Australian Cricket Season 2018-2019

[rock86]

Waiting for Cricket Australia leadership to resign. If its a cultural problem, then the top needs to go as well.

Well funny you should say that David Peever resigning as Cricket Australia chairman: reports

If the reports are true, it's a good start!

 

[Pushka]

We’d heard there would be good news by Friday

 

[Cossie]

Seems it's official!

Cricket Australia chairman David Peever resigns in wake of Longstaff Review

 

[VPS]

Excellent news - he really couldn't stay on.

 

[RooFlyer]

Now to bring the players back.

 

[Pushka]

Now to bring the players back.

No. Too soon. They’d have to bring them all back and most aren’t ready for Warner.

Do you reckon the Poms are salivating at being able to sledge Warner next ashes to see him chuck his dummy.

 

[Cossie]

It's going to be a very very long summer.......................

 

[VPS]

and poor crowd as well. It might just be hitting home what other consequences there are

 

[Scarlett]

Does CA care about crowds at the ground? I thought TV numbers were all that mattered?

But a continuing string of poor performances will pretty much guarantee poor viewing numbers as well. But a fairly new TV rights contract means that issue isn’t a big factor for CA either. They have time on their hands to right the good ship Aussie Cricket. Hopefully they can sort out the governance and the prioritisation of First Class cricket, then (again hopefully) the national level results will take care of themselves.

 

[Scarlett]

On another but related matter: where does the national level leadership come from in the near future? There is a great opportunity for change in Aus cricket at the moment, but where does it go?

Mike Kasprowicz is a left field chance for an executive role and is a guy I rated highly as having integrity. What are Steve Waugh and Mike Hussey doing now: both guys with the necessary level of commitment that should provide effective leadership (and in my mind at least, guys that should be able to balance the hardness necessary for success with the modern hyperbole about stress affecting players - I fear the pendulum is going to swing a little too far to the mollycoddling snowflakes end of player management techniques. Now I’m not suggesting that being nice and winning are not mutually exclusive but professional sport generally indicates a level of hardheadedness is a prerequisite for success)

And Justin Langer is another guy I respect for his ability to work hard and get the best out of his talent, but from his time as Aus batting coach, can anyone name a batsman who has grown in stature and capability under his tutelage?
* was fortunate enough to spend some time as a net bowler for JL and the guy was a machine. Hardest working batsman I’ve ever seen and with a level head, unlike some others who come across as egotistical coughs.

 

[CaptJCool]

Back in the day, the ACB WAS Littered with former elite players from the state bodies.

And the Chairmanship was rotated between the States. I played cricket several times against a team whose captain in z grade turf cricket became chair of CA......he was a good chap,

playing to win means doing whatever’s legal to take the victory. Whether morals matter hmmm umpires mainly got decisions right but often plain wrong, you took the good with the bad, today DRS helps get wrong decisions right.....and hardly any player walks anymore..

Leadership doesn’t require intimate playing knowledge but it does involve engaging delegates who know what they’re doing. To my mind, sustained high-level performance is about character, resilience, persistence, some talent, innovation and good natured rivalry to bring out the best in ALL the members of the team. And plans for now and the future and is quite hard-headed about dropping players (at least one every season) before their time as the team performance is more important than any one individual. No team though can sustain a loss of three in one fell swoop and we got into this pickle this time cause the selectorial custodians thought it was all about them and allowed 6 players to bat on who then all left within 2 seasons (Hayden, Langer, Gilchrist, McGrath and Warne, and can’t remember the other) how history repeats...

That said, business folk on the CA Board forget it’s just a game and try to push the shareholder maximise profits ethos. I saw Foxtel advertising deals on free to air TV AND serves them right their ratings are about as good as the attendance aT a Grade game in outer anywhere. Sure CA maximised shareholder profits, but at what cost to the customers who are now voting with their feet especially when the team is undermanned and not winning.

You coulda swung a cat in the outer at Adelaide Oval. Members attended in healthy numbers (they’re on an annual subscription) but the public absence was appalling.
Only 17,680 members and public showed up, and I was one of em who watched some of the play on the day....
The golden goose has well and truly been cooked......

and I was proven wrong when we actually won. Our batting lacks that extra zing and our bowling and fielding looked a lot better than I expected. We got lucky with the run out of Markham but their batting lineup looked as average as ours....until Hobart. Sadly a rank sitter dropped by Carey when Du Pliess was 29 cruelled our chances although at 40 overs we were 25 runs ahead of SA, WE ONLY MADE 65 in the last 10 when they blasted 130.....

