Australian Cricket Thread

[alfie]

Anyone's guess what they will eventually do with the batting order as they seem quite well supplied with middle order prospects but severely lacking in openers (though Head may well open in Sri Lanka ). The one thing I do not see happening is Smith going back to the top of the order. He won't want to , and they aren't going to move him against his will. Bit like Root for England ...

[sussexpob]

In the end its McSweeney who comes back as the reserve opener, and Australia pick Cooper Connolly who seemingly has barely struck a ball in professional 4 day cricket.

I don't really understand this modern tendency of selectors picking players who have proved nothing. Connolly is being sold as the next best thing, but how many of those work out? I think personally this sort of selection thats dreamed up by data analytical types about inert capacity, rather than proven actual worth, do not work that much. And then when they fail, they tend to just disappear and everyone moves onto the next 2 FC match wonderkid. Kurtis Patterson is on form, banged an unbeaten hundred in his only test, averages close to 40 (Which no one seems to manage nowadays).... not even mentioned. Guess through all those years of being a good player, and doing everything he could on test debut, just isnt as sexy as the prospect of some 21 year old question mark.

[andy]

Matt Kuhenmahn looks set to be ruled out of the series with a thumb injury

[andy]

Kuhenmahn had his action cleared no suprise about that was baffled after all these years he had been called anyway never looked particularly suspect?!

[sussexpob]

Kuhenmahn had his action cleared no suprise about that was baffled after all these years he had been called anyway never looked particularly suspect?!

Yeah, as j said on the series thread, nothing looked particularly wrong with it to the naked eye..

Happy he cleared his name.Teally they shouldn't release these things to the public before a decision is made..Be internet warriors calling him a chucker till he dies now

[sussexpob]

Usman Khawaja's last 10 odd days aren't getting any better. After skipping the Queensland game to go watch the F1, and then becoming embroiled in a public spat about him lying about being injured with his own coach and team, he then turns up in the Shield final and gets out straight away as the QLDs are blown away for 90 odd in in the first innings. Marnus also fired back at his critics with a majestic duck, getting out to an absolutely rank ball on his pads. To cap it all off, Nathan McSweeney also copped a duck.... giving 2 runs in 3 dismissals to the international players.

One positive for Australia though will be found in some curly haired teenager coming from nowhere and looking like peak Glenn McGrath. Callum Vidler took 4-33 in response to keep the result in question, moved the ball off the seam, got swing early, bowled with hostility in the middle overs.... his second wicket was a jaffer, classic bit of swing in, nip away on a tight line...

Why do I get the feeling I am going to be seeing a lot more of this lad in the coming years. If yesterday is anything to go by, he's talented.

[Durhamfootman]

lots of infrastructure stuff going on

the Gabba is to be pulled down after being replaced by a new stadium built for the Olympics

Tassie are to build a new AFL stadium with a roof to replace the Bellerive Oval

Perth has just been replaced in the last few years

are the days numbered for the MCG and SCG, I wonder? The Adelaide Oval seems to be keeping its head down

[sussexpob]

I think they call it "progress", DFM. No one wants to watch sports in a venue with history or to the backdrop of a wonderful building that oozes historical and cultural value....

No. We all prefer to sit in giant, characterless bowls with tiny plastic seats, ideally 18kms away from the centre of some city in a hard to reach, nondescript industrial park, and if there is an inedible hot dog costing 17 quid to throw in the mix, the more the merrier. Can even throw in a huge sound system blasting some obscure 90s trance music at deafening volumes, because in the idea of the average 65 year old stuffy boardroom suit, its what the 18 year old kids dig.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Callum Vidler took 4-33

Wondered what sort of a name Vidler is, but it looks like it's anglo. Never heard it before. Means a guardian of a chapel/bird catcher/seller of thread, depending where you look.

[Durhamfootman]

can't stop progress SP

No more Gabbatoir sounds like progress to me... or it will to England

[Arthur Crabtree]

Thought the Aussies are usually big on cricket tradition. Commentators at least.

[Durhamfootman]

That inedible hot dog sounds like the way forward, though.... I'm sold already

[sussexpob]

Thought the Aussies are usually big on cricket tradition. Commentators at least.

I joke, but the SCG is (I think) the only cricket dedicated ground in Australia from the test venues, and its mostly the AFL demanding bigger stadiums that lead to developments/the bulldozer at other places. So I guess the MCGs huge size keeps it safe, and the SCG has no AFL team demanding them make way for more seats.

Personally, I like this system of multi-purpose grounds, even if it comes at some cost. The idea that London has Wembley, Twickenham, The Emirates, The Olympic Stadium, Stamford Bridge, the new Tottenham Ground, as well as many more.... it is just silly really. Wembley and Twickenham are dormant for all but a total of 24 hours sport a year... and yet, we need two separate grounds ?

[Durhamfootman]

Tasmania are trying (as I understand it) to get an AFL team going and the stadium is a requirement for that. I saw pictures of the stadium proposal with a glass and timber roof in place and it looks spectacular. However there are concerns that the roof may cast shadows on the playing area which could make it unusable for cricket, so they are hastily looking again at the design/materials/size of the thing.

It does seem crazy to me that a cricket ground can have a roof. It just feels impossibly vast somehow, but technology moves on

[sussexpob]

Tasmania are trying (as I understand it) to get an AFL team going and the stadium is a requirement for that. I saw pictures of the stadium proposal with a glass and timber roof in place and it looks spectacular. However there are concerns that the roof may cast shadows on the playing area which could make it unusable for cricket, so they are hastily looking again at the design/materials/size of the thing. It does seem crazy to me that a cricket ground can have a roof. It just feels impossibly vast somehow, but technology moves on

Can't remember exactly when, but Australia played SA in a ODI series that was hosted indoors at the Melbourne docklands stadium sometime in between the 1999-2003 world cup. Can remember Lance Klusener lauching one of his trademark biffs onto the roof..... think its used for one of the BBL teams now also, but couldn't tell you how often as I dont really follow the T20 franchise leagues