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Connoisseur

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Rowsus said:
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?
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Been an issue for a while since it is a cushy job and no one wants to make the tough decisions. Wait long enough and eventually they will play themselves into form and then the narrative is that they cannot be dropped because one recent performance outweighs a whole lot of nothing. A team sport and you let egomaniacs like Warner set their retirement date sets a precedent that is not beneficial for the long term prospects of the team.
 
Herbie66

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Rowsus said:
Puts him line to join an exclusive club that currently only has Greg Chappel as a member!

And that includes all Test playing nations!
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Have you wiped Azharuddin from the records ?

If you are including Inglis , you should also be including Ganteaume

Or I am on a completely different path ?
 
Russty_

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Is it my imagination or does it look like Sri Lankan Cricket powers that be really don't care that much anymore?
I mean, crappy ground, crappy crowd turnout, crappy team...lol.
Is it more of a lack of money or a lack of talent, or management? It's not such a good look.
 
Rowsus

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Herbie66 said:
Have you wiped Azharuddin from the records ?

If you are including Inglis , you should also be including Ganteaume

Or I am on a completely different path ?
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Azha belongs in a sub-group of G Chappell's.
The two of them are definitely in a club of their own.

I'll admit, I'm being a bit nit-picky with Chappell's stat.

G Chappell and Azha are the only 2 players to have made centuries in the their first and last Test innings. Those two and Cook, Ponsford and Duff did it in their first and last Tests. Azha only batted in the first innings of his debut Test, but batted in both innings of his last Test. Chappell made centuries in both his first and last Test innings, and they were both 1st innings centuries. He didn't bat in the 2nd innings in either of those Tests.
 
Dravid

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mike89 said:
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!
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I was all for Khawaja being dropped/forced into retirement post Ashes, but can understand them saying we want you in Sri Lanka cos of your recent record in Asia, especially considering at one point qualification for the WTC might have come down to this series. Of course, winning against India changed that and I imagine that's why guys like Handscomb and Maxwell, who were initially told to prepare as though they'd get picked, didn't end up making the squad.

The problem now is that we've got an Indian tour on the horizon and the likely opener (Konstas?) is sitting in the dugout, instead of figuring out his game against spin in match conditions. Add to that, I imagine South Africa and England are licking their lips at having Khawaja opening the batting on tracks that will suit their fast bowlers.

Maybe it's because they don't know who the openers are going to be post Khawaja? But it all does seem a little short sighted (surprise, surprise).
 
Dravid

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Russty_ said:
Is it my imagination or does it look like Sri Lankan Cricket powers that be really don't care that much anymore?
I mean, crappy ground, crappy crowd turnout, crappy team...lol.
Is it more of a lack of money or a lack of talent, or management? It's not such a good look.
Click to expand...
Maybe more a reflection of test cricket in Sri Lanka?

It is a little sad Australian tour group seem to be making up most of the crowd.
 
Dravid

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Herbie66 said:
staggering

de Silva himself has 40 Test wickets

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

Kamindu bowls left arm and right arm
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They did mention on the telecast that de Silva has been struggling with a side strain and Mendis a finger injury... and I think Mathews is held together by sticky tape at this point in his career.
 
Herbie66

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Dravid said:
I was all for Khawaja being dropped/forced into retirement post Ashes, but can understand them saying we want you in Sri Lanka cos of your recent record in Asia, especially considering at one point qualification for the WTC might have come down to this series. Of course, winning against India changed that and I imagine that's why guys like Handscomb and Maxwell, who were initially told to prepare as though they'd get picked, didn't end up making the squad.

The problem now is that we've got an Indian tour on the horizon and the likely opener (Konstas?) is sitting in the dugout, instead of figuring out his game against spin in match conditions. Add to that, I imagine South Africa and England are licking their lips at having Khawaja opening the batting on tracks that will suit their fast bowlers.

Maybe it's because they don't know who the openers are going to be post Khawaja? But it all does seem a little short sighted (surprise, surprise).
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Indian tour is Jan/Feb 2027 so surely they can't guarantee him a spot that far away.

Do they just rotate the opening partner until they get it right ?

I gather we won't see Bancroft or Harris again.

No Hunt in the current Australia A game , Goodwin & Ward (neither open for their State) opening.

Talk that Green comes back as a specialist bat and he might be tried as opener.

WTC Final in England - Khawaja & Green/Konstas

West Indies pitches are slow now so do they go back to Khawaja & Head ? Green @ 5 or 6

Ashes Khawaja & Green/Konstas

Khawaja dropped/retires 🤔 maybe it becomes Green & Konstas

South Africa (A) 3 Tests
New Zealand 4 Tests
India (A) 5 Tests

Bangladesh home series probably gets moved due to the 150th Anniversary Test (March 11 - 15)
 
Herbie66

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Rowsus said:
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!
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Certainly don't agree with introducing age limitations , they tried that years ago in the second XI competition and people complained that it was just a glorified junior competition without the hard nosed edge that senior cricketers can give.

I guess if they perform at Grade level , then 2nd XI they will then proceed to Shield level and then "start banging the door down" (selection politics aside)

Just went through the current top run scorers in the Shield

Most runs https://www.espncricinfo.com/record...st-runs-career/sheffield-shield-2024-25-16509

5th Konstas (Age 19) in Sri Lanka ✓
11th Goodwin (23) in the Australia A side ✓
13th Kellaway (22)
16th Davies (24)
17th Clayton (25)
23rd McSweeney (25) in Sri Lanka ✓
24th Owen (23)
26th Lovell (25)
27th Hope (25)
31st Curtis (25)
33rd Edwards (24) was due to captain Australia A
34th Sangha , J (25) only played 1 game
36th Gilkes (25)

Connolly is 21 , played 2 Shield games

Sneak Hardie in (26) currently captaining the Australian A side

So the players are there , it is up to them to start pumping out 750+ runs seasons and "force" the selectors to make changes

Gone are the days when our players flooded the Country scene year after year.

Been saying for years we need to expand our A team programme

Regular 4 day games in the Top End during the winter v NZ A , SA A , Zimbabwe etc

Tours to Ireland , Netherlands , Scotland then finish with the England Lions

Regular A games v New Zealand A during our Test summer

Off season tour to Bangladesh , India or Sri Lanka.

Cricket NSW & Victoria are involved in the MLC so reason we can't set up something there involving Canada , USA , West Indies for example

CA should be one board that could actually afford to do it.
 
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