Australia v India 2nd Test - Sydney - commencing 3/1/12

[whufc]

Australia's keepers- Not batsmen, but pure wicket keepers, in order of their keeping skill:

Hartley
Paine (injured)
Wade
Crosthwaite
Haddin
Ronchi

Hartley is my pick as well. Would have had him in the side two years ago. I know Wade and Paine are the ones talked up but Hartley has them covered IMHO.

At 29 years of age an overall first class average of 30 and an average of 25 this season he wont get a look in imho.

[rod_rooster]

People kept saying to drop Ponting and Hussey due to age. Not hearing much of that now. Hartley is 29. So what? Plenty of years left in him anyway but he is the best keeper in the country so should be in the side.

[whufc]

People kept saying to drop Ponting and Hussey due to age. Not hearing much of that now. Hartley is 29. So what? Plenty of years left in him anyway but he is the best keeper in the country so should be in the side.

Apart from this innings the Aus batsmen have really struggled the last thing they need is the tail starting at number 7 and adding more pressure on them.

Haddin will be in the side until his 45 before Hartley gets a gig.

[rod_rooster]

People kept saying to drop Ponting and Hussey due to age. Not hearing much of that now. Hartley is 29. So what? Plenty of years left in him anyway but he is the best keeper in the country so should be in the side.

Apart from this innings the Aus batsmen have really struggled the last thing they need is the tail starting at number 7 and adding more pressure on them.

Haddin will be in the side until his 45 before Hartley gets a gig.

There's no law saying the keeper has to bat at 7. Why can't he bat at 8 (or lower) and allow an allrounder (Watson perhaps) to bat at 7? Far too much structure in cricket sides. Pick your side then work out a batting order. Why not pick your best XI and work out a batting order from there rather than trying to fit a bloke into an existing structure.

For what it's worth, why not bat Haddin at 3. Anyone but Shaun Marsh......

[whufc]

People kept saying to drop Ponting and Hussey due to age. Not hearing much of that now. Hartley is 29. So what? Plenty of years left in him anyway but he is the best keeper in the country so should be in the side.

Apart from this innings the Aus batsmen have really struggled the last thing they need is the tail starting at number 7 and adding more pressure on them.

Haddin will be in the side until his 45 before Hartley gets a gig.

There's no law saying the keeper has to bat at 7. Why can't he bat at 8 (or lower) and allow an allrounder (Watson perhaps) to bat at 7? Far too much structure in cricket sides. Pick your side then work out a batting order. Why not pick your best XI and work out a batting order from there rather than trying to fit a bloke into an existing structure.

For what it's worth, why not bat Haddin at 3. Anyone but Shaun Marsh......

No its not law but with Watson injury issues i think the selectors will want to limit the amount of bowling Watson does, not include him in the four seamers. Therefore if Watson comes in it will be for a batsmen in the top 6. If Siddle or Pattinson bat at 7 we are screwed.

Team balance and structure is far more important than just straight out best XI

[westozfalcon]

People kept saying to drop Ponting and Hussey due to age. Not hearing much of that now. Hartley is 29. So what? Plenty of years left in him anyway but he is the best keeper in the country so should be in the side.

Apart from this innings the Aus batsmen have really struggled the last thing they need is the tail starting at number 7 and adding more pressure on them.

Haddin will be in the side until his 45 before Hartley gets a gig.

There's no law saying the keeper has to bat at 7. Why can't he bat at 8 (or lower) and allow an allrounder (Watson perhaps) to bat at 7? Far too much structure in cricket sides. Pick your side then work out a batting order. Why not pick your best XI and work out a batting order from there rather than trying to fit a bloke into an existing structure.

For what it's worth, why not bat Haddin at 3. Anyone but Shaun Marsh......

Shaun Marsh should get another chance given that the next Test is at his home ground. Australia will be 2-0 up (by Tea tomorrow I predict) so it's not as if the series will be on a knife edge.

If he fails in Perth then all bets are off.

The Aussie selectors have shown a lot of patience with a few other players lately so Marsh at least deserves the same treatment.

[Jim05]

People kept saying to drop Ponting and Hussey due to age. Not hearing much of that now. Hartley is 29. So what? Plenty of years left in him anyway but he is the best keeper in the country so should be in the side.

Apart from this innings the Aus batsmen have really struggled the last thing they need is the tail starting at number 7 and adding more pressure on them.

Haddin will be in the side until his 45 before Hartley gets a gig.

There's no law saying the keeper has to bat at 7. Why can't he bat at 8 (or lower) and allow an allrounder (Watson perhaps) to bat at 7? Far too much structure in cricket sides. Pick your side then work out a batting order. Why not pick your best XI and work out a batting order from there rather than trying to fit a bloke into an existing structure.

For what it's worth, why not bat Haddin at 3. Anyone but Shaun Marsh......

Shaun Marsh should get another chance given that the next Test is at his home ground. Australia will be 2-0 up (by Tea tomorrow I predict) so it's not as if the series will be on a knife edge.

If he fails in Perth then all bets are off.

The Aussie selectors have shown a lot of patience with a few other players lately so Marsh at least deserves the same treatment.

