With Stuey MacGill off filming Wolf Blass ads and forgetting to return calls, coupled with the fact India are coming out, the talk in Australia turns to a four pronged pace attack.
It does make some sense, which is odd for a selector. Australia is bathing in the glory of a golden age of quicks. McGrath may have left the building, but I have never seen so many options in state ranks.
Tasmania has Ben Hilfenhaus, the working class boy who seems stoked just to be thought of. He could single-handedly re invent the art of outswing bowling, and he seems like a pretty good bloke.
Western Australia has a stable of adopted fast bowlers. The one that is shining the brightest at the moment is Matthew Inness, the former Victorian left armer. His first class average is 25, and yet he has never been close to Australian selection. Perhaps its bias against carrot tops.
South Australia has the hitman, Shaun Tait. The man who is the pin up for what a fast bowler should be. Bowls so damn fast be practically rips his arm from its socket. Plus this other guy who at one stage was the go to guy for the Australia team, but now releases books about how Ponting was mean to him.
Victoria has never had problems finding quick bowlers, they just can’t keep any of them on the park. Harwood, Wise, and Denton are all top class quicks, and any of them on their day can rip apart a top class batting line up. And they have Dirk Nannes (say it out loud).
Queensland has a team of geriatric quicks, but they also have Ashley “Animatrix” Noffke. Who is in better form than Will Smith. Although calling him a fast bowler is a bit much, in fact calling him fast medium is a bit much, he is Greg Blewett paced, which makes him Mcgrathish.
Then there is New South Wales, who technically have a test match attack at the moment. Lee, Clark, and Bracken are all international players with either red or white balls. Just behind them is the oldest young dude ever, Doug Bollinger. Who recently destroyed Tasmania like nothing since they realised Princess Mary was from there.
So if Australia was ever to pick 4 quicks it should be now.
I think it would be a mistake, I was at the G the other night, the ball spun and bounced. Victoria used 3 spinners. The Mcg, Scg, Adelaide and the Waca are all venues that spin.
4 quicks is something that countries with no spinners do, Australia have 2 old stagers to pic from, or 2 young spinners from South Australia.
We are not ready to play one dimensional cricket like South Africa just yet.
Lol; 4 quicks would be a good idea, but that would make us like SA, and we can’t have that… Fair enough.Has McGill lost the plot big time?Sort of like Costello really. All those years in the shadow, finally gets his chance, then spits the dummy.
Well cricket Australia are trying to set up his rehab and he is dodging their calls and filming more crap ads. I think its safe to say he’s not of his full mind. Well they are both silver spoon wankers, so perhaps they are kindered spirits.
But as a one-off strategy at the MCG against India? Not writ-in-stone, just once, it’ll be exciting.
Yeah, but the Mcg isn’t exactly a pace friendly pitch. Sure it has more bounce than anywhere else in Australia at the moment, but I just watched Clark, Lee and Bracken get spanked by the Victorians.
ujrfour pace attack…or one spinner from one of macgill and hogg…and i thought confusion was the name of BCCI only…or they are reading too much into our batting…signs of cracks even before series begins…han!!
Ya, man. What’s with Uber-geek’s analysis of Sachin? Is he doing this for free? Why is he behaving like a random blogger?
UJR,Should India play a four prong spin attack?
Sp, I think they are reading more into Stuart MacGills wasit line than your batting. John, i’m assuming he is keeping his name in the headlines cause he is a corporate speaker and he gets paid for opinions. also he might have a book out. Ott, no, i’d play one, your captain.
Hogg was the best spinner in the series when Aus toured India a while back… the Indian batsmen couldn’t really pick him… why is Mcgill generally preferred.
scorpicity,That is not completely true. There was a news article in which India’s top order and middle order batsmen said that they had no issues picking Hogg, it was just that there was so much pressure with the loss of wickets and the tight bowling up front that they could not do much.And if proof is required, watch the last two games of the ODI series. Even Zaheer Khan was picking Hogg :)Cheers
I reckon it would be a massive mistake to take four quicks in. Unless the curator performs some sort of miracle, the MCG is not the pitch that four quicks will succeed on. Watching the one-dayer the other day just confirmed that – no pace and bounce at all. What can four quicks do that three quicks can’t?
Scorp, MacGill is preferred because he has 200 test wickets and has won matches for Australia in the past. Brad Hogg couldnt even get picked for his state team in first class cricket. I think the Indians pick him pretty well. Stuart, welcome back, i think the pitch had a bit of bounce, but your right about pace.
Uncle J,If 2003 was anything to go by, India will be queuing up to take strike against Mcgill.If Warne held no terrors, Mcgill certainly wont.Cheers
Homer, In that series the quicks didn’t take any wickets either.