Posted by jrod on September 30, 2008 under QLD | 
QLD, the New Texas Bulls
Players that won’t be available for large parts of the season.
Hayden, Roy?, Watson and Hopes.
Losing Watson and Hopes in the one season would cripple most state teams, but the one thing Queensland has is all rounders.
The two bets performed all rounders in state cricket last year were Ryan Harris and Ashley Noffke, they are now team mates, and Noffke has a point to prove.
Last year they were plainly spoken complete fucken rubbish. Actually they were way worse than that.
They were old, stale, and pathetic.
This year the have shed Maher and Kasprowicz, for some unknown reason kept Bichel, and Johnson has gone to be with his girlfriend.
Leadership
Chris Simpson is the new captain, and I don’t know a lot about him, it always seems risky when a team makes a fringe player a captain, but if he is the only choice, he is the only choice.
He said some strong words in the media about hard work and so forth, but so did Nathan Adcock last year, and where is he now, exactly.
Bowling
Ashley Noffke was the best bowler outside of test cricket last year. Ryan Harris was the hardest working man in show bizness last year,
But once these two are finished what does Queensland have. They have no spinners, Andy Bichel and lots of untried bowlers, Noffke and Harris would have to take a lot of wickets, and if one gets the call up, Queensland are in trouble.
Batting
Old.
Unkown.
Strugglers.
And all rounders.
I have never seen a state line up look so bare.
Noffke and Harris may end up with all the wickets and all the runs.
Long in the tooth
Andy Bichel is technically already dead and no one has told him and Martin Love is pensioner, if both of these guys play out the whole year I’d be surprised.
Ready to shed the nappies
Ummmm, shit, lets say Alistair McDermott who makes other red heads look subtle.
Nostradamus
Shield
Last.
One dayers
Last.
2020
Second Last.
The rub
They seem old and ordinary, and the probably are, remember when they were good.
The Robert DeNiro mob
Posted by jrod on under NSW |
Time for my state cricket round up.
This may be the last year I can do one with any authority,
We’ll start wit the reigning champs.
NSWales, the speedblitz blues
Players that won’t be available for large parts of the season.
Bollinger, Bracken, Clark, Clarke, Haddin, Jacques, Katich, and Lee.
That is a fair list, and looking at the “a” team, there are a bunch more in the wings.
What have they got left, youth, youth, and yup, youth.
Last year I though there youth was ordinary and wouldn’t make much of a splash, they did, bastards.
The Reigning Shield Champions seem to have an uphill battle to do the same.
This year they will need that youth to kick on either further as Haddin, Katich and Bollinger will be available far less.
Leadership
Katich is a huge loss, not just for batting, but he was the steel, but the captaincy, when you have a young team you need a captain who can bring them together, but he will be there and thereabouts for Australia, and may miss large portions of the season.
Whoever has the captaincy for the games Katich is not available will be the key, I would say they would go with Thornely, Daniel Smith, Mail or Ed Cowan.
Bowling
With their top 4 bowlers all busy, Cameron and Henriques will have to take a lot of wickets.
Henriques is the highest rated young player since Michael Clarke, but so far he hasn’t done much other than look impressive.
Beau Casson will be trying to prove he is the number one spinner in Australia, which he isn’t, but with this bowling attack, he should get a lot of overs.
Batting
Hard to see where the runs are coming from. Mail, Cowan and Thornley are experienced, but none of these players are top flight state batsmen.
The class would appear to come from Hughes and Khawaja. Neither have the experience, but they do look like the way forward.
Khawaja will also provide Australian writers the opportunity to call him wristy which is nice.
Henriques, Casson and Steve Smith are all supposed to be all rounders, and they will have to make a few runs between them.
Long in the tooth
The Mail Man may be paying his last season. Should get a game for the first half of the year, but when the young bucks start circling, he is the one Matthew Nicholson and the other selectors may get rid of. Although Nicholson probably thinks 30 is young.
Ready to shed the nappies
Steven Smith is the highest rated youngster since Moises Henriques, sorry couldn’t help myself. Played in a few 2020 games last year and tripped over wickets with his leg spin. He may be the Cameron White, Cameron White never proved to be, a genuine top six batsman who can bowl.
Nostradamus
Shield
3rd to 4th.
One dayers
2nd to 3rd.
2020
Last, they never take this shit seriously.
The rub
They is young, and held in high regard, but can they play?
The Ryan Gosling side
Tags: beau casson, cameron white, daniel smith, mark cameron, matthew nicholson, michael clarke, moises henriques, Sheffield Shield, shield preview, simon katich, steven smith
Posted by jrod on September 26, 2008 under VIC |
350 overs in county cricket.
32 overs in Pro40.
49 overs in the Friends Provident Trophy.
20 overs of 2020.
That is what Darren Eyelids Pattinson has done in England.
This is more than he has played in his whole career for Victoria.
Which is only two partial seasons worth.
Notts have worked the man to death.
I am watching him at mid off at the moment and he looks like a shell of a man.
With Denton, Harwood & Lewis all departing Eyelids would have been handy this year.
When he left Victoria he was a roof tiler.
Now he comes back as an international cricketer with a first class bowling average of 27.
But fat load of good that will do him if he gets to Victoria as a jaded English professional.
Notts coach Mick Newell even gave special mention to the fact that poor ol eyelids has been worked to the bone.
Since Eyelids has only ever played 5 shield games before, he probably isn’t used to bowling day in and out.
Looking at the Vics line up this year, he should get used to it.
While Dirty Dirk and Peter Sizzle will take the new ball, Eyelids should pip McKay and Wright for first change.
Dirk has also played for Middlesex, but being the true blue Victorian he is, he hasn’t played the whole season, infact even today he realised the boys in pink were going to win easily so he pulled out injured.
