TOPIC:

Agar is batting well but 3 wickets @ 136 in 5 SS games so far this season is not good enough, hopefully he can turn it around at the MCG against the VICs as we dont really have many other spin options at the minute.
Carder didnt make the most of his chance and apparently split the webbing in his hand so he may be a casualty with probably Short, Cartwright & possibly Richardson inclusions for the touring squad.

Did I hear right Bancroft was caught down the leg side yet again for only 10 today?
That must be at least the 6th time this season alone he has been out in that way.

Yet BH he is first off the rank for a test gig?? Reckon Voges needs to reprieve the kid and give him some quality A grade time to repair his shattered technique. Good to see Carder still there at lunch against a quality attack....if Marsh goes big here I reckon he might be the new standby.....still scratching my head as to why Head isn't playing some form of cricket this weekend....the guy hasn't had a decent hit for a month just about.

If Bancroft does get dropped Freeze he will be the 5th batsmen from our starting top order this summer to lose his place due to poor form- Sam Whiteman, Hilton Cartwright, Josh Phillipe & Ashton Turner having already been dropped so far added to Mitch Marsh's brain snap in keeping him out virtually the whole season so far, Darcy Short also only lasted 1 game.

As an aside unfortunately our WA 19s have had a poor Under 19s Championships played at home thus far in losing all 4 of our games so far including losses to NT, ACT, TAS & VIC Metro.

Perhaps young Cooper Connolly from Scarborough might get the nod BH.....dominated with bat n ball at the WA winning U/17s Carnival as skipper, then playing against older kids for the CA XI at the U/19's carnival and doing well with bat and ball. Disappointing to think WA U/19s couldn't get past the NT or ACT in the champs at least....Goodwin has his a couple of 40-50's but nothing else of note.

What's the deal with the pitch in the WA / Vic game?

Apparently play has been suspended due to a dangerous pitch at the MCG Freeze.

Gee yet another embarrassing moment at the Vic self proclaimed "Sporting Capital Of The World" LOL

Beasley Hutton wrote: Apparently play has been suspended due to a dangerous pitch at the MCG Freeze.

Gee yet another embarrassing moment at the Vic self proclaimed "Sporting Capital Of The World" LOL

Bit of a worry with the boxing day test only a few weeks away

Apparently the problems have stemmed from the concrete block that lies underneath the surface of the MCG - it is currently the bed for the drop in centre square
Next year will see it's removal to install a natural soil bed in it's place again apparently
Looks like the roller is over compacting certain sections of pitches hence inconsistent bounce

Not sure what to make of this suspension on play - have only caught snippets on the news and would like to see some footage.
Makes you wonder though - whether it is the MCG or not is not necessarily the issue. However we have a situation where the ground gets rated poorly and if they continued to rate the same way they will lose test matches.

The primary reason as I understood it was that it was flat, easy for batsmen, big scores from all sides, boring to watch, nothing in it for the bowlers etc.

That's the bit here - nothing in it for the bowlers.

Now no-one I presume wants to see lethal pitches which are dangerous. Which is why I would like to see some footage of the game.

And protection for batsmen has become paramount, in particular following the tragic death of Phillip Hughes - and so it should.

So taking all this in - 2 weeks out in a Shield game they have a pitch which is giving the bowlers a bit and from some accounts a lot. Was it more than when Australian batsmen such as Boon, Marsh, Border et al faced the likes Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose et al in the late 80's on pretty farking difficult pitches to bat on.

Maybe the pitch is unfair and the game should have been stopped - it does at the very least call into question what sort of pitches we want. So if there was irregular bounce, it was rising sharply, batsmen were getting hit! Well this is not a new thing or concept in cricket.

Pretty hard being a bowler these days - you either have to bowl on a wicket which is flat and gives you Henry Hall's brother or you can bowl on a wicket which may give you something and then it's unfair and unsafe for the batsmen.

And yes safety is paramount - maybe some coaching early in a young batsman's career on some tough pitches, where there is inconsistent bounce would help rather than refining techniques on flat decks only to say perhaps it is to tough and unfair when a fast bowler has something to work with.

No point encouraging some young kid bending his back as a fast bowler these days - in particular in the test arena.

I guess this latest bullshit with the MCG pitch should help determine the Test venues for next Summer vs India and Afghanistan.

AUS vs IND
1st Test- Gabba
2nd Test- Adelaide Oval
3rd Test- Perth Stadium (Boxing Day Test)
4th Test- SCG (New Year Test)

AUS vs AFG
1st Test- Junction Oval