TOPIC:

Is it now time to give some credit where credit is due, A team coming off the sandpapergate debacle and suspension of 2 key batsmen, going to England and retaining the ashes for the first time in how long? Should have easily won the series if not for some brain farts and shocking umpiring, then home to demolish a weak Pakistan and then do the same to the 2nd ranked test team. I think JL deserves an enormous amount of credit for getting this group back in working order. The bowlers have all had to work to keep their places, Starc return to form after changes to his action has been sensational, Cummins is a deadset star, Hazelwood and Pattinson would be first picks in any countries bowling line up and we have the best finger spinner going around. The other thing that JL has been able to do is instil some patience and persistence into the batting line up. Guys are taking their time and building an innings, non better than Labouchagne, even Warner is giving his wicket more value. The middle order is starting to settle down and regularly producing solid 50+ innings with the occassional ton. The team is playing a far more professional and ruthless form of cricket, quite prepared to grind the opposition into the ground with long innings knowing the bowlers will most likely dismiss the opposition in quick fashion.

Really looking forward to when this group play the Indians and the Safas which will tell us just how much they have improved.

gtrxuone wrote: Until today it had been 40 years since a South Australian born Test Cricketer. Has scored a 100 in a test on the Mcg.
David Hookes did in 1979 v England Boxing day test.Point of interest it was not an Ashes series. Only 3 tests where played . England would not play for the Ashes unless it was 5 tests.West Indies where the big draw card back then.Who also played 3 tests down under that year.1979-80.
Stand corrected.. The South Aussie born batsman was Greg Chappell

This is an interesting question which I heard mentioned on ABC Radio's coverage, gtrxuone.
Greg Chappell is certainly the most recent South Australian-born player AND who made his Sheffield Shield debut for SA to score a Test century at the MCG (114 v England in February 1980).
However, Andrew Hilditch, though he made his Shield debut for NSW before moving to SA, was actually born in North Adelaide.
www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/5656.html
The Happy Hooker Hilditch scored 113 in the second innings of the December 1984 (22-27, with Xmas Day a rest day) MCG Test against the Windies.

mikeh wrote: Haha, yes BH. I don't think Henry Lawson would holiday much in WA. He is probably still bitter about that 91/92 Shield final at the WACA which Langer actually played in!

But I agree that they have missed a great opportunity to introduce a young bowler into the squad. Langer has a big say in who gets picked but there are also other selectors such as Hohns who would have to concur as well.

That 1991-92 final would have to be one of the best Sheffield Shield matches ever played, Mike.
After conceding a 19-run first innings lead, WA slumped to 3-3 in their second innings yet still won by 44 runs.
WA 396 & 344 v NSW 415 & 281
It was also Geoff Lawson's final first-class match.
Yes, Geoff was very much a disciple of the Baggy Blue cap, but I always enjoyed his special comments and analysis on ABC Radio.

Not sure people's problem with Lawson being pro NSW and anti WA....plenty of posters here in BH, Southerner, Swandog et al who are pro WA and anti Victorian with their footy...all part of being one eyed I guess...they all know what they like and like what they know.....

Marnas is as Boer as you get; this was clearly not the strongest NZ side to hit our shores, rememberring too, that they made things harder still by brinnging out an injurred bowller. I am with you on Lawson, Freezin. I will always like him for backinng KJ Hughes.
Shit I wish some of those Anglo-South Africans, you mentioned with aplomb BH, had played better in those test matches.

Kieswetter was another whom played for England, although of Afrikaner descent, unlike most of the others. Unfortunately, I think he had to stop playing cricket because he was badly hit. Let us not forget too, all the yarppies whom have played in grade cricket or for WA..

AR I laugh at how the Kiwis always love to talk about that 1985/86 3 match Test series over here (the only series win the Kiwis have had in Australia) like it was some massive achievement.
In reality it was the worst Australian side to probably play Test cricket in that 1984/85-87/88 era where we just had the retirements of all time greats Lillee, R.Marsh & G.Chappell then the resignation of K.Hughes and then on top of that we had 17 of our First Class players all head to South Africa to play in the rebel series over there in the consecutive summers of 1985/86 & 86/87- K.Hughes, Alderman, Hogg, Wessels etc among those tourists unavailable for Oz whilst we had to compete with average cricketers like Bennett, Kerr, Sleep, Holland, Gilbert, Dyer etc in the baggy green.
Fark we should have been demolished with that sort of cattle.
So although it was a big achievement for NZ to finally beat us on our home deck albeit only 2-1 I might add it should be put into context that was our lowest ever point ever and probably NZ's best era lead primarily off the back of some superb bowling by R.Hadlee & M.Crowe with the bat and it wasnt a complete whitewash by any means.

All true BH especially in regards to the realtive strength of the two sides. In other series I think they have been a little bit unlucky, umpires have not always been friendly to them at key moments

What happaned in 1973-4 bese, Australia was in deep trouble, going into the last day of the seies and I think it rained on NZ's parade so to speak?

ArkRoyal wrote: All true BH especially in regards to the realtive strength of the two sides. In other series I think they have been a little bit unlucky, umpires have not always been friendly to them at key moments

What happaned in 1973-4 bese, Australia was in deep trouble, going into the last day of the seies and I think it rained on NZ's parade so to speak?

Not sure mate as I wasnt born at that time.

in 73-4 it would almost certainly have ended at 1-1, but for rain. Hadlee did something unique and managed to get the umpires to give both the chappells out 'lb'. Keeping i mind that the pommy bowllers never got one lb in 1970-71. What was going on in both series?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_cricke...a_in_1973%E2%80%9374

IM Chappell always said that he never walked primarily because the umpirring was bad in Australia.

from memory there weren't many LBW decisions issued by umpires in Australia for years
the Melbourne pitches deteriorated badly from the 1980's onward so more started to be seen
and there were some seriously quick bowlers around then who got way too much natural bounce to get LBW calls