Bombertalk

Some more unbelievable news today. Gilchrist is going to miss the first three weeks of the World Cup as his wife is due to give birth. That means they have to take Haddin in the 15 man squad, and they have committed to taking Symonds in spite of his injury as well. That leaves 13 spots, and the word this morning is that Cam White and Stuart Clark are going to miss out. Squad to be announced later today...

Staggy wrote:Some more unbelievable news today. Gilchrist is going to miss the first three weeks of the World Cup as his wife is due to give birth. That means they have to take Haddin in the 15 man squad, and they have committed to taking Symonds in spite of his injury as well. That leaves 13 spots, and the word this morning is that Cam White and Stuart Clark are going to miss out. Squad to be announced later today...

Yes, I heard that this morning. And add Shane Watson as a hugely injury prone, under achiever to our squad. White should be in the squad....he simply adds that explosive burst at the end of the innings that could be the difference between winning and losing.

My guess of the 15 man squad is;

Adam Gilchrist
Matthew Hayden
Ricky Ponting
Michael Clarke
Brad Hodge
Mike Hussey
Shane Watson
Andrew Symonds
Glenn McGrath
Mitchell Johnson
Nathan Bracken
Brad Hogg
Brett Lee
Brad Haddin
Cam White

I'd love them to take White, but I don't think they will.

BD, I think your squad is almost spot on - take White out and put Tait in, and that's the squad i think they'll take. They definitely need to take another fast bowler given McGrath and Hogg's poor form of late.

I want Cam White to go, but I have a feeling the only World Cup he'll be attending this year will be the 20-20 World Cup.

Staggy wrote:I'd love them to take White, but I don't think they will.

BD, I think your squad is almost spot on - take White out and put Tait in, and that's the squad i think they'll take. They definitely need to take another fast bowler given McGrath and Hogg's poor form of late.

I want Cam White to go, but I have a feeling the only World Cup he'll be attending this year will be the 20-20 World Cup.

You're probably right. There is one spot up for grabs, and I think it is between White, Clark, Hilfenhaus or Tait....

Don't be surprised if Clark gets the nod.

How arrogant is the ACB? They already have the trophy in the cabinet right next to the triseries one.

Would absolutely love White to go. Was never given enough opportunity to bowl when Ponting was captain. He is a massive hitter and could turn a game on it's head. He probably won't go cause golden child Watson will be given a go in every single opportunity that he has.

I reckon Australia's best line up would be to go in with 4 pacemen (lee, mcgrath, bracken and johnson) and then play White as he, clarke, hussey and hodge, if he plays, can make up the remaining 10 overs of bowling. Our bowling would be much more attacking without Hogg, and would even improve our batting with having White as the big hitter with Symonds instead of Watson. But like i said, won't happen, cause they HAVE to have a position for Watson to play.

So Gilchrist is scheduled to miss the first 3 weeks of the World Cup due to his wife having a baby.

Gilchrist, perhaps more than any other cricketer in the Australian team, has often stressed how much he misses his family and how he feels that too much cricket is being played. He's come off a slightly mediocre Test year in which he had his second worst batting year since beginning in 1999, although 38 for a wicket keeper is still commendable. He averaged 22 through this year's ODI tri-series, which is well down on his long term ODI average of 35. Whilst he's still capable of producing amazing innings (for example, the innings at the WACA in the Test series), i feel as though he's been producing those match-winning innings on a progressively less regular basis since about 2004. From about 2001-2004, he used to produce something special with almost monotonous regularity every 3rd or 4th innings. He recently turned 35.

I'm going to ask the obvious question here: is some form of retirement on the cards for Gilchrist in the wake of the World Cup? Personally i feel as though it's highly likely that he'll retire from ODI cricket at the conclusion of the World Cup to give himself a few more good years in Test cricket. In the ODI scene, Haddin is a pretty good replacement and the concept of Gilchrist keeping for 50 overs and then having to open the batting (or in the reverse order) is becoming less and less tenable as he gets older. Motivation wise, the truth is that pretty much all ODI cricket with the exception of the World Cup and perhaps the Champions Trophy means 3/10ths of stuff all and i just can't see Gilly hanging around to play more meaningless ODI cricket. I think the likelihood of him retiring from cricket altogether (both Tests and ODIs) at the conclusion of the World Cup is quite small, if for no other reason than for the fact that with McGrath, Warne and Langer already having departed, he'll hang around a bit longer to ease the team through a period over the next 12-18 months where a number of new players are being brought in.

