jj - Trying to start conversation on the current test, don't know if I've done it right

Well it worked - anyone out there to raise comments.
Currently watching the start of the 3rd test - Warner looked like he shouldn't be there, very rusty
was the thinking they just had to get him going again,as until he starts out in the middle he just isn't going to get going?

As for Pucouski, he just looks like he belongs.
A couple of misses early on but does looks the goods.
Just as I am typing this he was initially given out, caught off the glove, but ball was judged grounded.

Look forward to hearing from the old crowd
jaszyjim

Gday all - jj
No takers so far,
Well I was extremely disappointed in Starc's bowling.
Far to many deliveries that the batsmen did not have to play.
Whats happened to bowling at off stump or yorker's on line.
Last over of the day only 2 balls had to be played & this typified his bowling.
I think it's time he was replaced as he no longer seems to be that effective.
As for Smith - has his family back & plays like we know he can - coincidence?
I will watch today's play with interest to see if I am correct re Starc.

Gday all - jj
Well end of the first session last day and what rubbish from us.
Most of you know my views on Paine as a captain & if he keeps going like he is
we will loose the match.
He is the worst tactician as a captain of any team in the world and this session proved it.
He is letting the game meander along with very little proactive input to try to force the error.
As far as I am concerned the sooner we get rid of him, the better off the Australian team will be.

Starc as I mentioned before is having little impact & you can see the pressure ease off the Indian batsman
as soon he starts bowling.

On the positive side, Lyon, Cummins & Hazlewood are bowling exceptional & Green is also 
doing better than Starc. Green hopefully will prove to be the missing link that has daunted
us for so long - a really good bowling all rounder.

Gday all - jj
Well Paine managed a draw in a match we should have won & won the series.
This lack of a win is totally on Paine's shoulders & one little incident typified the lack of proactive action by him.
Lyon bowling, an injured Ashwin comes on strike with 2 balls to go & nobody is brought in close on the off side.
Another reason also was obvious why wicket keepers don't make good captains, is the distance a wk has to travel
if he want's to talk to his bowler. One is 30m behind the stumps & the other same at the opposite end.
Why wasn't Paine going to talk to his bowlers & make field changes.
Didn't actually have to mean much but at least make the batsman think you are planning something
Anything to try to unsettle the batsman & affect their concentration.

As far as I am concerned CA has stuffed up.
Smith should be reinstated as captain, even if it means that after this series someone has a chat in Paine's ear
to tell him he has decided to step down & Marcus made vice captain.
We then have good certainty & continuity, which has been lacking ever since Paine took over.

Starc should be dropped for the next test but with Pattinson injured I don't know enough of who is out there for his replacement.

The engine room of the batting - 3, 4 & 5 is being let down by Wade but he probably deserves another chance.

We need to stick with our openers as they will come right, will be an awesome opening pair & when
followed by the engine room firing big quick scores become likely again.
 

Yeah, a poor performance from Paine. Not only behind the stumps with rubbish keeping, but also his tactics and sledging that made him look inept overall. He would have been better off shutting up and concentrating on catching the ball. Giving his bowlers some reasonable instruction mightn't have hurt either. Wonder who devised their strategy? Too much short stuff (and leg side re Starc) made it far easier for the Indians than it should have been.

It's not the first time he has gone to water and simply lost the plot under pressure to close out a match. Would be happy enough for Smith to take over again, but he wasn't great tactically either. There doesn't really seem to be any other options at the moment.

So far the Indians have generally looked the better side for most of it, even with their injury list. Only for that pink ball batting hiccup in Adelaide they would have been up 2 nil. A credit to them the way they fought in this one. Our blokes never never seem to that, so well done to them. A very good side.

Paine was never a great Captain tactically and as a keeper, has for a while been showing obvious signs of being past his use by date.
 
That SCG pitch was also a disaster and far more helpful to our opposition who are used to playing on that style of wicket. Only 27 wickets from the bowlers (with 4 run outs) over five days. Was benign to start with and got better (worse) as the match wore on. We could play an extra day and probably not bowl them out.

Not as confident we'll do well at the Gabba, it's usually way overhyped also. If it does move around early, it usually flattens out into another Aussie batting paradise. The Indians should be favourites going to the next one even with their injury list. 

We have a couple of world class batsmen and a couple of world class bowlers. Apart from the young fellas (too early to tell), the rest don't seem up to it at this level.

Player ratings.

Warner - 1
Two failures with the bat. Obviously still unfit.

Pucovski - 4
Not seeing what everyone else seems to be seeing. Should have been out 3 times before reaching 62. Unimpressive in the second innings. Hasn't got the temperament to open against the better attacks at this level. Not sure about the technique around off stump either, or the short ball. Perhaps he should bat further down the order. Hope to be wrong and it's early days. Injury prone.

Labuschagne - 8
Had a good match. Has been consistent all series without going really big (yet).

Smith - 9.5
A freak. We are a very ordinary batting side without Smith (and now to some extent Labuschagne) who has been carrying us for years.

Wade - 1
Has had a poor series. Will probably be his last series anyway, unless he does something special at the 'Gabba.

Green - 5
Shows far more promise than Pucovski. Could probably end up batting further up the order, and be a more than useful 5th bowler. Not helped by the way his Captain seems to be using him with the ball, nor the bowling plans he has been given. Has been excellent in the field also.