 

[Pushka]

I think for me the shift was when Glenn McGrath was bowling. He just looked angry when he took wickets. Then others copied. I thought that a very poor look. Now MrP tells me he is a very nice person but all I know is him as a cricketer so I don’t care what he’s like in person, as a representative of Australia in cricket I found him unpleasant.

 

[rock86]

Now MrP tells me he is a very nice person but all I know is him as a cricketer so I don’t care what he’s like in person, as a representative of Australia in cricket I found him unpleasant.

Really?

If you'd said that comment about any other Australian cricketer, it'd most likely be something I agree with. However, if there is one Australian cricketer where even if you didn't like him on the field, but their achievements off it have been much more beneficial to our society (and show their character), then McGrath would have to be up there.

He has been a major part of the reason (along with Tracy Bevan) that the McGrath Foundation has been such a success, which is an absolutely wonderful organisation who has added so much to the care women receive and education surrounding breast cancer in Australia.

 

[Pushka]

Really?

If you'd said that comment about any other Australian cricketer, it'd most likely be something I agree with. However, if there is one Australian cricketer where even if you didn't like him on the field, but their achievements off it have been much more beneficial to our society (and show their character), then McGrath would have to be up there.

He has been a major part of the reason (along with Tracy Bevan) that the McGrath Foundation has been such a success, which is an absolutely wonderful organisation who has added so much to the care women receive and education surrounding breast cancer in Australia.

As I said I was discussing his manner on the playing field.

 

[drron]

I have been lucky.Had a few conversations with Doug Walters-great bloke.Trapped in a store with my son and Max Walker for an hour once-hilarious.Then had as tour leader for the World cup in the West Indies Des Haynes.Another true gentleman and we just hit it off,.Had many one on one times with him.
I'd like to run into Boonie one time in Tassie.We share a birthday.
Current crop.Really don't know who I would like to meet.

 

[JohnK]

I think for me the shift was when Glenn McGrath was bowling. He just looked angry when he took wickets. Then others copied. I thought that a very poor look. Now MrP tells me he is a very nice person but all I know is him as a cricketer so I don’t care what he’s like in person, as a representative of Australia in cricket I found him unpleasant.

I had to laugh after reading your post and seeing an article in the paper regarding McGrath targetted for a possible Cricket Australia board position.

P.S. I don't think he was a good role model for young cricketers.

 

[kelvedon]

So Cricket Australia has rejected the players' association's appeal and the three stooges ban remains in place

 

[Pushka]

So Cricket Australia has rejected the players' association's appeal and the three stooges ban remains in place

The only thing is that the ban is effectively 15 months as there isn’t any cricket at the 12 month mark. Ho hum. Such is life. Not as though they are broke.

 

[CaptJCool]

The only thing is that the ban is effectively 15 months as there isn’t any cricket at the 12 month mark. Ho hum. Such is life. Not as though they are broke.

And that was the problem In Determining the ban period.

There was scheduled 2 the two tests against Pakistan in UAE and the four v India coming up and two v Sri Lanka.

To make the ban worthwhile, if they had said 8 test matches ban, then it would expire in March 2019. Six of one, half a dozen of the other ?

 

[turtlemichael]

With mixed feelings I am heading over to Adelaide this week, and Perth the week after, to watch the first few days of the two Tests. I'm sure there'll be a crowd of sorts but I wouldn't be surprised if Australia's supporters were in the minority. Geoff Lawson has an interesting article in the Fairfax press https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cri...truggling-to-stay-afloat-20181201-p50jke.html which includes the following two paragraphs.

"Shaun Marsh is now 35 years old, averages 35 in 34 Tests over seven years and has made just 88 runs in 10 innings since Port Elizabeth in March – numbers that should not get you a green cap in the era of covered pitches. Yet he is almost assured of a starting spot on December 6. Maybe his skinfolds meet the coach’s standards? "
and
"Mitchell Marsh has made one Test 50, no hundreds and averages 17 since the Sydney Test earlier this year. With the ball he has taken five wickets in his past 10 Tests. What part of those numbers can be considered Test quality?"

Fingers crossed at least one of them does something positive as both have had good non-international form in the last few weeks. I've convinced myself that I'm really going to see the current best batsman in the world, Kohli.