SA Footy

A mate just brought my attention to this brilliant piece...


Thanks for nothing!
07/01/2011 1:05 PM
Adam Lucius
Sportal

Thanks Cricket Australia.

Thanks for overseeing the worst Ashes campaign in memory.

Thanks for the lack of planning and forethought.
Thanks for that Indian tour you agreed to which had our Test players preparing for Australia's bouncy, seaming tracks by playing on sub-continent roads while England embedded themselves Downunder.

Thanks for sticking with those dunderhead selectors who came up with some of the worst combinations since tofu was added to hamburgers.

Thanks for signing off on selections which were harder to understand than Liz Hurley's affection for Shane Warne.

While we're at it, can you please thank Hilditch and Co for destroying Nathan Hauritz's career by not picking him and ruining Phil Hughes' by picking him.

Thanks for persevering with Ben Hilfenhaus while his bowling average was ticking over quicker than the digits on a petrol bowser.

Thanks for waiting until the fifth Test to unveil Usman Khawaja.

Thanks for allowing Brad Hodge to slip into Test retirement despite scoring more regularly than Pete Doherty.

Thanks for not employing fielding coach Mike Young for the entire series when we've got a team of Edward Scissorhands.

Thanks for not asking batting coach Justin Langer the hard questions and querying why the Australian batting line-up would find it easier speaking Latin at press conferences than actually leaving a ball outside off stump.

Thanks for extending coach Tim Nielsen's stint by a further three years while failing to lure England's Australian-born bowling coach David Saker.

Thanks for okaying Ricky Ponting's position for the Boxing Day Test despite a broken finger and then okaying him to miss the fifth Test due to the same broken finger.

Thanks for having no real succession plan in place so that when Ponting's not captain, Michael Clarke is the only option despite carrying more baggage than Qantas.

Thanks for allowing Australia's best players to perform in those Vodafone ads

Thanks for approving Geoffrey Boycott's media accreditation so he could label England 'rubbish' after Perth and then quickly jump ship to put the boot into Australia in Tests four and five.

Thanks for turning my eight-year-old son off cricket and making me sit through a Sydney FC game as a result of his change in sporting pursuits.

Thanks for assuring we have to wait another eight months before watching Australia play its next Test (no, I really mean that one with all my heart).

Finally, thanks for throwing open the gates on the SCG on the fifth day so that every Pom in the southern hemisphere could sing about how shite my national team is.

Thanks for nothing.

wah wah wah. HTFU Australia.

regards,

REB

Rik E Boy wrote:wah wah wah. HTFU Australia.

regards,

REB

and eat some lamb!!

The Langer appointment as batting coach is an interesting one, he built a career around mental toughness and grinding out scores with limited talent. Not sure that equates to a good batting coach....he is probably better suited to the teams physc/motivational coach.

Dutchy wrote:The Langer appointment as batting coach is an interesting one, he built a career around mental toughness and grinding out scores with limited talent. Not sure that equates to a good batting coach....he is probably better suited to the teams physc/motivational coach.

I wouldnt say he had limited talent but def not as gifted as other...... It would also mean that he had to identify/work hard on the basics which is what our future batsmen need to work on. And the mental part is valuable as anything else he can teahc them

I'd rather a player who knew how to work rather than relying on talent alone. We're not wanting the best batsman as our batting coach, but the best batting coach. And to me, a guy who struggled and persisted and worked out a way to succeed is perfect.

All in all, many of those points are poorly thought through and inconsistent. We can't just appoint everyone as bowling coach that other countries uncover. We already took Troy Cooley when he got them going in 2005. And the person obviously doesn't realise that Mike Young is an american baseball coach. His expertise isn't catching (he'd just as quickly tell them to let it hit their glove as much as anything else) but it's in throwing and groundfielding, positioning etc that he's got expertise.

As long as teeball is allowed to dismantle what is left of the Sheffield Shield we may never rise again.

regards,

REB

Way too simplistic to try and blame T20 cricket for our demise, Reb. Fact is we just don't have the cattle anymore. Plenty of good solid players but not too many out and out stars. Like when Ian Chappell did his World XI for 2010 a couple of weeks ago he could only find a spot for one aussie and that was Watson as 12th man.

Gozu wrote:Way too simplistic to try and blame T20 cricket for our demise, Reb.

