Nov 25-29: 1st Test: Australia v England at Brisbane

[War]

re North, this is his eighth series and his series batting figures are :

08/09 vs SAF : 160 runs @ 40.00
2009 vs ENG : 367 runs @ 52.43
09/10 vs WIN : 166 runs @ 33.20
09/10 vs PAK : 41 runs @ 10.25
09/10 vs NZE : 211 runs @ 105.50
10/11 vs PAK : 36 runs @ 9.00
10/11 vs IND : 141 runs @ 35.25
10/11 vs ENG : 0 runs @ 0.00

That doesn't look great, but then he looks to have had a mare against Pakistan - 77 runs @ 9.63 - and hasn't started well against England. Otherwise his record looks ok, only in three series including two against Pakistan has he failed to score at least one hundred.

13 wkts @ 37.08 is handy for a part-time spinner too.

Its way too inconsistent for a test batsman by Australia's standards.

Their is two line of thinking for keeping & dropping North.

1. For keeping him for the 1st test & possibly for the 2nd test god forbin if he scores a hundred of 50. Is although he averages 37, he already has 5 test hundreds. Thus some (the AUS selectors, Ponting, Tim Neilsen) may view that as record of a man whohas the ability to be even better if he can improve his consistency. Since many players haven't scored 5 test hundreds in 20 tests & theirfore he will continued to get backed until he sorts of his consistency problem.

2. For axing him. Once can look @ his test record, which is very similar to his decade long FC record for Western Australia. In which he has shown that he inconsistency is how he plays & he is kind of batsman that will score a big hundred & alot sub 20 scores in between. Thus accept that obvious fault & drop him for batsman who has better consistency & dont every recall North unless he shows improvement in FC in the consistency of his run scoring.

Most AUS fans & pundits where of the opinion of option 2 before this series.

So hopefully even if North scores in the 2nd innings he is axed, given by no it should be obvious to the selectors that his incosistency isn't good enough to bat in the top 6 for AUS.

 

[angryangy]

Averages don't give you detail on the data range. 70% of his innings are below 25. The other 30% are almost entirely over 60, which is on par with his more experienced team mates, but it would really need to be about 40% to make up for the complete lack of scores between 40 and 60. In other words, while he converts well, he misses out on the bonus half-centuries that a better player would make.

I've long found North to be a bit of a flat track bully, without being aggressive enough to earn the title. Although a very good player of straight bowling, he just gets out far too easily in those dangerous periods where you could really use whatever score can be scraped together. Hussey might not have had a good run lately, but he and Katich are both quite good at propping the team up against the apparent trend of conditions, as they each did today.

I wouldn't categorically say he's not up to Test standard, but that all the good teams have lots of better players. While he does have top quality concentration that sometimes results in a highly effective innings, you just don't expect to see him save anything that seemed doomed. Players with iffy records tend to bang out a career on the back of a few heroic performances. If there's anything to say that North is that sort of inconsistent hero, I've not seen it.

 

[Sureshot]

Frustrating partnership at the end of the day, but good comeback in the 2nd session. Swann is bowling way too short, we've gifted Hussey most of his runs.

 

[TumTum]

All our batsman should follow Hussey and play attacking cricket. Hit out to get yourself back to form. If you get out in the process doesn't matter, if you are out of form you will not contribute much anyway. In fact that is what our batsman been doing in the past decade when out of form.

ATM watching Hussey reminds me of the form our batsman were in the 06/07 Ashes, and then watching batsman at the other end reminds of all the pathetic batting displays I had to watch in the last couple of years.

 

[aussie1st]

Alright off my plane ride and now onto the bashing. Didn't see today play obviously but the worrying signs are still there. No one in the top order converting their starts, Ponting and Clarke both failing, the bigger worry would be Ponting who usually lifts for the 1st test of a series and sets it up. North nothing more to add with what I've said previously.

Hussey well done mate, its nice to see him playing his free flowing game. And fuly agree with TumTum, the players need to play their natural game essentially. Looking at Clarke's knock he wasted 50 balls and got only 9 runs. By the time he got out his score had gone nowhere and we were 4/140 and looking in trouble once again.

 

[Papa_Smurf]

Posted this on the 1st page:

I can't believe Hussey's place in the starting xi is a matter of debate - I know the guy's had a tough time recently but he has a habit of putting in the performances when they count - the ton at the oval last year was under pressure and his knock in the sydney test brought aus back into that game.

I would bet good money that he will produce atleast one match-winning performance in this series.

C'mon Hussey!! Prove me right

Papa_Smurf added 3 Minutes and 31 Seconds later...

This match has proved to be what I was expecting - with each side putting in a half-decent batting contribution. What I wasn't expecting was Siddle came out of no where and ripped england apart. Finn's doing better than I thought he would Swann's the opposite (although it was only a day 2 pitch).

 

[aussie1st]

Hehe good pick. It was justified to be calling for his spot as he hadn't produced a 100 in 7 Test or a 50 in 7 innings I believe that was the stat. The main concern was the fact he wasn't playing his free scoring game especially the 1st Test in India. The 2nd Test was encouraging signs and I liked the look of him there but he made it really hard for himself by being forced to play in the ODI series against SL and failing in his Shield knocks before that last minute 100 against Victoria. I've always maintained if he plays his free flowing game then there is no reason why he can't go back to the Hussey of old.

 

[Highlander999]

Think I'm gonna struggle to make it to lunch today lads. Way too tired from work and alcohol consumption and I have work tomorrow and Sunday

 

[Themer]

Think I'm gonna struggle to make it to lunch today lads. Way too tired from work and alcohol consumption and I have work tomorrow and Sunday

I worked 9-6 yesterday after watching the whole day of the cricket, then watched the whole day last night followed by 9-6 again and am going to watch all of the match tonight. Been awake 24 hours in 15 minutes time.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

I worked 9-6 yesterday after watching the whole day of the cricket, then watched the whole day last night followed by 9-6 again and am going to watch all of the match tonight. Been awake 24 hours in 15 minutes time.

In roughly an hour that'll be my case too.

If I had some alcohol around I'd drink a toast to it.

ZoraxDoom added 0 Minutes and 31 Seconds later...

Damn you UDRS

 

[aussie1st]

That is exactly what I thought regarding that LBW call. Thank God for the DRS.

 

[Themer]

Sadly thought it was pitch down legside for the entire time. Could have done with that. Need to take these and the tail quickly.

I'd be willing to accept a first innings deficit of 30-45 here as things stand

 

[ZoraxDoom]

Doesn't look like there was an edge on that...

Hussey might not be out there for long.

 

[TruSachFan]

Uh oh. Hussey moves to 87.
Perfect time for the poms to remove him on the "dreaded" number

 

[ZoraxDoom]

How many times do England have to hit the pads to get a wicket?