"If he gets a good run at it, that's what you want. If he can get that run and he doesn't have that fear of getting dropped straight away, he'll do well" - Darren Lehmann on Usman Khawaja, 1st January 2013
A quick footnote to the last blog I wrote - after asking for some consistency in Australian team selection, it's all change once again, as Khawaja is dropped, Watson moved up the order, and Starc continuing his Ashes hokey-cokey to replace Jackson Bird after one test. So to confirm, in the last three tests, Watson will have opened, batted at 6, batted at 4, and will now bat at 3. And Starc's series has read played, dropped, played, dropped, played.
In five tests under Darren Lehmann, Australia will have used 17 players. If England pick Finn for the fifth test, they'll have used 12. England are 3-0 up, and it's easy to see why. A settled side with a clear and obvious set of selections, England have planned this series meticulously. Australia sacked their coach two weeks before the first test, and have approached this series with the subtlety of David Warner in a china shop. Who knows how many of the current squad will survive for the first test at Brisbane?
John Inverarity, Darren Lehmann, anyone in the Australian set-up who may be reading this (unlikely)... come on? Really?
(Though as an English fan, continue the good work chaps)
Showing posts with label Shane Watson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shane Watson. Show all posts
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Why the Aussies should stick, not twist
So, Australia have lost the Ashes, and it was hardly a shock. Long before Stuart Broad's quadrennial Ashes winning spell, fingers had been pointed, post mortems had been written and the inquests had begun. Selectors, coaches, the media, fans, twenty20, the Sheffield Shield, state cricket, grade cricket and even Sam Robson have all been blamed for the urn not being #returned, and all kinds of crazy theories have been spouted by those in the know (and those who really aren't) about how the Aussies can get back to their former glories.
One way forward, as mooted by coach Darren Lehmann, is to cut the whole lot of them, and start again. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Lehmann said that Chris Rogers and captain Michael Clarke were the only certainties to play, and that everyone else is playing at the Oval for their test careers.
While clearly being used as a motivational tool for his underperforming charges, if Lehmann is serious about dropping the entire side, this could be the worst thing to happen to Australian cricket for a long time - even considering the considerable list of bad things to happen to Australian cricket recently. The fifth Ashes test is a great chance for the Aussies to finally play freely and without pressure - while they have nothing to play for in terms of the urn, they can go and play positively, score runs and shift some momentum their way before the score resets at nil-nil in Brisbane. Attention and focus should be taken off these by-and-large inexperienced players, but instead, Lehmann has pushed it heavily back onto them.
On a cricket level, cutting his losses and moving on from this team would also be a pretty poor idea - mainly because somehow or another Australia have stumbled across a pretty decent side. More by luck than judgement, they've found two openers who complement each other well - one counter-attacking and adventurous; the other gritty and determined, both of whom will fight to the death for Australia. Moving Clarke up to 4 has been long overdue, as has dropping Watson to 6, and they give a much better balance to the batting card. Questions still remain over Khawaja and Steve Smith at test level, but they've both shown glimpses of their ability, and should be backed to come good. This is a side that were the equal of - if not outplayed England for the entire third test, and most of the fourth, but came unstuck against some high class bowlers who got their tails up. Ripping this team apart just as they've come together would be a disaster.
Shaking the team up wouldn't be a bad idea if Australia had ready-made replacements - but they don't. Unless Lehmann's found a time-machine, there really aren't many options, with most of the names (Maddinson, Doolan) touted as potential newbies having only played a handful of first-class games, let alone tests. Contrast that to the near-enough conveyor belt of potential English replacements, and it's clear where Australian problems lie.
Lehmann would do well to contrast the English sides he played against of the 90s; where players came and went with alarming regularity, there was no settled side and no idea over who the strongest eleven was, to the England side he faces as a coach in this series; where a regular set of players are given the confidence of the selectors to perform, and consistent selections are made. Nick Compton and Steven Finn could argue otherwise, but they are the exception rather than the rule, and the exceptional success of recent years compared to the overwhelming failures of earlier owe a lot to consistent selections. Australia have not had a settled side since, well, the wonder team of Warne, McGrath, Hayden and Gilchrist - with new faces appearing, disappearing, then reappearing a few years later hardly conducive to success, and woeful Australian results in the past three years bearing this out.
If Australian cricket is to return to anywhere near the glory years (though I imagine they'd take just being competitive in two consecutive games), an element of consistency has to come in. While they have been good in spells this series, those spells have been few and far between. And what surely can't help it is the constant tinkering with the side, and player's roles throughout. First Watson's an opener who won't bowl, then he's a number six expected to bowl a lot of maidens. The spinner was meant to be Lyon, but it suddenly was Agar, but then it was Lyon again. Clarke wasn't going to bat anywhere else but 5, then suddenly he had to bat 4. Mitchell Starc was playing, then he wasn't playing, then he was, then he wasn't again. Warner got in a fight so had to go to Zimbabwe, then he got parachuted in to bat at six, then suddenly he was an opener. Australia had a really long tail, then they picked three bunnies. How does Lehmann expect these players to perform if even they don't know what he expects of them?