A true Victorian soldier.
Posted by jrod on September 23, 2008 under VIC |
Chuck has left the Vics.
According to Cricket Victoria, beacons of truth that I am sure they are, Chuck has left to spend more time with his family and such.
It’s a nice story.
If it were true.
It’s late September.
The pre season has already started.
The season starts on 12 October.
Is this not a weird time to leave your position.
Last year Boof Lehmann was given the ass by South Australia.
Roy has just been shit canned by Cricket Australia.
And now Chuck is gone.
See a pattern here, larrikins, free spirits, party guys, or non probots.
Is Cricket Australia slowly stripping away all the personality and flair from the ranks?
Maybe I am reading too much into this.
Wouldn’t be the first time.
But, splits this close to the start of the season are very rarely amicable or simple.
Dodsy had this to say.
“‘Chuck’ has played a key role in Victoria’s success throughout his playing and coaching career. His experience, knowledge and passion for the ‘Big V’ will be sadly missed but we wish Darren and his family the very best in the next chapter of their lives.”
Let’s hope this is a simple split, and not part of a James Sutherland masterminded plot to get rid of all cricketing personalities.
Thanks chuck.
Posted by jrod on September 19, 2008 under VIC |
Dav Whatmore would probably be coach.
Arjuna Ranatunga and Dean Jones would be best friends, and enemies.
And Dirk Nannes would be god.
The Lankan side would look like this.
Nick Jewell
Chris Rogers
Kumar Sangakarra
David Hussey
Mahela Jayawardene
Brad Hodge
Prasana Jayawardena
Peter Siddle
Ajantha Mendis
Murali Muralitharan
Dirk Nannes
Fahveez Maharoof (12th)
Ok the openers would be a little fragile, but look at the 3,4 & 5, style personified.
The bowling attack is pretty handy too, left arm proper quick, steady as a train seam bowler, wrist spinner and a mystery spinner.
That is one hell of a balanced attack, but the tail is frail, but you could fix that with Vaas or Maharoof at 8.
For some reason the site of seeing Dirty Dirk at one end, and Mendis at the other is a dream for me.
Posted by jrod on September 15, 2008 under VIC |
Obviously we would be even bigger assholes.
Our accents would be ridicioulous.
And Brad Hodge would be a match fixer.
But the South African test team would look like this.
Chris Rogers
Graeme Smith
Brad Hodge
Jacques Kallis
David Hussey
Hashim Amla
Cameron White
Mark Boucher
Morne Morkel
Dale Steyn
Bryce McGain
Peter Siddle (12th)
Not a bad side all said and done.
Cameron wouldn’t last long not being captain.
Boucher would be under pressure from Wade and the X man.
Could win on almost all surfaces.
Especially suited to Indian conditions, with the two quicks and kallis, mcgain, white, and then three part time offies who can all take wickets in Smith, Hussey, and Hodge.
A South African team with 5 spin options, you know this is fantasy.
Posted by jrod on September 14, 2008 under VIC |
There are 2 Victorians in the test squad to India.
Us Victorians are happy with that.
Greg Shipperd, our commander in chief, wants more.
Ship is not Victorian.
He doesn’t get it.
2 Victorians is a landmark moment.
Like receiving porn from your aunty, or finding a thousand dollars in unmarked bills.
Ship thinks that Cameron White should have been picked ahead of Shane Watson.
Does he think he is in Western Australia or something.
In what world does he think the selectors would pick the big bear ahead of the son of Trevor Hohns, Shane Watson.
You’re not in Kansas any more Ship.
2 Victorians in the test squad is fucking amazing, count your lucky stars you got one.
While it makes sense in theory that Cameron White would play ahead of Shane Watson in a sub continent sort of way.
It doesn’t make sense in a selectors of the Australian test team sort of way.
If you break it down you could say that as White is a better player of spin than Watson, and a somewhat handier spin option than Watson, he should be picked.
That is how it works for other states Ship.
Other states also get players picked when they have had good performances.
Not here, here we take two players, in the team, and we don’t worry about little things like the fact that other players we have are more suited to playing for Australia, or have a better record.
We take what we can get.
Because we are Victoria, home of one or two Australian players at a time.
If we are lucky.
Posted by jrod on September 12, 2008 under VIC |
Victorians rejoice, we are back baby.
2 Victorians in the test squad, one all but guaranteed a test place, and one a young gun.
Do a little dance, make a little love, etc…
I said not that long ago that while as Victorians we think the selectors are against us, the truth is the only player who should be in the test team is Bryce McGain.
While it should have happened in December, 10 months later it is here.
Merv stood up, but only when there was no other options.
So we cannot give him any credit for that one.
But for Peter SIZZLE that is where he gets credit.
That is the good one.
Because not only did he get Peter Sizzle into the squad, but he assholed chief Victorian tormentor Ashley Noffke, who probably should have been there on performances and for team balance.
Merv is coming of age.
Most importantly Beautiful Beau Casson is no where to be seen.
Yet again Merv, you have out done yourself.
This is the best Victorian test squad in a long time.
Obviously there are still omissions, Future PM must have been unlucky to miss out, but Katich & Watson have been picked as Symonds replacement, rather than doing with the must likely like for like selection in Hussey.
But let us not get bogged down in negativity, this is a moment for joy.
Bryce has the main spinners spot for, hopefully, as long as he deserves it.
Peter Siddle may have booked his trip with one good bowling spell in India.
With the ashes coming around, Siddle is in the drivers seat to book his trip, and with Johnson still not legit, and Clark can’t keep probing at this rate for ever.
This could be an exciting period for Victorian Cricket, about fucking time.
Well done Merv, but we do expect more of this.
And well done Bryce, you are the number one spinner in Australia, you deserve this, now go take some wickets.
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