Anyone for cricket...?

I disagree that we've always had quality spinners - we've had a few that were competent in the last 40 years but Warne was exceptional (excusing his personality flaws) on a world standard let alone an Australian one.
Oz spin bowlers test averages
Cameron White: 68.40
Murray Bennett: 54.16
Peter Sleep: 45.06
Jason Krejza: 43.23
Beau Casson: 43.00
Ray Bright: 41.13
Dutchy Holland: 39.76
Nathan Hauritz: 34.98 (29.65 in Australia)
Jim Higgs : 31.16
Ashley Mallet: 29.84
Stuart MacGill: 29.02
Richie Benaud: 27.03
Colin Miller: 26.15
Shane Warne: 25.41
Michael Bevan: 24.24
Clarrie Grimmett: 24.21
Xavier Doherty: 20.5 (one completed innings )

I think our problem is we have a relatively weak team that is largely out of form, in both bowling and batting. Before Warne we hadn't thought of a spinner as a strike bowler since Benaud (Mallet had one amazing innings but it wasn't the norm). Look at our batting card, and how lucky was Hussey courtesy of the 'T'.

In addition we would only pick the spinner if the conditions warranted - so the WACA we always had four quicks and drop the spinner - but Warne was always picked regardless (probably to the detriment of his bowling average).

Any team losing Warne is not going to do as well. And let's not underestimate the loss of McGrath. We are in a rebuilding phase and that always hurts - you don't hear commentators skiting about the dearth of talent in the wonderful Sheffield Shield at the moment, like you did when new faces appeared and succeeded at test level with monotonous regularity - in hindsight it seems it was the quality of the test team that made that transition easier, not the quality of state cricket.

Anyway, I agree it would be great to have a great spinner in the side - but even Warne couldn't make this team world beaters - It's the gabba FFS, and our quicks are struggling and half of the top order can't get past ten runs? Our problems are more than a spinner.

I reckon that put Warne in this test at his best, and we'd being doing the wrap up by lunch today.

The spinners may not have had the great overall averages, but they're needed at particular times.

What I don't understand, is that when Warne was creating so much interest in spin bowling in general, and leg spinning in particular, why we didn't have a hundred thousand young guys picking up cricket balls and trying to bowl leg spin. It actually seems to have gone the other way. I think there is one leg spinner in Sheffield shield who has some promise for the future. And we've used 9 spinners since Warnie retired. The selectors ARE desperately trying to find one that can just hold a regular place in the team - and so far, have been unable to.

I'm not so up on my cricket.

does the spinner bowler hafta do much else?

cuz I still have a mean curveball for an old guy, but I don't run so good any more...

but aye can spake auztrahlian.

It is kind of weird - especially when you consider that Warnie's period of success as 'the last hope of leg spin' coincides with Rowdy Miller, Bevo and MacGill all having very good test averages for spinners.

That depends on how good he is. The guy we're talking about - Shane Warne - could make a cricket ball talk. There were some batsmen he literally tied in knots.

As for the Windies quicks. Not exactly a fair comparison. Holding, Garner, Croft, Roberts, and a touch later, Marshall. You'd be hard pressed to find a time when a better group of fast bowlers all turned up at the same time. And they had a couple of guys named Greenidge and Haynes opening, a rock in the name of Clive Lloyd, and I seem to remember a fellow by the name of Viv Richards, who some people thought had a bit of talent! That was a magical time.

Well - they've just called stumps - about an hour early. No chance of a result!

Ponting made 51.

And complained vigorously about the inclonclusive catch video.

In retrospect it seemed the gabba was just a lot tamer then usual. Too much rain? I heard the conditions climatically were quite pleasant, which is unusual for Brisbane this time of year.

They say that a change is as good as a holiday in Adelaide.

Adelaide Test to start in about 4 hours, presently very overcast and rain predicted, hope it holds off.

Sorry I was a day early about the Test, it starts on Friday!

Australia 3/11. And they were complaining about the bowling attack. This is ******* insane. I watch international cricket during the Australian summer, and watch the IPL when I'm on night shift at work, but I can't say I "follow" the game. I don't know anything about the players in the domestic competition. But if this game only goes for the 3 days that appears likely at this early stage, surely, it's time for change, and surely, there must be players in the domestic competition ready to step up. Before the game they were worried about a bowling attack that could take 20 wickets in a test match, maybe they also need to worry about a batting line up that can score a hundred. And sorry Ricky, but if this one IS gone in 3 days, then it's time for Ricky to go too. New team, new captain, focused on the future, because it's obvious that this series is already gone.

One name stands out in hingeheads' list of Ozzie spinners:

Dutchy Holland: 39.76

A man of many talents, our Dutchy!

I rest my case that our problems are much more that just a spinner.

I never suggested that that was the ONLY problem the team had.

I think we need to nobble Alistair Cook.

Broken kneecap do, ya think??

Hi Wilso, wasn't slapping you, just pissing in my own pocket!

Things not looking pretty for the Aussies after the 2nd day. Englang 2/317 with Pietersen on 85 no and Cook 136no. We need an early break through or we'll be chasing a mighty total.