The Australian cricket non-official thread!

[The Mad Hatter]

Problem with modern cricketers.

In the juniors, can't bowl more than 4-8 overs a day, have to retire at 50.

There's no more concentration, no patience, no stamina.

I can remember when Australia would rotate its quicks on form and fitness not really horses for courses. Back in 1987-1992 we had Alderman, Reid, Lawson, Hughes, McDermott, Dodemaide, Whitney...May, Taylor, Matthews and they all bowled a couple of tests a summer. The batsman also bowled a lot more - think Border, S Waugh, M Waugh.

And because there's plenty of dollars these days, none of these guys who breakdown all the time ever get a tap on the shoulder (you might break it!) and get told to think about concentrating on their real job.

As for Siddle...yes! I'd love to see this bloke in the 200 club. Thoroughly deserved. Carried Australia on his back from 2008-2013 and he never broke down!!!

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Siddle is only 31 in November. Needs 2 wickets to get to 200. Surely CA can give him a test or two!

 

[mounteverest]

At the rate our young quicks break down or are injured,you might see him for a couple of years yet

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I love how he's all "oh...well...you really start your career at 25...blah blah blah...I've still got 2-3 years to get there."

Not saying rehab is easy, but when you've played 1 test in 4 years and a handful of ODIs and T20s and still get paid a motza...well...

And it's blokes like Lyon and Siddle out there, day in and day out, plying their trade, getting catches dropped by prima donna batsman...having to continually justify their spots to the press and fans.

Grrr....

Siddle could play to 36 without threat.

 

[Wookiedragon]

I have uncovered the key to success!

After 30 odd years of hitting the nets hard in the lead up to a new cricket season, this season with work and family commitments I had not picked up a cricket bat in over 6 months.

I strode out to bat this afternoon not expecting much, however after being dropped on 2, I finished on 122 not out!

There you go, the key is forgo any pre season training and go straight to the game from now on LOL!

 

[Matty76]

The Matador Cup is underway, here are a few progress scores:

QLD 6/108 (35 overs) vs TAS. Milenko 30no, Hopes 20no. Fekete 6-1-8-3
WA 2/250 (41 overs) vs SA. S. Marsh 109, Bancroft 126no.
NSW 2/211 (37 overs) vs Cricket Australia XI. Maddinson 108, Steve Smith 70no.

The first televised game is on Thursday on GEM - NSW vs SA.

Great to see the summer of cricket begin!!

 

[Matty76]

Wow, how's this for openers (excuse the pun!)?!

Aaron Finch and Ryan Carters added a remarkable - scarcely believable - 503 for the first wicket against New Zealand in the 3-day game at Blacktown. It is now the highest ever opening partnership in First Class cricket in Australia and only the fourth instance of a 500+ run opening stand in the history of First Class cricket anywhere! It is the 12th highest partnership for any wicket in First Class history.

Carters was out for 209 (364 balls, 18 x 4) and Finch was 288 not out (363 balls, 24x4, 7x6) when the declaration came.

In other news, the Australian selectors have named their squad for the first two Tests against New Zealand:

Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Joe Burns, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges.

For mine, Michael Klinger is once again extremely unlucky.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

10 Kiwis bowled in that CA XI innings too.

 

[bigrob2307]

Heard kiwis have declared twice during lunch to end the match?

 

[Matty76]

Heard kiwis have declared twice during lunch to end the match?

You've got it in one old mate! This is from the Herald-Sun:

"THE Black Caps have instigated farcical scenes in their tour match at Blacktown International Sports Park today, reportedly double declaring without facing a ball in an extraordinary attempt to bring an abrupt end to their clash against the Cricket Australia XI.

No official decision has been made, although the stumps were recently pulled out of the pitch.

Play is currently suspended, however it appears the match is all but over after just four sessions, with New Zealand understood to be unhappy with the state of the pitch.

