while it may seem "un-Victorian", i can't help but wonder how the media work sometimes; this is purely a rhetorical question as i do understand the nature of media, but am still confused as to why in the week of the first test of the summer the sports segments of commercial news programs start with 3 AFL stories- including one about the Magpies annual pre xmas training and sight-seeing trip to Arizona! If it is annual, it is hardly news!
Then, after a story about some teenage draft picks anticipation about moving to Melbourne, we get something on the NATIONAL team of the seasons most popular sport! How does THAT work?
Sure, the Windies are a team in disarray, and many tout the series as bordering on a waste of time, but it IS a TEST, and IS being played here in Australia, so surely it should precede magpies on burro's going down a big ditch!
...i feel better now!
So what have we got to look at 2 days out from Brisvegas?
Firstly, it appears everyone that has ever (briefly) pulled on a baggy green is lining up everyone that currently gets use out of one to give career advice.
Rodney Hogg has sent down a short one at Lee telling him to give up Test and concentrate on ODI; probably sound advice, but Lee values Test above all so if he could, i think he'd do it the other way around. Still, in his press conference, Lee looked as if he had reconciled not playing for his country again.
Ian Chappell has written of P.Hughes chances of getting a spot... for a while.
Ian Healy must be worried about his public profile at the moment, as he has started up a new discussion. He believes M.Clarke is not durable enough to take the captaincy due to his recurring back problem. And that Ponting MUST lead Australia back to England for the next Ashes. Sure, why not Heals. As a batsman, it would be Punters best chance at getting a hat-trick...of defeats!
Others to weigh into the captaincy debate are Kim- don't cry for me-Hughes, and Steve -i've got a great mo, so i must be a sports star- Rixon. Rixon wants a change in the next 12 months, Hughes wants Ponting to stay on because of his great leadership... i don't need to touch that one, any remark Kim makes on leadership speaks volumes!
And then there is Shane: Windies lift or get torn apart. Oldies lift or get out of the AusXI.
I don't know if he is trying to improve the contest, or playing mind games with Windies, but it wouldn't be the start of a series without some brash comments from the greatest EVER player of the game.
Certainly he is correct in identifying the continued use of the excuses- rebuilding and transition, and has given up a list of young players that need to be given experience as soon as possible:
Henriques, Hughes and wristy Steven Smith are names Warne wants in.
Interesting too, that he has backed Hauritz's inclusion in the first test, interesting in that he obviously has a lot of faith in Krezja as he gave him the new nut on winning the toss in the all stars game. Another point regarding these two bowlers is the speculation that Haury will finally unveil his much worked on doosra, and that Krazy let one go in the state game when the result was already a certainty.
stoph verismo
down the wicket
The sad lack of reporting on this summer of cricket speaks volumes of what we can expect til March; unless either or both Pakistan and WI betray the pundits and give Aus a run for their money.
ReplyDeleteI like the look of Smith; very young spinner who sounds like he can bat a bit too and is doing everything right at the start of his career. Imagine a throw-back to Tim May and Warne bowling together! I hope he doesn't get the Beau Casson treatment. The selectors obviously want a wrist spinner as evidenced by their trial of White (who doesn't bowl himself for Vic) and Hogg.
Smith looks like getting decent overs too which will be needed clearly. Hopefully Hughes picks up where he left off last shield season but it should be mentioned; he's not the only opener in Aus making runs. Just becasue he's 20 years old doesn't mean he's the best man for the job right now. If he plunders attacks then he can be picked on form. But of course when it comes to form the selectors don't always oblige common sense (yes you Hussey). In some ways I hope the Watson opening experiment backfires so we see him down the order where he should be and someone else partnering Katich. Then again the selectors are just as likely to drop Watson altogether if he doesn't make runs at the top.
From looking at the WI touring game against Qld it appears that as expected Sarwan and Chanderpaul will be vital. I still think they'll struggle to get 20 wickets but I hope I'm wrong for the sake of cricket. It will be the dreariest of series if Aus waltz to 600 whenever they bat.