For me, somehow or other, Australia have stumbled across a half decent formula that doesn't suck nearly as much as the team that they started the series with. Lehmann could keep throwing names up in the air and hoping a winning team magically forms, but his best bet is to stick with what he's got, and get them to grow as a unit. Lord's aside Australia have given England a much bigger contest then they thought they were going to get, and throwing this lot away for untried and untested newbies is a gamble that could spectacularly backfire. Lehmann may argue that it's a gamble worth taking as he doesn't have much to lose, but going into the fifth test, these Aussies need backing, not sacking.
One way forward, as mooted by coach Darren Lehmann, is to cut the whole lot of them, and start again. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Lehmann said that Chris Rogers and captain Michael Clarke were the only certainties to play, and that everyone else is playing at the Oval for their test careers.
While clearly being used as a motivational tool for his underperforming charges, if Lehmann is serious about dropping the entire side, this could be the worst thing to happen to Australian cricket for a long time - even considering the considerable list of bad things to happen to Australian cricket recently. The fifth Ashes test is a great chance for the Aussies to finally play freely and without pressure - while they have nothing to play for in terms of the urn, they can go and play positively, score runs and shift some momentum their way before the score resets at nil-nil in Brisbane. Attention and focus should be taken off these by-and-large inexperienced players, but instead, Lehmann has pushed it heavily back onto them.
On a cricket level, cutting his losses and moving on from this team would also be a pretty poor idea - mainly because somehow or another Australia have stumbled across a pretty decent side. More by luck than judgement, they've found two openers who complement each other well - one counter-attacking and adventurous; the other gritty and determined, both of whom will fight to the death for Australia. Moving Clarke up to 4 has been long overdue, as has dropping Watson to 6, and they give a much better balance to the batting card. Questions still remain over Khawaja and Steve Smith at test level, but they've both shown glimpses of their ability, and should be backed to come good. This is a side that were the equal of - if not outplayed England for the entire third test, and most of the fourth, but came unstuck against some high class bowlers who got their tails up. Ripping this team apart just as they've come together would be a disaster.
Shaking the team up wouldn't be a bad idea if Australia had ready-made replacements - but they don't. Unless Lehmann's found a time-machine, there really aren't many options, with most of the names (Maddinson, Doolan) touted as potential newbies having only played a handful of first-class games, let alone tests. Contrast that to the near-enough conveyor belt of potential English replacements, and it's clear where Australian problems lie.
Lehmann would do well to contrast the English sides he played against of the 90s; where players came and went with alarming regularity, there was no settled side and no idea over who the strongest eleven was, to the England side he faces as a coach in this series; where a regular set of players are given the confidence of the selectors to perform, and consistent selections are made. Nick Compton and Steven Finn could argue otherwise, but they are the exception rather than the rule, and the exceptional success of recent years compared to the overwhelming failures of earlier owe a lot to consistent selections. Australia have not had a settled side since, well, the wonder team of Warne, McGrath, Hayden and Gilchrist - with new faces appearing, disappearing, then reappearing a few years later hardly conducive to success, and woeful Australian results in the past three years bearing this out.
If Australian cricket is to return to anywhere near the glory years (though I imagine they'd take just being competitive in two consecutive games), an element of consistency has to come in. While they have been good in spells this series, those spells have been few and far between. And what surely can't help it is the constant tinkering with the side, and player's roles throughout. First Watson's an opener who won't bowl, then he's a number six expected to bowl a lot of maidens. The spinner was meant to be Lyon, but it suddenly was Agar, but then it was Lyon again. Clarke wasn't going to bat anywhere else but 5, then suddenly he had to bat 4. Mitchell Starc was playing, then he wasn't playing, then he was, then he wasn't again. Warner got in a fight so had to go to Zimbabwe, then he got parachuted in to bat at six, then suddenly he was an opener. Australia had a really long tail, then they picked three bunnies. How does Lehmann expect these players to perform if even they don't know what he expects of them?
For me, somehow or other, Australia have stumbled across a half decent formula that doesn't suck nearly as much as the team that they started the series with. Lehmann could keep throwing names up in the air and hoping a winning team magically forms, but his best bet is to stick with what he's got, and get them to grow as a unit. Lord's aside Australia have given England a much bigger contest then they thought they were going to get, and throwing this lot away for untried and untested newbies is a gamble that could spectacularly backfire. Lehmann may argue that it's a gamble worth taking as he doesn't have much to lose, but going into the fifth test, these Aussies need backing, not sacking.
Sunday, 11 December 2011
The ODI Team of 2011
With the conclusion of today's India v West Indies ODI comes the end of ODI cricket in 2011. It's been a fairly decent year for the moody middle-child of the formats, with a surprisingly good World Cup, lots of records broken, and some closely fought series. Yes, there have also been some one-sided humblings, but it wouldn't be the ODI cricket that we all know and sort of love without it, would it? Anyway, with the end of 2011 ODI cricket comes the chance to name a 2011 ODI team of the year, and here it is.
