Ooh Aah. This is gonna be one long summer.

dovif says:

11:28am | 07/12/10

The selectors need to go, it is not defensible to
1. keep carrying North, he is all-round not very good, cannot bat, nor bowl, he has been a passenger to the whole side
2. employed bowling attacked that had been performing poorly, ie Johnstone and Hilfenhaus had average 35+ per wicket and Siddell is coming back from a year off
3. choosing a spinner whose 1st class average is over 45, and then were surprise he got 3 wickets in 2 test at 100 a piece
4. Pointing just had not perform, and the selectors had not blooded any now players

The players and the selectors should both be embarrassed

Super D says:

11:31am | 07/12/10

Any chance we can get Mcgrath and Warnie back?  They run rings around the current batch of journeymen.

Vuni says:

11:36am | 07/12/10

My two cents -
Hughes in if Katich can’t play. North out Fergerson/Khawaja in Doherty out Hauritz/Smith in.

and I might be crucified for this but
Johnson in for Bollinger

Denny Crane says:

11:38am | 07/12/10

The team needs a overhaul, last summer playing weak teams like West Indies & Pakistan was the time to bring players through now we are caught, and having to win 2 out of the last 3, and not having England win one more is nigh impossible.

Take the batsmen too start, only Watson & Hussey are in form, Katich well he will be out for series was avg 25, so we need a new opener, none stand out, middle order Hussey going great North has to be dropped even though it will be in Perth, Ponting is so out of sorts, wants to score when gets to crease instead of trying to build a innings, Clarke has one decent score needs to do more then that, his fielding has gone downhill, he cannot blame his back, if fit enough to play fir enough to be putting in his best.

Keeper Haddin, going great.

The bowlers where to start Johnson had to be dropped, but rumors he will play in Perth this has to be a joke, as that he will not be in the next shield match, he needs to be taking wickets at first class not bowling in private, Bollinger seems to be content to be in team, bowls like worried will be injured again, you cant have that. Siddle the 6 wickets on day one of first test are long ago, hasn’t done a thing since, Harris yes he stood up, Doherty should not have been in team to start, and we have now seen why.

So how do we turn it around and do it now big question, some risks need to be taken, England have fear of leg spin, and we need 20 wickets we got 5 in Adelaide the team I would go with, the selectors are not this game though.

Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Cameron White,  Dan Christian, Brad Haddin, Steve O’Keefe, Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland, Cameron Boyce.

We then have Harris, Copeland to open attack, the 2 seamers in Christian & Watson, both would enjoy Perth with Fremantle doctor, then the spinners of O’Keefe who got wickets against England in the A’s match, and the leggie Boyce.

Its risky but from what we have seen its needed.

K says:

11:44am | 07/12/10

We looked great against Pakistan and the West Indies didn’t we? We aren’t bowling to plans or with any amount of control and accuracy. Anderson is average, Finn bowls like your typical no-name county bowler, Broad isn’t used enough, Clarke aside we look shaky against spin, catches win matches! You could drive several mack sized trucks through Cook’s defence. Get some niggle going, some chatter.

Don’t go back to Hauritz, X needs to bowl in wicket taking areas, he should watch Swann. Starc/George should be in for bouncy Perth, Smith in for North and Smith becomes the 6th bowler until his batting is a sure thing, Katich shouldn’t be selected for Perth injured, bring in Hughes. Ponting needs a score, lots of them. Quickly.

Watson, Hughes, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Haddin, Smith, Harris, Doherty, Siddle, Starc/George

TheRealDave says:

11:51am | 07/12/10

I have a cunning plan. Lets get some batters in who can actually bat and some bowlers who can take a few wickets. As a bonus, if any of them can catch it would be fantastic.

I bet Mitchell Johnson is happy he was dropped before that farce of a match.

rufus says:

11:56am | 07/12/10

Katich if injured replaced by Hughes, Hilfenhaus for Bollinger and (regrettably) Hauritz for Doherty. North to get one last chance in his home town, Perth. Wholesale changes if Australia don’t win in Perth.

Let’s not hear rubbish from supporters of White, Hodge, Lee or Symonds. Those guys are the past, not the future.

ANW says:

12:01pm | 07/12/10

I haven’t been paying attention… can Ponting tell us which of the English batsmen his side is “targeting” in the next match?

