OK, Now We Rock at cricket- What was I thinking :-)

[booga]

Whats ironic is it was a batting wicket lol

[Mace]

Yeah well done clarky.

Another great effort from watto!

[froggy]

Some seriously uneducated people here.

[nbd73]

Some seriously uneducated people here.

Care to elaborate? Interested to know who is "seriously uneducated" in this discussion.  Everyone has an opinion, from MY opinion/point if view I'm yet to read anything offensive or completely dumb. I am ready to eat humble pie RE warner, was wrong wrong wrong. Watson: best not discuss in a public arena.

[kylarama]

Can't say I really had any real interest in cricket until Australia appointed a coach with the nickname Boof!

I've certainly enjoyed the last 2 days

[alnjan]

Been a real different two days to the last several years.   Wait to see the end result of the series though

[froggy]

Care to elaborate? Interested to know who is "seriously uneducated" in this discussion.  Everyone has an opinion, from MY opinion/point if view I'm yet to read anything offensive or completely dumb. I am ready to eat humble pie RE warner, was wrong wrong wrong. Watson: best not discuss in a public arena.

Uneducated - sorry that was too harsh, but a few people are a fair way off the mark IMO.
For starters people flying off the handle before  England have batted, you really need to wait until both teams have batted to put it into perspective.
For someone to say clarkes not a captains arsehole wtf? He's a great captain, statistically better than Ponting and Waugh with a 10x worse team. Tactically he's a far better captain than ponting. And he's been our best  batter for the last couple of years.
Someone else flew of the handle about warner, not being able to handle test cricket, well his second innings was well measured.
No issues with Watson never getting a game again.

[UIZ733]

Wonder if the Pommy press are roasting their team yes? 

[Black Diamond]

For someone to say clarkes not a captains arsehole wtf?

That must have been me squire I apologise for hitting your soft spot, just my opinion   

Let's see if your mate Clarke can back up in the next test, or should I say let hope

[froggy]

That must have been me squire I apologise for hitting your soft spot, just my opinion   

Let's see if your mate Clarke can back up in the next test, or should I say let hope

I can understand people have a dislike of him as a person (even though to me he comes across as a good person, not arrogant. But he obviously has issues as a few former players have issues with him. Although the average person pot shotting him wouldn't know him, they're not in the dressing room.) But cannot understand how someone can fault him as a cricketer or captain. I think people confuse his personality with his cricketing nature/achievements when they shoot him down.
Can you fault him cricket wise?

[Teabag]

IMO, Clarke is Austealia's best batsman by a margin. He is also a pretty good tactician of the game but there is more to being a Captain than these qualities. His ability to unite a TEAM is lacking hence the fractions throughout the team. He appears to be quite selfish and not understanding of his players and their requirement. Understanding your team mates and respecting their needs and processes is just as important. This is exactly what Boof brings to the team.....There is more to Captancy than being a great player, it is a team sport.....:-)

[Black Diamond]

IMO, Clarke is Austealia's best batsman by a margin. He is also a pretty good tactician of the game but there is more to being a Captain than these qualities. His ability to unit a TEAM is lacking hence the fractions throughout the team. He appears to be quite selfish and not understanding of his players and their requirement. Understanding your team mates and respecting their needs and processes is just as important. This is exactly what Boof brings to the team.....There is more to Captancy than being a great player, it is a team sport.....:-)

Well said TB, hit the nail on the head

BD

[Rumpig]

Well said TB, hit the nail on the head

BD

yep can't say i disagree with that sentiment at all either

[lino6]

Bit more confident nor Cook is out!

[UIZ733]

Jason Day, Wallabies and Cricketers......

[03GV]

IMO, Clarke is Austealia's best batsman by a margin. He is also a pretty good tactician of the game but there is more to being a Captain than these qualities. His ability to unite a TEAM is lacking hence the fractions throughout the team. He appears to be quite selfish and not understanding of his players and their requirement. Understanding your team mates and respecting their needs and processes is just as important. This is exactly what Boof brings to the team.....There is more to Captancy than being a great player, it is a team sport.....:-)

I'd agree with that except for I'd add get rid of that useles flog Watson, who is the fracture in the team! He's easy to understand, and his needs are he is an injury prone whinger.

[Teabag]

I'd agree with that except for I'd add get rid of that useles flog Watson, who is the fracture in the team! He's easy to understand, and his needs are he is an injury prone whinger.