Who goes out for Watto if he is fit?
Either Marsh or Cowan has to make way

[mal]

Interesting about Indian batsman Gambhir
It has been said if he failed in todays Indian 2nd dig it would be his last Test innings
Talk about pressure
Had he failed he might have had to earn his wages
Might have invested in a GPS and got a permit to drive taxis for the rest of the tour

Today he came out and played an absolute blinder, and picked the right bloke to hit a catch to !
He played his shots and looked the goods
And has extended his Test career
The track is good to bat on but he made runs, unlike the big names Dravid and Shewag

[Jim05]

Interesting about Indian batsman Gambhir
It has been said if he failed in todays Indian 2nd dig it would be his last Test innings
Talk about pressure
Had he failed he might have had to earn his wages
Might have invested in a GPS and got a permit to drive taxis for the rest of the tour

Today he came out and played an absolute blinder, and picked the right bloke to hit a catch to !
He played his shots and looked the goods
And has extended his Test career
The track is good to bat on but he made runs, unlike the big names Dravid and Shewag

Its actually good news for Australia.
2 easy wickets at the WACA for us. He wont last 5 overs in either innings.
Wouldnt be suprised if he is out early today.
Dont know who would have taken his spot if he was dropped but for a country of a squillion people there doesnt appear to be many banging down the door.

[Pup]

He is not an opener but i am amazed Rohit Sharma cant get a game at test match level. Easily as good probably better than Kohli.

That is the problem with Dravid, Sachin and VVS going on well into theie thirties is that these blokes miss out on development against quality test attacks. Dravid has had an amazing year but i think the sooner he and VVS retire and the reponsibility falls onto a younger player the better for Indian cricket.

As for Haddin, that catch was a sitter, i can't believe one poster said it was flying . All arguments aside he is not test standard as a gloveman and at the moment his batting is not either. He can thank his lucky stars that Paine is injured because the selectors seem to have this obsession of him being the next test keeper regardless.

[locky801]

Indians motoring along this morning

2/141

already been a number of boundaries

[Hondo]

There's no law saying the keeper has to bat at 7. Why can't he bat at 8 (or lower) and allow an allrounder (Watson perhaps) to bat at 7? Far too much structure in cricket sides. Pick your side then work out a batting order. Why not pick your best XI and work out a batting order from there rather than trying to fit a bloke into an existing structure.

Then you compromise your bowling attack just to fit in this specialist keeper. I'd rather compromise on the keeper than the bowler. Is Hartley that much better a keeper than the others that it is justifiable to make our bowling attack 3 specialists plus an all-rounder. I don't think so.

The reason the keeper normally bats at 7 (and needs to have the ability to hold that spot down) is that you pick your best 4 bowlers and most times, unless you are lucky a la Imran Khan, none of those 4 bowlers are good enough to bat at 7.

If you followed your logic of picking the best XI in you don't have room for that alllrounder that bats at 7. The 4 specialist bowlers will take his spot. So then what?

[Muffler]

Was Haddins drop a sitter?

I have a feeling if he took it we would be praising the bowling.

Was going pretty quick but doesnt come much easier for international wicketkeepers.

Going quick i don't think so was a normal edge. Very easy catch for a keeper no excuses.
Whilst on this bowling from us last night perfect bowling outside off and just waiting for the batsmen to get inpatient which both Gambhir and Tendulkar did which almost resulted in wickets. Having said that I still think that we needed to make them play a little more than they had to throughout those 9 overs.

[Media Park]

Dravid and Laxman retire, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are the likely duo to come in.

[locky801]

Was Haddins drop a sitter?

I have a feeling if he took it we would be praising the bowling.

Was going pretty quick but doesnt come much easier for international wicketkeepers.

Going quick i don't think so was a normal edge. Very easy catch for a keeper no excuses.
.

May well have been a series deciding dropped catch

[whufc]

Was Haddins drop a sitter?

I have a feeling if he took it we would be praising the bowling.

Was going pretty quick but doesnt come much easier for international wicketkeepers.

Going quick i don't think so was a normal edge. Very easy catch for a keeper no excuses.
Whilst on this bowling from us last night perfect bowling outside off and just waiting for the batsmen to get inpatient which both Gambhir and Tendulkar did which almost resulted in wickets. Having said that I still think that we needed to make them play a little more than they had to throughout those 9 overs.

Ball was bowled around 145km probably sped up after edge, ball going at around 160km to me is quick.

Should have caught it every day of the week though.

[Gingernuts]

I'm not watching it on tv, but the bowling seems a bit loose this morning.

Time for Siddle to come in and reset the rhythm from last night I reckon.

[Muffler]

Was Haddins drop a sitter?

I have a feeling if he took it we would be praising the bowling.

Was going pretty quick but doesnt come much easier for international wicketkeepers.

Going quick i don't think so was a normal edge. Very easy catch for a keeper no excuses.
Whilst on this bowling from us last night perfect bowling outside off and just waiting for the batsmen to get inpatient which both Gambhir and Tendulkar did which almost resulted in wickets. Having said that I still think that we needed to make them play a little more than they had to throughout those 9 overs.

Ball was bowled around 145km probably sped up after edge, ball going at around 160km to me is quick.

Should have caught it every day of the week though.

I am a keeper so i'll be harsh That's why they stand back so far to have time to react.

[whufc]

Yeah ill stick to the covers and square leg

[stampy]

He is not an opener but i am amazed Rohit Sharma cant get a game at test match level. Easily as good probably better than Kohli.

That is the problem with Dravid, Sachin and VVS going on well into theie thirties is that these blokes miss out on development against quality test attacks. Dravid has had an amazing year but i think the sooner he and VVS retire and the reponsibility falls onto a younger player the better for Indian cricket.

As for Haddin, that catch was a sitter, i can't believe one poster said it was flying . All arguments aside he is not test standard as a gloveman and at the moment his batting is not either. He can thank his lucky stars that Paine is injured because the selectors seem to have this obsession of him being the next test keeper regardless.

paine had further surgery 3 weeks ago and wont be available until next summer if at all, there seems to be a train of thought out there he might not get back at all, musta been a terrible fracture