Super Series begins (-worma)
The super series begins tomorrow...and both teams have declared their 12 players...and both have gone with an extra bowler(if you count Afridi as a bowler, as WXI is doing).
Aus has announced Katich as their new opener, and it seems like a long term decision. Don't know how good it is though...since he is not in the typical ODI opener mould. I would have promoted Clarke. But in this strong Aus team...some of the individual weaknesses often remain hidden...and this could be one of them.
The pitch is supposed to be slow and low, hence the extra spinner in WXI...and Aus would have to use Katich and Symonds as spinners along with White.
And, to me, it looks like Afridi or Vettori(more likely) can be the supersub for WXI. Aus, due to injuries, don't have the luxury of too much spare talent in this particular lineup(and where is Hodge?)...so maybe Watson as supersub(?)
Meanwhile...here is an interesting article in Guardian...talking about the problems Smith faces in captaining WXI(test)...despite an overflow of talent in his ranks (which has probably come bundled with an overdose of ego)
Aus has announced Katich as their new opener, and it seems like a long term decision. Don't know how good it is though...since he is not in the typical ODI opener mould. I would have promoted Clarke. But in this strong Aus team...some of the individual weaknesses often remain hidden...and this could be one of them.
The pitch is supposed to be slow and low, hence the extra spinner in WXI...and Aus would have to use Katich and Symonds as spinners along with White.
And, to me, it looks like Afridi or Vettori(more likely) can be the supersub for WXI. Aus, due to injuries, don't have the luxury of too much spare talent in this particular lineup(and where is Hodge?)...so maybe Watson as supersub(?)
Meanwhile...here is an interesting article in Guardian...talking about the problems Smith faces in captaining WXI(test)...despite an overflow of talent in his ranks (which has probably come bundled with an overdose of ego)
You're used to playing matches wishing you had an extra fast bowler or a spinner, but now you have no excuse
posted by worma at
3:44 AM
29 Comments:
deepak.. you got me wrong. I think Afridi is a pretty good bowler in ODIs....what I meant was that the WXI is treating him as a bowler *only*...while he is good enough to be treated as a batsman only *also*...atleast in ODIs.
And btw...on a totally separate note...this notion of a team being good against spin or pace etc (like India against spin)...in my opinion...you have to look at test matches to judge and form opinion on this. Because this judgement is based more on players skills...technique etc.....and in ODIs there are so many things happening...most of the time its more than just basic batting skills/techniques involved..
By
worma, at 04:43
yeda: oh ok..thanks..I missed on this one...did he get injured sometime after that practise game against WXI ?
By
worma, at 04:50
or did you mean Hogg?
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worma, at 04:55
bulchee: well, so is Hussey..what I meant by having Hodge was to have the option of playing him in place of Martyn...atleast in short term..sice Martyn is a bit out of sorts(although his last ODI was good if I remember correctly). Anyways....I guess this is the 12 they had to declare...and sure no scope of replacing Watson or White
By
worma, at 06:21
bulchee...there are already talk of his being removed...maybe if they loose these games it would further worsen his case..esp if they loose the test match. I have a feeling he would anyway go...because this is the right time for CA..if they want to get a new guy..and give him time enough till WC07....otherwise it would be too late
By
worma, at 07:11
rajesh..the problem in Aus lineup isn't of few bowlers...its of the quality of bowlers they have....they have four specialist bowlers...and I'm not sure they would be able to play them all...but anyways..no scope for a fifth
yes the biggest prob Aus has now is the quality of reserve bowlers (remember the Simpson article I posted yesterday)..and its immediately showing in this game...when they're even talking about missing a half-decent, yet-to-be-proven bowler like Tait!
By
worma, at 07:15
bulchee...Marsh has already said he would be interested if offered again...I think Waugh is also in contention..didn't know Nielson was already in contention for national team?
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worma, at 07:26
rajesh...no dude...no-one plays five specialist bowlers in ODIs!..and rightly so(IMO)...because in ODIs you dont need all five to do a "bowler's job" so to say....1-2 of them just need to fill up..with reasonable economy...and if wkts come thats a bonus....hence they would look to have symonds+watson as fifth bowler...and use four specialists....now if these specialists are of poor quality...their bad :-)...but that cant be covered by a fifth bowler and playing a batsman short...not esp when many of their batsmen are also not in best possible nick (martyn, katich, gilchrist)...
