Cricket- the sport not the insect

[Alphabet]

No. I think I've said that to you before. We can do better. Anyway, the selectors won't have a player in that sort of condition playing for Australia.

How about this one: http://www.waca.com.au/other/players_detail.php?ID=47

I don't think Australia are in a position where they can afford to be picky based on physical condition. Fatness is not always sign of laziness, I'm certain Cosgrove applies himself as much when batting as anybody. Cosgrove is a good batsman, better than anybody in Australian domestic competition last year bar Ponting. Plenty of (grossly) overweight batsmen have dominated the sport- even as recently as Sehwag and Inzamam. Sure he'll cause problems as a fielder and running between wickets, but right now, I would take a guaranteed 40 runs per innings no matter what the con's may be.

 

[darwin553]

I don't think Australia are in a position where they can afford to be picky based on physical condition. Fatness is not always sign of laziness, I'm certain Cosgrove applies himself as much when batting as anybody. Cosgrove is a good batsman, better than anybody in Australian domestic competition last year bar Ponting. Plenty of (grossly) overweight batsmen have dominated the sport- even as recently as Sehwag and Inzamam. Sure he'll cause problems as a fielder and running between wickets, but right now, I would take a guaranteed 40 runs per innings no matter what the con's may be.

When Australia has to stoop to a level of selecting a 'Sehwag' or 'Inzamam' sized player, it's a sign we are really reaching down to the bottom of the barrel

On a more serious note, how hard is it for a player to lose a bit of weight if the end prize is a baggy green? How much more incentive can you get!

 

[Alphabet]

When Australia has to stoop to a level of selecting a 'Sehwag' or 'Inzamam' sized player, it's a sign we are really reaching down to the bottom of the barrel

On a more serious note, how hard is it for a player to lose a bit of weight if the end prize is a baggy green? How much more incentive can you get!

Much as I liked his batting, any time Inzi is brought up, I have to post this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQh70VV-RaY

I wouldn't advise him to suddenly shed 30-40 kg though. That could ruin his coordination and muscle memory, and thus ruin him as a player. Best case scenario, he loses 10-15kg, gets to a stage where he's just overweight rather than morbidly obese, and that doesn't hamper his ability. Getting him to be as skinny as Froome would almost certainly destroy his batting skills.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

This series, especially the Old Trafford match, has only cemented my gut feeling that Australia will win in Australia.

Love it.

Like I said, your ability to express hope borders on the deluded, but it is most amusing.

 

[movingtarget]

India have declined hugely. Back in the early 2000s they were easily the 2nd best team in the world. Even as late as 2008 they were extremely competitive away from home, and of course by 2010 they were ranked 1. They've backslid all the way back to the '90s, where they were monstrous at home, but worse than Zimbabwe away. Even at home, they're vulnerable, they lost to England last summer. Things may have looked rosy for Indian cricket with the 4-0 win and the Champions Trophy win, but it will come crashing back down to earth when they get whitewashed by South Africa, then they tour England next winter for a 5 test series. By the end of that they could have lost 16 consecutive away test matches. Sixteen.

New Zealand around the early/mid 2000s were competitive. Now for the most part they're just pack fodder. West Indies still had three of the greatest ever cricketers in Lara, Ambrose and Walsh; now all they have is a soon-to-be 40 year old Chanderpaul and a couple of young fast bowlers, surrounded by a bunch of T20 specialists who want to waste their talents earning easy money playing for the Whoever Whoever's in T20 leagues. Sri Lanka are still just treading water, but only just. Once the big three batsmen and Herath disappear, which can't be more than 2 to 4 years, their decline will be unprecedented. Pak-istan have also declined. Their batting is shambolic, but their bowling is better than what it was around 2005.

Seems like the game in general has declined as has the talent pool. I still think too much cricket is being played and it's especially hard on young fast bowlers unless they want them all to have stress fractures by the age of 25. Also where are the quality spinners at test level ?

 

[Alphabet]

Love it.

Like I said, your ability to express hope borders on the deluded, but it is most amusing.

I'm certain that the outcome of the matches in Australian will solely depend on the toss. In fact it would be simpler to just toss the coin and award the captain who calls correctly the match right then and there

 

[thrawn]

If Cosgrove was capable of getting a test batting average of 49 (like Sehwag or Inzi) I'd say put him in. I think he'd struggle to average 40 though.

 

[Alphabet]

Horses for courses. Sehwag and Inzi had to average ~50 to crack their respective teams. All Cosgrove has to do is average 40 and he'll already be an upgrade on Hughes/Watson/Smith/Khawaja/anybody in the middle order except Clarke.

 

[Alphabet]

Tragic news . Umar Akmal, the 23 year old Pak-istani batsman, suffered an epileptic fit on a flight leaving Jamaica, and has been pulled out of the squad to tour Zimbabwe. Some papers are reporting that he may never play cricket again, I really hope that these rumours are unfounded and that he makes a complete recovery. He is a fantastic talent.

Get well soon, Umar .

 

[darwin553]

Tragic news . Umar Akmal, the 23 year old Pak-istani batsman, suffered an epileptic fit on a flight leaving Jamaica, and has been pulled out of the squad to tour Zimbabwe. Some papers are reporting that he may never play cricket again, I really hope that these rumours are unfounded and that he makes a complete recovery. He is a fantastic talent.

Get well soon, Umar .

I join with you in those thoughts. But I reckon he'll be right to play again

 

[movingtarget]

Tragic news . Umar Akmal, the 23 year old Pak-istani batsman, suffered an epileptic fit on a flight leaving Jamaica, and has been pulled out of the squad to tour Zimbabwe. Some papers are reporting that he may never play cricket again, I really hope that these rumours are unfounded and that he makes a complete recovery. He is a fantastic talent.

