Australia tour of New Zealand 2010

[pcfan123]

This is such a bad test bowling line-up, it would be right down there with Bangladesh AFAIC (and atleast Bangladesh have bowlers capable of bowling over 140)

Dark times for New Zealand cricket.

Broken record I know but O'Brien screwed NZ for this calender year. He just started to look good bowling in the 140s and hitting his lengths.

Too right.

Clarke what a turn around :happy

Not a fan of Clarke but I am happy for him, in 20 years he will be a legend and Bingle will be a dried up forgotten old hag.

And re Hussey you could say that he didn't save the test, the Pakistanis purposely lost it :P

Well there is no actual proof and its not as if all 11 Pakistanis were throwing the match. The Hussey/Siddle partnership was one of the best batsman/tailender partnership I have seen since Duminy/Steyn

Yeah, I'm sure if you ask the PCB, they'll all but tell you Pakistan have never lost a match that wasn't fixed. :laugh

Exactly

 

[sifter132]

Why doesn't Clarke bat at 4? Surely he is a better Test batsmen than Hussey.

It's to spread out the left and right handers. So it goes in a nice pattern:
RH - Ponting
LH - Hussey
RH - Clarke
LH - North
RH - Haddin
LH - Johnson

If Steve Smith came into the side suddenly (for North/Hussey) you might see Pup move up to 4 giving a RH,RH,LH,RH,RH,LH pattern.

And yes the reasons can be that inane sometimes...

 

[IanG]

North makes a 50 and is not out overnight. I dare say he knows he's on notice.

 

[TumTum]

If Steve Smith came into the side suddenly (for North/Hussey) you might see Pup move up to 4 giving a RH,RH,LH,RH,RH,LH pattern.

Nah it's just all in your head

 

[sifter132]

I hope so - Smith wouldn't be in my XI.

 

[Robelinda]

The batting lineup will change a lot in the next 2 years, only a matter of time before young guys like Smith are given a go. Punter, Katich, Hussey all 35 ( or soon to be)- they all cant go to 38 you'd figure. And currently they occupy 2, 3 and 4 in the batting order so its going to a major change. Katich is showing the best form out of the three but surely isnt the future, and we still have no obvious number 3 replacement for Punter.

 

[pcfan123]

The batting lineup will change a lot in the next 2 years, only a matter of time before young guys like Smith are given a go. Katich, Punter, Hussey all 35- they all cant go to 38 you'd figure. Katich is showing the best form out of the three, and we still have no obvious number 3 replacement for Punter.

Ahem ahem, Khawaja ftw

 

[Robelinda]

Maybe, but lets see if he still in the NSW team in 2 or 3 years, but he might get Hussey's spot before then. Really really good player though, I like his style.

 

[piriyanth]

*Groan* North found form.

So all those hype about who's going to be the no.6, is for nothing.

 

[AkshayS]

nice played Clarke.
haha North wasn't dropped and is paying off now, master decision.:hpraise

 

[aussie1st]

Ahem ahem, Khawaja ftw

Another Khawaja fan Not surprised North got runs, and now the out of form guys in Shield plus the LB guy have made our runs.

 

[drainpipe32]

and we still have no obvious number 3 replacement for Punter.

Ridiculously important, the Perth test showed this.

Clarke could do it, but I think he's more suited to the middle order, rather than possibly the new ball. A kid like Tom Cooper, Mitchell Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch etc might be ready for that spot in four years time.

 

[Iridium]

Good on North for sticking around and getting some form. If he get to 100 tomorrow that should seal his immediate future for the meantime and get those Smith supporters off his back.

 

[sifter132]

The batting lineup will change a lot in the next 2 years, only a matter of time before young guys like Smith are given a go. Punter, Katich, Hussey all 35 ( or soon to be)- they all cant go to 38 you'd figure. And currently they occupy 2, 3 and 4 in the batting order so its going to a major change. Katich is showing the best form out of the three but surely isnt the future, and we still have no obvious number 3 replacement for Punter.

I think we do. Shane Watson or Michael Clarke. Both have the ability to knuckle down and play defensively, both like responsibility and both can take the attack to the bowlers - particularly Watson. The only problem both of them have is that they don't make massive hundreds regularly. But then who can? Klinger and Hodge are the only guys I can think of who've been making big hundreds in recent years and they've both got other drawbacks.

Usman is the other one who might fit in somewhere and he'd be good because of the left handedness. Many of the potential players to come into the Aussie side in future are righties: White, Smith, Ferguson, Bailey, Klinger, Paine, Mitch Marsh

 

[aussie1st]

There was talk that Ferguson would be Ponting's replacement before he got injured. But TBH his stats haven't been all that flash especially compared to Khawaja and Smith. I would say Khawaja is the number 3 in waiting, hes got the ability to score as quick as Ponting, probably the best technique in the country (called a left handed Tendulkar by AB) and his pull shot is up there with Ponting in his prime.