Ian Chappell subtly dissing SC

[Kalia_Test]

here IT was as though losing the toss in the second Test unnerved Michael Clarke; he was flummoxed for the first time since he took over the Australian captaincy. His rash of bowling changes and constant unorthodox moves in the field, suggested Australia’s constant failure on dry dusty pitches had finally got to him. At the end of his tether, it was as if he decided; “Let’s try something — anything — to try and manufacture a different result.” In the end, the constant changes in approach unsettled his own team more the Pakistan team. If there’s only one judge in cricket — the scoreboard — then there’s no doubt his panicky approach suited Pakistan. AUSSIE DOWNFALL WAS PLOTTED FROM SYDNEY CLARKE’S HANDS TIED IN DOOLAN SACKING A bowler — pace or spin — needs to settle into a rhythm and work on a plan for a period of time. When fieldsmen are constantly being changed, the bowler feels the pressure to come up with a quick result and consequently he doesn’t settle into a rhythm of thought or deed. If ever a pitch cried out for the metronomic relentlessness of Glenn McGrath, it was the bald, brown and lifeless strip in Abu Dhabi. When Clarke eventually produced a unique fielder placed behind the bowler’s arm, it was the last roll of the dice before the white flag was hoisted. As an opposing batsman I would’ve been torn between the desire to annoy in return by asking the umpire to make Clarke provide a reason why it wasn’t purely a ploy to distract the striker and the need to remain silent as Australia needlessly wasted a fielder. The only time the Australian fast bowlers looked like succeeding was when they delivered a ball on a length that brought the batsman forward and on a line where he had to play. McGrath made a substantial living out of repeatedly producing such testing deliveries. A major concern in this Test series (apart from the result) is the effort expended by Mitchell Johnson, which may mentally deflate as well physically drain him for the summer that follows. I suspect the sight of the ball flying from a bouncy Australian pitch will be the ideal remedy for Johnson, as long as the back breaking effort in the UAE doesn’t hasten an injury. In the case of premier spinner Nathan Lyon his problem was simple; not enough deliveries tempting the right-handers to drive through the covers and far too many that allowed easy runs on the on-side from the relative safety of the back foot. The cover drive is the hardest shot for a right-hander to execute against an off-spinner who curves and dips his deliveries. It opens up so many avenues for an ambush; bowled through the gap, caught behind the wicket or at bat pad, lbw, or stumped. The Australian batsmen will now face many similar challenges on a testing surface where they have little else to play for but pride. If it hadn’t been for the typical sub-continent approach of Pakistan, where individual statistical accumulation overrides the only true reason to play Test cricket — for a team victory — then Australia could have been in even deeper trouble earlier. Australia’s batting woes are partly due to some players having a method predicated purely on survival. This allows the bowler to immediately assume authority, whereas a mental approach that combines both survival and prospering keeps the balance between bat and ball even. Then there are others whose back foot swivels in defence. The latter defect causes the bat to travel across (rather than down), the line of the delivery and hence the number of players being dismissed by deliveries that go straight on. The adjustment a batsman has to make from low to high bouncing pitches is far greater than the other way round. Australia’s batsmen have failed to negotiate the easier transition. It was also evident from the occasional spells from part-timer Steve Smith that Australia has paid a high price for neglecting what used to be one of it’s greatest assets in Test cricket; the development of high class leg-spinners. Even though Smith is erratic, his good deliveries created far more concern than any other Australian bowler. It’s pointless yearning for another Shane Warne every time these situations arise, as his class is rarely repeated. However, it’s not asking too much to expect a Stuart MacGill type should always be available and one good leg-spinner could’ve made a huge difference in this series. As it is, Australia will return home empty-handed but this will soon be forgotten when they prosper on pitches that favour their methods. However, for those players who love the challenge of succeeding under all conditions, there’ll be a slightly hollow feeling as they experience the joy of triumphantly lifting the Border — Gavaskar trophy. ----------------- I know bradman only because his average is close to 100...else he would have been another WW 2 batsman playing against a bunch of 'gentleman' amateurs who consider it beyond their dignity to bend and field a cricket ball... And he makes such sweeping generalisations about SC - don't Aussies celebrate 100s,50s,5 fors? And what is this crap of Johnson being tired? If he is not fit, drop him...What do Aussie pitches offer to off-spinners or spinners in general ? Do you see them whinge like this whinging from Chappeli that Johnson will be tired? ( Thanks padosis :two_thumbs_up: ) Chappelli already decided that India will be crushed in Aus Tests :((

[AmreekanDesi]

^ honestly that is what annoys me most. Despite being absolutley humiliated by Pak and us a year or so ago, these Aussies dont even entertain the idea that the result is gonna be anything but a Aussie cleansweep in our tour. Typical arrogant behavior but that was atleast understandable in the 90s and 2000's with their legendary team but what gives these hacks the right to think that way. Bunch of pussies and I hope they come into our series with a false sense of confidence and we stuff them /Rant

[Pagalpanti]

Ego aside, SC sides do go for records and then declare. RD is hated for not allowing Tendu to complete a double for that very reason..

[Lord]

Ego aside' date=' SC sides do go for records and then declare. RD is hated for not allowing Tendu to complete a double for that very reason..[/quote'] Everyone does it,when did Aus declare with a batsman in 90s,190s?

[kosingh]

Excuse me....but who is SC?

[Laaloo]

Excuse me....but who is SC?

subcontinent

[express bowling]

Chappell and some other Sissies er .... sorry Aussies ( damn autocorrect ) .. have developed this defeatist attitude in the last 5/6 years. Trying to undermine a loss by criticizing the playing environment ... albeit subtly. This is in starc difference to the champion Aussie team of the late 90s and early 2000s which considered the Indian tour as the ultimate frontier and wanted to win here rather than offer lame excuses. If Johnson cannot succeed in the subcontinent and needs helpful tracks to succeed then he is no champion bowler like Steyn. Atleast one plus point of an Asian tour is Mr. Chappell seems to have developed mystical powers of looking into the future...

[Precambrian]

Who bowled parttimers when opposition team was struggling because the captain was on verge of overrate ban?