1) Shane Watson
While it may still be cool to massively hate him, 2011 has been the year that I've begrudingly given respect to Shane Watson. Yes, the occasional histrionics and highlights still remain, but his cricket this calendar year, especially in ODIs has been nothing short of astonishing. Starting with a record high for an Aussie at home with an unbeaten 161 at the MCG against England. He then followed that with a solid-enough World Cup with both bat and ball in a tough Aussie campaign, before unleashing hell on the poor Bangladeshis in the ensuing series. The 185 not out from a mere 96 balls contained a monstrous 15 sixes, and underlined Watto's capacity as an incredibly dangerous hitter. (His 2011 ODIs have seen 42 maximums clear the fence, more than anyone else, and he also boasts the best strike rate of 109 to boot). Add to that his ever improving bowling, and hawkish fielding and he's not far off the perfect ODI player. Comfortably the best all-round all-rounder in cricket at the moment.
2) Virender Sehwag
Sehwag has only played in 12 ODIs since the turn of the year, but he got quite a bit done in them. Setting the tone for India's victorious World Cup campaign with an imperious 175 against Bangladesh, he then went a few better and smashed every record going by reaching 219 against the West Indies only last week. While he was a little bit up and down at times, he remains the ultimate ODI master blaster, and to not include him in the year that he achieved so much would be cruel.
3) Jonathan Trott
Say what you like about Jonathan Trott's technique or strike rate, he scores runs. Lot of them. Until last week, he was 2011's top ODI run scorer (having played less games than eventual run winner Virat Kohli), and his strike rate of 80 isn't as woefully bad as many think (in fact, of the top 10 run scorers of the year, Trott has the 5th fastest strike rate). With two hundreds and ten fifties, Trott oozes consistent scoring, and provides support and backbone to his teammates, especially when wickets are tumbling at the other end. A shoo-in for my team of the year.
4) Virat Kohli
A coming of age year for Kohli, where his growing maturity and confidence has been reflected in his performances. Finishing the year with 1381 ODI runs, including four hundreds, Kohli has nailed down a spot in India's middle order and made it his own. The frightening fact that he is only 23 should see him become a staple part of India's teams for many years to come.
5) Brendan Taylor
2011 has seen something of a resurgence in Zimbabwe cricket, with a test return being greeted with a new found competitiveness against the bigger nations, and no other player has embodied that as much as their new captain, Brendan Taylor. A remarkable series against New Zealand that saw scores of 128*, 107* and 75 followed a World Cup where he was Zim's standout batsman, and finishing the year with an average of 49.53 is very handy indeed.
6) Yuvraj Singh
While 2011 has been up and down for Yuvraj, it would be impossible to miss him from this team after the World Cup that he had. Starring with the bat (averaging over 50 from his 14 games), and surprisingly with the ball (picking up 20 wickets at 26), Yuvraj was key to India's victory, and was deservedly named Man of the Tournament.
7) MS Dhoni
Captain, keeper, all-round hero, MS Dhoni (in ODI colours at least) can do no wrong. Taking the mantle as the ultimate ODI finisher, Dhoni's cool-hand has been seen throughout the year, but not as much as in it's biggest game, where his 91 not out in the World Cup final saw India to victory, and his name into Indian folklore. As exceptional a leader as they come, Dhoni has arguably been THE one day international player of 2011.
8) Shahid Afridi
A couple of retirements, a couple of comebacks, a loss of the captaincy, a lot of wickets and a few runs - 2011 has been another normal year in the life of Shahid Afridi. The leading wicket-taker during the World Cup, where his super-quick leg-spin accounted for far too many batsmen, he then retired, before returning in a blaze of glory to destroy Bangladesh in the UAE at the end of the year. While his batting was even more hit and miss than usual, his bowling (where he took an incredible four 5-fers) was easily the best of anyones in 2011.
9) Mitchell Johnson
Yes, he bowls to the left and the right, but Mitch's form in 2011 ODIs was surprisingly good. 39 wickets at 20 (with a more remarkable economy rate of just 4.4) sees cricket's biggest enigma make it into the team of the year.
10) Lasith Malinga
There is simply no bowler more frightening to face than Lasith Malinga. Working on the simple theory of getting it full and straight, the slinger took the most wickets (48) this year, and despite retiring from tests, is still as deadly in ODIs as he's ever been.
11) Zaheer Khan
An injury ravaged second half of the year saw 2011 peter out for Zaheer, but after the first half he had, he won't mind a bit. India's go-to bowler throughout the World Cup, he was instrumental in both taking wickets and strangling the run rate, both with the new ball, and the older one. His incredible spell at the start of the World Cup Final, where the normally free-scoring Dilshan and Tharanga were unable to get him off the square set up the win for India, and his 30 wickets from just 14 games see him into the team of the year, dodgy hammy or not.
