Why play ordinary N.S.W bowlers

[draexem]

Originally Posted by acker

Bowling O M R W B Lee 10 0 53 0 N W Bracken 10 1 75 0 G D McGrath 10 0 72 1 M G Johnson 6 0 48 1 M J Clarke 9 0 48 2 A Symonds 5 0 32 0

Him and McGrath were suitably impressive against the Kiwi's in Perth on the 28th January this year.

Combined shafting of 1 for 147 off 20 overs.

Yeah, Johnson was even more impressive there, going for 8 an over. But at least he took a wicket, unlike last week where he went for 7 an over without taking a wicket. However, this match was at Perth, consistently the deadest track in Australia and a real graveyard for fast bowlers. Why am I not surprised the bowling attack took a pounding?

Originally Posted by acker

What ever he's done previous to this season, fact is that he has been part of a state bowling attack New South Wales that this season that is trailing well behind Victoria in 20/20 , 50 overs and 4 day games. And for most matches he has been available and played.

Others have gone past him.

Using that logic, Shane Warne should have been dropped many times in his career as he consistently underperformed in the domestic league. The 2004 Pura Cup season, for example, Warne took 11 wickets for 37 compared with MacGill's 54 wickets at 25, Hogg's 15 wickets at 21, and Cullen's 43 wickets at 31 (oh dear, look at how far Cullen has fallen, probably like Heal next season). Therefore, logically, Hogg should have been Australia's test match spinner, with MacGill as reserve, and Warne shouldn't have got a look in. Someone on the selector's panel was obviously looking after him *shakes fist*.

EDIT: Once you have a regular place in the national team, all that matters are your international performances, and Bracken's international performances are top notch.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by acker

Lee and Clark I can understand not perfect but possibly deserving of a place in the national team.

McGrath and Bracken ?????? why both struggling to bother the speed gun over 130 kph

Lee - Clarke and Tait will be formidable for Australia, Cricket Australia IMO have to keep the faith with Tait or they will regret it.

Originally Posted by acker

McGrath deadly accurate but heaps of time for batsmen to play inside or out and get underneath nowaday's should have completly retired after the 5th Test.

Yes sad for Australia - but time to let go, the same with England and Vaughan, he is a good captain but as a player he is knackered.

[draexem]

Originally Posted by Ernest

Cricket Australia IMO have to keep the faith with Tait or they will regret it.

I wish the selectors will come to the same conclusion. Tait has, at best, 4 years left of extreme raw pace, and the Australian selectors need to get him in now before those years are wasted.

[acker]

Obviously Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist his captains in the past 2 matches have some doubt in Bracken.
Neither has bothered to bowled him for his complete 10 overs.

Then again considering he has gone for 2-166 in his last 153 balls thats not surprising.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by acker

Then again considering he has gone for 2-166 in his last 153 balls thats not surprising.

But he always looks like he could take a wicket at any time, Lee was not accurate and could not hold a regular place in the Aussie team, but he has proved his worth - and Tait will if the selectors have faith in him, England are playing Mahmood - he is going for runs, but gets wickets he also will come good if England keep selecting him.

How on Earth can a bowler be accurate always under pressure for his place, Tait has the raw pace to make a World class bowler.

[draexem]

And Mitchell Johnson, the leader of the youth brigade, hasn't completed his maximum overs for 2 games, bowling only 13 of a mazimum 20. But then, he was spanked for 96 off his last 78 balls for one wicket, so it's hardly surprising he was left out of the finals. Should never have got an opportunity infront of Tait in the first place.

[acker]

Mitchell Johnson has one big advantage over Bracken, an extra 15 kph.

That means the batsmen have 10 % less time for foot movement and bat swing.

If Bracken could find another 15 kph I would'nt have a problem with him

But at this stage he cant, and I think he bowls to slow and the likes of Oram, Afridi, The South African top order, Lara, The Indian Top order, Jayasira, Styris, Flintoff, Collingwood, Yousuf and some Bangladeshi's are going to score heavilly from him.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by draexem

Tait has, at best, 4 years left of extreme raw pace, and the Australian selectors need to get him in now before those years are wasted.

Which Tait will turn up:

L Vincent - 1st inningsv Bowler 0s 1s 2s 3s 4s 5s 6s 7+ Dismissal Runs Balls SR
SW Tait 17 5 1 0 4 0 0 0 caught 23 25 92.00
SW Tait 25 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 bowled 8 31 25.80

If he's going to roll up and restrict the opening batsman to 8 runs off 6 scoring shots in 31 balls... conceding no boundaries.. then he'd be welcome... but if he's going to roll up and a four-ball an over on top of this... he's a damn liability.

Sadly, unless he takes a couple of years out to work out an action that's anything better than diabolical... he's got a tough challenge ahead... as his current action suggests he's going to have to be in absolutely brilliant form to be good... with the alternative being too dire for words.

If I were a selector I'd set a simple challenge: he gets his place when he goes out in first class (not limited overs) cricket and deliver 10 x 6 over spells in a row without conceding two boundaries in any spell.

[acker]

If Tait is afforded the luxurious selection ride Bracken has had in the national side his radar will work better and through his explosive pace become a far better bowler than Mr Plod Bracken.

If he can stay fit and uninjured for 4 years I'll be a very happy Aussie.

Because 4 years is not allways a short time

Remember Jeff Thomson....

Sometimes injuring a batsman is more fun than dismissing a batsman..

[Rachael]

If Tait wants to represent Australia.. he should perhaps start by showing he's as good as his own Pura Cup team-mate:

Name                Mat    O      M     R   W    Ave  Best   5 10    SR  Econ Team
JN Gillespie          7  228.1   48   582   23  25.30  5-41   2  1  59.5  2.55 SOA
SW Tait               6  209.3   32   700   28  25.00  5-43   1  -  44.8  3.34 SOA

He bolwed fewer overs... and yet his team mates needed to contribute an additional big century in order to compensate for the difference in profligacy (and had Tait bowled as many overs as Gillespie the difference would have been near enough TWO centuries).

Good test bowlers go for between 2.5 and 2.8 an over in Test cricket... thereby building pressure even when the wickets don't follow. Even Gillespie just about managed to fit in that envelope. Tait can't even get close at domestic level!

Nothing guarantees wickets.. or winning tests: what matters most is that even when that magic column is comparatively empty.... you do a job for your captain by making sure the opposition don't get away. If the opposition only ever score at 2.5-2.8 an over it doesn't really MATTER if you take wickets in any given match - you'll keep your side in the game and keep the pressure off your own batsmen.... and if you keep the standard up over the course of a series (and your colleagues do likewise) that pressure will almost always tell.

ps. Control doesn't always follow with age: witness Sami, Devon Malcolm and such other disasters of the modern era as Tino Best. If it does NOT follow.. the national side is almost always better served by a "plodder" - witness Gus Fraser, Collymore, Hoggard.

pps. Don't bank on strike rate as a means of compensating for economy: Brett Lee's "attacking" merit amounts to a strike rate of 53.15... where Hoggard manages 55.3 and Gillespie managed 54.9!