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Topic: God help me - the Test Cricket thread (Read 261763 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #135 –
India - masters of gamesmanship.   And since when can your substitute be a specialist keeper,  one markedly better than the one currently playing? A diddle was being played.

Bumrah knocking the bails off - I've seen players suspended for less.  Pathetic.

Ashwin's frivolous appeals  and constant yapping over four tours. It's tiring. I'm not supporting what Paine did,  but F me,  more than a few are over Ashwin's Schtick.

First mob to play the race card and biatch about crowd behaviour.  Pretty short memories that mob.

As I said,  do the job properly and beat this mob in the next test.   Don't give them chance to exult going home with the BG trophy.

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

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #136 –
Quote from: capcom – on
He is not my first choice as captain.

I think that Paine is the ideal Aussie captain ... off the field.  He has done a great job in rebuilding the team culture and ensuring that the team gets the respect it deserves. 

On field is a different matter.  His judgement is questionable and he seems slow to react to changes in the game, or to take the initiative and drive changes in the game.  Even worse is his tendency to petulance when things aren’t going his way.
It's still the Gulf of Mexico, Don Old!
 

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #137 –
Quote from: DJC – on
I think that Paine is the ideal Aussie captain ... off the field.  He has done a great job in rebuilding the team culture and ensuring that gets the respect it deserves. 

On field is a different matter.  His judgement is questionable and he seems slow to react to changes in the game, or to take the initiative and drive changes in the game.  Even worse is his tendency to petulance when things aren’t going his way.
A lot of the noise is politics, the push to return Smith to the top job, but beyond Paine and Smith there are not a lot of options until Carey gets a regular gig, and he's a SA not a NSW!

In my opinion it would be a huge mistake to make Cummins captain, as is the backup position of the NSW Cricket mafia.

We've quite a void in the captaincy stakes due to the continual undermining of non-NSW candidates. A legacy of the structures brokered going back to the pre-Waugh era, when the best young players around the country were regularly threatened with oblivion if they didn't move the NSW to play grade cricket! You only have to listen to Mark Waugh commenting a non-NSW BBL game to understand how this has developed.

Personally, if Warner is not 100%, I'd bring in Finch to open and captain, he's hands down the best leader in Australia, better even than Smith who in my opinion is an ordinary captain, so much so that he makes Paine look OK on field, but I think they won't go that way because of the state politics.

The worse thing the NSW Cricket Mafia could suffer would be if Finch came in and a good enough job with the bat but captained supremely, it would end Smith's hopes, Finch could become embedded as a Brearley / Taylor type leader. In the other opening slot Pucovski or whoever else, if Pucovski is not fit then bring in Carey to opener/keeper, and select another option to replace Paine. A lot of people claim keepers can't open, it's too much of a load, but they do it in Shield four day cricket all the time. But unlike the Mandalorian, this is not Langer's way, he's more of a welded on man!
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #138 –
I don't think he's the greatest in game strategist,  but who is locally?   He was hamstrung by a very docile pitch which hardly broke up,  scatterbrained bowling plans and was a bowler down with Starc off. The bowling mentorship/coach need a good look at themselves... The effort was excellent, Starc aside,  but the plans/execution were very poor. 
Unfortunately I don't see another captain in that group,  and I don't rate Smith either.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #139 –
LP - don't get me started on Mark f***** Waugh,  the protected golden calf of NSW cricket.  I'd sooner listen to Trump's advice on cricket.    The bloke who got chances while the careers of other talented players were quashed.   If he was so good,  why did he end with the mediocre average of 41 - because he wasn't as good as the hype!
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #140 –
If Paine gets the flick it will be back to Smith imo, a lot of people like Carey including the media but the NSW mafia will want Smith as will the core playing group.
Don't see Langar wanting Carey either who is his own man I believe and not one of the boys club.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #141 –
Quote from: Professer E – on
LP - don't get me started on Mark f***** Waugh,  the protected golden calf of NSW cricket.  I'd sooner listen to Trump's advice on cricket.    The bloke who got chances while the careers of other talented players were quashed.  If he was so good,  why did he end with the mediocre average of 41 - because he wasn't as good as the hype!
It's not really Waugh's fault, I concede it's easy to focus on him, but he's a product of the system much like Hird was at CheatsFC. Waugh cannot see it so when confronted he denies a bias, but that is because it's the only world he knows existing within NSW Cricket like a goldfish in a bowl!

