Wednesday 16 December 2009

Perth... thanks for being in another time zone!

Perth Test
as an eastern state living cricket nut, this is my favourite test outside my home.
it starts a half hour before i leave work... and goes into the evening! turn tv/dvd on for the kids, plug in receiver to mac, turn down the volume on mac/channel 9, turn on grandstand, enjoy beverage and barrage!

Siddle out... thank goodness. his tightness enforcing a rest now was such a bonus as i was ready to give it to all and sundry had he been selected. i know as a paceman he must have been looking forward to Perth, but the bigger picture has prevailed; see you on B-day Pete!

batsman told to get ruthless: reason being, no one has made a hunj this series... so what!
isn't it better all/most/many of the batsmen are averaging around their average for the series than failing?
what is better: one player gets a hundred and the next a duck, or both get 50? making 50 is being in form, a quacker isn't!

then what about S.Smith being picked with Hauritz injuring his finger!
i agree with T.Jenner, it is a bit too premature, and given his 1st class average at the moment is 75... yep, 75! he clearly hasn't learned his craft enough to ply it on the Perth track. McGain is the leading spinner in the country at present, but even as a leggie myself, the obvious choice if Ponting wants a specialist turner is Krezja. Tall, bouncy and with a proven doosra it is a dead set slap in the face for a bloke that has done all required to get back in, and is more suited to that pitch.

i hope CA doesn't crush Smiths building talent by throwing him in the deep end when his skill level isn't fully developed, on a pacemans pitch, and with a captain that doesn't know how to utilise a slower bowler!

9 comments:

  1. ponting won toss, batting, Hauritz in.

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  2. I think Tim May is expecting a call soon. The selectors are saying to all and sundry that they don't really know what to do with spin in this country. As soon as someone who bowls spin emerges they're in the mix for a test berth.

    Krejza has been consistent without being amazing this season so far. I'd suggest that if Hauritz wasn't fit that no spinner should be selected. I don't think you can pick a discipline for its own sake. Katich has indicated that he will be up for some bowling soon......

    The thing with Smith is he's a handy bat. Reports are that he bowls with good control so at least some good signs there.

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  3. I Love the Perth test too, on top of that, because of the heat my boss sent me home early just ni time for the first ball! My boss rocks!
    Good to see McKay in, pity Watson didn't make it to the hunj but its coming and I am quite happy to see him making 80's and 90's until it comes.

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  4. It must be close to 26 over there, Sledgie!

    See you in 9 days.

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  5. Ponting said last night on the news he always prefers a specialist spinner in the side... unfortunately, he rarely knows how to use them; much like many other captains.

    i hope his elbow isn't too mangled... it was a solid hit!

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  6. Yep, as soon as it hit 27 I was out of there.
    Punter is going to have a large egg on his arm for a while... 3/339 sounds even better when we still have Ponting to come in.
    It's going to be interesting how this test plays out with rain forecast for Saturday.
    The pitch doesn't seem to have as much life in it as we were told to expect.....again, or maybe they just bowled too full.

    Expecting rain here today at about 1300 hours, god loves us and my boss hates working in the rain.

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  7. My prediction; Aus declares on 550 and WI follows on, making Aus bat again though with weather forcing a draw.

    8 days

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  8. Where has the WACA's pace gone?

    It seems the bounce and carry are still there with batsmen able to leave the ball on height but no pace to rush onto the batsman.

    I think the hallmarks of the various Aus grounds are being stifled. Adelaide Oval is still a batting paradise but it should have deteroriated more on the last day, the SCG is not the raging turner it once was, the drop in MCG pitch has been almost a disaster at times and even Bellrieve doesn't provide the same assistance to bowlers on day one it used to. Hopefully the Pakistan test prove me wrong.

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  9. The days of the fast and bouncy WACA are gone. It now joins what are fast becoming the homogenous Australian decks. Groundskeepers are obsessed with turning out a 5 day result pitch rather than one that entertains.
    How short the memories of Australians are when it comes to the spinners. Before Warne and McGill we went through countless spinners. I hark back to Matthews, Holland, May and the like. None could turn a game like Warne or McGill and we should not expect that any will soon. Although I find Ponting's captaincy when it comes to the turn suspect to say the least I hardly think Waugh and Taylor were genius's. How hard was it? Throw the ball to Warne, get some wickets. Day 5, one end is sewn up, ten wickets before lunch. We even found the time to doubt McGill's talent. How we would love him to be starting his career now.
    And so we are left with solid journeymen that serve a purpose for a captain that can manage them but lets face it, we hven't had one of them since Grumpy.

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