participation levels at all James, sadly, it is on the decrease and by a reasonable amount too. So instead of facing the reality of the situation and making plans to address it, they just put their heads in the sand and say its all good, great work if you can get it I reckon !!
And the ACB itself, it has some serious issues to address for this thing to be turned around and heading in the right direction. It appears to me that it is more and more being run along the lines of what you would get an your local and well-established suburban club with the only difference being that these guys actually get paid for giving their old school buddy a lucrative job or getting their best mate's son into the state squad.
They say the 'fish rots from the head' and if we look at the ACB as a complete entity, this one is past being rotten, it is decrepit. I cannot see any reason for us to return to being a power in world cricket whilst we have lacklustre administration running the game.
With India producing Test quality players as quickly as they do Bollywood movies, we will fall further behind unless we have the right people running the game in this country with a passion & committed drive for success.
Right now, we are fast becoming a national joke and an international embarrassment.
First thing I'd do is play a few from the A Team now in SA. In an extraordinary low scoring game Doolan made 52, Fawad Ahmed took 8 wickets and Cummins bowled very well. Admittedly against Zimbabwe but we have to start somewhere. The most important Ashes series is the return home series, where the the winner holds the Ashes for 3 years, so use this current series to blood some players.
Can't carry this selfish, petulant tool anymore. Replace him with a bloke who WANTS to play and who is a TEAM man. Plenty of half decent openers going around.... Australia A tour has a couple worth trying.
Directly cost Roger's wicket as well and this is unforgiveable IMO.
Who becomes the 5th bowler?
No, there's not plenty of half decent openers around. We both know that. We put put another bloke in, makes the inevitable low score, then he can't bowl and we go, "where's Watson". Other than Agar, who made 98 in one dig, is pretty much our highest run scorer overall in the series. Like it or not we have nothing to replace him with.
Can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Best we think with our brains, not our frustrations.
Watson = selfish selfish selfish. Has to go.... needs to start putting the team first.
Problem is who do you replace him with. Top scores, sadly, open both the batting and the bowling. We need him as the extra bowler. The only thing that's happen is a half decent opening stand. Goes backwards from there.
Selfish review from Watson that actually cost us Rogers wicket. What was Rogers doing at the other end after they discussed the review. Should've told Watson he was plumb and to p1ss off back to the pavilion. If he was stronger he saves his own wicket.
Watson's BIG problem though is he gets too far forward and across. Plays some glorious shots but if the ball straightens with that flaw he's LBW every time. The flaw doesn't matter how good a start he gets. Unt il he fixes that he won't go on after starts. Once he does he'll make 100s
Jammo certainly was bad. He has no pace this year and obviously hates playing N.M. He gets a bath every time. His fumbling tonight was especially bad, but at least he tries. Watson is an absolute NO-TRIER!
Elwood you mention Watson's mark. Well done, it was his only highlight and as I said, he was in the vicinity so he had a chance.
Purlease - for mine, Watson was our best defender tonight.....how'd his opponent go? Best game Watson has played by a mile, really encouraged with his performance tonight.
Jamo was disgusting.....that's 3 consecutive weeks of us possibly witnessing the demise of Jamo. Has not got a clue out there at the moment, embarrassing he is, total liability. Can't kick, constant brain explosions, can't get near his man - even in situations whereby his opponent is the obvious choice for having the ball delivered, Jamo manages to misread the play/flight of the ball/be too slow off the mark.......I'm over him. He got lucky with Riewoldt's kicking for goal last week, but he is in career-worst form. I hope like hell we're talking to some other full-backs out there come trade time.....Jamo's cooked.
Not cooked, far from it. Certainly out of form though.
Stick a fork in him......he's done. Not just beaten, has been obliterated for 3 consecutive weeks by 3 of the premier forwards in the game. If Jamo can't play FB (which all the signs are that he no longer can), where does he play? If he manages to reverse this 'form slump' as you VERY kindly put it, the guy is a champion - however I'm fairly confident that ain't gonna happen as every single aspect of his game stinks right now.....EVERY aspect bar none.
Also....loved Lucas' cameos tonight - were as important as anything anyone else did on the ground. He's starting to restore the faith is Kane....good on him too.
It happens, blokes lose form. If you gave up on every one that had a bad patch no-one would be playing. It happens in every sport. We are way too fast to give up on players. How many times have we seen players have shocking patches only to come good. Hundreds!!!
Jammo certainly was bad. He has no pace this year and obviously hates playing N.M. He gets a bath every time. His fumbling tonight was especially bad, but at least he tries. Watson is an absolute NO-TRIER!
