I presume he was expected to start and open the bowling though - seemed to do well in the warm-up game. It’s hardly McGrath from 2005 alright but it’s still a disruption they could have done without.
I will reconsider my initial post though and just say it’s a blow, the scale of which will probably be best known after the series.
Australia are 4/5 to win the series - good value I’d have thought.
So we had our first Test match in around three months this week between India and Sri Lanka and it was an absolute snooze-fest. Hopefully the next two Tests will be better. Test matches in India can be awful turgid affairs. They excel in producing boring flat-tracks, yet when they needed to produce a result when they were 1-0 down to SA going into the last Test in 2008, they produced a riduculous turning pitch at Kanpur. Very good article from one of Cricinfo’s writers on the matter here:
http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/436009.html
Two other series soon to start. Windies in Australia, can only see one winner there. In fact, I’d expect a whitewash.
England in SA should be more interesting. Kallis is a doubt for the first Test, and may not be able to bowl for the entire series. I think Kallis is the most valuable player in Test cricket at the moment. Losing him as a bowler badly affects the balance of the team. Losing him entirely for the first Test would be an even bigger blow, though they have some strength in depth in the batting line-up.
I see Doug Bollinger has been called up instead of Stuart Clark for the first test squad. No sign of Phil Hughes.
WIndies a mess after player strike. Bowling attack looks even more callow than ever without Fidel. Chris Gayle a doubt now. Seemingly his mother is very sick and he’s returned home to Jamaica and may not be back.
Australia aren’t great, but they could well whitewash WIndies. Days of Blackwash a distant, distant memory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1bPP4iW3B8
Some performance from Colly today at Centurian. Eoin Morgan finished on 27 no.
Yeah, you can only assume that’s the end of Clark’s international career. I think they’re casting him off a bit too early. Bollinger won’t be playing anyway. I refuse to believe that Watson is the answer at the top of the order in the long run either.
Looks like Gayle will play. I would always have said that Fidel was their best bowler over the last few years. They’ll miss him badly. I could see the Aussies racking up massive 1st innings totals.
One upcoming series I missed is Pakistan in NZ. The welcome return of Shane Bond to Test cricket is probably the most interesting aspect here, though it is good to see Pakistan back playing more regularly. Test cricket needs them back. Tough series to call actually.
Indian Pitches and Rahul Dravid, doesn’t get much more exciting.
Gayle is on his way back, but given the disarray that the Windies find themselves in and Gayle’s apparent lack of interest in test match cricket, you’d have to wonder how they will do here. They have decent players though, you never know.
To be honest though, I expect Australia to whitewash them. Interesting that Bollinger is in on the back of some good ODI performances in India. Not sufre if he’ll go well as a long term test player. Clark is still thereabouts. The perception with him is that while he is a very very economical bowler, he doesn’t take as many wickets as he could. But with Lee’s probable test retirement looming and the need for injury replacements, it won’t be the last we’ll see of Clark.
Mike Hussey has to have a good summer here, or he’s gone, Watson will move back down the order and Phil Hughes will come back in as opener.
Pakistan to follow the Windies, that should be a good series - Pakistan I think are probably a lot better than we think.
Australia touring there in August next year as well.
Well, thats the plan, but given the place is in the throes of civil war, it won’t happen.
That tour is taking place in England next summer Fitzy.
Pakistan looked like a team that hadn’t played a lot of Test cricket when they toured Sri Lanka. They were prone to collapse. There’s definitely talent there though, and I’d expect them to be a much better team on the back of these two tours. Not sure they’re ready to win a series away from home yet though.
What about that McDonald guy that played in SA at the start of the year Fitzy? Is he still seen as a contender for a spot?
[quote=“braz83”]That tour is taking place in England next summer Fitzy.
Pakistan looked like a team that hadn’t played a lot of Test cricket when they toured Sri Lanka. They were prone to collapse. There’s definitely talent there though, and I’d expect them to be a much better team on the back of these two tours. Not sure they’re ready to win a series away from home yet though.
