Discussion Cricket Discussion

[Herbie66]

This current partnership in SL might be the worst thing to happen to Australian cricket this decade.
Now the selectors will feel vindicated picking these blokes until they are near 50 years old.
I reckon they need to look at these old blokes and ask, how does their form in the last 7-8 Tests look, if we remove one innings?

Agree Khawaja should have been dropped by now (but given their reluctance to actually pick specialist openers , he probably can name his retirement date)

Smith scored a century @ the Gabba & MCG so think he is fine.

Now we have a wicket keeper with a FC average of 36.00 playing as a specialist bat.

The good old days we had guys averaging 50+ who couldn't get regular games.

I will flog my dead horse again though and why isn't the media getting into Labuschagne's lack of runs

 

[Herbie66]

Khawaja passes his series total v India

 

[Herbie66]

maiden Test double century for Khawaja

First double century in Sri Lanka by a Australian

 

[Under The Dome]

Anyone got any data on oldest test teams to play in a singular match?

 

[Herbie66]

Just looking at some of the Sri Lanka career batting records

Mathews 8042 @ 44.92 - 3rd best tally for SL
Karunaratne 7165 @ 39.80 - 4th best
Chandimal 6019 @ 43.30 - 7th best
Mendis (the WK) 4478 @ 36.11
de Silva (the Captain) 4011 & 40.11

previously posted about the other Mendis start to Test cricket

 

[Herbie66]

Anyone got any data on oldest test teams to play in a singular match?

Australia's was 1926 @ Lords

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/384...vid-warner-average-age-experience-retirements

England had a side in the West Indies 1929/30 that had 2 50 year old players and 3 others in their 40's

Ames was 24 , Voce was 20

Result
England vs West Indies, 4th Test
England tour of West Indies

ENG 849 & 272/9d
WI 286 & 408/5
Match drawn

Click here to view more @espncricinfo : https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...-vs-england-4th-test-62579/live-cricket-score

Can't find anything else

 

[Under The Dome]

Australia's was 1926 @ Lords

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/384...vid-warner-average-age-experience-retirements

England had a side in the West Indies 1929/30 that had 2 50 year old players and 3 others in their 40's

Ames was 24 , Voce was 20

Result
England vs West Indies, 4th Test
England tour of West Indies

ENG 849 & 272/9d
WI 286 & 408/5
Match drawn

Click here to view more @espncricinfo : https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...-vs-england-4th-test-62579/live-cricket-score

Can't find anything else

Thank you!

 

[Herbie66]

Stumps

Australia A 3-262

Patterson 126*
Philippe 54*

 

[Rowsus]

Agree Khawaja should have been dropped by now (but given their reluctance to actually pick specialist openers , he probably can name his retirement date)

Smith scored a century @ the Gabba & MCG so think he is fine.

Now we have a wicket keeper with a FC average of 36.00 playing as a specialist bat.

The good old days we had guys averaging 50+ who couldn't get regular games.

I will flog my dead horse again though and why isn't the media getting into Labuschagne's lack of runs

You only have to look at the side in the last Test match in Australia. 1 x 19yo + 10 guys over 30. No one in their 20's!!!!
Approaching 30 used open the retirement conversation. Now it's approaching 36-37!
Zero succession plan in place.
They need to find a way to strengthen the Sheffield Shield. Particularly the Bowling!

 

[Herbie66]

You only have to look at the side in the last Test match in Australia. 1 x 19yo + 10 guys over 30. No one in their 20's!!!!
Approaching 30 used open the retirement conversation. Now it's approaching 36-37!
Zero succession plan in place.
They need to find a way to strengthen the Sheffield Shield. Particularly the Bowling!

I guess they at least brought in McSweeney (played him in the wrong spot) & Konstas (and now not select him)

Who in the Shield is banging the door down though ?

Once it resumes be interesting to see who can make some big runs in the final 4 rounds , gone are the 1000+ runs a season , lucky to get many scoring 750+ (Webster , Bancroft , Whiteman , McSweeney last season)

Leading run scorer is Hunt and he doesn't even get picked for the Australia A side

Ward , Goodwin , Patterson (age 31) , Hardie

Need more A games and tours

Inglis performing well so now they are digging another hole for themselves possibly for the WTC Final.

