Knock Knock.....Who's There ??

JLC · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 11:53 am

Answer: Matthew Elliot.....lol

Surely Elliot is pretty damn close to being in the Australian team. The "gnome" oops better not say that has a challenger for his spot in the team. He deserves to be part of the touring party imo.

Hodge also can't be too far away and must be ahead of Clarke in the race for a spot in the team ??

jlc

punkologist · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 1:38 pm

no neither of them will be in the team,
this is becuase they are Victorian.
If you are from NSW you have a much better chance of being selected.

I agree though, both players are putting their hand up. Hodge is an absolute star.

Donny · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:03 pm

Come on, punko, you can do better than to 'parrot' JLC.

How about something to back up your Vic/NSW bias statements ?

Are you saying Hodge should have got the spot Katich did when Lehmann got injured ?

Which NSW batsman is keeping Elliott out ?

JLC · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:43 pm

I think Langer is keeping Elliott out. Langer hasnt been bad but i guess the question is........can someone perform better than he is ?? Elliott is putting a good case together to say maybe he can.

There is an opening in the middle order for Hodge and he is making runs at the right time. Lehmann is out of form so why would you choose him?? I would go for the inform batsman. See the Battle between Hayden and Slater in the 93 Ashes tour. Slater was in form at the right time and he was picked.

jlc

punkologist · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:50 pm

I wasn't aware jlc has said this before, I have thought this for a while. Just have a look at the Australian teams in the last 10 or so years and count the amount of players from NSW are in the team. Ian Harvey was our only representative this summer.

Granted, NSW have had some good players that deserve the spot, but with the talent in Victorian cricket at the moment you'd think there would be a bit more of a Victorian presence in the national side.

Im not suggesting any NSW batsmen are Keeping Elliot out, I think Hodge should be selected before him anyway. It is a batsman from WA who I have indicated my disapproval of before that is keeping him out.

Donny · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 4:45 pm

OK. Test players of the past ten years or so.

Taylor, Slater, Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, McGrath, Lee, MacGill, Bevan and recently, Katich.

Who are the imposters ?

And bear in mind, MacGill only gets a game when Warne is out and Bevan hasn't played a Test in ages even though his first class record is superb. 59 centuries with an average of 57.45

Canberra · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 5:21 pm

Bracken for starters,Donny. Matty Innes has a far better claim for the left arm pace position. Mark Waugh came back from a tour of Sri Lanka with a single figure average. Dean Jones came back from the same tour with an average of 59 and the highest run aggregate for the team. Next test in Australia he was out and Mark was in. It isn't recent history either. Graeme Yallop had to break the domestic run record two years in a row to get a Baggy Green.The latest insult is having Haddin as stand in keeper. Seccombe,among others, is a far better keeper and a more consistent batsman. It isn't just Victorians missing out. The best performed fast bowler this year is Wright from Tassie. I have more chance of getting a game before he does.

London Dave · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 7:49 pm

Inness was injured for half a year wasn't, Yallop was hated by the Chappells...akin to death at that point in time, ask KJ Hughes. I recall Chappelli commentating when Yallop got 268 v Paks, he was about 220 and Chappell makes the comment "another lucky shot!".

Elliott had his chance, lost form in Windies and that was that. Hasn't really had a dominant shield year til now since.

Hodge would be up there, and I wouldn't say Lehmann is out of form, as he's hardly played this season has he?

must admin the Haddin selection as a bit of a shock, but maybe selectors felt he was a better player of tweakers than the others...you aint gonna get the WACA deck in Sri Lanka.

Donny · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 10:50 pm

I agree about Bracken, Peter. The selectors got his one day form confused with his first class form.

He did so well in India in the ODI series they gave him a run in the Tests but the one thing he did well over there, he wasn't called upon to do in the Tests and that was to bowl at the openers.

I don't think we'll see much of him in the future on the Test scene but will continue at ODI level, when needed.

Inness's first class figures are way better than Bracken's.

CQ · ambitious that Joined: 25 Jul 2000 Location: melb

Donny · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 11:12 am

He's doing very well in the ODIs but he's still behind a few in regards building an innings in the longer game.

Both Husseys, Hodge, Love and even Marcus North are ahead of him in that regard.

commonwombat · commonwombat Joined: 12 Jul 2003 Location: sydney/s.africa

The ODI side will probably work as a entree into the Test side but agree with Donny that it should not take place just yet. Would re-assess this step during next season pending his form/maturity.

Donny · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 12:54 pm

This does raise an interesting situation re. blooding new players.

Symonds is a good example, Clarke is another and to a lesser extent, Harvey. They are regulars in the national ODI squad and this, in itself, presents something of a 'catch 22' scenario.

The three of them are missing valuable experience in the state competition whilst the other young tyros - North, Rogers, David Hussey, Watson etc. - are learning the longer game in the best comp. outside of Test cricket.

To emphasise the point, there have been 9 Pura matches this season and Harvey and Symonds have played 2 and Clarke, 1.

Recently, Symmo has been mentioned as a Test prospect but, like Clarke, he's just not getting the practice.

Nova Kaine · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2004 10:33 pm

I really don't think Clarke right now has the patience for Test Cricket, maybe the same with Symmo. But I thino Symmo has a better chance of making a bigger innings then Clarke.

I think Elliott has missed his chance of playing anymore International cricket for Australia. He need to perform more earlier in his career, just like Damien Wright from Tassie has probably missed his chance of becoming a member of the Australian team.