Aus v Ind Test Series

[bennymacca]

i dont think it is through a lack of coaching, i think fielding is as good as it has ever been as an overall average - i very much doubt you will find anyone that isnt a half decent fielder these days.

we probably just lack those world class fielders.

ponting, waugh, taylor are as good as the game has ever seen, so its a bit unfair to try and compare any of the current crop to them.

a few really bad ones in a row can make everything look worse than what it is.

[FlyingHigh]

Series win 2/0 but i put it down to 2/2, India were down and out but fought back.

Johnson and Harris almost finished, due to age and injury dont rate Starc, went to water under pressure with the new ball today.

Our fielding has gone backwards 5 fold, hopefully the fielding coach will do the right thing and hand in his paperwork tonight.

Postives: Smith,(all series) Hazelwood (since coming in) , Burns impressed this test, Rogers did his bit should have gone on and of course Warner. still on the fence re Marsh and time for Watson to go

And of course Lyon was so unlucky, been a great series, some changing times ahead

Lyon once again did his role admirably in the first innings. Probably has been unlucky at times, but it then follows that some days he should get the luck, and the fact that he hasn't been getting the results more often shows maybe he's not quite up to it (though in fairness the last day at CapeTown was pretty hard with the way the SAffers played).

Would love to see them play Burns at 3 against the Windies to get a feel for it against lesser opposition. Think it would really enhance our side if he could nail it down - my top 6 for the Windies and hopefully Ashes would be:
Rogers
Warner
Burns
Clarke/Smith - some blokes are simply middle order batsmen, not number 3's IMO.
Smith/Clarke
Watson (just ahead of Marsh for the next 12 months. Similar batting, offers a touch more in his bowling at this stage, and with the strength of our attack is a legitimate part of it, not just a stop-gap to give the main bowlers a rest).

[daysofourlives]

Lyon is just unlucky he has Haddin behind the stumps, not his fault the selectors have a love affair with Brad.
There would be 100 better keepers to spin than Haddin

[Jim05]

Was interesting listening to Harris on SEN this arvo, had a few subtle digs at CA over the pitches and how they prepared. Also said whilst disappointed to miss the WC he understands the decision as he hasnt played ODI's for 2 years, his knee is shot and there is no guatantee he could get through the whole of the WC. Mentioned his partner is due to give birth in June and its unlikely he will go to the West Indies

[carey]

Did I hear right today that the world cricket rankings are out and Shaun Marsh is in the top ranked? Your F**king kidding me?

[bennymacca]

Did I hear right today that the world cricket rankings are out and Shaun Marsh is in the top ranked? Your F**king kidding me?

Are you high Carey?

30 second Google can help out

http://www.espncricinfo.com/rankings/co ... 11270.html

[carey]

Did I hear right today that the world cricket rankings are out and Shaun Marsh is in the top ranked? Your F**king kidding me?

Are you high Carey?

30 second Google can help out

http://www.espncricinfo.com/rankings/co ... 11270.html

I was having beers with the lads, I heard that and thought no way. I knew some one on here would know and I couldn't be f@#ked goggling it and the forum is on my home page of my phone.

[bennymacca]

Fair enough

[Coach Bombay]

Ashes Team

Rogers
Warner
Burns
Smith
Clarke
Watson
Haddin
Johnson
Harris
Lyon
Hazlewood/Pattinson/Cummins - depending on who's fit

Post Ashes Team

Warner
?
Burns
Smith
Clarke
M Marsh
Ludeman/Carters/Wade
Johnson
Cummins
Pattinson
Lyon

12th Hazlewood

Retired: Haddin, Rogers and Harris

[Booney]

If Burns opens for Qld ( I think he does? ) then he might be the option at the top of the order.

I'll watch with interest if he opens any of the tour matches in the West Indies or pre- Ashes.

[Dogwatcher]

We've all missed a point here though, a ******* fielding coach?

If it's on the ground, stop it and throw it back. If it's in the air, catch it. That concludes our lesson for the day/week/month/year/forever.

I reckon the last two Tests reminded us that fielding is a very, very important of the game and if we're going to have coaches for all the other disciplines, it's just as important to have a fielding coach.

Lyon was let down by fielding/keeping and some balls not going to hand.

Rogers should've been in close, not Burns. If that'd happened it might've been a different result.

[heater31]

Rogers should've been in close, not Burns. If that'd happened it might've been a different result.

Surely this ends the initiation the debutant gets by being shoved in a short leg, unless he is a specialist in that spot and is better than the incumbent in that position.

[wristwatcher]

Rhino let rip on the placid state of our pitches today.

It does seem a bit odd that we juiced them up for England who had an excellent attack pre-series yet we docile them for India

[Jim05]

Rhino let rip on the placid state of our pitches today.

