bayman wrote:just to be totally parochial, (apart from the retiring champions like warne, gilchrist, mcgrath & a couple of other match winners) that we now have a weakened team, perhaps moving the cricket acadamy to brisbane was a mistake
Things is in the end when those champions did retire, there had been nothing really put in place a few seasons prior to continue the dominance, fair enough guys like Warne/McGrath dont come along everyday of the week but more i believe could have been done. I was a great supporter of the Australian A side as it gave the 2nd best 11 in the country exposure to International cricket, albeit one day fixtures.
More should have been put in place by the ACB to ensure that we had some adequate replacements groomed to come in, both in batting and bowling
Johnson has had 2 good spells for the series, I admit his spell in Perh was one of the best I have seen re swing bowling in many a year, Hilf, honest as he comes, sorry just aint got it, have changed my opinion on Siddle, think apart from the Adelaide Test where he was told to bowl that short crap he has been our most consistent bowler for the series and will develop into a very good first change bowler. Lets be honest we have no spinners that would even threaten the batsman from Holland, I think the selectors made the mistake in not playing Hauritz, perhaps one day the real story may get out why he was dropped, as for the batsman, totally out of form and questions must be asked why, too many being caught behind the wicket and as I type that another goes in that area.
I remember the Aussies getting belted by England here in 1971 but this is far and beyond the biggest pasting I have seen of an Australian side in Ashes in my 52 years