My ODI team of 2011:
Shane Watson
Virender Sehwag
Jonathan Trott
Virat Kohli
Brendan Taylor
MS Dhoni
Yuvraj Singh
Shahid Afridi
Mitchell Johnson
Lasith Malinga
Zaheer Khan
1) Shane Watson
While it may still be cool to massively hate him, 2011 has been the year that I've begrudingly given respect to Shane Watson. Yes, the occasional histrionics and highlights still remain, but his cricket this calendar year, especially in ODIs has been nothing short of astonishing. Starting with a record high for an Aussie at home with an unbeaten 161 at the MCG against England. He then followed that with a solid-enough World Cup with both bat and ball in a tough Aussie campaign, before unleashing hell on the poor Bangladeshis in the ensuing series. The 185 not out from a mere 96 balls contained a monstrous 15 sixes, and underlined Watto's capacity as an incredibly dangerous hitter. (His 2011 ODIs have seen 42 maximums clear the fence, more than anyone else, and he also boasts the best strike rate of 109 to boot). Add to that his ever improving bowling, and hawkish fielding and he's not far off the perfect ODI player. Comfortably the best all-round all-rounder in cricket at the moment.
2) Virender Sehwag
Sehwag has only played in 12 ODIs since the turn of the year, but he got quite a bit done in them. Setting the tone for India's victorious World Cup campaign with an imperious 175 against Bangladesh, he then went a few better and smashed every record going by reaching 219 against the West Indies only last week. While he was a little bit up and down at times, he remains the ultimate ODI master blaster, and to not include him in the year that he achieved so much would be cruel.
3) Jonathan Trott
Say what you like about Jonathan Trott's technique or strike rate, he scores runs. Lot of them. Until last week, he was 2011's top ODI run scorer (having played less games than eventual run winner Virat Kohli), and his strike rate of 80 isn't as woefully bad as many think (in fact, of the top 10 run scorers of the year, Trott has the 5th fastest strike rate). With two hundreds and ten fifties, Trott oozes consistent scoring, and provides support and backbone to his teammates, especially when wickets are tumbling at the other end. A shoo-in for my team of the year.
4) Virat Kohli
A coming of age year for Kohli, where his growing maturity and confidence has been reflected in his performances. Finishing the year with 1381 ODI runs, including four hundreds, Kohli has nailed down a spot in India's middle order and made it his own. The frightening fact that he is only 23 should see him become a staple part of India's teams for many years to come.
5) Brendan Taylor
2011 has seen something of a resurgence in Zimbabwe cricket, with a test return being greeted with a new found competitiveness against the bigger nations, and no other player has embodied that as much as their new captain, Brendan Taylor. A remarkable series against New Zealand that saw scores of 128*, 107* and 75 followed a World Cup where he was Zim's standout batsman, and finishing the year with an average of 49.53 is very handy indeed.
6) Yuvraj Singh
While 2011 has been up and down for Yuvraj, it would be impossible to miss him from this team after the World Cup that he had. Starring with the bat (averaging over 50 from his 14 games), and surprisingly with the ball (picking up 20 wickets at 26), Yuvraj was key to India's victory, and was deservedly named Man of the Tournament.
7) MS Dhoni
Captain, keeper, all-round hero, MS Dhoni (in ODI colours at least) can do no wrong. Taking the mantle as the ultimate ODI finisher, Dhoni's cool-hand has been seen throughout the year, but not as much as in it's biggest game, where his 91 not out in the World Cup final saw India to victory, and his name into Indian folklore. As exceptional a leader as they come, Dhoni has arguably been THE one day international player of 2011.
8) Shahid Afridi
A couple of retirements, a couple of comebacks, a loss of the captaincy, a lot of wickets and a few runs - 2011 has been another normal year in the life of Shahid Afridi. The leading wicket-taker during the World Cup, where his super-quick leg-spin accounted for far too many batsmen, he then retired, before returning in a blaze of glory to destroy Bangladesh in the UAE at the end of the year. While his batting was even more hit and miss than usual, his bowling (where he took an incredible four 5-fers) was easily the best of anyones in 2011.
9) Mitchell Johnson
Yes, he bowls to the left and the right, but Mitch's form in 2011 ODIs was surprisingly good. 39 wickets at 20 (with a more remarkable economy rate of just 4.4) sees cricket's biggest enigma make it into the team of the year.
10) Lasith Malinga
There is simply no bowler more frightening to face than Lasith Malinga. Working on the simple theory of getting it full and straight, the slinger took the most wickets (48) this year, and despite retiring from tests, is still as deadly in ODIs as he's ever been.
11) Zaheer Khan
An injury ravaged second half of the year saw 2011 peter out for Zaheer, but after the first half he had, he won't mind a bit. India's go-to bowler throughout the World Cup, he was instrumental in both taking wickets and strangling the run rate, both with the new ball, and the older one. His incredible spell at the start of the World Cup Final, where the normally free-scoring Dilshan and Tharanga were unable to get him off the square set up the win for India, and his 30 wickets from just 14 games see him into the team of the year, dodgy hammy or not.
