Oh, how I long for the days of Pigeon McGrath...

[MoeFOH]

Congratulations India. Gritty performance. Fully deserved their win... But how very nice it would be to have a fast bowler who knows how to get batsmen out and doesn't rely on them getting themselves out. 

Land it on a spot. Make them play aggressively to score or make their defence have to be top shelf, every delivery, to survive. 

Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne are once in a lifetime players, sure, but the other thing they were, which any player or team can be, is inventive in their methods. Our attack seems totally blinkered and bereft of ideas about 99.9% of the time. 

[westg]

Well said !

Pujara yesterday was incredible , one of the most courageous innings I have seen , against a mindless attack . He did not pull hook or duck , simply took every delivery to his head and body repeatedly....say what you will,.why did he do that...so he would get out to a hook or pull shot. 

We knocked India over a few weeks back for 30 something and from that 11 they had three players yesterday, one was a net bowler. They owned us all day long, an incredible victory.

David Warner admitting that he was only 50 % but loves playing for his country and always gives a 100 % on the field. The IQ of a plant. He should be banned from speaking to the media . So embarrassing.

The one thing the Australian team is better than anyone else is talking shit. They can dish it out all day long but just cannot take anything back . Then,  and what a pity revert to name calling. Tim Paine must feel like a fool . 

[99call]

1 hour ago, MoeFOH said:

But how very nice it would be to have a fast bowler who knows how to get batsmen out and doesn't rely on them getting themselves out. 

When I think of this, I always think of poker.   My brother played semi pro poker for a while.  I went to watch him play at a few European tours, and I was always amazed at the discipline, to just sit and fold, and fold, and fold........................................and fold..................and on    etc etc.  

You realise the good poker players can adapt. when you need to play fast and loose, full of bravado if you need to,   but 95% of it is being disciplined, folding and waiting people out.   

I loved McGrath,  he made it just juicy enough to force, even the most lifeless batsmen to have a nibble.    somewhere in the 1 inch corridor of hittable and not.  again , and again, and again.         Even the most miserly of batsmen, just broke in the end......swung,,,, nicked, and walked. 

 

[MoeFOH]

2 minutes ago, 99call said:

I loved McGrath,  he made it just juicy enough to force, even the most lifeless batsmen to have a nibble.    somewhere in the 1 inch corridor of hittable and not.  again , and again, and again.         Even the most miserly of batsmen, just broke in the end......swung,,,, nicked, and walked. 

100%. 

[MoeFOH]

28 minutes ago, westg said:

Pujara yesterday was incredible , one of the most courageous innings I have seen , against a mindless attack

The mindless attack... indeed!

[Ken Gargett]

mcgrath was a great bowler and warnie one of a kind. one in a century. 

our attack was disappointing but i do not think it is fair to lump cummins in this, for me at least. i think he has every chance of finishing his career as our second best quick behind lillee. and he bowled his heart out. 

hazlewood runs hot and warm but overall doing enough. starc has been the disappointment. but two years ago when he was firing in those yorkers, he was near unstoppable. when was the last time he bowled one? crazy. richardson or abbott looking likely.

lyon should do better in fourth innings but he is streets ahead of anything else we have. 

as an allrounder, green did more than enough as a bat and field but needs to up the bowling. but for a 21 year old, very promising. and the one thing australia does not do is allrounders. no idea why. miller, gilmore, davidson, ron archer. not too many more of quality - and ron archer retired at 22. different days. 

the batting a real concern. smith and marnus don't fire and we are in the filthy creek sans paddle. warner is past it, i suspect. pucovski looks like a star but he needs to sort the fitness real quick. wade has to go. if you are in the team as a bat, you need to at least score a few fifties. abusing the opposition sounds stupid when you are the worst player on the field.

problem is who next? head, burns, renshaw, khawaja all had cracks without solidifying the spot. the young guys like street, sangha, fraser-mcgurk etc are too young and need experience. patterson and henriquies? not sure there. someone needs to stand up. there are spots going.

a big problem is paine. but he did so well in the ashes, he has some latitude. but this series was poor. his keeping was not up to international standard and way below the standard we expect in australia - tallon, grout, healy, gilchrist. there were some really bad misses - not just catches - that would have seriously embarrassed me and i never played at anywhere near test level. he is not a great keeper and this series, he was very poor.

but the final straw for me was last afternoon when india needed about 22 and 35 balls left. they got an overthrow. just one run but they were all crucial. they got it because paine did not bother to get up to the stumps. he had plenty of time but simply did not bother. so the throw just went past and they got an extra run. no matter how buggered i was i always at least made an effort, but not to bother in those circumstances was unforgivable. and the message it sent to the rest of the team disgraceful. 

he stays for south africa (not least because no way can you put smith in as captain for the south africans and there is no one else). but on last warning for me. 

this was a series where the opposition lost all four tosses, lost their captain and one of the world's best two bats after a single test, lost seven top players including most of the attack, was playing away and had the last test at a venue where no visiting team has won for over thirty years and india has never won.

but they wanted it ten times more than we did. 

a low point.