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Cricket

IanG said:
How is it Cummins can look so good as a batter but our actual batters can't? Handscomb looks good as well, he's made some changes to his technique and is the better for it.
Handscomb has toughed it out but I don’t think he’s looked particularly good. But yes, Cummins makes some of the top 6 look silly.
 
IanG said:
Has to be the end of his test career just has to be.
I hope too, but I bet it won’t be. He’ll probably be selected for the tests against Sri Lanka, make a few runs against them and thus ensure selection for the Ashes, where he will fail yet again.
 
Geoff Lawson doesn't hold back on his criticism of an underperforming Langer.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/coach-and-selectors-have-questions-to-answer-with-better-options-on-sideline-20190105-p50pq8.html
 
jb03 said:
Geoff Lawson doesn't hold back on his criticism of an underperforming Langer.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/coach-and-selectors-have-questions-to-answer-with-better-options-on-sideline-20190105-p50pq8.html

Good to see Langer copping some heat. I've posted a few times that Langer's Sheffield Shield record as coach of Wa was very, very poor. His "got to be a good bloke" to be considered for selection is laughable.
 
Whilst i agree with the sentiment re Langer, Lawson is the last bloke you would be listening too. NSW his home state where he has a fair say is just as guilty as the Australian set up for picking guys with no runs on the board while others rot in the Grade competition.

The situation in Australian cricket is not isolated to the the National side, it something in bred in the complete system, state and National.

Players are disgarded way to early, no doubt Wade, Burns and co despite their averages and runs this year already have a black line through their names.

Selectors at both State and National Level will take a punt on a guy based on what they think they may do rather than what they have done.

I just listened to Kerry OKeefe on Foxtel name five players who will make it, but they are not ready yet?

There all 18 or so, not one has done anything of any note other than play in junior ranks.

This is the problem let weight of runs and wickets determine the prospects, not a group of faceless men who are continually guessing if this one or that will be the next big thing.

The whole system of selection at state and National level is far to driven by the supposed talent pathway.

Pathetic, Dumb and needs reviewing
 
tigertim said:
Handscomb has toughed it out but I don’t think he’s looked particularly good. But yes, Cummins makes some of the top 6 look silly.

He hang around a little longer than some but the bowler, Cummins, still scored at twice his rate. His technique is still all over the shop - can't see him ever becoming an established test batsman with that weird stance and waving the bat around as the bowler nears the crease.
 
leon said:
He hang around a little longer than some but the bowler, Cummins, still scored at twice his rate. His technique is still all over the shop - can't see him ever becoming an established test batsman with that weird stance and waving the bat around as the bowler nears the crease.

It was good to see him move his stance forward to the popping crease, that will take a bit of getting used to.
Certainly is different with the way he holds the bat so high in the air. He's a sweet timer of the ball, and doesn't look flustered or rushed when he bats. Whether he gets selected for the tests against Sri Lanka or the Ashes, i reckon he's made of the right stuff to make it as a test player.
 
tigerman said:
It was good to see him move his stance forward to the popping crease, that will take a bit of getting used to.
Certainly is different with the way he holds the bat so high in the air. He's a sweet timer of the ball, and doesn't look flustered or rushed when he bats. Whether he gets selected for the tests against Sri Lanka or the Ashes, i reckon he's made of the right stuff to make it as a test player.

Agree with him moving his stance foward - a 'step in the right direction'! Also that he looked and did a little better but still think he makes himself far too prone to LBW and slips and close catches, to ever really succeed at test level. He virtually takes away a batsman's major scoring method and manner of taking attack back to the bowler - getting forward enough to be in a driving position. He's caught playing back or stuck on the crease too much by the quicks ... and if the ball moves, it's only a matter of time. He is literally compelled to defend off the back-foot mostly which is why Cummins was scoring at twice his rate. How and why? Because he got forward and drove the Indian quicks at any opportunity (was it 6 x 4s and comparative S/R of 56.81 v 33.33).

The Pom quicks soon worked him out in the last Ashes series here. I know the SL tests will be valuable for deciding the next Ashes team but might well allow some bats to only 'flatter to deceive' a la Marshes. If Handscomb plays and does well enough to be picked for England, predict they will dissect him into little pieces over there.

BTW, just trying to think of other test batsmen who've used the 'stand and deliver' technique. I remember Tony Grieg; hardly a great success, but there have been others. Has anyone proved it a great success? Did Kallis employ it? Can't recall exactly.
 
leon said:
Agree with him moving his stance foward - a 'step in the right direction'! Also that he looked and did a little better but still think he makes himself far too prone to LBW and slips and close catches, to ever really succeed at test level. He virtually takes away a batsman's major scoring method and manner of taking attack back to the bowler - getting forward enough to be in a driving position. He's caught playing back or stuck on the crease too much by the quicks ... and if the ball moves, it's only a matter of time. He is literally compelled to defend off the back-foot mostly which is why Cummins was scoring at twice his rate. How and why? Because he got forward and drove the Indian quicks at any opportunity (was it 6 x 4s and comparative S/R of 56.81 v 33.33).