Richard says:

12:09pm | 07/12/10

Yep, McGrath is spot on, it’s been an exercise in futility trying to support Australia in the Ashes ever since England’s second innings stand at the Gabba. Dropping Hilfenhaus was a ludicrous decision by the selectors, who are clueless right now. Heads must roll, and not the heads of trusty bowlers who try their honest best and are being let down by poor fielding/poor leadership. Senior players must pay the price of failure, the price for letting a culture of hopelessness and failure fester within our ranks. At the very least Clarke must go, he simply must. Grow some spine you selectors and put in Usman Khawaja at number 4.

In WWI, Australian diggers were the most crack troops that the Allies were able to deploy. But they were still ineffective on the battlefield for as long as they were being commanded by the buffoons that the English brass had put in charge. It wasn’t until the very end of the war, when the dashing John Monash was given decisive command of the Australian corps on the Western Front, that the telling breakthrough was finally made.

Our cricket team is suffering from the same incompetent mal-leadership as our diggers did over 90 years ago, and someone in authority needs to be brave enough to make the correct decision to sack Andrew Hilditch from the board of selectors, drop Michael Clarke back to the Sheffield Shield, and strip Ricky Ponting of his ineffectual captaincy.

Josh says:

12:31pm | 07/12/10

I think Australian needs to go through what New Zealand cricket did, in the Lee Germon years.

Bring in a new players and a new captain for the new direction. That means Clarke isn’t the next captain. Cameron White would be my preferred choice, to lead the young guys for a few years.

Rev says:

12:35pm | 07/12/10

For the 3rd Test

1.  Watson
2.  Hughes (deserves a dig with Katich injured)
3.  Ponting (needs to improve every facet of his game or he’s gone)
4.  Clarke
5.  Hussey
6.  Khawaja (will be better than North, and is the future)
7.  Haddin
8.  Johnson (risk, will have spent the past week getting it together)
9.  Hauritz (shouldn’t have been dropped in the first place)
10.  Siddle (not convinced on talent, but he has ticker)
11.  Hilfenhaus (shouldn’t have been dropped)

Johnson is a definite risk but I can’t see the others doing any better.  The Gabba was a road but there was still enough in the Adelaide wicket for the bowlers, and they failed.  Dropping Hauritz was a disaster.  Shane Warne averaged over 40 in India, what did they expect from the less talented offie?

Dropping Hilfenhaus was even worse - our best ‘all-conditions’ bowler.
I’m amused at the constant calls to drop Clarke - whilst I’m not sold on him being the next captain, he’s been one of the most consistent batsmen in the side for a few years now.

Pugilist says:

01:14pm | 07/12/10

The most in form Australian batsmen at the moment is Hodge, but of course he won’t get a go ...

Neilsen et al are average motivators and selectors. Ponting’s captaincy reputation continues to slide with every Test. The footy season can’t come quick enough!

Mark says:

01:20pm | 07/12/10

Clarke has the lowest average this year in the top 5 and only North has a worse average this year of the recognised batsmen. Even Haddin’s 2010 average is better than Clarke’s. Clarke’s average has steadily declined all year, if Ponting has to go so does Clarke

Castro says:

01:27pm | 07/12/10

Ponting and Clarke must be held accountable for their pea-heartedness and be replaced.  It is not just their inability to guts it out with the bat that is hurting us, but the way their ‘leadership’ has led to the steep decline in our out-cricket (fielding, running between wickets, catching etc).  This is an area that doesn’t require natural talent but hard work and dedication.  It is no coincidence that this was the area that Bob Simpson concentrated on when he took over the last time our team was this bad.  It is self-evident that the lack of leadership has led us to this and the leaders must do the honourable thing and pay the price.

Hilditch must also bear responsibility.  However, he did achieve the impossible, namely finding a worse spinner than Hauritz to put in the side!

Starc or George (or Johnson if he finds his form at shield level) should come in for Doherty and Smith for North.  It’s not ideal, but it gives us an extra bowler which we need desperately.  Forget a fulltime spinner if we don’t have a decent one.

The batting is harder because of Katich’s injury and the lack of players scoring consistent first class runs.  Time to take a punt on Fatty Cosgrove.

Hughes
Jaques
Hussey
Cosgrove
Watson
Smith
Haddin
Johnson (Starc/George lower down the order)
Harris
Siddle
Bolinger

Macca says:

01:53pm | 07/12/10

Anyone who thinks Clarke should be dropped is a prejudiced idiot. This has clearly been a rubbish year for him and he still has two centuries, 3 50s and an average above 40.

And he just scored 80. If thats what it takes to get dropped than Hussey and Watson would never had made this series. Or even this Calender year.

North has to go, and I’d consider Peter George or another tall fast bowler in place of Doherty for Perth.

