AGB Cricket

AT HOME WITH THE BOYCOTTS

Oop north in Yorkshire, Geoff Boycott does not own a TV. Or he's been hanging out with Merv Hughes:

Geoffrey Boycott: Evidence from neutral Test points to close Ashes series

Hosting a neutral Test series has its pros and cons, but one big advantage of these Australia-Pakistan matches is that they give us a close look at the way the opposition are lining up ahead of this winter's Ashes series Down Under.

SECOND TEST: HEADINGLEY

Accepted wisdom has it that Australia lost the Ashes when Bryce McGain did his shoulder prior to the start of the Australia India series in late 2008. Well, that was merely a contributing factor. The main reason happened prior to the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town the following March. That was when Marcus North took ill and McGain, not yet fully recovered from shoulder surgery, was dropped into the Test team, apocryphally while he was eating a hot dog, underdone, unable to put full revs on the ball, and was summarily spanked to all parts of Newlands. Terry Jenner said at the time: "Bryce forgot to turn it." The selectors then passed on McGain for the Ashes, costing Ponting his best spinning weapon. This was a huge disappointment to us Victorians who watched McGain spin Victoria to a couple of Shields. A fit McGain was, and probably still is given he has since bowled Victoria to another Shield, our best wicket taking spinner, but because he missed his window, we missed out on retaining the urn.

Which brings me back to North. He misses this last Test against Pakistan through illness and we do not regain the Ashes. But he is set to play, so the Ashes are heading our way.

YOUNG'N WRONG'N

The AAP 'journalist' who bolloxed together this article must be from New South Wales:

Steve Smith spins Australia to victory against Pakistan

EVERY cricketer needs that magic moment that makes them believe they belong.

Steve Smith's might just have arrived on a sunny Friday afternoon at Lord's in Australia's 150-run Test win over Pakistan.

The New South Welshman was not called upon in the first innings and was forced to cool his heels for most of day four with part-timer Marcus North initially preferred for tactical reasons.

But the young leg-spinner breezed through the Pakistan middle order and tasted the spoils of the imploding Pakistan batting line-up by collecting 6-55.

The link above is to a screenshot. How long will the original fiasco remain in situ, unchanged?

UPDATE, LITERALLY

The answer is "less than 24 hours":

Steve Smith builds confidence in Australia's victory against Pakistan

EVERY cricketer needs that magic moment that makes them believe they belong.

Steve Smith's might just have arrived on a sunny Friday afternoon at Lord's in Australia's 150-run Test win over Pakistan.

The young New South Welshman was not called upon in the first innings and was forced to cool his heels for most of day four with part-timer Marcus North initially preferred for tactical reasons.

The Western Australian off-spinner breezed through the Pakistan middle order and tasted the spoils of the imploding Pakistan batting line-up by collecting 6-55.

FIRST TEST: LORDS

So, Australia are playing a Test match, in winter, in England, at Lords, starting on a Tuesday night, against Pakistan. Fine. I can take a joke. As long as Australia are not forced to wear an away-strip.

You'll know the omens are bleak if the Official Broadcasters subject us to the same tricked up pageantry that accompanied the lead in to the 2009 Lords Ashes Test. The mobile camera shots following the players through the rooms as they wound their way out onto the field presaged Mitchell Johnson bowling a day's worth of outrageous rubbish that all-but cost us the Ashes. Fingers crossed that this time Johnson copes with the Lords slope. (If, in fact, that was the problem last time.)

Not forgetting that this Test series follows on from a series of F50, which we lost, and a series of T20, which we lost; and that our batting has been less than convincing and out bowlers are underdone.

WHO, AHH

Kevin Bartlett had never heard of Peter George, but we here at AGB Towers know him as The Next New Glenn McGrath:

Peter George a chance for Test debut

LITTLE-KNOWN seamer Peter George is a chance of making his Test debut for Australia in this month's two-match series against Pakistan in England.

The uncapped South Australian was called up to the national squad on Monday following Ryan Harris's tour-ending knee injury.

George, who is the fourth paceman selected in the squad, has drawn comparisons with Test great Glenn McGrath for his accuracy and ability to generate bounce rather than express pace.

George has picked up 67 wickets at 28.46 in 18 first class matches.

AUSTRALIA v. PAKISTAN, EDGBASTON

The first T20 against Pakistan is on tonight last night.

Is it my fault that I thought "Australia v. Pakistan, Tuesday" meant the match was on Monday night, not Tuesday night?

SOCK OF THE NEW

On the face of it, Steve "Sock" O'Keefe's selection out of the blue - out of the Blues, even - to replace Nathan Hauritz in the Test squad prompts the question: Are we running out of cricketers?

O'Keefe gets shock call-up

Unheralded NSW allrounder Stephen O'Keefe has received a shock call-up as the replacement for injured spinner Nathan Hauritz in the Australian squad for the Test series against Pakistan in England.

You normally treat selections in the Australian one-day squad with a grain of salt. The Selection Group use any F50 other than world cup matches as a training drill. Except that this is a Test selection. However, working through the names there are not too many options. Smith is already in the squad; Krejza, Holland and Hauritz are injured; McGain has probably had his pension papers stamped. O'Keefe has a respectable 365 first class runs at 52.14 with three 50s as well as 26 wickets at 27.53 and was a star performer for Australia A, so why not give him a run.

RITZ A DROPOUT

Tait replaces injured Hauritz in ODI squad

Shaun Tait is set for a surprise return to Australia's ODI team and Steven Smith could be in line for his Test debut after Nathan Hauritz was sent home from England with an injured foot. Hauritz was troubled by pain in his left foot during the first two defeats to England and he is flying back to Australia to recover, which places him in serious doubt for Australia's upcoming Tests against Pakistan.

USSIE, USSIE, USSIE

In shock news, the National Selection Group have picked another Waler for the Tests against Pakistan:

Khawaja, Hilfenhaus in Test squad

NSW left-hander Usman Khawaja and Tasmanian swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus have been named in the Australian Test team to face Pakistan in two Tests in England.

Squad: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Usman Khawaja, Marcus North, Steven Smith.