Brett Lee, an idiot?

[Beny]

Rather a tabliod title don't you think??

Thomo was'nt saying that Lee is an idot. He's just stateing his case for Kaspa.

In my oppinon Thomo needs to shut his mouth. This is'nt the first time we've heard his antics. People were saying not long ago that Lee was past it. That he would never bowl fast again... well let me remind them of the last match against NZ.

143kmh, 155 km/h,160.3 kmh,160.8km/h... in one over.... AND EVEN N\MORE IMPORTANTLY IT WAS ON LINE AND LENGTH.

(N.B relative speeds i didnt write them down)

p.s McGrath gets 6 for!!!!

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

Not neccessarily Rachael, and having not watched niether of us can definatley say why kspa went for more. Perhaps he tried to mix it up a bit and search for a wicket (which was rewarded to be fair) or perhaps he bowled pants form the off and got lucky. Any aussies shed any light on this ??

I can tell you this much. The outfield was lightning quick and the boundaries are tiny. That is why the Aussies scored at an average of 7 runs per over during the one day series. As to Kaspa, he had one of those day with nicks going through the slips and over the top ,a dropped catch, plumb LBW,s turned down ect.The Kiwis also played very well. Basically a day that he would rather forget. He has had an excellent 12 months 47 wickets at 24 and has been instrumental in Australia's five out of five winning series (12 out of 14 tests won) including Ind,SLank away. No need to panic that's for sure.

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by Rachael

It's surely instructive that on a day dominated byt eh New Zealand batsmen.. the core Aussie bowlers ensured that the game did not get away from them: McGrath went at 2.36... Gillespie at 2.67... Warne at 2.4.

Kasprowicz was found out.. and went at 3.56 an over.. and in all likelihood Brett Lee would have gone at nearer 4.56 (assuming he was havinga good day).

The gulf in class between the three main bowlers and the rest is quite scary...

Did you actually watch the match or just follow it via crickinfo? Kaspa had one off day (unlucky really) and suddenly he is lacking class? In the last 12 months, he has taken 47 wickets at 24 including tours to Sri Lanka and India. He has outbowled Gillespie in strike rates, average and is comparable in economy. Gillespie has had a very good 12 months as well (51 wickets at 25). One day does'nt make a bowler. In statistical terms, he has most likely outbowled all English bowlers in the last 12 months. Denigrate him at your peril.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Kaspa had one off day (unlucky really) and suddenly he is lacking class? [...] One day does'nt make a bowler. In statistical terms, he has most likely outbowled all English bowlers in the last 12 months. Denigrate him at your peril.

Absolutely with you in admiration of Kasprowicz... he's my kind of bowler: pitches the ball up, looks for lateral movement and is just the sort to thrive when the conditions suit. Bit like Hoggard, really. I only wish he could find more favourable conditions more often: world cricket should, to my mind, be dominated by bowlers like Kasprowicz, Pathan, Hoggard and Zoysa.. all of whom can get prodigous swing.

Does that preclude acknowledging that classier bowlers (like McGrath) actually show just why they ARE so classy on those days (and pitches) where conditions are not so favourable for swing bowlers?

I'm happy if Kasprowicz merely had a bad day.. but my impression is that he's often going to have bad days on pitches that don't offer him much help.. where McGrath (and to a lesser extent Gillespie) might find ways of doing rather more adequately on such days.

I hope that's not being horribly unfair on the guy: might be.. as the reports that reach us over here are often thin... but that's my impression, anyway - not a bowler for a good batting track.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

DO we think Brett Lee is a bowler for a good batting track ?

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

DO we think Brett Lee is a bowler for a good batting track ?

Isn't this the biggest conundrum? Guys like Brett Lee ought, by rights, to be kept well away from any track on which a batsman can get comfortable.. as they are likely to take a real beating.. but then... it is on just such pitches that one hears hankering for outright pace.

Strikes me that with guys like Warne and MacGill around there's not really any need for either Lee OR Kasprowicz on flat tracks.. but if Lee's able to get a bit of reverse swing he's probably the better bet of the two for those conditions.

Doesn't strike me as right though: I hate seeing so much cricket being played on pitches where a guy as good as Kasprowicz becomes the subject of selection debates - if the Sri Lankans can produce pitches on which Zoysa can be devastating then surely everyone else could as well!

[Paoli]

Well Australia SHOULD play Brett Lee, really...But I admire Kaspa, like him better than Lee and believe his form warrants a spot. Lee will be a white ball specialist unless injury strikes.

[acker]

Originally Posted by Richie Benauds Love Child

DO we think Brett Lee is a bowler for a good batting track ?

Obviously Kasprowicz is'nt and the selectors should have realised that after VVS Laxman and Raul Dravid pulled this duplicate attack to peices while following on in Calcutta the series before last in India.
Trevor Hohns, Allan Border or David Boon, I dont really care which one: One must be sacked after this fiasco.
Ponting did have the right to choose the 12th man, and if John Buchananan was involved he should step up to the firing squad with the other 3.
The 3rd seam bowling position in the Australian team should have either gone to Lee or an aspiring up and coming project player.
Not a 30 odd year old has been !!!!

[Paoli]

Originally Posted by acker

Obviously Kasprowicz is'nt and the selectors should have realised that after VVS Laxman and Raul Dravid pulled this duplicate attack to peices while following on in Calcutta the series before last in India.

The 3rd seam bowling position in the Australian team should have either gone to Lee or an aspiring up and coming project player.

Not a 30 odd year old has been !!!!

Well Lee has never played in India. 00/01 he was injured, 03/04 he wasn't selected in any matches....Kasper a has been??? Mate, far from it...He has worked so damned hard on his bowling since he was dropped in 2000/01 after the Laxman 281 affair, and was recalled for India 03/04...He always seems to go to India, and he isn't a has been...Kasper mixes the fine art of reverse swing and bowling it between 130-135 kmh to be able to take wickets and be as good.

MS Kasprowicz, thumbs up from me

[acker]

Coming in behind Glenn McGrath & Shane Warne a lot of mediocre bowlers can have "nice" figure's.

Kasper like his plodding Queensland counterpart Bichel, is just another tailender cleaneruperer, with an inflated average.

He got dropped after that pathetic performance in Calcutta last time, he should have been dropped after that pathetic 26 run over he bowled to the Kiwi's in Melbourne during this season.

He only can get wickets when their is something in the pitch.

Bing can at least blast a few out with pace.