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Originally Posted by Andy Mellon I don't think we give Gillespie and Kasprowicz enough credit. McGrath was injured for a year, coinciding with when Warne was suspended. Australia still defeated all comers with Gillespie and Kasper providing a significant cutting edge. What the Aussies are finding at the moment is that Gilly and Kasper are out of form and McGrath injured all at the same time. Once/if Gilly and Kasper find their form, they will show that they are top class bowlers. Write them off at your peril!
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They didn't beat India at home without Warne and Mcgrath though. What were Lee's figures then? 4-250 off 40 overs?
Warne missed 12 matches when he was suspended for taking drugs. Of those 12, 4 were against West Indies, 2 against Bangladesh, 2 against Zimbabwe and four against India. I think it's fair to say that the only real tests amongst those matches was those against India (though they still managed to concede a record 4th innings total to WI in a dead rubber - something that would surely not have happened if Warne had been there). And famously, in those matches against India, Australia's second string bowlers came up short.
Mcgrath missed matches through injury at a similar time - 8 coincided with Warne's ban - the first two against WI, the 2 against Zim and 4 against India. He also missed three in Sri Lanka, where his absence was offset by the fact they were playing on subcontinent pitches with two spinners, one of whom was a returning Warne. Basically, in the four most recent matches against quality opposition where Australia have not had Mcgrath or Warne, their support attack has looked weak. Add to this the fifth Test against England in 2003, which both players missed, and I think it's fair to say that Australia's other bowlers - and indeed their batsman - struggle without Mcgrath and Warne.
08-08-2005, 03:43 PM
in reply to Andy Mellon's post starting "I don't think we give Gillespie and..." 
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