And remember they have katich, clarke bowling options also...i think katich would be groomed to play a bigger filler role in future...
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worma, at 07:31
djlykan: Buchanan is under fire not just because they lost to Eng(they lost to us also, rem?) but because of the poor tactics that they showed throughout the series...not 'recognising' the weak areas...not bringing in right changes at the right time...not smoothening the wrinkles that were known to exist for a while(Aus batsmen were supposed to be quite vulnerable to swing..all kinds) and other such aspects.
And on top of this...his contract is expiring now...so CA has to decide and judge that *if* they feel buchanan may further take the team down (through same mistakes)..then he needs to be removed now..because otherwise it would be too late for a new coach(from WC07 perspective)
By
worma, at 07:36
rajesh...hmm...yeah you're right to some extent...but then there was no point playing another pacer in Stuart Clarke (that was the reserve option they had)..since they dont have another spinner to include..
but you are mistaken about Vettori and Afridi..both have been extremely successful in Aus recently...
and also Pollock may look fodder due to slowing in pace..but he is still miserly..Flintoff, if not tired, would be effective...Murali is sure to be cheap....Shoaib is the real vulnerable lottery-ticket option...but in any case they have enough backup bowlers in Sehwag, Kallis(although he shouldnt be effective here)
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worma, at 08:03
rajesh..yeah no doubt about the 'viewing pleasure' aspect of Shoaib's bowling :-)...thats why i said lottery ticket...he can go bad in any match..doesnt depend on the 'form' he is in...but sure if he's in full steam..it would be a sight
I dont think murali would have been expensive in Aus...but do rem he has not played since the chucking incidence...so even those available figures would not be of Murali at his peak...which he is now..
By
worma, at 08:17
bulchee...Vettori is a much better option than current version of Kumble in ODIs...and also has a terrific record against Aus (home and away)...and is handy with the bat as well...so out and out winner over Kumble
in tests it might have been close though
By
worma, at 08:22
rajesh...are you mixing test matches and ODIs ? :-)...a single spinner ripping through a lineup...hardly happens in outside ODIs anyways...even at home he doesnt really rip through the lineups....its more of a stifling job...with few kye wkts...and anyways thats what one needs in ODIs
By
worma, at 08:37
in fact...just checked...he's done well in tests everywhere...except Aus (for obvious reasons..just one series...chucking issue..etc) and India (where he took just one 5wkt haul for lots of runs)
By
worma, at 08:42
rajesh...yes Murali is not as good as Warne...if you implied that :-)
otherwise he is pretty good *independently*...he has done a few(more than one) good innings in SA...in NZ...and in Eng..outside the subcontinent. So if you look at his strike rate against these (not comparing with Warne) then its pretty good for a spinner.
On the other hand, at home he's much more effective (no doubt due to helpful conditions) than Warne. Proabably India is the only opponent against whom Murali is better than Warne overall...and yet, ironically, Murali has not *really* been successful against India in India! (goes on to show something about our capability to play spin, as in an earlier thread).
'morning mayur...yes you're right about Symonds..very effective ODI bowler...not so sure about Watson...I know he's showing a lot of 'intent'...and the aus are counting on him etc etc....but so far nothing to show...so lets hold the verdict on this one
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worma, at 08:58
mayur..bracken has played in few ODIs..not bad at all...relies on movement..but yes...in general everyone is suddenly waking up to the backup bowling problems in Aus...did you read that Simpson article?...and this is where Eng need to watch out!..they can be in a similar mess...their current team relies heavily on their quartet...and even one of them missing(as in Old Trafford second innings and Oval) can be crucial against a good team. They should develop the alternatives while they have time
Clarke, btw, has openly said he wants to open...and I think Aus selectors, management etc have this in mind...but maybe middle order stability is more important. Although I felt Katich, with his style, was more suitable in providing that middle order stability...and Clarke, on the other hand, is more likely to win matches for Aus through his opening knocks (something which is expected of ODI openers...and Katich is not likely to provide that....but as I said in the main post...in this Aus team..some weaknesses are hidden by overall team performances....for example Hayden wasnt a match-winner ODI opener either...but it was hardly felt)
By
worma, at 09:23
to repeat tiger's question, anybody know if the matches are on sportingstreams?