John C says:

01:53pm | 07/12/10

Drastic action is needed. Here is a start.

1. Sack the coach. The team has underperformed since he has been in charge. Go on bended knee to Hockey Australia and ask them to release Ric Charlesworth. If they won’t agree, call Bobby Simpson out of retirement. He has done it before.

2. Sack the selectors. Hilditch, Boon and the guy from Tasmania (whoever he is) are not only proven failures as selectors, they are from a bygone era. Recruit selectors from guys who have played in the modern era - Warnie, Steve Waugh, McGrath, Langer etc.

3. Sack North and the various finger spinners that we have tried over the past seasons, bring in Hughes, and move Watson to 5 or 6. Bring in a leg spinner - a poor leg spinner is better than a poor off spinner any day.

4. See if Shaun Tait will play. The 2 things the Poms cannot cope with are really fast bowlers who have no idea where the ball is going to go (eg Thommo) and leg spinners.

5. Tell Ponting this is it as captain and suggest that he bows out gracefully or even do a Kim Hughes.

6. Clarke was batting a lot better last year. Bring back Lara Bingle.

Battlestar says:

01:54pm | 07/12/10

I have a question. Why hasn’t Stuart Clark been recalled?

steviep says:

02:10pm | 07/12/10

Warne and McGrath would not have attained half their wickets given the review system now. What a con job they used to do on the poor overseas umpires.

Mother Rose says:

02:18pm | 07/12/10

What is it about cricket.
The old selectors must have some secret code they adhere to where they always pick the “special” players instead of going with in form new talent.

Stanley says:

02:27pm | 07/12/10

Started around 2pm here in Adelaide and it is bucketing down and lots and lots of lightning!!!!.....if only the Australian team had shown a little back bone a draw was their for the taking….Outplayed though and the Poms deserve 1 - 0.

Australian 11 for Perth;

1. Watson (needs to turn the 50’s into tons)

2. (katich out injured?) Khawaja In! Big call but now is the time to be bold.

3. Ponting (Out of form and fading fast needs time out in the middle)

4. Clarke (the more i see of him the less i like! next captain? Lord help us!)

5. Hussey (Saved his job scary that he is easily the best batsman we have, but that sums it all up really)

*Marcus North* (please someone get rid of this Guy!!!! Seriously!!!! and put him into the ‘we will call you you no call us’ category

6. Khawaja (if not opening) otherwise Callum ferguson is a Must. Cannot be any worse than North. Produced a cracking ton recently

7. Haddin (Prefer Tim Paine but Injured looks tired but still adequate)

8. Peter George has the talent & the height we need and is a genuine wicket taker ala his last Shield performance when he destroyed Tasmania.

< xavier doherty> Whoever got this guy into the side must resign!!! Must be sent back to club cricket.

9. Hauritz (we were hasty please accept this box of Roses chocolates and a test berth in Perth, hope he calls us back!)

Now we are scrapping the barrel

10. Siddle (just only for his performance in Brisbane which without we would otherwise have lost and now be 2-0 down not 1-0.)

11. Hilfenhaus (deserves a recall perhaps injured? else why was he dropped? consistently good bowler) if no i guess Doug the Rug gets another chance.

Chris B says:

02:36pm | 07/12/10

My selection for Perth test - Hughes (for Katich), Warner (I like the idea of two specialist openers and he’s a match winner out of the same cast of a sehwag), Ponting, Clarke (if fit otherwise Khawaja/Ferguson), Hussey, Watson (give more time to recover and have more impact with the ball cause god know we need all bowling option we can get), Haddin, Hauritz (never should have been dropped), Johnson (bollinger doesn’t look fully match fit and mitch provides more depth in the batting), Siddle, Harris/Hilfenhaus (can’t decide)

Davo says:

02:56pm | 07/12/10

Unfortunately our skipper in waiting (Clarke) has got a heart the size of a pea. Not only is it ridiculous that he managed to get out to a part time trundler in the last over yesterday when it was so desperately important he be there today, then (and this is sh@#ting me beyond words), he has to “tweet” an apology to the Poms for not walking??
Given he hit/smashed the thing…..  but since when did the Poms feelings become soooo important that we need to give them an apology for standing our ground when even the umpire hadn’t given him out.
Is he that worried about his appearance and marketing power that we need to apologise to the bloody Poms, of all nations, for not merrily skipping off to the dressing room. Got an idea…why doesn’t he just go off to the Poms dressing room to cheer on a victory. Where oh where is Boon, tugga and AB…BECAUSE, Good Lord, we need some old fashioned grit now!!
This is our next national captain…..the darkest of days ahead for Oz cricket.