I just think it ironic that the beginnings of the decline of the Australian cricket team began around the same time as we were introduced to 20/20. We really do need to address the reasons why young players entering the system have obvious technical flaws, and it would be neglectful to totally discount the influence of 20/20.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

Gozu wrote:Way too simplistic to try and blame T20 cricket for our demise, Reb.

I just think it ironic that the beginnings of the decline of the Australian cricket team began around the same time as we were introduced to 20/20. We really do need to address the reasons why young players entering the system have obvious technical flaws, and it would be neglectful to totally discount the influence of 20/20.

India are #1 in Test cricket. If any country is supposedly going to be effected negatively by the rise of T20 cricket it would be them.

It's an excuse plain and simple. Everything goes in cycles and after being dominant for so long with so many great players we're now on the slide, it happens it's life. No more Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Hayden, Langer, Martyn, MacGill, Gillespie and Symonds with Ponting all but done and Katich & Michael Hussey on the way out along with Clarke's severe drop in form.

Right now it's just a team full of honest triers with probably only one star in Watson and that's probably being generous.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

Gozu wrote:Way too simplistic to try and blame T20 cricket for our demise, Reb.

I just think it ironic that the beginnings of the decline of the Australian cricket team began around the same time as we were introduced to 20/20. We really do need to address the reasons why young players entering the system have obvious technical flaws, and it would be neglectful to totally discount the influence of 20/20.

Not a problem yet but it will be in future years. IMHO if I had the power I would ban the term Twenty/20 cricket until at least the U/17 age group. If any smart kid took notice of this revolution the International game still requires cricket skill and at times its not all about boundaries. Kids need to learn the skills of the game first before attempting this aggressive form of cricket

We were told one day cricket would hurt our Test side and if anything it helped make us better and more dominant. Suddenly we had another way to introduce new players and new captains into international cricket early and showed batsmen how much damage they could do attacking and led to more wins.

Guys like Gilchrist and Symonds in particular could well have never shown up in test cricket or at least would have come along later without ODIs.

Have any of you watched junior T20? They actually play it like a 50 or even 70 over match. 20 overs is a long time for a junior cricketer.

Grahaml wrote:Guys like Gilchrist and Symonds in particular could well have never shown up in test cricket or at least would have come along later without ODIs.

That's nonsense. They were both making runs at Sheffield Shield level and that's what got them selected. Gilchrist made his name in 1st class cricket when he made 189 not out against SA in the 1995-96 Shield final.

smac wrote:Have any of you watched junior T20? They actually play it like a 50 or even 70 over match. 20 overs is a long time for a junior cricketer.

Agreed SMAC even lower grade seniors where the players are younger, the objective is a run a ball, 100-120 will often win you a 20/20 game! I know i have my lads to focus on turning the strike over and batting the full 20 overs (key tragets). Boundaries come from bad balls and by keeping wickets in hand and having a crack the last 7 or so overs

smac wrote:Have any of you watched junior T20? They actually play it like a 50 or even 70 over match. 20 overs is a long time for a junior cricketer.

Fantastic news. As soon as our best U/12's from around the country get picked in our Test team we'll be just apples.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

Grahaml wrote:Guys like Gilchrist and Symonds in particular could well have never shown up in test cricket or at least would have come along later without ODIs.

That's nonsense. They were both making runs at Sheffield Shield level and that's what got them selected. Gilchrist made his name in 1st class cricket when he made 189 not out against SA in the 1995-96 Shield final.

His shield form got him into the ODI side, his ODI form forced Healy out. Without him performing in international games as well as he did, he'd have taken longer to get to test. And when he did get there, he was already an experienced international cricketer. One big reason (IMHO) why he was able to perform right away when he came in.

Booney wrote:

smac wrote:Have any of you watched junior T20? They actually play it like a 50 or even 70 over match. 20 overs is a long time for a junior cricketer.

Fantastic news. As soon as our best U/12's from around the country get picked in our Test team we'll be just apples.

Booney, good news for you, SACA have programmed a full week of 20/20, U12 cricket starting on Monday week, check your local guide for details, but I assume I will see you around the traps, and in their wisdom they have programmed these U12's to play on Australia Day so they can't go and watch their heroes slogging it out on Adelaide Oval.

lion heart wrote:Finally, thanks for throwing open the gates on the SCG on the fifth day so that every Pom in the southern hemisphere could sing about how shite my national team is.

After selling 1000's of tickets during the final session on day 4