It does seem a bit odd that we juiced them up for England who had an excellent attack pre-series yet we docile them for India

He mentioned on SEN yesterday that at the risk of saying something he shouldnt he believed it was done to get 5 days of play rather than finishing on day 3 or 4 like the England series

[westcoastpanther]

Rogers should've been in close, not Burns. If that'd happened it might've been a different result.

Surely this ends the initiation the debutant gets by being shoved in a short leg, unless he is a specialist in that spot and is better than the incumbent in that position.

Rogers also said on SEN this morning that he went in there early in the series but was struggling with the fear of being hit after Phil Hughes's death. His team mates could see it and they took him out and put Burns in there.

He said he was very close to retirement after the Adelaide Test due to the incident and his mental state.

[Grahaml]

Ashes Team

Rogers
Warner
Burns
Smith
Clarke
Watson
Haddin
Johnson
Harris
Lyon
Hazlewood/Pattinson/Cummins - depending on who's fit

Post Ashes Team

Warner
?
Burns
Smith
Clarke
M Marsh
Ludeman/Carters/Wade
Johnson
Cummins
Pattinson
Lyon

12th Hazlewood

Retired: Haddin, Rogers and Harris

Not sure Harris is quite that close to the end. I get the feeling he'll go out kicking and screaming like Mark Waugh. Cowan the obvious bloke to come in as opener. I also think if you've got Watson in the side he should bat 3. If he isn't doing enough to hold #3 he doesn't have a place in the team IMHO. I particularly don't see the selectors doing a simple swap with Burns. If Burns remains then I think it's 5 or 6. Reckon Hazlewood stays ahead of Cummins and Pattinson. When Harris goes it might be very, very hard to leave Jackson Bird out.

[LaughingKookaburra]

Putting Clarke back to 5 is a great move as he was fantastic there before being forced up with a terrible batting line up.

Fielding is critical btw, how many balls were put over the bails by incoming throws back 10 years ago. Rarely seen now.

[Dogwatcher]

Rogers should've been in close, not Burns. If that'd happened it might've been a different result.

Surely this ends the initiation the debutant gets by being shoved in a short leg, unless he is a specialist in that spot and is better than the incumbent in that position.

Rogers also said on SEN this morning that he went in there early in the series but was struggling with the fear of being hit after Phil Hughes's death. His team mates could see it and they took him out and put Burns in there.

He said he was very close to retirement after the Adelaide Test due to the incident and his mental state.

Well there's a different perspective on my previous comments. Thanks for that.

[Booney]

Veteran Australian opener Chris Rogers said he contemplated retiring after a frightening incident in the second Test against India at the Gabba.

Rogers, fielding at short leg, copped a ball to the back of the helmet courtesy of a Rohit Sharma sweep shot.

The ball hit the 37-year-old in a spot similar to where the late Phil Hughes was struck during a Sheffield Shield game in November.

The incident shook up Rogers, and he told SEN that, for a moment, he found himself at the cricketing crossroads.

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"It was an interesting time after what happened with Phil. There are a lot of guys who are finding it pretty hard. Mortality hadn't really been an issue in the game," Rogers said.

"I fielded at short leg on the last day in the Test when Michael Clarke got injured in Adelaide, and I took one on the hip there, and I didn't do very well [with the bat], so I wasn't happy with my own form.

"Then we went up to Brisbane and day one I was under there and Rohit Sharma swept one and he hit me in the back of the helmet, and it's only inches away from where Phil got hit.

"So you just have different thoughts go through your head. That night I was pretty upset so I just wasn't sure which way to go. I had to speak to a few people close to me."

But after scoring a pair of 50s in Brisbane, and having the lure of the Boxing Day and Sydney Tests on the horizon, Rogers decided to continue playing.

And it turned out to be a great decision, because the adopted Victorian ended up hitting six consecutive half-centuries, becoming just the ninth Australian to do so.

While he would have liked to convert one of those innings into a century, Rogers was happy to turn around his form slump, in which he averaged just 22.75 in eight knocks before the Gabba Test.

"As an opener, you do the hard work against the new ball and then once you get in, you think it should get easier and you can go and get a big score," Rogers said. "But I think the most important thing was to contribute. I missed out in the UAE [against Pakistan].

"It was a good [series] in the end. Personally, I was under a little bit of pressure and then missed out in Adelaide but bounced back quite well."

Rogers believes this winter's Ashes series in England will serve as his international swansong.

"You never say 'never', but it might be a nice way to round my career out," Rogers said. "I've played a lot over in England, it would mean a lot to me.

"But also, I think, looking forward for the Australian side, there's got to be a time when they start to rebuild the side, and maybe with the Tests that are on next summer there might be a little bit less pressure and it might be the ideal time for a younger guy to come in and get some experience.

"I can see the writing on the wall with that as well, but also I think time is nearly up for me. I'm getting on and maybe there's other things to do in life."

Rogers will captain the Prime Minister's XI side that will take on England in Canberra on Wednesday.

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Harrowing words.

[bennymacca]

I think that's why hughes' death had the reaction it did too.