Mate, I agree to a point with Watson. Is he a talented player? Yes. Is he used correctly by his Captain and respected by him? Unknown. Does Watson deserve to be dropped? Yes. He needs to go back to Sheild cricket and prove consistency and fitness for both aspects of the game. I also don't think Clarke uses him correctly and the respect between to two isn't good for each other, nor the team. Clarke has been at the centre of most of the personality fractions in the Aust team since joining. Clarke and Symonds, Clarke and Katich, with it now spilling over to Clarke and Watson. Common denominator is? Should Clarke be in the team, enphatic yes but not Captain nor Vice IMO. As Captain, Clarke needs to unite the team for one goal and this is the one major attribute Clarke lacks or appears to lack. Watson has the potential and I'm sure would succeed under the right leadership....IMO

[alnjan]

It is all Empire Building.  Same has happened before.  If Captain doesn't like them regardless of how good a player they are they are out of the team. 

[Teabag]

It is all Empire Building.  Same has happened before.  If Captain doesn't like them regardless of how good a player they are they are out of the team. 

To some degree, I agree with that. I played the game for many, many years at 1st Grade level and the politics in the game is beyond crazy even at my level. Was one of the main reasons I retired early was due to that as it was affecting the fun. Sport needs to be about fun and if the players are not enjoying it then you have a major problem. I have always believed that your No 3 batsman is your best batsman in the team. Hence, I think this is where Clarke should bat and if Watson is to persist in the side as an All-Rounder then he bats at 6. Watson isn't mentally strong enough for the rigours of Test Cricket. ODI and T20 is his gig....

[bluejay]

lets get thommo/lillee ,marsh  border a couple of chappells back so it fun again we can drop our pants and bowl a few under arms and hit people with the bat  those were the days!!

[achjimmy]

I just hope Mitch keeps the pornstache . Reminds me of the good old days 

[froggy]

It is all Empire Building.  Same has happened before.  If Captain doesn't like them regardless of how good a player they are they are out of the team.

This with all due respect is rubbish, Watson has been played throughout his career, even when he hasn't been in great form. Also now the captain isn't a selector, which he shouldn't have been on the first place.
People also forget there were personality clashes both under ponting and Waugh. So are people going to slam them for not uniting the side. These days it just been a little more publicly aired and not by Clarke.

[D4D]

I just hope Mitch keeps the pornstache . Reminds me of the good old days 

Indeed, he is channelling big Merve

[lino6]

So 1-0 up, is the opposite to where I thought we'd be! And I hope Johnson keeps going and doesn't do a "Johnson" and only perform in 1 test a year this time.

As for Watson, he must have some photos or something to blackmail the selectors with. How many players are given 40+ innings between hundreds but are told they can hold a place as a batsman? Where was Shaun Marsh's 40+ innings grace period?

For now, I have my fingers crossed the poms don't bounce back and kill us off 1-3 in the series. Cook looked to be getting back into the swing of things and I will trust Jimmy Anderson is out of form if he had a broken leg or his bowling arm fell off. They just don't seem to be a team that will roll over and our bloke still don't look like world beaters just yet (in my opinion). But all of that aside, watching bad cricket is still better than the best ever day at work 

[Moggy]

Wow, What a difference 3 days makes. A real Red letter weekend for OZ sports fans
Thursday 4pm sitting on a boat drinking tinnies, heading to reef after listening to cricket for best part of the day. A little despondent with Aus at 7/180,    oh well at least its good having one K. O'Keefe on the radio again. Pondering whether i had jumped the gun for my boxing day test tickets      .
Reception lost, concentrated on drinking & fishing.
Fast forward to Sunday arve after much liquid gold consumption, smashed up fingers & a moderately successful trip, i start to ponder the weekends sports news.
Oh well... lets review based on Thursday
1. A. Scott & J. Day tried really well, but after Adam Scott had a 9 on a hole on thursday.......oh well maybe next time.........WRONG.......... they bloody won. 
2. Walabies, well lets be honest they havent been the most inspiring national team of late............WRONG...........they bloody won. 
3. Kangaroos......well at least they're certs, though for a minute pondered the embarrassment if the fijians knocked us off........NEVER......Look out kiwis   
4. Cricketers..... i was thinking at least by us batting first we wouldnt have to follow on...You can imagine my utter amazment that by the time we got some reception, they were walking off due to rain with Poms at 9/179???, WTF has happened in the last three days, had nothing on how Aus 1st innings ended or the Poms or Aus 2nd innings. Frantically trying to get phone reception for some updates & info & then gobsmacked when i do & see Aus got 295 & 7/401 WOW  what a turnaround. And then bowl them out for a pissy 136 & 179. 
All of a sudden feeling a bit more enthusiastic about Melbourne trip.
But what is really interesting is reading the preceding days comments here after the event. Now I'm no expert just a diehard Aus fan no matter what sport, but some people must be having humble pie for breakfast because i dont think anybody anticipated an Aussie victory.
Now some of the comments may have some validity, but really unless your directly involved with the team & selections none of us have any idea, and i do sort of agree with some of them, but hey if they keep winning & we get ASHES back i dont give a sh!t.
So BRING IT ON.