Thoughts?

jimmyc1985 wrote:So Gilchrist is scheduled to miss the first 3 weeks of the World Cup due to his wife having a baby.

Gilchrist, perhaps more than any other cricketer in the Australian team, has often stressed how much he misses his family and how he feels that too much cricket is being played. He's come off a slightly mediocre Test year in which he had his second worst batting year since beginning in 1999, although 38 for a wicket keeper is still commendable. He averaged 22 through this year's ODI tri-series, which is well down on his long term ODI average of 35. Whilst he's still capable of producing amazing innings (for example, the innings at the WACA in the Test series), i feel as though he's been producing those match-winning innings on a progressively less regular basis since about 2004. From about 2001-2004, he used to produce something special with almost monotonous regularity every 3rd or 4th innings. He recently turned 35.

I'm going to ask the obvious question here: is some form of retirement on the cards for Gilchrist in the wake of the World Cup? Personally i feel as though it's highly likely that he'll retire from ODI cricket at the conclusion of the World Cup to give himself a few more good years in Test cricket. In the ODI scene, Haddin is a pretty good replacement and the concept of Gilchrist keeping for 50 overs and then having to open the batting (or in the reverse order) is becoming less and less tenable as he gets older. Motivation wise, the truth is that pretty much all ODI cricket with the exception of the World Cup and perhaps the Champions Trophy means 3/10ths of stuff all and i just can't see Gilly hanging around to play more meaningless ODI cricket. I think the likelihood of him retiring from cricket altogether (both Tests and ODIs) at the conclusion of the World Cup is quite small, if for no other reason than for the fact that with McGrath, Warne and Langer already having departed, he'll hang around a bit longer to ease the team through a period over the next 12-18 months where a number of new players are being brought in.

Thoughts?

Right on the money jimmy. I reckon he'll toss it in after the World Cup also and for the exact reasons you have given. He will play on with two more home Test series, and in that time, will become the greatest wicketkeeper (dismissal wise) in the history of the game and would have played over 100 tests.

Stickers is doing some damage!

Tas in reply to Vics 9-283 are 6-193 (Harwood 4-52).

Make that 7/200, be great to take first innings points.

Tait & Haddin in, white & Clark not

Tait & Haddin in, white & Clark not

Well Tassie have taken the first innings points being 8/286.
Still a pretty good fight back from the Vics bowling attack. Harwood has taken 4/75 off 25, McDonald 2/38 off 16

Can't believe the Vics didn't get firtst innings points after havingthem 7-194. f****** typical!

Tim Paine did bat down the order as he came back from Hospital, but still yes first innings points does go missing.

I guess we'll just have to get our third reverse outright of the summer.

Great work by Paine and Luke Butterworth getting Tassie over the line.

Butterworth is a very handy number 9 and proved it with a very timely 40.

Handy wicket by Geeves on the last ball of the day too.... Go Tassie!!!

Bomberdonnie, you will have a bit of a laugh if you read the bloke in the Age's blurb about the first 2 days of play. He obviously wears his heart on his sleeve when he writes about the Vics & his parochialism shines through.

After day one's play when the Vics collapsed after tea, it was all due to the Vic batsmen getting themselves out (nothing to do with the Tassie bowling). This mornings write up had how the brilliant bowling of Harwood & Lewis had the Tigers in trouble at 7-190 odd.

Basically he written when the Vics get into trouble, it's their own fault, but when the opposition gets into trouble, it's due to the brilliant play of the Vic team - talk about one-eyed. No mention that the opposition they are playing, might be playing half decent.

Haha I will have a read of that now

It is not someone from this forum by any chance is it??

Bloody Vics! throwing their wickets away in the 2nd innings. Fairdinkum irresponsible batting after some very good disciplined bowling from our bowlers!! LIFT YOUR GAME!!!

Queensland got rolled by SA, which means that a win against Tassie in teh OD match next week will almost certainly give us a home final. Though Tassie are still in the hunt for the finals of the OD comp as well.