AGB Cricket

MOHOWLER

Tell me I'm wrong. Every person Billy Bowden has bumped into since his Mohali howler has given him stick... a white stick: "Where's yer guide dog?" Spanky thinks the flightless goose is gunshy:

All things considered, Australia did well to come within a whisker of squaring the series. Had Billy Bowden raised his crooked finger with India's last pair together in Mohali, the tour might have been considered a success. Instead the jittery Kiwi managed to persuade himself that Pragyan Ojha had snicked the ball, a case he was still arguing days later.

The rest of the article is worth a read. Spanky really does know the caper. Pity he is prone to the odd conniption fit or two.

TRI SERIES

On the outside chance you have something insightful to contribute about the vitally essential three-game one day series against India, say it here.

RIDDLE ORDER

"I'd probably like to see a bit more consistency with our middle order batting."

~~ Ricky Ponting

From a skipper as consistently supportive (relentlessly positive, even) of his troops, that is about as critical as Ponting gets. Which probably means there are serious concerns about the middle order within Group Australia.

Ian Chappell is ultimately upbeat, but his article today points to the bigger problem:

No easy outs in Aussie selection process

THE easy part of selection is finding someone to omit; the harder task is unearthing a player who might be superior either immediately or soon.

The conundrum facing the Australian selectors is not half as puzzling as the enigma of why Ian Chappell is so consistently engaging in print and interview, but is so dreadfully vanilla on Channel Nine.

The Australian middle order is not suspect just because Clarke, Hussey and North are suspect, it is because there is no one obvious replacement. The same for the spin department. Drop Hauritz and who do you bring in?

I am as keen as the next bloke to see a hot young prospect receive a baggy green, but who?

The Governor at The Roar has selected his team for the Ashes:

Australian Test selectors have got it wrong

Shane Watson
Phil Hughes
Ricky Ponting
Michael Clarke
Usman Khawja
Stephen Smith
Tim Paine
Mitchell Johnson
Peter Siddle
Ben Hilfenhaus
Doug Bollinger

From a Department of Youth perspective that top six is an alluring prospect; like Scylla & Charybdis, who allured many Selector Groups to their doom.

Our Phil Hughes has been ordinary, at best, since he was fixed up by Fredward Flintoff. And if we were 3/50 in Brisbane would you want to see Uzzie Khawaja stroll to the wicket? 4/75 - Smith?

The always thought provoking (as opposed to provocative) Darren Berry gets in for his chop:

Time has come for Australia to blood some youth

The Australian team faces a similar dilemma and our national selectors have missed an opportunity this series to make some much-needed changes. The Marcus North persistence is painful and halting the progress of many better-suited options who should have been groomed at No. 6. Callum Ferguson is breathing down his neck and is logically the No. 1 choice to start the Ashes summer in that position. Steven Smith, George Bailey, Cameron White and Usman Khawaja are four genuine youthful options ready to go at No. 6 if Ferguson needs more time to rebuild his game after 12 months out injured. Unless North peels off a match-winning innings in Bangalore, his time is surely up as an Australian player. In fact, regardless of the outcome, some tough decisions need to be made for the rebuilding of the batting line-up. The average age of the top six batsmen in Mohali was 33. It's time to blood some youth.

Ferguson is both "the No. 1 choice to start the Ashes summer in that position" and "needs more time to rebuild his game after 12 months out injured". Scratches head. What's Ferguson's first class average?

Chuck wants to get rid of Ponting, Katich, Hussey and North. I think that is what you call "wholesale" changes. Sounds alluring, too, but I bet you it does not happen.

SECOND TEST: BANGALORE

We've been spoiled.

From the Sydney Test in January 1992, when Shane Warne began his Test career, until Warne and McGrath retired after the Sydney Test in 2007, it was a given we would roll sides batting last to win Test matches.

(When we lost it was often because we ourselves were batting last and were rolled by the opposition spinner. Often, admittedly, in dead rubbers.)