The Pom quicks soon worked him out in the last Ashes series here. I know the SL tests will be valuable for deciding the next Ashes team but might well allow some bats to only 'flatter to deceive' a la Marshes. If Handscomb plays and does well enough to be picked for England, predict they will dissect him into little pieces over there.

BTW, just trying to think of other test batsmen who've used the 'stand and deliver' technique. I remember Tony Grieg; hardly a great success, but there have been others. Has anyone proved it a great success? Did Kallis employ it? Can't recall exactly.

I think Chris Broad and Gooch were others who had a similar style.

A pretty good summation on Handscome.
I like his temperament, i think/hope that once he gets used to his new batting stance he might have a decent test career.
 
If Starc, Hazelwood and Cummins were rested for the ODIs it seems their resting may have been premature.

They won’t have bowled in competition from the 4th January. The first ODI is on the 12th January. 8 days between bowling seems like a fair rest.
 
Sri Lanka tour Test Squad Tim Paine, Josh Hazlewood, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

Pucovski's played no cricket since December 7th.
 
bigwow said:
Sri Lanka tour Test Squad Tim Paine, Josh Hazlewood, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

Pucovski's played no cricket since December 7th.
He's been playing Premier Cricket, but still, they're doing him no favours.
 
Ridiculous selection of Renshaw. No form, no confidence.

And rushing in pucovski is silly. Talk about pressure. For a guy who had a break for mental health reasons I’d prefer they give him time back and shield level.

As much as I don’t rate Handscomb he’s a bit stiff given they recalled him for the final test and he did ok.

All over the shop thinking.
 
Mappa said:
Whilst i agree with the sentiment re Langer, Lawson is the last bloke you would be listening too. NSW his home state where he has a fair say is just as guilty as the Australian set up for picking guys with no runs on the board while others rot in the Grade competition.

The situation in Australian cricket is not isolated to the the National side, it something in bred in the complete system, state and National.

Players are disgarded way to early, no doubt Wade, Burns and co despite their averages and runs this year already have a black line through their names.

Selectors at both State and National Level will take a punt on a guy based on what they think they may do rather than what they have done.

I just listened to Kerry OKeefe on Foxtel name five players who will make it, but they are not ready yet?

There all 18 or so, not one has done anything of any note other than play in junior ranks.

This is the problem let weight of runs and wickets determine the prospects, not a group of faceless men who are continually guessing if this one or that will be the next big thing.

The whole system of selection at state and National level is far to driven by the supposed talent pathway.

Pathetic, Dumb and needs reviewing
Absolutely agree. And it's not confined to cricket. This is the dominant sports management style applied in most sports in Australia. And given the pool of administrators tend to be the same faces who slosh around the same bucket of washing from sporting organisation to sporting organisation, it's not that surprising.

This obsession with sanitised development pathways is gutting and killing grass roots competitive sport at all the levels that sit beneath and feed the peak of the pyramid. The top level under this management style looks ok for a while, maybe a decade or two. But eventually the gutting and death of any meaningful competition below the elite end comes home to roost, when you have very little talent pool to feed it.

This model contibutes to a diminishing of the broader participation base and talent pool for participants aged early teens and above. And also leading to a less passionate interest in your sport from the general community, as there is less then less connection between the sport and the broader population at a community level. It's a self-fulfilling death spiral. As pointed out, we're most certainly seeing this in cricket. I also see the same in traditional Olympic Sports and I believe in time, it has all the hallmarks of being the potential future undoing of Australian Rules Football, particularly in traditional parts of the country.

In the case of cricket, the national side used to be so strong due to a production line of battle hardened players ready to go. These players played in competition week in, week out (Sheffield Shield) that really meant something in terms of hard, competitiveness for the sake of that competition as an end in itself. As did levels below that. Selection was based entirely on performance, not potential, regardless of the stage a player may have been in their career. And this is the key. Forget the over thinking of things and trying to be too clever by half. Emphasise good hard, healthy competition for competition's sake - at all levels - and the results I believe would be better.
 
Cricket Australia XI Joe Burns (capt), Kurtis Patterson, Scott Boland, Jake Doran, Jon Holland, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Will Pucovski, Jason Sangha, Matt Renshaw, Chris Tremain

Rather have a look at Jhye Richardson or Billy Stanlake than a trundler like Neser.

Sangha's a good choice.
 
I remember, it must have been back in the 1990s, that Shield Cricket seemed to get support way beyond the crowd and level of interest. But it was all because without a great first class competition, you won't have a great test team. Too many other forms of cricket crowding out Shield cricket IMO.

It has got to the point that you can't pick players on form at the next level as the next level isn't even being played at the moment. Time to revamp the scheduling and ensure shield cricket is being played consistently over the summer.

I also think the point above about elite pathways crowding out the lower levels of the game is correct, time to invest in cricket at Shield, district, sub district levels and beyond. It is the only way the game can prosper, same goes for Australian Rules footy.

DS