Get well soon, Umar .

More tragic news. Cummins has exacerbated his stress fractures. Will miss the entire Summer. Maybe next time the selectors will think differently about bowling a 19 year old throughout an entire South African Test Series. He performed but if they had their time again ? He has never got back to that level.

 

[Cyivel]

Gary Ballance has to get a chance in the ODI series.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Gary Ballance has to get a chance in the ODI series.

It will be a ****ing travesty if he isn't playing.

The guy makes KP and Graham Hick look like failures in country cricket. Incredible consistency, and he smacked the Aussies round on Friday too.

Should definitely play the 1 days with a view to playing the tests down under.

 

[Alphabet]

Dropping a specialist batsman who's short on confidence because he's always fighting for his spot; for a bowler (if Faulkner is an all-rounder, then Monty Panesar is an opening batsman and fields at backward point) who's never scored a first class century is exactly the sort of wooly thinking that has seen the demise Australian cricket.

 

[darwin553]

(if Faulkner is an all-rounder, then Monty Panesar is an opening batsman and fields at backward point) who's never scored a first class century is exactly the sort of wooly thinking that has seen the demise Australian cricket.

I thought you supported Tasmanian cricket though

Not a bad choice IMO - he will probably be as useful with the bat as Khawaja is atm. In Australia, come summer, with a few first class games under Khawaja's belt it may be a different story.

 

[Alphabet]

It probably won't be a bad selection, but why Khawaja? He's already incredibly fragile. Dropping him for a bowler will shatter his confidence. Sir Steven Peter Devereux Smith would have been a better choice; an all-rounder who doesn't bat or bowl particularly well for an all-rounder who doesn't bat or bowl particularly well.

This Kerrigan chap looks absolute turd. Is he Imran Tahir in disguise?

 

[darwin553]

It probably won't be a bad selection, but why Khawaja? He's already incredibly fragile. Dropping him for a bowler will shatter his confidence. Sir Steven Peter Devereux Smith would have been a better choice; an all-rounder who doesn't bat or bowl particularly well for an all-rounder who doesn't bat or bowl particularly well.

Not if boof put his hand on Khawaja's shoulder and just told him that he is not being permanently dropped but just sitting this one out with a view to still being included in the first test in Australia.

Watson may be a bigger factor in this than what we all realise in that Faulkner's inclusion is to cover the overs that Watson can't bowl with his groin.

Smith IMO is seen as a batsman not an all-rounder, or even a batting all-rounder these days.

 

[movingtarget]

It probably won't be a bad selection, but why Khawaja? He's already incredibly fragile. Dropping him for a bowler will shatter his confidence. Sir Steven Peter Devereux Smith would have been a better choice; an all-rounder who doesn't bat or bowl particularly well for an all-rounder who doesn't bat or bowl particularly well.

This Kerrigan chap looks absolute turd. Is he Imran Tahir in disguise?

Well Steve Waugh would agree with you. The trouble is we are three down from four and Khawaja and Hughes have to show that they deserve to be there. So far they haven't. The coach is under huge pressure and his job could also be on the line depending on the Australian tests. That said Khawaja has copped some terrible umpiring decisions so far. Bird had to go after the last test. Smith is problematic as well. Another one on the border. Either some of these guys start to perform or they will be lucky to be ever selected again if past history is any guide. I can't understand why someone like Callum Ferguson was never given a go.

 

[thrawn]

The problem is that Khawaja and Hughes haven't been given a long enough run of tests (like say Cowan or North) despite being significantly younger. I think they've been mismanaged for years, leading to a reduction in confidence etc etc. Dropping Hughes after the 2nd test was stupid, he should have been given all 10 Ashes tests to prove his worth. The constant chopping and changing is not helping matters.

Steve Smith should remain in the team. He's been our 2nd/3rd best batsman since he came back into the team. Still needs to convert a couple of those 50's into big scores though.

I've managed to obtain a ticket for Saturday so hopefully us Aussies are still going strong.

Good to see Watto come out and score quickly. This is how he needs to bat in tests all the time, as he has a limit on the number of balls he will face before losing concentration, so may as well score some runs whilst there.

 

[movingtarget]

Cook has dropped some easy catches so far in this series. Seems to prefer the harder chances.

 

[Cyivel]

Kerrigan, my word.

 

[Cyivel]

You know it's Watson's day when he gets an lbw review right!

 

[greenedge]

Well Steve Waugh would agree with you. The trouble is we are three down from four and Khawaja and Hughes have to show that they deserve to be there. So far they haven't. The coach is under huge pressure and his job could also be on the line depending on the Australian tests. That said Khawaja has copped some terrible umpiring decisions so far. Bird had to go after the last test. Smith is problematic as well. Another one on the border. Either some of these guys start to perform or they will be lucky to be ever selected again if past history is any guide. I can't understand why someone like Callum Ferguson was never given a go.

Mitchell Marsh would be preferable for me over Fulkner and Nic Maddinson should be given a go after the Ashes.

 

[movingtarget]

Mitchell Marsh would be preferable for me over Fulkner and Nic Maddinson should be given a go after the Ashes.

I'm sure there will be plenty more changes over the Summer.

 

[42x16ss]

Good to see Steve Smith get a hundred after so many starts going to waste. He gets a bit of a roughing in the press at times but when he's selected usually brings something to the table, either a few decent middle order runs or a couple of wickets. Always been worth investment as he seems to be a smart cricketer and team player.

Would have liked his and Watson's 100s to have come a few tests ago though.