Khawaja ✓
Green (?)
Labuschagne !!!
Smith ✓
Head ✓
Webster

Connolly , Inglis , Konstas , McSweeney next in line (maybe the youth is there if they actually play them)

Then the West Indies tour (3 Tests) , then the Ashes

 

[Herbie66]

Half century on Test debut for Inglis

 

[Rowsus]

The other problem, that is causing not enough young talent coming through at Shield level is money. It's too easy now for B and C level "First Class Cricketers" to make a living. Going well back, they needed a job to help pay the bills cricket didn't cover. They started to think of future and family in their mid to late 20's if it looked like they wouldn't make Test level. Now they hang on like grim death, because they can make more than a teacher or sales rep by playing cricket 10-11 months of the year. They become aging list cloggers that impede some of the young talent coming through.
I'll give you an "easy" solution. Make it compulsory for every Shield team to have at least 4 players under the age of 25, and at least one of those players under 23. The selectors will be forced to blood new talent, and in most cases, it will be at the expense of the old list cloggers!

 

[Herbie66]

I guess the other things is we have qualified for the WTC Final , our bowling attack has probably papered over how "poor" our batting has been over the last 12-24 months.

If we were losing the selectors might have been more prepared to drop a few players that should have been dropped.

Mind you they dug a hole for themselves when they picked Smith as the replacement for Warner.

Smith - > McSweeney - > Konstas - > Head so they are no closer to a permanent solution let alone what they do when Khawaja does retire.

 

[Herbie66]

Half century on Test debut for Inglis

Century on Test debut for Inglis 🤗

First since Voges

21st Australian

4th born overseas after Bannerman , Jackson & Wessels

 

[Under The Dome]

Channel 7 will be into double figure channel changes by the end of play tonight.

It feels like they are doing it on purpose to drive everyone away from free to air and stream it instead.

Swapping both games on 7, 7two and 7mate on the regular.

 

[Shannon]

Staggering that Sri Lanka have used just 4 bowlers when we have made almost 600 runs, the only seam bowler they picked has bowled just 11 overs. The other 3 have combined for 130 overs so far

 

[mike89]

This current partnership in SL might be the worst thing to happen to Australian cricket this decade.
Now the selectors will feel vindicated picking these blokes until they are near 50 years old.
I reckon they need to look at these old blokes and ask, how does their form in the last 7-8 Tests look, if we remove one innings?

The problem with this lens, of course, is that even the greatest of Test batters is only getting a hundred every 3-4 Tests anyway. I accept it's been a longer period than that at this stage but since his comeback Khawaja's record is 2990 runs in 35 Tests at 51 with 8 hundreds, that is a lot of credit in the bank.

For what it's worth, I don't think he should open against England either - it's a completely different challenge and England are deliberately preparing a side to bowl express pace at him. If there were any more upcoming subcontinent Tests he could be an Asian specialist - somewhat ironic considering in his younger days he was picked anywhere but Asia!

 

[Herbie66]

Staggering that Sri Lanka have used just 4 bowlers when we have made almost 600 runs, the only seam bowler they picked has bowled just 11 overs. The other 3 have combined for 130 overs so far

staggering

de Silva himself has 40 Test wickets

not sure if Mathews is fit to bowl much lately but he has 33

Kamindu bowls left arm and right arm

 

[Herbie66]

I have been critical of the selectors recently but need to congratulate them so far :-

Khawaja ✓
Head ✓
Labuschagne 🤐
Smith ✓
Inglis ✓

Their spinners haven't looked inspiring today so not sure how our 3 will go

 

[Herbie66]

The problem with this lens, of course, is that even the greatest of Test batters is only getting a hundred every 3-4 Tests anyway. I accept it's been a longer period than that at this stage but since his comeback Khawaja's record is 2990 runs in 35 Tests at 51 with 8 hundreds, that is a lot of credit in the bank.

For what it's worth, I don't think he should open against England either - it's a completely different challenge and England are deliberately preparing a side to bowl express pace at him. If there were any more upcoming subcontinent Tests he could be an Asian specialist - somewhat ironic considering in his younger days he was picked anywhere but Asia!

Not sure if you saw this recent article on Khawaja

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/420...ent-conditions-australia-sri-lanka-test-galle