Andrew says:

03:28pm | 07/12/10

The cracks go back to when Ponting lost the Ashes the first time around. He showed then that he wasn’t the strategist in the mould of former captains. We have to remember that he lost the ashes twice with some of the greats still playing for Australia. Nothing has got better for Australia. Why is Australia losing.
1. Poor preparation-their last year has shown the cracks appearing.
2. Poor selection process. Poor old Hughes is going to now get selected and have all of the pressure on him.
3. Poor Captaincy-Ponting showed his true colours in his comments about the umpiring (poor form for a captain) and his face off with Strauss (this showed him to be less than a man and diplomat).
4. Undiscipled batsmen
5. Uninspiring bowling
6. Grade cricket fielding.

Bring on Perth

jane wallace says:

05:41pm | 07/12/10

england will not win another cricket test in 2010

iansand says:

06:28pm | 07/12/10

Ponting.  No mongrel.  I would love to know what AB and S Waugh think of him.

Chris says:

07:40pm | 07/12/10

All of this gives far too much credit to the impact of bowling. A bowler is lucky to take a wicket, ever. They bowl hundreds of balls for a few wickets, most of which are at the mercy of the catcher or caused by a batsman’s error. Bowlers should only be credited with actually “bowled” dismissals or caught/bowled (rare).
Matches are won on the bat and in the field. Australia’s fielding has been dismal, while England’s batting would rip through even McGrath/Warne/Gillespie.
Australia’s batsmen have also failed, for the most part: Ponting and Clarke have one decent performance each in two tests—Ponting in Brisbane when it hardly mattered, Clarke in Adelaide when it mattered greatly, and he still failed to get a big score (and I mean well over a ton, and well into day 5).
So, let’s give condemnation and credit where it’s due. The Australian bowlers haven’t lost this; the Australian fielders have, along with two key Aussie batsmen. The English batsmen have won it.

Ben C says:

12:03pm | 08/12/10

My two cents worth:

1. Australia needs to bring in a line and length bowler - Stuart Clark! Someone who can build pressure by starving batsmen of runs. Unacceptable that we can allow the other mob to score in excess of 500 over the last two innings.

2. If we want to use Watson as an all-rounder, then we should bat him where the all-rounder normally is - 6. Get rid of North, and bring in two specialist openers - Jaques and Hughes come to mind, both have experience in the Test arena, although recent performances may dictate that the selectors look elsewhere.

3. Where’s the communication? Firstly, the Katich run-out in the first innings. Then we have the missed catch that fell between Ponting and North. One of the first things you learn out on the field is how to call for a run or a catch. When batting - yes, no or wait. When fielding - call out your name to say that you’ll take the catch.

4. There are no genuine leaders in the current team. Ponting and Clarke lack tactical nous, and their body language lets the entire team down - their heads go down when something goes wrong. We need a captain that inspires the team, with words and action, and knows how to set up a wicket - but there’s no one in the current setup that is able.

5. The current crop lack mental strength. They expect results immediately, and if they don’t get results, they lose all hope. During our golden era, this would not have been tolerated - players like Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Hayden, Langer - something goes wrong, try again, it’s bound to go right at some point. These guys never took a backward step. Also interesting to note that some of these guys were brilliant sledgers as well.

My 11 for Perth:
Jaques
Hughes (no other opening pair that I can think of)
Ponting
Hussey (given the first two Tests, the best man to come in if a top order collapse happens)
Clarke (did much better at 5, move him back there)
Watson (where he should be)
Haddin
Harris
Siddle
Hilfenhaus
Bollinger

Mitchell Johnson needs to work on his technique before he comes back in - at the moment he’s nowhere near the pace that saw him dominate cricket just two years ago. I also haven’t included a spinner, given that Perth is a pace-friendly wicket. Otherwise, I’d have Hauritz in for Bollinger - Dougie seems underdone, having just one game under his belt since returning from injury.

Dieter Moeckel says:

01:43pm | 08/12/10

Cricket is the most boring game ever devised, that’s why only England and ex-English colonies play the game.
Just imagine how much, much more boring it would be if Australia always won.
Any professional sport is absolutely boring - vicarious activity for coach potatoes.
Professional sport is business and entertainment - sport is what you do, not what you watch while sucking at a stubby - so who cares?
World domination is not threatened by professional sport, or any other sport for that matter.
Ask the Romans they knew all about vicarious violence.