What about that McDonald guy that played in SA at the start of the year Fitzy? Is he still seen as a contender for a spot?[/quote]
McDonald was seen as a potential all rounder, he’s handy, but was underused. I think he’s had his day, a possible back up player, but not a long term thing. I think Watson will soon be back at 6 or 7 and that will be the all rounder position sewn up in the test team. Although, Watson is extremely injury prone, so it could still be a problem spot for the Aussies, which is where the likes of McDonald could then figure. There’s a hell of a lot of competition for places in the Australia squads at the moment, its interesting times.
Jesus, 417/2 at the end of day 1. I’m starting to think the BCCI are doing their best to kill Test cricket to increase the importance of the IPL.
You might actually be onto something there. Preparing pitches that yield around 2,000 runs and barely 10 wickets is making a mockery of test cricket. 
I see NZ reached 276/6 at the end of day one against Pakistan - Ross Taylor top scored with 90 odd and McCullum and Vettori are capable of adding lower order runs.
If anything does get killed I’m sure the man in your avatar will find the culprit?
At least we’ll have a result in New Zealand anyway. Lets hope the pitches in the highvelt are conjusive to good bowling too. Durban on the 26th wil be ok but the ones at altitude are a problem.
[quote=“Special Olympiakos”]If anything does get killed I’m sure the man in your avatar will find the culprit?
At least we’ll have a result in New Zealand anyway. Lets hope the pitches in the highvelt are conjusive to good bowling too. Durban on the 26th wil be ok but the ones at altitude are a problem.[/quote]
He’s a legend of a detective alright! 
That series in NZ should be really interesting anyway. Must sort out my Aussie wallet on Betfair.
Food for thought from Michael Atherton on Sachins legacy or lack of it.:
Exactly 77 years ago to the day, in Melbourne, Harold Larwood instigated what eventually became known as bodyline when he struck Bill Woodfull, the opener, near the heart during a four-day match between MCC and an Australian XI. It was to herald the most rancorous series of all time.
Douglas Jardine was not playing in the match and it was his deputy, Bob Wyatt, who carried out the instructions to try leg theory as a precursor for what was to follow. Donald Bradman, whose gargantuan scoring the theory was intended to curb, failed twice in the match, falling to Larwood on each occasion for 36 and 13 a sign of his troubles ahead.
This week Sachin Tendulkar celebrated 20 years as an international cricketer. There followed a slew of paeans to the India batsmans longevity and greatness from some of the best writers on the game. The only discordant note came from Kapil Dev, who believes, oddly, that Tendulkar has failed to make full use of his talent. They should make Kapil a judge on Strictly Come Dancing.
If these two strands have little in common, bear with me for a moment. Images of Tendulkar have adorned newspapers and websites throughout the week. Images, mostly, of the Little Master at the crease, compact and balanced. So compact and balanced, in fact, that Bradman said Tendulkar was the modern player whose method most closely resembled his own.
There was, though, one crucial difference, which the image of Tendulkar on these pages on Monday highlighted. Perched on top of Tendulkars head, adorned with the tricolour of India, was a bright blue helmet and, for good measure, a grille to protect his features.
Wearing blue, Tendulkar was batting in a one-day game, but had the image been of him batting in whites, there is a good chance that, along with a helmet, Tendulkar would have been wearing an arm guard and a chest guard, too. He is always amply protected.
Which is not to say that Tendulkar lacks bravery. Indeed, he proved his manhood in his first Test series when Waqar Younis bloodied his nose and Tendulkar refused treatment and carried on batting. He wore a grille from then on, though, so that when James Anderson sent a ball crashing into it at Trent Bridge in July 2007, Tendulkar was able to shake his head and carry on as if he had been hit with a wet sponge.