My ODI team of 2011:
Shane Watson
Virender Sehwag
Jonathan Trott
Virat Kohli
Brendan Taylor
MS Dhoni
Yuvraj Singh
Shahid Afridi
Mitchell Johnson
Lasith Malinga
Zaheer Khan
Monday, 28 February 2011
Podcast - Coming Out of Shane Watson's Closet
Podbean
The World Cup's been going on for a week now, so Will has a look at the chances of the respective nations. There's some more stuff about the strengths (but mainly weaknesses) of the format of this tournament. England's tie with India is looked at in detail, and Will wonders what it would take to turn him South African. Get on the Fantasy League (with the pin of 1992) and the Sport Guru league with the password 'spedpert'.
The World Cup's been going on for a week now, so Will has a look at the chances of the respective nations. There's some more stuff about the strengths (but mainly weaknesses) of the format of this tournament. England's tie with India is looked at in detail, and Will wonders what it would take to turn him South African. Get on the Fantasy League (with the pin of 1992) and the Sport Guru league with the password 'spedpert'.
Monday, 3 January 2011
Day One At The SCG
Before play started...: Ricky Ponting had an injury, so Michael Clarke stepped up as captain (unpopular). Ponting was replaced at 3 by Usman Khawaja (dayboo), as well as Michael Beer coming in for injured Ryan Harris (also making his dayboo). Ashes retaining England were unchanged.
Where did it all go wrong for Australia?: Didn't tick the scores along as quickly as they would have wanted. Lost wickets at key moments. Nobody went on and went big.
Where did it all go right for Australia?: Good partnerships being developed, Watson showing he's a proper opener, Khawaja showing he's test class.
Where did it all go wrong for England?: Didn't take as many wickets as they would have hoped with the muggy overhead conditions.
Where did it all go right for England?: Took wickets when it mattered, and bowled dangerously. Stopped any free flow of runs.
Who won each session?: Morning - Australia. Afternoon - Even. Evening - Just about England.
Who's winning the game?: Tight one. Both teams will feel there's a bit in it for them. Though with Khawaja falling last ball, I'd say England are ahead.
Shot of the day: Khawaja's pull off Bresnan for 4. Or Watson's drive for four (also off Bresnan).
Ball of the day: Bresnan's one to get rid of Clarke. Nice shape.
Man of the day: On debut, Usman Khawaja. Looked solid and assured at the crease throughout. Will be kicking himself that he got out in stupid circumstances.
And finally... Ashes Oddity: After enduring horrible, miserable weather in England over the past few months, I arrive in Sydney, and my first day of cricket is massively rain affected.
Where did it all go wrong for Australia?: Didn't tick the scores along as quickly as they would have wanted. Lost wickets at key moments. Nobody went on and went big.
Where did it all go right for Australia?: Good partnerships being developed, Watson showing he's a proper opener, Khawaja showing he's test class.
Where did it all go wrong for England?: Didn't take as many wickets as they would have hoped with the muggy overhead conditions.
Where did it all go right for England?: Took wickets when it mattered, and bowled dangerously. Stopped any free flow of runs.
Who won each session?: Morning - Australia. Afternoon - Even. Evening - Just about England.
Who's winning the game?: Tight one. Both teams will feel there's a bit in it for them. Though with Khawaja falling last ball, I'd say England are ahead.
Shot of the day: Khawaja's pull off Bresnan for 4. Or Watson's drive for four (also off Bresnan).
Ball of the day: Bresnan's one to get rid of Clarke. Nice shape.
Man of the day: On debut, Usman Khawaja. Looked solid and assured at the crease throughout. Will be kicking himself that he got out in stupid circumstances.
And finally... Ashes Oddity: After enduring horrible, miserable weather in England over the past few months, I arrive in Sydney, and my first day of cricket is massively rain affected.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Day Three At Perth
Background: Australia batting after getting a more than handy first innings lead, hoping to bat England out of the game.
How did it start: Hussey and Watson offering no chances.
Where did it all go wrong for Australia?: The tail didn't wag as much as it did first up. Ricky Ponting hurt his hand dropping a catch, although this may be seen as a positive.
Where did it all go right for Australia?: Hussey's hundred, Watson's near-as-dammit hundred, taking 5 England scalps for not many. Good Aussie day.
Where did it all go wrong for England?: Not taking quick wickets, and then losing quick wickets.
Where did it all go right for England?: They didn't get a chance to bowl at Bell.
Who won each session?: Morning - Australia. Afternoon - Australia. Evening - Australia.
Who won the day?: Again, (and suprising given the session reports) Australia.
Who's winning the game?: Just about Australia.
Crumb of comfort?: There could be an earthquake and the series could be abandoned with England 1-0 up.
Shot of the day: Dunno. Probably Hussey, maybe Watson.
Ball of the day: Tremlett taking one of his five-fer
Celebration of the day: Swanny's sprinkler. We'd been waiting for him to break it out.
Man of the day: Mike Hussey. Mr Consistent, as well as being Mr Cricket. (He has two passports).
And finally... Ashes Oddity: Australia look like they're going to win. Granted, not that odd, given history.
How did it start: Hussey and Watson offering no chances.
Where did it all go wrong for Australia?: The tail didn't wag as much as it did first up. Ricky Ponting hurt his hand dropping a catch, although this may be seen as a positive.