It’s the latest chapter in a farcical few days for the tourists which began with team management making a last-minute bid to shorten the match from four days to three.

New Zealand management also lobbied to change the status of the match from being a first-class fixture, but were told that was against the MOU agreed upon by both countries at the start of the tour.

Now just one session into day two at Blacktown, the Black Caps have effectively thrown the toys out of the cot after the Cricket Australia XI declared their innings at a whopping 1-503.

There were suggestions the Black Caps were claiming the pitch to be dangerous, despite the fact dumped Victorian opener Aaron Finch and NSW batsman Ryan Carters had no problems each ploughing double centuries on the notoriously flat deck.

However images of the pitch showed large holes in the areas where bowlers’ feet would land in their bowling stride.

New Zealand’s practice matches in Canberra and Blacktown are hardly like-for-like conditions for what they will face in the first two matches at the Gabba and the WACA.

The Black Caps’ bid to shorten the match was due to a desire to get to Brisbane earlier to acclimatise, and now it seems they might be able to get north even quicker."

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Heard kiwis have declared twice during lunch to end the match?

Kiwis can't play anything longer than 20 or 50 over cricket anyway, only if they're on the take.

 

[Wookiedragon]

This is no fault of the Kiwi's. The pitch was a disgrace & a massive embarasment to Cricket Australia.

The players were picking up chunks of the pitch after play last night - it didnt even last one day. NZ were forced to bowl spinners and medium pacers today with the pitch unsafe for fast bowling.

@nazimcricket drove from Bathurst to Blacktown to see the game today & managed to see one session before the game was abandoned. Others were arriving only to be told the game was cancelled & that was at 12.30. The Kiwis imediately hit the nets for some proper practice. They have wasted a couple of days here & the Canberra wicket was flat too. Hardly decent practice for the Gabba.

I feel for the Cricket Australia team as well. A couple of guys were making their first class debut and didnt even get on the field. Graeme Hick even commented to me that was an embarassing situation for Cricket Australia.

What a farce.

 

[mounteverest]

Kiwis can't play anything longer than 20 or 50 over cricket anyway, only if they're on the take.

What a stupid comment to make clearly the pitch wasn't even up to club standard

 

[The Mad Hatter]

What a stupid comment to make clearly the pitch wasn't even up to club standard

I was just having a laugh.

 

[mounteverest]

I was just having a laugh.

No worries,the only thing I would be laughing at would be the pitch and C.A,it's a bit of a joke

 

[The Mad Hatter]

I agree. I did not realise the pitch was so poor.

 

[Wookiedragon]

They have used Blacktown for plenty of cricket in the past & there has never been any sign of what happened today.

There were shield games played at the venue in the past, several World Cup warm up games last summer, & four Matador Cup games only a few weeks ago.

I dont know what happened, however it was not up to first class standard this time, that is for sure. Its very disapointing all round.

 

[Shaunao1983]

New Zealand will test Australia this summer. Boult is a genuine world class bowler. They have a lot of upside about there team. Kane Williamson is a very good player too. Everyone knows mcCullum is a freak. Looking foward to the series.

 

[cricketmad1212]

The commentators/ players were saying that the Matador Cup pitches were not up to standard and I suppose they are right.

 

[Matty76]

Victorian debutant Travis Dean has broken a swag of records and led the Vics to an outright win against Queensland. They are as follows:

*First player to score a century in each innings of his Sheffield Shield debut - 154 not out and 109 not out
*Sixth player in First Class cricket history to make a century in each innings on debut
*His 263 runs is the most ever made by a batsman on First Class debut
*Most total runs on Sheffield Shield debut

He faced a total of 500 balls across both innings, batted 645 minutes and was in the middle for all 335.2 overs of the match.

It is great to see big hundreds already this First Class season - 152* to Steve Smith, 202* to Michael Klinger, 141 to Scott Henry, 154* to Travis Dean and of course the Finch/Carters double centuries.