It's often hard to make any sense out of how the media comments about cricket in Australia, so it was good to see this article in Australia's doyen of the free press, the Sydney Morning Herald. Here is, at last, is a common sense solution to Australia's cricketing woes. In fact, the secret to our continued success is so sensible and realistic, I'm surprised I hadn't thought of it.
Read the article and tell me what you think lads.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/cricket/how-the-blues-can-win-back-the-ashes-for-australia/2009/10/29/1256405474213.html
That is so cheeky I love it. Personally I think Bollinger should be in the mix anyway and Hughes needs some shield cricket before being put back in - moving Watson down the order where he should be.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is the journalist isn't completely off the mark with what an all NSW 11 looks like. You probably couldn't say the same thing for any other state. The thing is, though, it isn't the best 11 Aus could have. As most of us have rattled on about before, players like Hodge are unlucky not to have played more for Aus.
I don't think we'll see Clark much again and I'm fine with that. I'm not sure Hilfenhaus is a certainty - he looks a little like Anderson in that conditions need to be right for him.
Watching this shield season will be very enlightening to see who the contenders are. Cosgrove, Klinger, Harris and Cooper are worth watching for SA, Jewell from Vic looks the goods (plus D Hussey and Hodge). Marsh from WA, Broad from Qld - the list goes on. If there is a perceived bias towards NSW in Aus selection - it can only hurt Aus cricket. Without a balance from the states providing players to an Aus 11 you:
- prevent international exposure to states' players not represented
- provide no incentive to states to prepare test cricketers (same applies to district clubs)
- reduce the interest around the country in Aus test cricket - ticket sales plummet
- compile a team made up of players raised in similar conditions (eg pitch) which prevents diversity
yep! as hard as this is to cop as a Vic, most of it is right.
ReplyDeleteThe Bollinger point is BS though. He is not comparable to Siddle as he just isn't as sharp and as believably aggressive; he (apparently!) can swing it better, but i would be surprised if he was ever more than a stand-by/fill-in.
Surely if Ponting was going down the order he woud have moved one place last game to allow Marsh more of a shot at the new ball? I like Kat at 3 though! (or 1, 2, 4, 5!- can we clone him?)
Hughes is a wunderkind, but that confidence chink he has that was exposed in Blighty will take a long time to get out of the heads of opposing bowlers and captains... time he has.
Lefty, if Klinger has half the season he had last year he will go into my Hodge category: i.e "who did he diddle?
...but back to the article. Lee has proved himself a fine batsman too, but comparing his batting to Jonno is at the moment absurd. Lee has slumped with the bat from his bordering on allrounder status 3 years ago. that's ok, that is not his job.
as for Jaques... is he able to break back? i'd be happy to have him, but...
no doubt there was a bit of tongue in cheek writing going on, so much so the writer dribbled much the same lines a couple of times in his rush to make copy- SMH, where was the Sub Editor?
Last I checked Watson is a Queenslander. That article makes a perfect point. Most of those guys own a baggy green BECAUSE they are from NSW. There is no way Lee has the technique of Johnson with the bat. I truly believe when Johnsons career is over he will compare with the great Imran as an allrounder. He has the technique to make HUGE scores, not like Lee who is a good striker.
ReplyDeleteLets face it, you could probably make a case for most shield players to wear the baggy green because our comp is so strong.
I do like media spin though.....
... and here I was thinking I'd take a hiding for being so cheeky as to post the link ...
ReplyDeleteI think if the article was in any other paper than the SMH I might have nastied up but coming from a state where they brag about a winter sport being the greatest in the country (rugby) and having the most supporters then get less than 500 at a game I don't really give it much credit.
ReplyDelete