How often, upon stumps at the end of day four, did you fret the opposition were still a chance to pinch a victory? England need 200 to win with 6 wickets in hand? Shit, you know something: this time I think they are going to get up. Turn on the telecast next morning at 11:00 (back in the old days when play started at 11:00) expecting a hard day's cricket and within ten minutes Warne or McGrath had pinched a pole. How often did you turn on a little late to discover, to your surprise, even though you should not have been surprised, that a wicket had already fallen and Australia were well on the way to wrapping up the Test? How often was your day-four-stumps fretting followed by a day-five-lunch shrug of the shoulders? "That was easy. What was I worried about? Bit of an anticlimax, actually." It was that clinical dispatching of opponents that frequently drew wistful moans from the pundits that cricket would be better if Australia were weaker, or the opposition better.

Well, we are, they are, welcome to now.

Then there's the batting (spineless). The catching (crucial drops). The captaincy (managerial). The tactics (hope you enjoyed watching Instant squirt singles). The process (set plans are fine, but sport is all about instinctive inspiration). The umpiring (howlers matter more when you lose). The selectors (Woof!). Would it, as Donnie says, all be solved by the addition of two great bowlers? In a word: yes. Had we rolled England in Cardiff, SA in Perth, India last time in Bangalore, India last week in Mohali, this would be an entirely different kettle of post.

And yet, and yet... keep this under your hats (especially don't tell the pundits): while it is immensely frustrating to watch Australia drop wins, certain it will cost them later in series, I am secretly enjoying watching Australia struggle. Even if I yell at the TV and pine for another Warne, possibly the greatest match-winner in Test cricket history.

F*****G SAME DIFF

You only need to read through the Mohali Test post to know what the answer is:

Can we pinch a wicket when things are starting to dawdle?

That question was penned prior to the first Test against the Shrees in Brisbane in 2007, the first Test post Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, 44 weeks after the 2006/07 Ashes.

We didn't have to wait long for the answer. As early as the second Test against the Shrees in Hobart we were struggling to put sides away, as Kumar at No.3 almost pulled off a big chase only to be cut down by Random Rudi. Since then there has been, off the top of my head, Perth against South Africa, f*****g Cardiff against England and now Mohali against India.

Ben Dorries:

Killer punch is gone

Meanwhile, England's Ashes squad is sleeping soundly.

FIRST TEST: MOHALI

Most every article previewing the two Test series against India is pockmarked with criticisms that their ad hoc jamming into the cricket calendar is one) greedy; two) yet another sop to India; and three) a compromise to Australia's Ashes preparation.

Hard to disagree.

But Australia v India in a Test match is a far more mouth-watering prospect than a T20 at Chelmsford. What's more, test matches in India occur in the evening, AEST. Perfect for Australian viewers.

Would love to see a return to traditional values - good times - but it is hard to see this particular Australian side beating India in India.

Fingers crossed, though, that we don't see a return to those other Australian traditions: Ponting bowling Hussey to save his own arse; Klutzy Haddin chucking his glove; equally shared workloads between the bowling, batting, fielding and coaching groups; and Mohali Mike Coward panegyrising the boundless delights of the Sukhna Lake Basin.

GOING APE

The Test squad for the big cold tour of India:

Squad selected for VB Tour of India

Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke (vc), Doug Bollinger, Peter George, Nathan Hauritz, Josh Hazlewood, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Marcus North, Tim Paine, Steven Smith and Shane Watson.

ONLY ONE SIDE IS USING UDRS OUT THERE

India, rather than have howlers cleared up by technology - as they bitched & moaned & staged sit-ins post WDS (Wild Dogs Sydney) - have preferred instead to intimidate umpires and sook about, well, pretty much everything that doesn't go their way:

India blocks referrals for series

INDIA has blocked the use of decision referrals in the forthcoming series against Australia, rating its ability to intimidate umpires above the accuracy of technology.