Aussies Blame IPL For Decline

[Lord]

SOME were injured. Others perhaps were worn out and more still may have found themselves distracted by the intoxications of India. Whatever the cause, Australian cricketers, at Test and first-class levels, have struggled since their return from last year's inaugural Twenty20 tournament on the subcontinent. Could it be cricket's version of the pact with the devil - every incremental increase in the bank account is matched by a corresponding fall in your figures. Gone, or at least severely impaired, is the ability to score runs and take wickets. Call it the curse of the Indian Premier League. Australia's elite spent only a short spell in the IPL, with the Test players packing their bags for the West Indies almost as soon as they got acclimatised. It may just be pure coincidence. Cause and effect are notoriously difficult to establish within a cricketer's career, when a tough run of Tests or spate of bad decisions can quickly turn your figures south. But try this for a list of names of the fallen. Test players Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee have figures showing a remarkable decline in productivity when the year before the IPL and the nine months since are compared. Hayden's detractors - and even many of his supporters - look everywhere for an explanation for his form slump: age, footwork, co-ordination and desire are all thrown up as possibilities. But no one mentions Lalit Modi and what may have been fool's gold on offer for a month with the Chennai Super Kings. Hayden damaged his Achillies tendon, missed the tour of the West Indies and has never recovered his mojo. In the year before the IPL, Hayden crunched 503 runs at 62.87. Since then he has laboured his way to 344 at an average of 22.93. Hussey owned the world's best Test average among current batsmen when he entered the circus ring. His year before produced the customary volume of runs at 73.87. Halve it and more, with an average since the IPL of 32.19. Symonds lost his way after the Indian sojourn, eventually losing his bearings completely and his place in the team. He got it back but without the form of the previous year (his batting dropping from 85.50 to 39.18). Lee, the most popular Australian player on the subcontinent, has also fallen off the pace. Before the IPL, he led the attack with aplomb with wickets coming at a sterling average of 20.57; since then his average has blown out to 36.69 and he may have only avoided the indignity of being dropped for his home Test by instead having surgery to repair foot and ankle injuries. Nor are the Test brigade the only players affected. Shaun Marsh was the IPL's revelation, fulfilling his undoubted promise as the competition's leading run-scorer, hitting 616 runs at 68.44 when opening the batting for the Kings XI Punjab. But since the carnival ended, so too the harvest. Marsh's first-class average for the year before IPL was 60.27; since then it is 23.85. His West Australian teammate Luke Pomersbach exhibits the same form line: 61.91 down to 31.83. Ashley Noffke, James Hopes, Brad Hodge and David Hussey's careers all follow the same alarming curve. Ricky Ponting, alone among the Test players who ventured to India, has continued his career with the same level of productivity. Before (45.33) and after (43.86) are virtually unchanged. But look at those who eschewed the loot? Michael Clarke has become the mainstay of the Australian batting line-up, his average dipping only slightly from 66.50 to 57.53. Brad Haddin has established himself behind the stumps and pushes 40 with the bat. Mitchell Johnson is our leading bowler, with 50 wickets at 27.44 since avoiding the entrapments of IPL, compared with a Test average in the year before of 32.12. No surprise who saved Australia at the SCG these past two days. With Hayden impotent, Hussey impoverished and Ponting in the shed almost as soon as he left it, Australia's case for the defence was made by the non-IPL members, with Clarke - who chose to go fishing with his sick father Les rather than chase another boatload of money in India - chief among them. And who helped him out? Another stay-at-home in Johnson, who made a career-high 64 at the SCG, to go with his career-best bowling figures of 8-61 last month in the lost first Test at the WACA Ground in Perth. IP HELL STEADY OR BETTER Michael Clarke Runs Ave Before IPL* 532 66.50 After IPL^ 978 57.53 Ricky Ponting Before IPL* 408 45.33 After IPL^ 931 43.86 Mitchell Johnson Wkts Ave Before IPL* 24 32.12 After IPL^ 50 27.44 DECLINE AND FALLRuns Ave Before IPL* 503 62.87 After IPL^ 344 22.93 Matthew Hayden Michael Hussey Before IPL* 591 73.87 After IPL^ 676 32.19 Andrew Symonds Before IPL* 513 85.50 After IPL^ 431 39.18 Brett Lee Wkts Ave Before IPL* 40 20.57 After IPL^ 39 36.69 *12 months prior to IPL ^Nine months since IPL

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: i'm loving it

[Sachinism]

bahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[h4te]

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[cowboysfan]

so india and SA have great years and the aussies who hardly played are blaming the IPL-pathetic

[Holysmoke]

Aus is beginning to sound like Pak :hysterical:

[fineleg]

IPL is NOT mandatory. Who asked these idjets to play in IPL if they think it will be 'cause for decline'? Its silly to blame IPL - dont participate if you feel it (not playing) will help to keep yourselves fresh.

[90mph]

How about Watson,Shaun Marsh & Warne??

[Anakin]

They are now desperate :haha::haha:

[EnterTheVoid]

lets sit back and watch the demise of an empire

[fineleg]

lets sit back and watch the demise of an empire

i hope ur words come true. i want Aus ranking to slip to like 3 or 4 atleast. (may or may not happen - but its a wish)

[Desi Cartman]

al though all these players performed poorly in the IPL as well :P

[Holysmoke]

This is like them motus blaming Mcdonalds for making them fat. :haha:

[Desi Cartman]

This is like them motus blaming Mcdonalds for making them fat. :haha:

:damnmate: u talking about me :hmmmm2:

[Holysmoke]

:damnmate: u talking about me :hmmmm2:

lol.. I am as much a motu as you are :haha:

[EnterTheVoid]

IPL blamed for OZ decline? Come on Oz, pull your head out of your ....

[Whisper]

umm whats the source of this article? Who wrote it? I'm just interested because being an australian it is the first i've heard of anyone in this country blaming the IPL for our form this year..? post the source please and just for your info where does it say that the aussies are blaming the IPL? i don't see any of the players quoted? All i see is the authors view looking from the outside in and making his own observation. you should maybe learn to read english.

[Whisper]

only links i can find are British and Indian. *yawn*

[Chandan]

You mean INDIAN/BRITISH links like the following: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/sport/the-ipls-big-money-curse/1399568.aspx That's just one of SEVERAL. Holler if you want more :winky: No limit to the stupidity of these aussies and their fanboys :haha:

At least this one should suffice: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/01/04/1231003847886.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

[Whisper]

thanks for the link. now answer me... who the F%$K are ANDREW STEVENSON AND STEPHEN SAMUELSON? I've never heard of them and last time i checked Canberra wasn't big enough to warrant it's own newspaper! the point I was getting at is that noone in Australia actually thinks that is the case and its pretty obvious that 2 'nobody' journalists are throwing around the idea to try and be controversial. If you asked any of the australian team, or any australian with an idea, they would tell you that the decline is due to handfuls of the best players ever retiring at the same time that teams such as India and SA have become more competitive and improved their game. Noone in their right mind would try to blame the IPL... especially considering most of the australian team only played the first 2 weeks of it! But you guys just love to pick up a piece of sensationalism journalism and run with it.. don't you?

[Whisper]

At least this one should suffice: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/01/04/1231003847886.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

ok thanks for that. Now please show me the part where one of the Australia players, or even just a reputable Australia, BLAMES the IPL for their decline?