Tendulkars method suggests that he would be little inconvenienced by not wearing a helmet. He does not hook, nor does he plunge on to the front foot. And he watches the ball like a hawk. Nevertheless, would he have lasted as long, would he have scored as many runs, would that blow to his face by Anderson not have affected his confidence in any way? We cannot know for sure.
The advent of protection for batsmen from the late 1970s has been the biggest change to the game since the introduction of overarm bowling. It has altered profoundly the balance between bat and ball and changed batting techniques, to the point at which modern batsmen (Matthew Hayden and Kevin Pietersen, for example) can walk down the pitch to 90mph balls and where some (Justin Langer, say) can play on despite numerous blows to the head.
That is before we even start talking about the strokes, such as the overhead Dilscoop that are routinely played in limited-overs matches, which would be a non-starter without helmets.
Bradmans average plummeted in the Bodyline series, when the need for raw courage was added to the equation. A few modern players would suffer, too. The ball is no softer now and the bowlers no less quick, but standing at the crease knowing that you can be killed demands a different level of courage from the realisation that you might just get hurt.
As someone who did not wear a helmet throughout his career, Viv Richards knows what it is like to bat with just a cap on, which is why, on his short trip to London this week, he poured scorn on modern batsmanship. It is, he said, no longer a mans game, more like a pampered nursery where batsmen use body protection as a form of staying power.
Richards was a magnificent player, fuelled by a pride that made him scorn a helmet, arm guard or chest guard, even in an era when the game became nastier and more brutish. I have a lot of sympathy with him. Unlike boxing, say, which has remained true to its pugilistic roots, making comparisons between eras so much easier, the nature of batting has changed so fundamentally that it renders comparisons meaningless.
Nobody, bar Richards probably, is crazy enough to suggest that helmets should be banned. Nobody wants to see people dying for their sport. But to suggest that Tendulkar or, indeed, any modern, armoured or, to use Richardss phrase, pampered player is the best ever is demeaning to those former greats who stood at the crease in the knowledge that their next ball could be their last.
Day 2 at the Gabba - Australia 7/403 at the moment, all the Aussie players have had a start with Katich carelessly going for 92 and Mike Hussey with a much needed 66. Marcus North is going very well on 69 at the moment and looks like hitting a ton, which would be pretty remarkable given he’s hit tons in his debuts against SA and England already and this is his debut against the Windies.
All of them that is, bar Shane Watson, who went for a 7th ball duck. I know he went well in England, but I just can’t see how he is a long term opener. His problem now is that North looks set, Hussey may be returning to form, so a place up the order will be very difficult. Hughes and Chris Rogers (who is on fire at the moment in domestic cricket) wait in the wings for the No 2 position.
Windies haven’t done too badly, they’re buggered with injuries (Sarwan has missed this test, Jerome Taylor won’t finish it, Chris Gayle is quite tired). This test looks to be going from them, but there’s flickers of hope that they’ll make the series competitive, hopefully.
Meanwhile in India, someone will actually win a test. But will anyone notice?
Watson has been out LBW 6 or 7 times in a row now. Aussies will hardly call back Jacques or Rogers will they? Hughes only played one shield game so far, think he got 70 odd in the 2nd innings.
Was reading cricinfo ball by ball commentary on India Sri Lanka yesterday. India were 400 up after 1st inns and decided (rightly) to enforce the follow on. A lot of Indians were posting in that India should have gone back in to bat another couple of sessions! All the Indians care about are their batting stats. As it happens they only need 2 wickets now to win.
NZ are collapsing in 2nd inns v Pakistan. Might be a close one yet.
Looks like it was an absolute belter of a Test in Dunedin. Sorry I didn’t get to see any of it, but it looks like it had a bit of everything. NZ would have been a much better outfit over the last few years if Bond had been available for selection. He’s pushing on in years now and can’t have too much left in him, but he seems to have showed his class in that Test. A real shame that his best years were lost due to the intransigence of Modi and the BCCI.
