IT IS NEARLY HERE!
THE TIME WE WAIT 364 DAYS A YEAR FOR!
BOXING DAY TEST!
I wish there were more people clicking on here to feel my excitement about boxing day, not through lack of trying on my behalf!
I have written in sooooo many other blogs, forums and press releases to try and drum up more interest in the angle we have taken here... but alas, to little avail.
On this, the lead up to MY favourite day of the year, can i just say thank you to you that have become involved in this blog. I value EVERY contribution- i hope that is evident by the fact i try and respond to every point made in your postings- that you all have made here, i hope you had a safe and bla bla pagen/christian/whatever/family day today... i did! But t kids made that happen, not me!
To Gab and Ponsford, thanks for your friends-ship and support as i got this under way, Ponsford, a special thanks for contributing your own postings (that is by way of an invite to the rest of you if you are keen to write a piece- try my contacts for details and i'll hook you in- i openly encourage other opinion).
Leftriteout, you are so broughtritein as far as i'm concerned; as a croweater you are amazingly able to produce thoughtful and factual contributions to the forum that despite your anti-Vic slant (I know that deep down in your grotty little heart-of-hearts you know S.K.Warne should of had a LONG career as Aus cap), are valuable, welcomed and enjoyed!i hope we can continue to stimulate you and elicit the same quality responses as you have so far produced.
NL, it is so good to have you on board. You have already contributed heaps and shown a real incite and thoughtfulness towards what we are trying to achieve from this. Thanks so much for straight-away adding really thought-out posts that truly add value to the discussion and exhibit a deep understanding for this game that I think is the greatest.
So now for the business: Boxing Day test.
Well the big issue that is now no longer an issue is the weather: it is going to be perrrrfect!
so that now the uncontrollable is settled, the side:
I claimed (and support) that the inclusion of Hauritz in the NZ 2nd test was an act against further development. while i enjoyed Hauritz performance and believe he bowled well enough, it still went against my "blood the youth" policy. the fact he has been held in contention for this test is astounding!i don't dislike the bloke, but...
every man and his dog in the know has said it is a waste of a player running with a tweaker! as I'm sure you know, those every man etc are the curator, and everyone that has watched a Vic game this year!
And according to my info at this time of night Siddle is still in! What do you have to do to get dropped!
As i've said, if Hayden doesn't...
Hussey better....
Lee...
Ponting, don't get me started! Captain like you are making the plays, not reacting to the lack of performance from your bowlers! And get some runs before i start a petition!
stoph verismo
downthewicket
ps.
downthewicket will have some low rez shots of the day... for you Luke and Gab (ya soft co...)
iI we lose this test, there are some favourite moustaches at CA i want to lay a fist into.
top blokes maybe, but as selectors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ten minutes to eight and a train beckons, walking out the door verry soon BOXING DAY!!!
ReplyDeleteOooohh how good is this! I hope everyone had a nice Christmas/Festivas and chers to Stopher for his nice words.
Agreed, selectors have had it wrong for a while and some of the selections have defied belief: Symonds, Hauritz coming in and Hayden not being dropped... Time to go, Can't wait, Boxing day at the G, no better time of year.
Ponsford
love the cricket, but i prefer a day off!! go aussies, we love you coz you're a vic-to-rian, clap,clap,clap,clap-clap,clap,clap...
ReplyDeleteClass. It rises to the top like cream. Ricky Ponting showed once again why he is and should always be regarded as the most feared batsman in the world. He seemed to be batting on a different pitch, to different bowlers. His brutal strokeplay was against the grain of the day and personfied what it means to be the Australian captian . A soft dismissal did no justice but 3 figures certainly did. His innings was the highlight of the day and should surely silence the never ending line of cricket critics that have never donned the baggy green. Boxing day is the coloseum and he walked alone today.
ReplyDeleteToo true Nospmas,
ReplyDeletePonting was certainly the highlight, best batsman in the world coming off a rare slump and back to making it look oh so easy.
What about Hussey? What is going on there...and Symonds? Horrible, wasteful, stupid shot, can be such a good player but it seems to be too easy for teams to suck him in.
Looking forward to Clarke and Lee taking some more shine off the ball and a total of 400+.
nearly had 400!
ReplyDeleteeven if the last 2 wickets go cheep, SA made chasing down a good lead look WAY too easy in Perth!
i like what Leftriteout said as a comment elsewhere... "chase down 500 ya..."
Hey Gab, isn't a day at the cricket a day off?
ReplyDelete"anything to get away from the nagging and screaming...in the house of love, la,la,lah!"
Where to begin listing the mistakes of the fallen empire, and I say fallen because Skywalker is about to fire the fatal shot through the impossibly small hole to destroy the Death Star.
ReplyDeleteI will start with the selectors. Why they saw fit to choose a player that was injured in Perth enough to not be able to bowl I will never know. I am of course speaking of Andrew Symonds who could hardly have been chosen for his form with the bat. Then there is the odd inclusion of Lee when Australia were screaming for someone that could move the ball sideways. Bollinger can do this yet remains on the outer.
Now I must move to the day 3 fiasco that put me over the edge. Hussey chosen to bowl ahead of a proven trouble maker Katich? WTF!! How the selectors must have cringed at Symonds hobbling about while his obvious replacement for the test fielded for the injured Lee. Watson must surely have screwed Ponting's wife to have missed out after his admirable performance in India. Dropped catches once again plagued us and in the end will be the real difference between the sides. Ponting's dolly cost us 150 and the game. Hussey could be forgiven both for the catch and his dismissal which is a hell of a lot more than most of the other batters could say. Hayden telegraphed his dismissal the over before. He was in slog mode which is totally irresponsible when your team needs you to bat for a long time. All we had to do was bat til lunch day 5 and we would have saved the game but no, Hayden goes for runs, Katich chases crap that was almost off the pitch and Symonds after one life plays exactly the same shot 3 balls later to fall the way. Haddin should not be relied upon to hang around and Johnson showed just how good the pitch is as the South African will on day 5. I am tipping they get them 1 or 2 for and really rub it in. As they should. If the selectors avoid wholesale change for the Sydney test there should be face down draggings. The time has come to build a new Death Star, not repair the old one.