Hey people!!

We've got the opertunity to ask some questions of Domonic Thornley, Brad Haddin and Phil Jaques. I need the questions by tuesday so get cracking.

__________________
It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

Don't forget we asked Phil some questions last year, so we might need to make sure we don't ask him the same questions again. I have to say, NSW are the MOST helpful Aussie team!

For Brad Haddin - Do you feel jealous of Gilchrist and do you feel you would have been a fixture in the Aussie team were it not for Gilly?

For Jaques - In the 2005 Cricketers' Who's Who, it says your nickname is 'Poop'. How did that come about?
Also, how do you feel about the Aussie selectors regressing to calling up Damien Martyn now you've made your debut?
Also, how much work do you do on your left-arm spin bowling. Is it an aim of yours to be able to use this on more occasions?

I'm going to post some works in progress here so people can see where we are at.

Brad Haddin



Q: First of all, congratulations on your ING Cup victory. What does it mean to yourself and the team?

Q: Can you ever see yourself playing Test Cricket?

Q: When you took over as captain NSW was a much younger and inexperienced side than it is now. How has it been watching guys like Phil Jacques, Dominic Thornley and Michael Clarke change from potential stars into arguably international class cricketers?

Q: Second to that, what do you think is the difference between a potential world class player and the real thing? Is it something that happens quickly or can you notice the change coming?

Q: Mosies Henriques was easily the best player in the recent U/19 world cup and we’ve been hearing about his talent for a while now. How do you, as a captain and senior team member see your responsibilities to him?

Q: Do you feel any sort of rivalry with Gilchrist and do you feel you would have been a fixture in the Aussie team were it not for Gilly?

__________________
It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

Dominic Thornley

Q: It’s said that you began your cricketing career as a bowler, were you always very talented batsmen who just wasn’t having any luck or did you need to make a concerted effort to concentrate on batting?

Q: When you eventually we’re noticed as a batsmen you certainly introduced yourself with a bang! Was it a massive rush to all of a sudden be frightening the life out of opposition bowlers? Did your attitude towards the game change, for instance was there more pressure on you to preform?

Q:You've been likened to Ian Harvey in the way you bowl. Do you think that if you do make the Australian team you'll be used more as a top 5 or six batsman who can chip in with 5 or 6 overs, or as a number 7 or 8 bat who bowls his full quota of 10?

Q:You've represented Australia A on a few occasions? Does being around the likes of those players give you confidence and belief that you can be the real deal?

Q:If Twenty20 becomes a regular international fixture, do you see yourself as becoming an integral part of the national setup there? What are your thoughts on that form of the game anyhow?

__________________
It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

Phil Jaques



Q: In the 2005 Cricketers' Who's Who, it says your nickname is 'Poop'. How did that come about?

Q: How do you feel about the Aussie selectors regressing to calling up Damien Martyn now you've made your debut?

Q: Did you personally see any serious problems with your fielding? If so what have you been doing to address them?

Q: How much work do you do on your left-arm spin bowling. Is it an aim of yours to be able to use this on more occasions?

Q: You had a fairly unlucky test debut. What did that do to your confidence and when you proformed so well in the ODI series did that change anything in your attitude? Did you begin to feel more like that spot in the team belonged to you?

Qo you rate yourself as more of a test or one-day player? Obviously it is your dream to wear the baggy green more often, but which do you envisage yourself breaking into first?

Q:You've moved to Worcestershire recently, and this will be your first season there. You were quite succesful at Yorkshire, so what aspects of cricket and life are you most looking forward to at New Road?

Q:It must have been frustrating to play in that one infamous ODI in South Africa and then be sent home. How do you deal with setbacks like that- as you've had three unfortunate ones in three international matches?

Q: If you don’t mind my asking (i.e feel free not to answer this question)…You must have a very active home life with two professional sportspeople being together. Does that make the relationship more difficult and/or more powerfull?

__________________
It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

Who's his missus then Beny? What does she do?

She's Danielle Small, a female Australian soccer international. She's quite good at what she does, actually..."Very active home life"- maybe re-word that one, Phil may take it as a "what do you two get up to at night"

I like it Beny, you're not asking the stock standard questions...

My ones:

Generic:

-Who have you grown up idolising?
-How do you think New South Wales will fare in the next domestic season?
-What has been Graham Thorpe's role and has it had a positive effect on the team?

Phil Jaques:

-Do you rate yourself as more of a test or one-day player? Obviously it is your dream to wear the baggy green more often, but which do you envisage yourself breaking into first?
-You've moved to Worcestershire recently, and this will be your first season there. You were quite succesful at Yorkshire, so what aspects of cricket and life are you most looking forward to at New Road?
-It must have been frustrating to play in that one infamous ODI in South Africa and then be sent home. How do you deal with setbacks like that- as you've had three unfortunate ones in three international matches?

Dominic Thornely:

-You've been likened to Ian Harvey in the way you bowl. Do you think that if you do make the Australian team you'll be used more as a top 5 or six batsman who can chip in with 5 or 6 overs, or as a number 7 or 8 bat who bowls his full quota of 10?
-You've represented Australia A on a few occasions? Does being around the likes of those players give you confidence and belief that you can be the real deal?
-If Twenty20 becomes a regular international fixture, do you see yourself as becoming an integral part of the national setup there? What are your thoughts on that form of the game anyhow?

Haddin's been pretty well summed up. I remember Jaques interview last year, his answers were unfortunately mostly one-liners, compared to Jefferson and Davies. But the fact that he bothered is good enough.

Isn't this meant to be a friendly Q&A session? Maybe it would be better to just ask him [Phil Jaques] how he felt to make his test debut, or something like that. He only needs to look at the match scorecard to see how stale his debut was. The fact he hasn't played since also might give him a good idea.

Asking about whether he wants his bowling to step up a notch is a good question. Although (just looknig at Cricinfo) the guy has never taken a wicket and so I'm pretty sure he will be concentrating on his batting.

Also, enticing people into slating fellow players, eg Martyn or Gilchrist, is surely not a good idea. I'm sure they would be uncomfortable with such questions. I think it is better to concentrate on their own games, rather than compare with others.

Jaques can be quite a free-flowing, destructive batsman at times. Maybe he could be asked whether he changes his mindset at different times. Or whether he just prefers to play naturally.

The question about what Thorpe has brought to the NSW dressing room is a good one.

__________________
Whatever your difficulties in mathematics, I can assure you mine are far greater!
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955

Generic Questions:

Q:Who have you grown up idolising?

Q:How do you think New South Wales will fare in the next domestic season?

Q:What has been Graham Thorpe's role and has it had a positive effect on the team?

Q: Who do you rate as the player we should most watch out for next season?

__________________
It's hard enough to remember my opinions, without remembering my reasons for them!
Nietzsche

Agreed wholeheartedly.

At the end of the day, we're doing a job for an internet forum, not a newspaper or a Television station.