mal wrote:
I am apalled how some people pick on young players trying to make thier mark
GWF you mention words like POTENTIAL, STILL DEVELOPING .....
Imagine the world of Australian cricket if these 3 early cricketing duds were
admonished for being non performers in their embryonic stages
ROY SYMONDS
STEVE WAUGH
SHANE WARNE
Good call mal.
In the case of Waugh and Warne, they were thrown into the side well before they were ready; however Waugh played important innings with both ball and ball in his early days, hence his early nickname 'The Ice Man'. Could've been a genuine class all-rounder, if not for all the injuries...
Warne was dragged into the side due to the Australian selectors' fixation on getting a quality spinner. Yes, Warne did take time to blossom into the legend he became...
Which brings me to Watson. He fits into the Warne category in this regard i.e the selectors 'blooding' a certain player in the hope that he will one day fulfil his potential. So far, Watson hasn't managed that. However he's not as dodgy as many people would believe. Batting at 7 is not benefitting him nor the side any. I must admit, I did like him as an opener in the Champions Trophy. His bowling has been the real disappointment, with injury not helping matters.
Long before Flintoff raped the Aussies in the 2005 Ashes Series, Australia has been desperate to find a player who can contribute with both bat and ball. Symonds has been a revelation in the ODI's, but a failure in Test cricket (the obvious exception being his ton in Melbourne). His bowling is friendly at best.
Cameron White...is a capable middle-lower order bat, but what people have to remember is that he's been a first-class cricketer since 2000. 7 seasons have passed since he was hailed as the 'next Shane Warne'. If the bowling efforts he's showed as of late are an indication of 7 seasons of hard work....I don't want to remember his rookie season! His batting is quite entertaining to watch though, which is why I think he should stop pretending to be a bowler and concentrate on being a batsman. His highest first-class score is 260! Unfortunately, he is also slow in the field....
Phil Jaques is arguably the worst fieldsman since Phil Tufnell...enough said. Wouldn't be as bad if he could score some runs...
So Brad Haddin made a start in the 2nd Chappell-Hadlee game, so what? Quality batsmen go on and make 100's...did anyone also notice how sloppy his keeping was?
Glenn McGrath, despite years of sterling service, is a dead weight. His bowling has lost that spark (like Gillespie in 2005), batsmen no longer fear him, and his fielding has been atrocious. Is there any chance the selectors can refund his WC ticket?
In fact, the whole Australian bowling attack is p**s weak.
Tait, I don't give a rat's how fast you bowl, it doesn't mean jack if you can't land them in the slot. Take note from Brett Lee, that's why his Test bowling average is above 30.
Bracken is a pussy, 130km friendly, up-and-down bowler. Call him Suzie and paint his nails.
Johnson is Australia's poster boy, and hasn't done too bad...still a little wayward though. He's my pick to become our next good-to-great bowler. Stuart Clark is a temporary fixture in the Test side.
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