I see there’s yet another man ahead of Stuart Clark in the pecking order. Clint McKay in to replace the injured Hilfenhaus in the squad, though Bollinger is expected to start. Big chance for Bollinger to stake a claim now, at least to fully establish himself as first reserve. Don’t know anything about McKay, but his first-class figures look decent. Taking wickets at an average of 24, and a couple of half centuries with the bat.
This Test could actually be a bit closer. At least Barath’s century in the second innings of the First Test livened things up. It seems there has been a lot of hype about this guy in the Caribbean for a while now. Scoring a century on debut at the age of 19 in Australia when all around you are crumbling is certainly impressive. Let’s hope he keeps it up. Cricket could do with an improved Windies Test team. Sarwan is back and if they win the toss, they could actually put up a total. Adelaide can give up big scores in the first few days of a Test.
[quote=“braz83”]Looks like it was an absolute belter of a Test in Dunedin. Sorry I didn’t get to see any of it, but it looks like it had a bit of everything. NZ would have been a much better outfit over the last few years if Bond had been available for selection. He’s pushing on in years now and can’t have too much left in him, but he seems to have showed his class in that Test. A real shame that his best years were lost due to the intransigence of Modi and the BCCI.
I see there’s yet another man ahead of Stuart Clark in the pecking order. Clint McKay in to replace the injured Hilfenhaus in the squad, though Bollinger is expected to start. Big chance for Bollinger to stake a claim now, at least to fully establish himself as first reserve. Don’t know anything about McKay, but his first-class figures look decent. Taking wickets at an average of 24, and a couple of half centuries with the bat.
This Test could actually be a bit closer. At least Barath’s century in the second innings of the First Test livened things up. It seems there has been a lot of hype about this guy in the Caribbean for a while now. Scoring a century on debut at the age of 19 in Australia when all around you are crumbling is certainly impressive. Let’s hope he keeps it up. Cricket could do with an improved Windies Test team. Sarwan is back and if they win the toss, they could actually put up a total. Adelaide can give up big scores in the first few days of a Test.[/quote]
That was outstanding stuff by the Kiwi’s last week, Bond was superb.
As for the Windies, they were to put it mildly, a disgrace. They offered no resistance whatsoever apart from that great knock by Barath, we wondered if he’d get there - would he have any partners left?
I can’t see them improving markedly, Sarwan or not. Jerome Talyor has gone home a huge blow for them.
[quote=“Fitzy”]That was outstanding stuff by the Kiwi’s last week, Bond was superb.
As for the Windies, they were to put it mildly, a disgrace. They offered no resistance whatsoever apart from that great knock by Barath, we wondered if he’d get there - would he have any partners left?
I can’t see them improving markedly, Sarwan or not. Jerome Talyor has gone home a huge blow for them.[/quote]
They’ll struggle with the ball, no doubt about that. I just think that on a friendly pitch, with four batsmen in their lineup that are at least capable of getting a century (as well as Nash, who can do well on flat tracks) and with the Aussies missing their most consistent bowler over the last year that they have a chance of posting a good total if they win the toss.
Final Test starting in Mumbai tomorrow. They reckon there should be more assistance for the fast bowlers early on so it might be a better Test than the previous two. Hard to see SL winning. Their seamers aren’t good enough and Murali is struggling badly. Always has in India, and it looks like the years are catching up with him now too.
Bond is missing the rest of the Pakistan series. Sad news.
Pakistani 19 year old debutant also scored a ton last week and 75 in the first innings. Umar Akmal.
Indeed, with his brother down the other end. Hopefully Pakistan can get a run of playing Tests without interruption for a while and allow that team to develop. It will be hard for them when they can’t play at home though.
284 runs off 239 balls in less than a day’s Test match cricket, and it’s not like it’s the first time he’s done something like this. Virender Sehwag is a legend. Admittedly Sri Lanka’s attack is fairly weak with Murali in decline, but this is still some achievement. Is he his generation’s Viv Richards?