The roots of rot go much much deeper than the players.
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #142 –
LP,  I reckon the other brother has a very big say in which strings are pulled to make the puppets dance.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #144 –
Was Steve Waugh captain when Langer was playing?
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #145 –
Fairly sure he was Prof.  Langer's actions were disgraceful and designed to be hidden in a blatant attempt to cheat ... pity the video picked it up and condemned him.

EDIT ... Ponting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afQvCaPd4t8&list=PLxCA9Qt0aAI9lD3fuzzjFk0wb1-eGYUYF&index=24

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #146 –
With the 3rd test done and dusted, I have a comments, some of which have been mentioned before:

[1] Very disappointed with the Australian attack and the way we fielded on the last day. Catches win matches and we can only blame ourselves for that. Really, we should have won.
If we fielded like we had during the first innings, it would have been over around lunchtime.

[2] Paine's keeping: I think Paine has done an excellent job as Captain, but he isn't getting any younger and his keeping is on the downslide. As he is in the team primarily as a keeper, this must limit his future.
I don't think he is the best tactician we've had as Captain, but he is better than Smith in that regard.
We have think seriously about replacing him sooner rather than later. His replacement is already playing Shield cricket.

[3] Smith was not a great success as a captain, even though he was the world's dominant batsman at the time. I would not give him the captaincy if Paine were to be replaced.

[4] I would not give Warner the Captaincy either, even though he does appear to have more than a little tactical nous.

[5] The captaincy issue is a serious one. Labuschagne is about the only undroppable candidate in the team, but I have no idea if he has leadership qualities at all. There are a few off field people who don't appear that impressed with him: I honestly don't understand why. But if he were to be in line as a future captain, then he needs to gain experience in that role at state level ASAP. If he doesn't get a go, I wouldn't want to make him Captain. He needs to show the skills of captaincy and he hasn't had a reasonable opportunity as yet.

[6] Wade might make a good captain: he does have experience in the role and some success at it. However, he is barely scoring enough runs to remain in the team. Big issue there.

[7] Pant's health. I have been reading about how badly Pant was injured that he was replaced in the field by a MUCH better keeper.  Then he comes out and bats as he did. That looks rather suspect. If he was fit enough to bat for extended periods, then he was probably fit enough to keep wickets.

[8] Jadeja, who has a broken hand, was apparently padded up and waiting. Desperation? Guts and determination? other?

[9] The racism row now looks to be not a molehill that's been made into a mountain. Racist taunts are not welcome and are not the sort of thing to appear in modern Australia. But the comments now appear to have been anything but racist.
What does that say about the think skin of the Indians?
I can say that I say worse things about umpiring 20 to 30 times per game in the AFL. I get very emotional and complain bitterly when we've been robbed. Would I have been evicted from the SCG?
And what about the supporters in India. Not speaking much Hindi or Urdu (or Punjabi and Maratha or Tamil or the rest), what are they calling out?
Live Long and Prosper!

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #147 –
Parachute Finch in,  he can open and captain. Right hander.

Warner has shown his colours,  will never captain again.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #148 –
Its interesting that Carey is seen as a future captain and keeper but doesnt have the runs at 1st class level to back it up IMO.
If you are going on form you would go with Josh Inglis as your keeper/bat and you would be opening with Sam Whiteman both keepers, both English expats and both playing for WA.
The player who would probably qualify as the next captain is Moses Henriques IMHO.....but again he is from NSW. Henriques is of a steady nature and what I would call a handy player rather than a brilliant one but from what I have seen has some nous as a skipper and the respect of the players he commands at NSW and in the BBL.

Re: God help me - the Test Cricket thread

Reply #149 –
Henrique's days at test level are gone. His selection would be NSW nepotism at its worst.
DrE is no more... you ok with that harmonica man?