I have heard it said that the problem with Australian cricket atm was that it had no world beaters in the team (Clarke a likely exception).
Well I disagree.
I'm not saying that I'd object to if a 25 y/o clone of Warnie came along... or Adam Gilchrist circa 1999.... But you can't manufacture or contrive that sort of talent.
What I think is missing from the Australian team (particularly in the batting....) is a bit of ticker. Otherwise known as backbone. And sometimes also called fortitude.
Examples....
Someone like a Merv Hughes, yeah the guy was a bit of a clown and a slob, and he was certainly not a world beater in the class of Lillee or McGrath. But would he would bowl hard all day and always give 100%? Bet your @rse he would. I remember hearing a story years ago (20+ years back) about how, if the Australian selectors wanted to know if a batsman was up to Test Cricket, they'd see how they would cope with Merv in Shield cricket. Maybe it was a bull story, but it did illustrate to me that people thought Merv played the game hard – even against the West Indian side at the time (the best in the world), he never took a back step. And no, I'm not a Victorian.
Or a Justin Langer.... never, imo, has someone worked so hard to average 45 in test cricket. I'm not saying the guy was not talented, because clearly he was. For me he is one of 3 Australian players of the past 30 years or so who have put the highest price on their wicket (just through what I perceive to be their determination – the other 2 are Allan Border [for whom Australia's top individual cricket award is justifiably named], and Steve Waugh, btw). JL always impressed me more than Hayden – though Hayden has the 50+ average, more tons and a HS of 380. The joke used to be – put Steve Waugh's head on Mark Waugh's body and you'd have a player who would average 60. Put JLs head on MWs body and you could well have had the Don.
Or going further back – a guy like Dean Jones (test avg ~ 46). Who in 1986 in India scored a double ton in 99% humidity and 40+ degree heat while puking his guts out and peeing himself involuntarily. It was a test match we would go onto tie (the 2nd tied test). Jones ended up on a saline drip afterwards and Bob Simpson (then Australian coach) said it was the greatest innings ever played for Australia.
We don't need a team of world beaters – we just need guys who are prepared to play test cricket the way it is meant to be played.
Hard.
Well I disagree.
I'm not saying that I'd object to if a 25 y/o clone of Warnie came along... or Adam Gilchrist circa 1999.... But you can't manufacture or contrive that sort of talent.
What I think is missing from the Australian team (particularly in the batting....) is a bit of ticker. Otherwise known as backbone. And sometimes also called fortitude.
Examples....
Someone like a Merv Hughes, yeah the guy was a bit of a clown and a slob, and he was certainly not a world beater in the class of Lillee or McGrath. But would he would bowl hard all day and always give 100%? Bet your @rse he would. I remember hearing a story years ago (20+ years back) about how, if the Australian selectors wanted to know if a batsman was up to Test Cricket, they'd see how they would cope with Merv in Shield cricket. Maybe it was a bull story, but it did illustrate to me that people thought Merv played the game hard – even against the West Indian side at the time (the best in the world), he never took a back step. And no, I'm not a Victorian.
Or a Justin Langer.... never, imo, has someone worked so hard to average 45 in test cricket. I'm not saying the guy was not talented, because clearly he was. For me he is one of 3 Australian players of the past 30 years or so who have put the highest price on their wicket (just through what I perceive to be their determination – the other 2 are Allan Border [for whom Australia's top individual cricket award is justifiably named], and Steve Waugh, btw). JL always impressed me more than Hayden – though Hayden has the 50+ average, more tons and a HS of 380. The joke used to be – put Steve Waugh's head on Mark Waugh's body and you'd have a player who would average 60. Put JLs head on MWs body and you could well have had the Don.
Or going further back – a guy like Dean Jones (test avg ~ 46). Who in 1986 in India scored a double ton in 99% humidity and 40+ degree heat while puking his guts out and peeing himself involuntarily. It was a test match we would go onto tie (the 2nd tied test). Jones ended up on a saline drip afterwards and Bob Simpson (then Australian coach) said it was the greatest innings ever played for Australia.
We don't need a team of world beaters – we just need guys who are prepared to play test cricket the way it is meant to be played.
Hard.