Paine - 2
His main job is behind the stumps, where he hasn't had a great series. Captaincy ordinary once again. Some useful runs second innings but should stop the yap.

Cummins - 7.5
Great bowler. Was always going to be tough on this pitch.

Starc - 3
Wayward at times. Batted well, not his best bowling effort.

Hazlewood - 8
Pick of the bowlers.

Lyon - 4
No help from the pitch. Nor from his wicketkeeper. Will probably fare better at the 'Gabba.


Our catching has been horrendous in general this series. One of our biggest problems is the number of dropped catches. Not acceptable for an elite cricket team, or a reasonable club team at times.

Gday fs - jj
Your ratings pretty much spot on.
I still want to see Pucovski given a trot to see if he does have the goods, especially when Warner is back in form, we really need a good opener
to pair with Warner & take over later, hence his age is also in his favour.

Very disappointed with Starc this whole series but who to replace him with & as you mention Green has been a real find.

I've had my rant re Paine & just hope he is not captain for the next series - What does CA do about him?
Just waiting for the Gabba test to start & actually looking forward to it.
Regards all - jj

Wouldn't mind Pucovski batting at 5 when/if Wade goes, not so sure about him opening. It's only a recent thing (opening) for him anyway, afaik he has mostly batted at 4. He doesn't "leave" well enough around off stump to open and especially seems keen on playing short balls (poorly) IMO.

I'm a Paine fan, he has generally done a good job, but his reflexes are not getting any younger and that last match was a very poor effort. Never been a great Capt. His Captaincy is more about PR value and team image. Will probably be there till after the Ashes.

Have often thought Smith taking over would be good, just to watch the meltdowns from the holier than thou lol.

Gday fs - jj

Ironically re Green, yesterday I was thinking exactly the same - put him in at 5
 & whilst he may struggle at times it is a position he could grow into & hold down.
This would give a very settled top 5 with some longevity & if Wade stays bat him at 6.
I am quite keen to keep Wade, as I see him as a back up to Paine if he suffers an injury
during a match. Some time ago I did an analysis of the retiring age of wk's & Paine is there.
The first sign is always reflex's suddenly slowed down a bit & they start to stand up earlier, I think this is where he is at.
If he is and has another bad test then CA has to do something as he should not be there for the Ashes as either captain or wk.
That said he is batting well & having a good knock,
The trouble we have is that India just needs a draw & don't care how long we bat for as it suits them.
We will obviously have to bat for at least 2 sessions to get a decent score if we last that long,
India then just have to bat into day 4, the test is drawn & India retains the trophy.
Regards all - jj

So much for the overhyped  "Gabba" (batting paradise).  A great fight back by the Indians, especially considering how they have been decimated with injuries. Got to admire that. Great depth in their squad.

Another missed opportunity behind the stumps from Paine. 

The draw is the most likely result in this one. We need some quick runs and hope the weather doesn't ruin things. The problem with setting a target is the flatness of the pitch. A 250-300 last day or so run chase in would be interesting. Not sure we would necessarily be favourites in that scenario.

Gday all - jj

I didn't expect a sensible declaration from Paine - he's just not capable of making a tactical decision.
I don't know if any of you heard Langer's rant on Paine when he was being criticised but in the
end it came down to what a good bloke he is.
I've never doubted Paine is a good bloke but that doesn't make you a good captain.
As I've said before I come from a business background & look at our cricket side from that perspective as
it is after all a massive business.
If you were employing a captain from this perspective & listed all the qualities you were looking for,
if being a good bloke was one of them it would be down the list.
Paine age is putting him at the end of his career & if you think he is going to last until the Ashes, think again.
His wk skills are already showing the early signs of deteriorating & this will only get worse as his age catches up with him.
So CA will be aware of this but they have made the bed they are now lying in.
It is time they got off their bums & finally sort it out - Paine will not last & CA has act.
Just look at the ridiculous number of vc's we have had & who they have been.
The vc should be the next captain in training & able to take over if the captain is injured.
Whether you like it or not, the only person capable of captaining our test team is Steve Smith & Marnus should be his deputy.
This combination would last for several years which would enable our team to get on with just concentrating on their cricket.
As for the rest of the team, other than Wade it looks a very good team on paper & in reality has under performed.
A lot of this under performance I lay at Paine's feet as he is just such a bad tactician, who does not seem to think ahead
of what is required & how best to use the personal he has.

Anyway the last day will start soon, draw is the most obvious but we will see what Paine can come up with to loose the match.
Regards all - jj

Gday all - jj

One session to go & as expected we served up a load of rubbish,
the only person that can control what is happening on the field is the captain &
what did he do = nothing.
I am amazed that there is so little criticism of him - the commentators are blaming
every one else except the person who is on the field & should be controlling what is happening.
Get rid of Paine & get Aussie cricket going again.
Also bear in mind this is really an India A side as most of there top batsman & bowlers are out injured.
Ludicrous that we are unable to best them & Paine as captain must take the blame.
Regards all - jj

Gday all - jj
Amazing - Paine managed to loose it & finally the commentators are questioning his decisions, why was he regarded as
untouchable for so long, when he lack of ability was so obvious if you put emotion aside.
At least I cannot be criticised for just jumping on the bandwagon as my opinions re Paine are well known.
Where are every one that have criticised me ever since Paine was appointed captain & I saw his weakness
& criticised him - may be a good bloke but absolutely useless as a captain.
Regards all - jj