By
dna, at 09:37
"Is the match on sportingstreams?"
all the three matches will be played in the covered stadium, under the Telstra roof!
By
Chandan, at 09:38
chandan:
don't know if there's some obvious connection between the matches being in a covered stadium under the Telstra roof and whether they are on sportingstreams. but if there is, could you spell it out?
By
dna, at 09:40
@gardhabh
RD and VS definitely have a chance to make India proud and bring back some glory and respect to Indian cricket whose image has been shattered last month. Hope they do so.
By
Gaurav, at 10:06
mayur...agreed...there's no simple way of getting the backup ready....(and ofcourse players like flintoff, warne etc cant have exact backup)...but I guess what I meant was that players like Anderson should be groomed...and kept within the 'scheme of things' of team management...they should get warm up games...get ODIs...less relevant test matches...and overall...be 'part of the team'...something like McGill with Aus..
but overall its a tough task..even Aus hasnt been able to do it well..not even in the past...that so called 'rotation' policy was only for ODIs...but atleast they built a decent bench strength there
..what I haven't seen Eng do..so far...is identify these core backup bowlers...and integrate them with the team well enough....so we saw, for a while, Tremlett there...then Anderson....then finally they took Collingwood in(which I think was a mistake, but that may be more due to demands of a specific occasion). Hopefully they do have long term 'plans' for Anderson, Tremlett etc....thats what I am referring to.
By
worma, at 10:20
avinash...Hussey, Watson, Bracken have enough ODI experience....and in general I think Aus ODI team is not that deep in trouble(if McG doesnt retire before WC07)...till recently Katich was also a bench player....they also have Hadden sitting there....and remember that even Kasper was a bench player in ODIs till recently..so they efffectively lost a bench player also in this storm!
By
worma, at 10:27
yes..india is not looking so bad..in the short and medium term atleast..besides those you listed...there seems to be a 'lookout' for further prospects as well so we have VRV (even Bhandari was tried earlier)..
in spin we may need to look for more..and soon...because when Kumble retires..suddenly we would be left with only Karthik and Bhajji...without backup
By
worma, at 10:38
mayur..i think bracken's case is exactly what Simpson was referring to in that article I posted yesterday...that Aus has been having an obsession with pace...hence bracken did not fit very well..probably thats why never seriously groomed...but Simpson rightly pointed out that it would need to change...esp because the pace cupboard isnt exactly overflowing
By
worma, at 10:42
mayur: " r A tours not kool enough to be asked in public?" - simple answer..NO!...thats how our media behaves. As Prem said..."sea of ink wasted on GC-SG affair..." As I pointed out in one post yesterday, you rem that the same committee report also mentioned about 'deliberations on doing away with zonal selectors'. Its a huge step, if and when it happens. So how many articles, analysis, cross-questionings etc did you see on this one?
And abt Bracken...yeah well he should atleast be kept warm...McG ain't going to last forever...even otherwise they can keep trying him regularly and resting McG....other option..let Lee come first change...can be tried..no?
By
worma, at 10:57
mayur...yes lets see what Prem says on this one...
..but abt the prize money...I dont think any cricketer survives on that now...even MoM and championship prize money in international tournaments in thousands (or tens of thousands) of USD...and that goes to the whole team!
btw, I thought the domestic contracts were also in place already?
By
worma, at 11:15
worma,
I dont think MoM awards are shared anymore. Those were the Pre-Audi days, right? And I think, the MoM awards dont deserve to be shared in any case, whether they are important in terms of their monetary value or not
By
Toney, at 11:35
toney..as far as I know..all monetary awards are shared within the team...while award 'items' like Audi were/are not shared :-)...whether its right or not...thats debatable...after all its a team sport...and MoM is often possible due to effort of the team as a whole...
By
worma, at 11:39
Sorry fo rintruding but does anyone know if the super-series is being broadcast in the US? Is it Dish or Direct TV?
Thanks.
By
sid, at 22:03
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