Elwood you mention Watson's mark. Well done, it was his only highlight and as I said, he was in the vicinity so he had a chance.
Purlease - for mine, Watson was our best defender tonight.....how'd his opponent go? Best game Watson has played by a mile, really encouraged with his performance tonight.
Jamo was disgusting.....that's 3 consecutive weeks of us possibly witnessing the demise of Jamo. Has not got a clue out there at the moment, embarrassing he is, total liability. Can't kick, constant brain explosions, can't get near his man - even in situations whereby his opponent is the obvious choice for having the ball delivered, Jamo manages to misread the play/flight of the ball/be too slow off the mark.......I'm over him. He got lucky with Riewoldt's kicking for goal last week, but he is in career-worst form. I hope like hell we're talking to some other full-backs out there come trade time.....Jamo's cooked.
Not cooked, far from it. Certainly out of form though.
Was great to be on the right end of a close match.
Not a great contribution from Judd, Murphy, Gibbs and Carazzo tonight, so to get up was encouraging. So many questions tonight. When is this midfield group going to click? Are we better with Robinson and Bell around the ball? Is Brock really giving us something? What is the best use of Scotland?
Walker's contribution off half back seems to be waning and I'd seriously consider moving him to a HFF or wing role for the next couple of games and push Yarran back, to freshen things up.
I'd also consider bringing Casboult into the side, as whilst Rowe is bringing the ball to ground we really lack Casboult's attack in a marking contest.
Yes, would've mind beefing the midfield up with Walker and Touhy.
As I pointed out Elwood he took that mark because he was in the vicinity. He is an absolute dud! He can have all the skills about the place but he has to GET the ball not wait for it to be handed to him. And his lack of pace and intensity is incredible.
Choo, name all his highlights for the game. If you can reach two you are doing well. Don't make a remark about a post without backing up your own comment.
I'm guessing you must mean Shane Watson.
Our Watson was solid, showing something, hasn't never let anyone down when he' s played seniors. If you're up in arms tonight then we can safely ignore anything you have to say about Watson.
Everyone was in raptures last night about Henderson going into attack and dominating. It gave the team someone to kick to in confidence because they new that he would make the lead, fight for the ball or take a strong mark. He was ably assisted by Rowe who whilst not being in the same league as Henderson, did play the CHF position better than anyone we've seen for some time.
In defence we had Jamison, who admittedly made some shocking errors, but he is a proven key position defender. He was ably assisted by MATHEW WATSON, that's right, the lad we took with our first pick in the 2010 National Draft at #18. He's a big kid too, 195cm & 100kg if you don't mind !!
I am one of many who is of the opinion that Watson won't make it and for a variety of reasons. He is quite slow, is not particularly strong overhead but his kicking is enough to bring back the old 'woof' cry (he is a left-footer like Christou too).
The thing is, if he was to really improve his game and warrant regular selection, it really straightens up our spine immeasurably. Now I'm not going to suggest that he should be gifted games between now & the end of the season to give him more confidence or the like, but what I do think may be a better option is for the people at our club to work on his fitness, body shape & overall agility. Whether we have the people at the club capable of doing this is actually a completely seperate & lengthy discussion on its own.
To me, Watson always looks like a young kid with a lot of 'puppy fat' on him, his body shape is not ideal for our game either. If you look at Karmicheal Hunt from the Suns, they have worked with him to reshape & remodel his body away from the typical NRL shaped player to one that works well in the AFL. Watson may benefit from the same sort of treatment !!
It would be a great waste (to me anyway) if we were to flick Watson before we put some intensive work into him to find out if he is the answer to our problems. I'm not saying that it is a 100% guaranteed winner idea, just a preference to give the guy one belting pre-season fitness campaign specifically designed to change him around.
If it doesn't work, then we could do what we wanted with him in the knowledge that we gave it our best shot.
Jamison Watson Judd Henderson Boyd
It's a spine that might test a few opposition teams.
I agree with this. While his NB's form has been patchy his he's never let anyone down when he's played for Carlton. No opponent's got a hold of him yet. For some reason his form improved. Could be a confidence thing. His speed actually tested ok at the draft camp although the first few steps are a be a touch slow. I think his could drop a couple of kg's and it could improve his speed. Don't think he need to be 100kg as a CHB. Like the way he closed on Reiwoldt the other night to create a spoil.
As the H-Sun said today it's vital that we develop him as it allows Henderson to go to CHF. It would improve our structure to the point of almost being almost potent when everyone is there.
Get good movement out of defence though the midfield and that forward line could be very damaging. Watson's ball use can only add to that. Wouldn't need to fill key positions with ruckmen anymore.