Where did it all go right for Australia?: Hussey's hundred, Watson's near-as-dammit hundred, taking 5 England scalps for not many. Good Aussie day.
Where did it all go wrong for England?: Not taking quick wickets, and then losing quick wickets.
Where did it all go right for England?: They didn't get a chance to bowl at Bell.
Who won each session?: Morning - Australia. Afternoon - Australia. Evening - Australia.
Who won the day?: Again, (and suprising given the session reports) Australia.
Who's winning the game?: Just about Australia.
Crumb of comfort?: There could be an earthquake and the series could be abandoned with England 1-0 up.
Shot of the day: Dunno. Probably Hussey, maybe Watson.
Ball of the day: Tremlett taking one of his five-fer
Celebration of the day: Swanny's sprinkler. We'd been waiting for him to break it out.
Man of the day: Mike Hussey. Mr Consistent, as well as being Mr Cricket. (He has two passports).
And finally... Ashes Oddity: Australia look like they're going to win. Granted, not that odd, given history.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Day One at Adelaide
Background: Tied at 0-0 after a draw in Brisbane, England named an unchanged team, but Australia swapped Johnson and Hilfenhaus for Harris and Bollinger.
How did it start: Ponting won the toss (for once) and had a bat.
Where did it all go wrong for Australia?: The run out of Katich without Kat facing. A crucial momentum shift, which wasn't helped by Ponting edging behind the next ball.
Where did it all go right for Australia?: Hussey continued his Brisbane form. North got into double figures.
Where did it all go wrong for England?: Hussey's 90 meant that Australia were restricted to 'only' 245.
Where did it all go right for England?: Brilliant bowling, hawkish fielding, brilliant day for England.
Who won each session?: Morning - England. Afternoon - England. Evening - England.
Who won the day?: England.
Crumb of comfort?: The pitch might do a bit for Aussie bowlers as well
Shot of the day: Watson's effortless six off Swann
Ball of the day: Anderson giving Ponting a first baller. Brilliant bowling, and massive psychologically.
Man of the day: Jimmy Anderson. Got the wickets he deserved in Brisbane.
And finally... Ashes Oddity: Bumble's Australian accent, which was undoutably the worst Aussie accent ever.
How did it start: Ponting won the toss (for once) and had a bat.
Where did it all go wrong for Australia?: The run out of Katich without Kat facing. A crucial momentum shift, which wasn't helped by Ponting edging behind the next ball.
Where did it all go right for Australia?: Hussey continued his Brisbane form. North got into double figures.
Where did it all go wrong for England?: Hussey's 90 meant that Australia were restricted to 'only' 245.
Where did it all go right for England?: Brilliant bowling, hawkish fielding, brilliant day for England.
Who won each session?: Morning - England. Afternoon - England. Evening - England.
Who won the day?: England.
Crumb of comfort?: The pitch might do a bit for Aussie bowlers as well
Shot of the day: Watson's effortless six off Swann
Ball of the day: Anderson giving Ponting a first baller. Brilliant bowling, and massive psychologically.
Man of the day: Jimmy Anderson. Got the wickets he deserved in Brisbane.
And finally... Ashes Oddity: Bumble's Australian accent, which was undoutably the worst Aussie accent ever.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Finn Musings
Finn's had a nice start to his test career. His first 4 tests were against Bangladesh, which was fun. And he then played four against a Pakistani side who couldn't be bothered to bat.
He hasn't really had much to do in his short career. Without actually doing anything too good, he's found his way onto an Ashes tour with an average of 23. He certainly won't end the tour with an average of 23.
Nobody really knows what Finn will be. Is he a McGrath - someone who probes outside off stump, testing the batsman's technique and being able to seam it around. England don't really do McGraths. We do Harmisons - big, tall fast men who "wang it down" as fast as they can, bouncing it around the batsman's eyes before shattering his stumps.
At the moment, Finn isn't either. He wants to be a McGrath, but at the moment, he's a McGrath without something. He lacks a bit of nip; an X Factor that gets the best batsmen out. As I'm writing (Day 2 Morning of Brisbane test), Finn has bowled half-trackers and half-volleys, been misdirected and malaligned, and hasn't looked like getting anyone out.
Skipper Strauss has told Finn to test Katich and Watson, and has sprayed it around. He hasn't consistently attacked the stumps, he hasn't probed in the corridor, he hasn't really done anything. I'm not sure if I'm saying Finn should or shouldn't be in the side. I'd just like to see him start taking some wickets, otherwise this could be a long tour for England's tallest ever Ashes player.
He hasn't really had much to do in his short career. Without actually doing anything too good, he's found his way onto an Ashes tour with an average of 23. He certainly won't end the tour with an average of 23.
Nobody really knows what Finn will be. Is he a McGrath - someone who probes outside off stump, testing the batsman's technique and being able to seam it around. England don't really do McGraths. We do Harmisons - big, tall fast men who "wang it down" as fast as they can, bouncing it around the batsman's eyes before shattering his stumps.
