Warne-Muralidaran Trophy (Australia in Sri Lanka) Aug-Sep 2011

[War]

Did you also note that Nannes isn't even getting a Victoria contract this summer? He might only play Big Bash...

I can understand them not giving him a contract if he is not playing all 3 formats of the game for them, just like AUS. But once is playing in the Big Bash and Ryobi cup thats all the matters.

Agree with you about O'Keefe. Neither he or Smith should be bowling flat, fast T20 crap, when they need to be learning their craft in first class cricket. Maybe get them county contracts instead. I'd have chosen Doherty and Krejza if I wanted 2 spin options.

I dont mind smith in the T20 team. Him & Hussey should be the spinner bowling all-rounders who quickish bowling can certainly be a good back-up to the quick bowlers which should make up main part of AUS T20 bowling attack.

No AUS T20 spinner is on the level of Vettori, Ajmal, Harbhajain etc....so you wasting time picking them.

Best AUS T20 XI:

Warner
Watson
Marsh
Haddin
D Hussey
White
Smith
Johnson
Lee
Harris
Nannes

Tait/Bollinger, M Hussey/Ferguson, Wade, Hastings.

And somehow White's form isn't good enough for ODIs, but it's good enough for T20s?? He should have been dropped from that too, and Watson given the reins, since as long as the selectors are stupid enough to pick Watson for T20s, he might as well get some captaincy experience. Why let our most important player add to his workload with worthless matches?

And left field thought of the day, I wouldn't mind seeing Ricky Ponting given the reins of the T20 squad, and specifically give him a group of kids, basically an 'A' team and give him free rein as captain and coach. I think he'd enjoy it. Ditch guys like Johnson, Haddin and Watson, they shouldn't be in a T20 squad.

Am why should guys like Watson, Johnson, Haddin not be in a T20 squad?.

Also with White, i guess the selectors given he is the T20 captain are probably understandably reluctant to discard from that squad so quickly although his form in ODI has been poor. It probably one of those "faith" selections that selectors normally do with players they rate highly & i dont mind it for a player of White's caliber.

Although you said left-field im not sure why you want to bring Ponting back into a T20 squad & treat it like some training camp for youngsters. T20 has a world-cup now of course and you need proper preparation just as you do before a 50 overs cup or a major test series.

 

[War]

Australia news: Rod Marsh courts selection role | Australia Cricket News | ESPN Cricinfo

Just the kind of cricket brains the selection panel needs in place of the idiot Hiditch brigade.

 

[sifter132]

Am why should guys like Watson, Johnson, Haddin not be in a T20 squad?.

I just don't think the hardest working guys in the squad should be playing 3 formats. Also, Haddin's never done much in T20Is - I think he tries too hard, so to me I'd be giving a younger keeper a go. Johnson's nothing special in the short format either, there's probably no one OBVIOUSLY better, but I just don't see any long term gain by giving him a few more worthless overs.

Although you said left-field im not sure why you want to bring Ponting back into a T20 squad & treat it like some training camp for youngsters. T20 has a world-cup now of course and you need proper preparation just as you do before a 50 overs cup or a major test series.

I guess because that was the vibe I got from the selectors: that the T20 team was White's team and he was going to be a great captain leading a group of younger guys. I was also thinking of Warne at Rajasthan at the time and the way he gets his players to play above their perceived talent, and I think a guy like Ponting might be able to do a similar job, infuse the new guys with confidence that will help them in the longer formats.

Plus I also think that T20 internationals are basically rubbish, glorified practise matches, and that if Australia used them like a developmental team (think olympic soccer/football), they might sway the ICC to play less internationals.

 

[angryangy]

As much as the World T20s are becoming a pretty serious event, these one or two match series are not in that league. It's valid to suggest you're not going to wreck good players by giving them the run, but with regards to youth policy, look at India in ODIs: in the two years leading up to 2011, Tendulkar played 22 out of 58 ODIs for India. It didn't hurt their World Cup aspirations in the least to manage their players the way they did.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Last person I'd want to see in T20 would be Punter. He doesn't like the format and doesn't take it seriously.

Haddin shouldn't be in T20, his sr is rubbish, he's no better than Clarke. They could stick just about any other wicket-keeper in it. Someone who doesn't whinge would suit me.

Johnson on the other hand is pretty good in T20. No reason why he should be and loads why he shouldn't be but for some reason he rarely gets smashed around. His econ rate is excellent for such a wayward bowler.

 

[sifter132]

Johnson could play T20 to hone his yorker and death bowling skills, but playing 1 or 2 sporadic games here and there won't do that. He needs to play IPL for that - 2 mths of solid T20 focused training. It could have been the same for Michael Clarke: with an IPL season to learn what he could and couldn't do, he MIGHT have been a decent T20 player, but you can't develop your game with the current international schedule, which to me makes it useless. They are exhibition games for attendance and ratings, so in that way we should select the 11 most entertaining cricketers to get the crowds in (so 7 sloggers and the 3 or 4 fastest bowlers you can find, maybe a spinner with a weird action or who makes funny faces when he gets hit for 6 ).

