Tubytiger said:
the claw said:
imo mcgrath is gone hes dropped 2 yds of pace and doesnt look like taking wickets unless he gets a wicket thats doing a fair bit and even then hes struggling.gillespie has not been replaced we are screaming out for a bowler with genuine pace not just for now but the near future,take lee out of the team and the kindest word i can find for the attack is pedestrian.dorey bracken clarke are all poor mans versions of mcgrath and not as good even if glen is past it thay are not the answer.i also believe gilchrist has gone as well its been so long since hes played an important innings of note it not funny,for guys like gilly when you get a bit old, and the eyes go a bit, and the technique is not the greatest well it catches up with ya.
finally whats happend to gilly happens to everyone and cricket in australia is heading for a big fall.young people are leaving the game in droves and concentrating on sports where they might reach the top while they are still young atm it seems if your not 30 something you cant get a prper go at the elite level.
:hihi :hihi :hihi Claw, Claw, Claw - McGrath may not of got too many wickets but he is still one of our best bowlers maybe behind Lee. But still consistently beats the bat of top order batsman from around the world. He is still economic and very viable in the immediate future of the Australian Cricket team. So you want him to retire now hey and with your comments on the other bowlers in our team you would leave it up to them to guide the aussies through to the world cup hey.... C'mon mate get with the real world - there is daylight between McGrath, Lee and the rest. Maybe Hogg and McGill as spinners but as for our medium pacers (except for McGrath) as far as im concerned that is where we are lacking by a long way and where we need to improve.
look i agree he is still one of the better bowlers in the country and he would be one of the first players i would pick in the short version of the game which i coul;dnt care les about.but at test level he opens the bowling and is expected to take wickets which hes not doing.its time to play a promising YOUNG QUICK OR 2 even if it means we go backwards for 12 18 mnonths.the backwards trend is happening now any way. we lost to the poms and if SA had taken the chances they created they would of won or at least drew the series with a very pedestrian attack.and the amount of times the bowlers have had to bat us out of trouble in recent yrs is very disturbing.
take a look at the poms attack flintoff genuine quick bowls in the high 140s low 150s swings it and is a better bowler than b lee.harmison another genuine quick high 140s comes from great height and generates nasty bounce.jones low 140s seems to be able to swing the ball in most conditions at genuine pace.they have the other medium paced swing bowler whose name i cant recall and giles bowling spin.if they can find a good spinner who turns the ball a bit well look out for a series white wash when they come out here.one other thing they have been playing some younger bowlers at test level as well in pakistan.
now lets look at australias attack.
mcgrath has lost a yard of pace and is only med pace needs help from wicket it seems to take wickets nowdays. lee high 140s to mid 150s genuine quick who doesnt have a cricket brain. bracken see mcgrath is to old anyway to be starting a test career clarke see bracken to old again.kasprowicz not good enough to old bichel the same gillespie gone.to old.tate young raw quick but cant see him succeeding against quality test players with his action.dorey not good enough.
if it were down to me lewis from vic and the young quick up in qld cant think of his name would be given a contract the time is now to find some genuine quicks.as for spinners warne 36 mcgill 32 or34 im afraid one of these has to miss out and a young guy brought in someone like casson maybe.
finally i find it very hard to watch cricket lately what with all the hangers on who are past it.
