Team announcement Boxing day 2011

A couple of hours to go now befor the announcement of the Boxing day team. A few things have come to pass in the last 48 hours, most notable that Watson hammy looks unlikely to be ready, cap number 427 AND 428 look likely.


any takers on:


Warner.
Cowan.
Kwahaja.
Clarke.
Ponting.
Hussey.
Haddin.
Christian.
Siddle.
Pattinson.
Lyon.
-
-
-

Cowan just keeps offering up reasons why he must be in contention; how long can he be overlooked?



26-12-11 Forecast
min 19 max 25


Melbourne area Cloudy. Areas of rain and the chance of thunderstorms during the morning. Winds northwest to southwesterly averaging up to 25 km/h becoming southwesterly up to 30 km/h during the afternoon.


Of interest was the odds at one of the larger online agencies:
Australia favourites at $2.35, India at $2.50 I trust this is just a reflection of the local punters hopes more than anything else; a draw at $4 looks ok!


Gentleman, start your engines!

T shirts

no luck with finding suitable T shirts on the weekend gentlemen. Sorry. I made a pest of myself all over Southland but to no avail. i meant to check out the G shop but it was getting late for the young 'uns.

Boxing Day forecast

Well gentlemen, for the 2nd year running it looks like Melbourne is going to serve up another turd weather wise on this most venerable day.

with temps predicted to be in the low to mid 20's and thunderstorms the ball could arc around all over the place... or not!

I was at the G on Saturday and a week out the pitch to be used was still greener than the tops worn by victorious Sydney Thunder.






talking of which, watching the back to back 100's from Warner in the polar opposite forms of the game it must be said he has a rare talent. Sure his Hobart knock wasn't perfect, but he kept his head and control when all those around him failed.

Watching him belt everybody to all parts on Saturday all i could think was that if he then showed in 9 days time that he could settle back into a Test cricket frame of mind, the cricket world is his oyster!

I'm not going to go into the big step back and swing shots- we know what they are and represent, but many of his orthodox shots looked like he had half an hour to play them. He just looks to have either a great ability to see it out of the hand and project the balls pitch, length, trajectory, or great self belief that he can still get his bat on it if he guesses wrong!
make up your own minds on that one.

that tat aside- 7 days to go, C'MON Huey! clean up ya act!

good name on the bat! thanks Sledgey for this image! now FUNK OFF HUGHES!

because if i don't say it, you don't know it!

watching the cricket show i found the Ricky Ponting interview interesting. I've been going for his throat a bit over the last 18 months- although i do recall asking why he can't step down as captain but remain in the team if he is making runs, what is overall a very unAustralian thing given captains retire or are 'not selected' sorry Bill!

in the interview he was very candid about his place in the side, what it meant to step down and his belief in himself to continue contributing. Most interesting were his thoughts regarding players 'knowing' when it was time to retire...and that he hasn't felt that yet, so he continues to train harder than ever.

Much is made about converting good scores into tonnes but i just don't buy into that. I didn't when Watson was making consistent scores over 50 and everyone said he NEEDS to go on. Why? i'll take a batsman that you can pencil in 60 runs -but no more- every innings over an uncertainty. And i feel the same about Ricky. He is nearly always good for 70 odd runs, well THAT is good enough! If the whole top order did that every time without a century you'd win every match! it is THAT simple. the "value" of 3 figures is purely a construct of the imagination and statistician.

so for mine Ponting can stay on in his current form, the bigger question is what we do about being a bowler short?
Clarkes bowling changes have been good, but his options are limited, and i believe will be shown up more against the batting quality of India. Obviously Watsons return is critical, but will that be enough? 3 seamers, and all rounder and Lyon?
Watsons return and the need for him to be able to send down 20 overs an innings MUST see Usi open and Watto in the lower middle order. Otherwise he will continue to spend more time on the physio table than the field and we can't afford that when we need his 60 odd runs an innings too.

so there you go, stoph verismo has spoken, so you are now better edjumacated!

Bellerive, the belle of the 6 stitch ball

Ah, Bellerive, how i loved it when i was there last January. How i longed to go to a Test there, and how i hope we (my family)can live there in the not to distant future.

With the 2nd Test starting today all of those thoughts are once again in the forefront of my mind, but so is the cricket!

We (DTW) all seem to be agreeing that Pup is showing considerable cricket acumen and nouse, and this bodes well against the serious test that is India... Pup himself must feel a sense of place and personal importance within that coming series given his critical roll in the last session of the last series. So will he use that as leverage to get under the skins of the Indians? I hope so. With the success of the last Test, i am buoyed by the selectors choice of not changing the line up and allowing those players injured extra time to iron out their niggles.

But that has to wait another 17 days; now is NZ and what of it?
How much can we take from the last Test win? Was it an issue that big D and the Brown-sound stopped the rot and built an innings in the first and for a while our bowlers looked unable to break it? What about if NZ didn't blow soo many chances (i know it goes both ways with dropped catches- i bet Clarke has refused to look at THAT replay!), could the tale of the tape been radically different and the Australias more seriously tested or found wanting? And what about Siddle? He bowled so well for little reward; i won't say "without luck" because i don't feel he was threatening to take wickets, but his pressure from an end was very good. But will that be viewed as enough from him? It clearly is at the moment, but in the future?

great signs that our bowling stocks are building and i tips me hat to Lefty who predicted ALL of the new bowlers a good while ago. Seeing the Dandenong opening bowlers work so well together brought a lump to this parochial Vics throat! As did seeing a greenskeeper show so much faith in his ability to bowl on the spot and to a plan- faith from above does wonders for self belief!

The batting? Well, we all have our thoughts on each key position and i think they don't need me adding to them much more than: Ponting will stay for the summer while he keeps getting scores- regardless of whether they are 3 figured. Hughes: your technique is flawed, give thanks to the location of your residence! If Warner is the run machine, Hughes would do well to realise that he doesn't need to hang his bat out for anything! While the scoreboard rolls over he just needs to stay there; having Warner as a smasher should facilitate Hughes in just this...perhaps he is too stupid to see this opportunity he has.

While the scopes are focussed on targets, Haddin is still doing enough to side step a direct hit and the critics here and across this wide brown land sans NSW will just have

************ *************** **************

Once again the talk is of a 'green top' and the critical choice at the toss, Sth East Aus is hot at the moment but thunderstorms are coming through all weekend- i'd certainly want to bowl first in those conditions, and Clarke has said he is definitely considering it.

Much is made of fortress Gabba and the Gabbatoir, but little has been said that Aus are yet to lose a Test at Hobart- Battlement Bellerive... nah, it is just the best venue in the world for beach cricket; and i long for the day i walk out at Lunch i walk out the gets at the southern end across the foreshore for a swim in the Derwent...BLISS!

Boxing Day 2011

Well lads, it's approaching one of the greatest days in our sporting calendar.

As many of you know, our outing last year was cut short by extraordinary circumstances and we were forced to watch the carnage from a pub in Richmond.

Perhaps it was a merciful outcome but the question begs, what if any penalty should apply to anyone brave enough to put their hand up and take some amount of responsibility for the shenanigans of the morning?

Some suggestions I can think of are.

1. Remaining sober until the time of the alleged offense.
2. Shouting drinks until the time of the offense.
3. Face down dragging.
4. Some form of sexual release for the DTW crew.

As an aside I think it would be amusing to develop some general rules of decorum and relevant penalties as they apply to each occasion.

1. First spew
2. First piss on a road trip
3. Spilling a beer

etc, etc.