At the moment, Finn isn't either. He wants to be a McGrath, but at the moment, he's a McGrath without something. He lacks a bit of nip; an X Factor that gets the best batsmen out. As I'm writing (Day 2 Morning of Brisbane test), Finn has bowled half-trackers and half-volleys, been misdirected and malaligned, and hasn't looked like getting anyone out.
Skipper Strauss has told Finn to test Katich and Watson, and has sprayed it around. He hasn't consistently attacked the stumps, he hasn't probed in the corridor, he hasn't really done anything. I'm not sure if I'm saying Finn should or shouldn't be in the side. I'd just like to see him start taking some wickets, otherwise this could be a long tour for England's tallest ever Ashes player.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Ashes Build Up Bingo
We have now entered November - the month the Ashes starts. Unofficially Ashes build-up (such as the "war of words" and "gaining of momentum") has been going on since last August (when Ashes 2009 finished), but now we're into overdrive.
So here's your handy cut out and keep Ashes bingo game. You get one point every time someone comes out and says something here, and when you get enough points, you win a prize. Or something.
Ricky Ponting saying "aw mate" before every answer
An ex Aussie captain claiming England aren't good enough
An ex English captain claiming Australia aren't good enough
KP claiming he's ready and back in form
Shane Watson saying something stupid
An Aussie player writing off an English player
An English player refusing to write off an Aussie player
An English player slagging off John Buchanan
An Aussie player slagging off John Buchanan
John Buchanan slagging off an English or Aussie player
Talk of Michael Clarke taking over as Aussie captain
Talk of Cameron White taking over as Aussie captain
Talk of how well Monty Panesar is bowling in the nets
A stupid injury caused to a key English player talked down by Flower / Strauss
A stupid injury caused to a key English player talked up by associated press
Single figure scores in state cricket being just cause for someone being dropped
Somebody in form touted from nowhere to start in Brisbane
Calls from everywhere for Marcus North to be dropped
Support from Ricky Ponting for Marcus North
Michael Clarke writing something uninteresting on Twitter
Tim Bresnan insulting someone on Twitter
Monty Panesar coming out and saying how well he's "hitting his areas"
Doug Bollinger to feature in an Advanced Hair Studio advert with Shane Warne and Michael Vaughan
English media calling England under prepared
Aussie media calling England over prepared
Steve Finn touted as new Glenn McGrath
Calls for Steve Finn to be dropped for Chris Tremlett
Eoin Morgan getting sunburn
Ex-players / pundits / bloggers / current players calling for Nathan Hauritz to be dropped
Ex-players / pundits / bloggers / current players calling for Marcus North to be dropped
Talk of how a meaningless T20 game v Sri Lanka can affect the outcome of the Ashes
Glenn McGrath to predict a 5-0 Aussie win
To keep up to date with who has the all-important Ashes Momenutum, check out the very handy Ashes Momentum Tracker
Update: 3rd November - Meant to be a facetious list (with the final prediction being the most ridiculous of all), Glenn McGrath predicting a 5-0 whitewash actually happened. Weird.
So here's your handy cut out and keep Ashes bingo game. You get one point every time someone comes out and says something here, and when you get enough points, you win a prize. Or something.
Ricky Ponting saying "aw mate" before every answer
An ex Aussie captain claiming England aren't good enough
An ex English captain claiming Australia aren't good enough
KP claiming he's ready and back in form
Shane Watson saying something stupid
An Aussie player writing off an English player
An English player refusing to write off an Aussie player
An English player slagging off John Buchanan
An Aussie player slagging off John Buchanan
John Buchanan slagging off an English or Aussie player
Talk of Michael Clarke taking over as Aussie captain
Talk of Cameron White taking over as Aussie captain
Talk of how well Monty Panesar is bowling in the nets
A stupid injury caused to a key English player talked down by Flower / Strauss
A stupid injury caused to a key English player talked up by associated press
Single figure scores in state cricket being just cause for someone being dropped
Somebody in form touted from nowhere to start in Brisbane
Calls from everywhere for Marcus North to be dropped
Support from Ricky Ponting for Marcus North
Michael Clarke writing something uninteresting on Twitter
Tim Bresnan insulting someone on Twitter
Monty Panesar coming out and saying how well he's "hitting his areas"
Doug Bollinger to feature in an Advanced Hair Studio advert with Shane Warne and Michael Vaughan
English media calling England under prepared
Aussie media calling England over prepared
Steve Finn touted as new Glenn McGrath
Calls for Steve Finn to be dropped for Chris Tremlett
Eoin Morgan getting sunburn
Ex-players / pundits / bloggers / current players calling for Nathan Hauritz to be dropped
Ex-players / pundits / bloggers / current players calling for Marcus North to be dropped
Talk of how a meaningless T20 game v Sri Lanka can affect the outcome of the Ashes
Glenn McGrath to predict a 5-0 Aussie win
To keep up to date with who has the all-important Ashes Momenutum, check out the very handy Ashes Momentum Tracker
Update: 3rd November - Meant to be a facetious list (with the final prediction being the most ridiculous of all), Glenn McGrath predicting a 5-0 whitewash actually happened. Weird.
