Australian Cricket - Crisis, What Crisis ??

[LP]

Does anyone pay any attention to what Chappell says?  If ever a commentator was past his use by date it's young Ian. 

Wade isn't the cleanest gloveman but he provides the glue that brings the team together.  I think that is far more important than the odd fumble. If there was to be a change, I'd be tempted to give Handscomb the gloves, provided it wouldn't impact on his batting.

Can he captain as well as keep and bat?

[ElwoodBlues1]

Does anyone pay any attention to what Chappell says?  If ever a commentator was past his use by date it's young Ian. 

Wade isn't the cleanest gloveman but he provides the glue that brings the team together.  I think that is far more important than the odd fumble. If there was to be a change, I'd be tempted to give Handscomb the gloves, provided it wouldn't impact on his batting.

Handscomb will be the backup keeper on short tours but wont be taking the gloves for Australia in a full time role IMO.
.he is now 3rd or 4th choice keeper for Victoria and his batting is too important.
I dont think Chappell's opinion will sway selectors and while the team are winning there wont be many changes....even Maddinson will be carried in the interests of development..both him and Wade have failed
with the bat in recent times but the team have been after quick runs and have thrown their wickets away.
Justin Langar will be the next national coach and I expect WA's Whiteman will be the next keeper in waiting...Yorkshire born, handy with the bat and Ashes tour coming up.....

[LP]

Handscomb will be the backup keeper on short tours but wont be taking the gloves for Australia in a full time role IMO.
.he is now 3rd or 4th choice keeper for Victoria and his batting is too important.
I dont think Chappell's opinion will sway selectors and while the team are winning there wont be many changes....even Maddinson will be carried in the interests of development..both him and Wade have failed
with the bat in recent times but the team have been after quick runs and have thrown their wickets away.
Justin Langar will be the next national coach and I expect WA's Whiteman will be the next keeper in waiting...Yorkshire born, handy with the bat and Ashes tour coming up.....

The politics of cricket in Australia are extreme, that is why I posed the earlier question.

EB1, this Handscomb for Wicket Keeper noise surfaced over the weekend coming out of NSW Grade Cricket and quickly propagated around Australia. Handscomb is a serious alternative to Smith for Captain and the NSW Cricket Mafia know that making Handscomb look like a wicket keeping alternative pretty much deals him out as far as captaincy is concerned.

Better to pose that question about Handscomb than ask why Smith removed Lyon from the attack after an over that generated two chances, to bowl Maddinson for what everyone thought was going to be a change of ends, only to be proven wrong when Bird resumed at the other end and Maddinson kept bowling!

[LP]

Smith is just guessing, this bloke doesn't know what he is doing, and it shows in the body language of his team-mates and opposition!

[Professer E]

Why is Smith getting pumped over his captaincy? I'd be asking Starc why he bowls crap and serves up soft runs and messes up whatever plan is being organised.

[Professer E]

....and typically he bowls a  Jaffa and basically wins the game.

I don't know where it's going to come from but we need a fifth bowling option.

[DJC]

....and typically he bowls a  Jaffa and basically wins the game.

I don't know where it's going to come from but we need a fifth bowling option.

Well done Prof - got us over the line 

Good result for cricket and the crowds at the MCG.

[laj]

....and typically he bowls a  Jaffa and basically wins the game.

I don't know where it's going to come from but we need a fifth bowling option.

Hilton Cartwright might be worth a thought. Batting all rounder averaging 44 in FC cricket and was in the recent ODI squad.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Hilton Cartwright might be worth a thought. Batting all rounder averaging 44 in FC cricket and was in the recent ODI squad.

Yep and Hilton Cartwright is a much more impressive name than Mitch Marsh ..apologies to anyone named Mitch on the forum
I like Cartwright also but I think Stoinis from Victoria on his home deck might be first in line....

[crashlander]

I am very glad the Aussies got it together to win against a good team, but our weaknesses are still fairly obvious.

[1] Wicket Keeper: there isn't an obvious candidate. There are a number of guys who are decent, but we got spoilt having the sort of keepers since Rod Marsh. These guys could bat like a top order player, keep to the best spinners and the best quicks. No offense, but we had 20 - 30 years of being spoilt. Now we have lost that edge and our keepers are not quite that good. It makes a real difference.

There are at least 3 guys going around have been tried. They are not bad, but ... Then there are a couple of kids. Firstly the kids have to displace the keeper that are already there; not an easy task.
I can't see us solving this problem for a few years yet. I would expect the Australian side to keep cycling keepers through. I am not a fan of Wade on really low, spinning pitches. he doesn't do that well to spin bowling.

[2] Spinner: Lyon is statistically the best offie to play for Australia: he has taken more wickets and bowled in more tests. However, that shows, as much as anything, how few top notch finger spinners have played for Australia. The Aussie team has always been the home to the wrist spinner and probably still would be if we had one to do the job.
We don't have one to do the job. One of the reasons is that Australian pitches are not designed to fall apart like sub-continental pitches. The drop in style pitch, prevalent at all of the best venues, does not break up much. Therefore spinner do NOT get the exposure at top levels. And without the guile, the experience and a suitable pitch at least sometimes, leggies don't even shield games.
I would like to see left arm wrist spinners as well, as a LOT of top order bats are lefties these days, but...

Lyon isn't a bad spinner, but he does not have the magic or the variety to make things happen. The young Shane Warne really did.

[3] Batting Depth: we have finally tried some younger batsmen; a positive sign that may well deliver. But we are still hugely dependent on Smith, Warner and, to a much lesser extent, Khawaja. When they fail, Aussie teams struggle to make runs.
I am not sure Maddinson has what it takes, but 2 of the 3 have worked so far. I am willing to give Maddinson a little longer, but his style of play is too much 100 or a duck for me (with too many ducks).

[4] Part time bowlers: I am amazed that we see so little of Smith or Warner bowling. Both of them have talent as spinners, yet neither rolls the arm over. After that, who?
Strong Australian teams had a number of guys who could bowl either medium pace (swing) or spin. Doug Walters was a great partnership breaker. Lehmann bowled better than his nude nuts suggested. Ponting under bowled himself, as he did swing the ball. Border was willing to bowl himself and both of the Waugh brothers with success.

Yes, the team is calling out for an all-rounder, but Australian cricket seems to be producing one day or 20;20 all-rounders, not guys of test quality.
Maybe Mitch Marsh will make it, as his bowling has potential, but he is not a test class batsman. When the ball moves, he goes out.

[5] batting against the moving ball: we appear to be very poor at it, whether it is cut, spin or swing. First class bats don't see much of it: our pitches are too good for too long. We need to start becoming more creative to give our bats the experience with swinging balls, spinning decks and green tops. Otherwise we will continue to struggle.