Trying to build a T20 team with the current schedule seems silly. You essentially get a week together every 3-6 months, if that. Only start worrying about a good team when the World Cup starts coming up. I know that goes against my Ponting as mentor/coach/captain idea, but I think Ponting would at least have more influence on a team than White would, and White's international career is going nowhere, so grooming him as the future captain by making him T20 is a dumb plan. I don't really care if Ponting hates T20, he'd be there to introduce new players to international cricket, dealing with crowds, extra pressure, foreign conditions etc. That's what Warne seemed to do so well with Rajasthan, giving players confidence they could succeed at a higher level.

 

[6ry4nj]

That's what Warne seemed to do so well with Rajasthan, giving players confidence they could succeed at a higher level.

It works for Warne because in India they have gurus, and they like putting people on pedestals. In Australia we have tall poppies, and we (I like it too) love nothing better than snipping them down to size.

 

[War]

I just don't think the hardest working guys in the squad should be playing 3 formats. Also, Haddin's never done much in T20Is - I think he tries too hard, so to me I'd be giving a younger keeper a go. Johnson's nothing special in the short format either, there's probably no one OBVIOUSLY better, but I just don't see any long term gain by giving him a few more worthless overs.

I'm not sure what you totally mean by "hardest working players" in this context. But the thing is very straight forward, those 3 guys especially Watson of 3 of the better T20 players AUS have & once fit they should be playing in that format.

Yea Haddin hasn't done as much as he can in T20s & certainly has to start producing in that format, given he has still competition from Wade. But i'd hope for now that selectors (hopefully a new panel) keep faith with him up until next year T20 WC, since a firing Haddin certainly makes the AUS T20 team stronger.

Johnson yes is not a very good yorker bowler, which a key armory quick bowlers need in T20s. But in my idea of the best AUS T20 XI named above he is 4th choice amongts 4 main quicks & 3 all-rounders (Watson, D Hussey, Smith). So in match scenario's his deficiencies can be hidden, plus of course his batting ability makes him a very invaluable T20 slogger down the order.

I guess because that was the vibe I got from the selectors: that the T20 team was White's team and he was going to be a great captain leading a group of younger guys. I was also thinking of Warne at Rajasthan at the time and the way he gets his players to play above their perceived talent, and I think a guy like Ponting might be able to do a similar job, infuse the new guys with confidence that will help them in the longer formats.

Plus I also think that T20 internationals are basically rubbish, glorified practise matches, and that if Australia used them like a developmental team (think olympic soccer/football), they might sway the ICC to play less internationals.

I didn't get the vibe when White was selected as T20 skipper. To me it was more a sense of them finally giving it to the man who should have had it since 2009, after they wasted a year experimenting with Clarke.

Ponting future is the test side solely, with the hope of him doing a Tendulkar with the bat in the next couple years. No reasons to have him anywhere near the T20 side as anything.

Right now T20s international are certainly been treated as exhibition matches. But that is ICC problem. They by now should be mandating that tours have 3 T20s & 3 ODIs at least. Since they are making a mockery of having a T20 WC, when teams aren't playing enough T20s per series.

No team should let the faulty ICC decision make them suddenly treat T20s as joke format, because it is serious stuff now & you have to prepare are build your teams the same way you do for ODIs and test matches.

As much as the World T20s are becoming a pretty serious event, these one or two match series are not in that league. It's valid to suggest you're not going to wreck good players by giving them the run, but with regards to youth policy, look at India in ODIs: in the two years leading up to 2011, Tendulkar played 22 out of 58 ODIs for India. It didn't hurt their World Cup aspirations in the least to manage their players the way they did.

I think thats mainly because of Tendy's age & them wanting to keep him as fresh as possible leading up to a World Cup, where they had a great chance of winning at home.

Watson isn't 37, he is young & fresh & should be playing all 3 formats (preferably all 3 formats in a less packed international schedule of course).

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

DRS Unlikely For Sri Lanka VS Australia Series

Sri Lanka v Australia 2011: DRS out of Sri Lanka-Australia series | Cricket News | Sri Lanka v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo

So, No DRS as it is made compulsory from 1st October. This is ████ stiff from ICC as they really need to pay somethings for better running of cricket. First they want it mandatory and then but obvious if its going to cost 5000$ per day most low financial boards wont be approving or be willing to implement.

Hope ICC's eyes are wide opened some day and they sponsor this DRS for betterment of cricket or else BCCI will soon have some support from weak financial boards of again going back to square 1.

 

[sifter132]

Yeah ICC should be sponsoring. Or maybe MS Dhoni could be the global benefactor of DRS, he's rolling in money

It's a shame DRS won't be used, but meh..it'll be the same for both teams.

 

[aussie1st]

The ICC should be helping out with the cost, they are rolling in cash.

 

[angryangy]

At the same time, kudos to Sri Lanka's accountants.

 

[teamindia]

Sri Lanka v Australia 2011: Sri Lankan board confirms DRS for Australia series | Cricket News | Sri Lanka v Australia | ESPN Cricinfo

DRS will now be used. Let us hope they do not change it again

 

[aussie1st]

So I guess they found a sponsor or was it a case of misinterpretation?

 

[angryangy]

perhaps a case of the administration saying one thing, government standover man saying another