Sunday, 4 July 2010
Wright or Wrong?
Yesterday, amongst other things I was doing at Lord's, I watched a bit of cricket. I saw Hussey and Marsh win the game for Australia. I saw Collingwood have a really good go at winning it for England. And I saw the wickets of Wright and Bresnan.
Both are useful bits-and-pieces batsmen. Both hung around with Collingwood in 50+ partnerships. But neither could be counted on to make a Collingwood / Pietersen or Morgan-esque winning contribution on their own. But for Yardy's inexplicable rise to number three, Wright is meant to be England's number 6. A position in the team who needs to make runs. Wright will not make runs. Sure, he'll hit a handy 20 or 30 while keeping someone company, but when the back's against the wall (like it was when he was batting yesterday) he needed to stand up and make an unbeaten 70 or 80. But he didn't.
Wright doesn't get to bowl much - he's only really used as a 'sixth' bowler. Wright isn't good enough to get into the team by virtue of either his batting or bowling. So at number 6, England are playing a specialist "we'll only bowl him if we have to, and he's not going to make many runs" all-rounder. Which begs the question what he's doing in the team. If he's there fulfilling the role as a batsman who can bowl, he's not good enough as a batsman when Collingwood or even Ravi Bopara could do the job much better.
Also at Lord's yesterday; hanging around and looking generally bored (which he has done for the past month) was Steve Finn. Presumably England will want to play him in ODIs at some point, which means he'll either come in like-for-like for a bowler, or for an "all-rounder". England will want to play their new strategy of two spinners (Swann and Yardy), so they're safe. And Broad and Anderson are fairly secure in the side. If Wright is replaced by a proper batsman, Bresnan's place is under fire.
England will be gearing up over the next 12 months for the World Cup next spring, and they'll want to get the balance of the team right. Patently at the moment, the balance is all over the place. England don't need six bowlers (seen in the World T20 when Australia got to the final with four and Watson), so Wright must go. Finn will play at some stage, and the tail of Swann and Broad is plenty strong without Tim Bresnan. So Bresnan must go as well. Wright and Bresnan were big parts of England winning the World T20, as we "got away" with playing only five proper batsmen. We also "got away" with it in the first three ODIs of the series (just). However, the imbalance was exposed by a Shaun Tait-inspired Australia for the final two games, and changes must be made. England are a handy ODI side, but against top quality bowling the batting line up is paper thin. Changes must be made if England are to make it two World Cups in a row.
My England World Cup team
Strauss (c)
Kieswetter
Pietersen
Collingwood
Morgan
Bopara
Yardy
Swann
Broad
Anderson
Finn
Wright
Bresnan
Rashid
Denly
Both are useful bits-and-pieces batsmen. Both hung around with Collingwood in 50+ partnerships. But neither could be counted on to make a Collingwood / Pietersen or Morgan-esque winning contribution on their own. But for Yardy's inexplicable rise to number three, Wright is meant to be England's number 6. A position in the team who needs to make runs. Wright will not make runs. Sure, he'll hit a handy 20 or 30 while keeping someone company, but when the back's against the wall (like it was when he was batting yesterday) he needed to stand up and make an unbeaten 70 or 80. But he didn't.
Wright doesn't get to bowl much - he's only really used as a 'sixth' bowler. Wright isn't good enough to get into the team by virtue of either his batting or bowling. So at number 6, England are playing a specialist "we'll only bowl him if we have to, and he's not going to make many runs" all-rounder. Which begs the question what he's doing in the team. If he's there fulfilling the role as a batsman who can bowl, he's not good enough as a batsman when Collingwood or even Ravi Bopara could do the job much better.
Also at Lord's yesterday; hanging around and looking generally bored (which he has done for the past month) was Steve Finn. Presumably England will want to play him in ODIs at some point, which means he'll either come in like-for-like for a bowler, or for an "all-rounder". England will want to play their new strategy of two spinners (Swann and Yardy), so they're safe. And Broad and Anderson are fairly secure in the side. If Wright is replaced by a proper batsman, Bresnan's place is under fire.
England will be gearing up over the next 12 months for the World Cup next spring, and they'll want to get the balance of the team right. Patently at the moment, the balance is all over the place. England don't need six bowlers (seen in the World T20 when Australia got to the final with four and Watson), so Wright must go. Finn will play at some stage, and the tail of Swann and Broad is plenty strong without Tim Bresnan. So Bresnan must go as well. Wright and Bresnan were big parts of England winning the World T20, as we "got away" with playing only five proper batsmen. We also "got away" with it in the first three ODIs of the series (just). However, the imbalance was exposed by a Shaun Tait-inspired Australia for the final two games, and changes must be made. England are a handy ODI side, but against top quality bowling the batting line up is paper thin. Changes must be made if England are to make it two World Cups in a row.
My England World Cup team
Strauss (c)
Kieswetter
Pietersen
Collingwood
Morgan
Bopara
Yardy
Swann
Broad
Anderson
Finn
Wright
Bresnan
Rashid
Denly
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)