We?ll just about get 4th place at this rate

[Luis Anaconda]

Two young sons means that I can't really get away with being out all day playing cricket on a Saturday... But the skippers of the Sat teams have my number to cover for holidays etc... The dream would be to play in the 4ths/5ths/6ths when the boys are ready to start playing adult cricket. Would love to play a season or two with one or both of them!

Blimey - it's been a while since we've talked about such stuff! Good luck with that. Towards the end of my playing days I dropped down to the thirds and played with older players who's kids were coming through the colts and occassionall played when we short. Was back in my home town the other week and chatting to an old friend who told me one of those kids is now the captain of our old club. Proud to say I gave him his debut! Another reason cricket is such a wonderful game

[Peter]

Sadly I think they might - also agree with your comment on Cook

" I think he deserves it but it just doesn't seem in keeping with previous mantras about wanting pace / people who bowl a heavy ball. He's more of an English style bowler who wobbles it off the seam."

It's not a bad selection imo

If you watch Bolland bowl in Australia - as I did a lot in the winter - you realise there is still room for that type of bowler. Even the all rounder they brought in for Marsh got some vital wickets and I recknow you'd probably be quicker. Are you still playing btw?

Plenty of great aussie bowlers were not hugely quick. You don't have to be. I think it is more about adjusting to conditions and to the different ball. Hard, true wickets with bounce, not much off the seam and no swing. Pace is one solution. Devastating accuracy and a nagging line is another. Right arm medium fast at 84 mph hoping for some swing is not. And it is about the only thing we have tried.....

The fundamental issue is that the skills you need to be successful on our wickets will not help you in australia. So in selecting a side you have to be imaginative and take a risk. Picking the guys with the best domestic records is no help at all. You have to be brave....

Douglas Jardine understood this

[Luis Anaconda]

Plenty of great aussie bowlers were not hugely quick. You don't have to be. I think it is more about adjusting to conditions and to the different ball. Hard, true wickets with bounce, not much off the seam and no swing. Pace is one solution. Devastating accuracy and a nagging line is another. Right arm medium fast at 84 mph hoping for some swing is not. And it is about the only thing we have tried.....

The fundamental issue is that the skills you need to be successful on our wickets will not help you in australia. So in selecting a side you have to be imaginative and take a risk. Picking the guys with the best domestic records is no help at all. You have to be brave....

Douglas Jardine understood this

Yes - added bounce is a factor as well. Although judging by the pitches this winter maybe not as much. Didn't seem to be as much. The new Perth ground in no WACA and even the Gabba seems to be a bit tame. Day/Night game could have a big bearing. I don't think we're going to get the gubbing that some people think

[Peter]

Yes - added bounce is a factor as well. Although judging by the pitches this winter maybe not as much. Didn't seem to be as much. The new Perth ground in no WACA and even the Gabba seems to be a bit tame. Day/Night game could have a big bearing. I don't think we're going to get the gubbing that some people think

For me it is all about taking wickets. We can bat on these surfaces and have done ok in the previous series for the most part. But when it comes to bowling them out we consistently fail, and once the scoreboard tilts against you it all becomes harder and the momentum slips away.

I think there is a mental thing as well. Hopefully our new thinking will make a difference there.

I really dislike the day/night game, particularly over there. The lights just have too big an effect on the ball and you are effectively playing in two separate matches at once.

[Luis Anaconda]

For me it is all about taking wickets. We can bat on these surfaces and have done ok in the previous series for the most part. But when it comes to bowling them out we consistently fail, and once the scoreboard tilts against you it all becomes harder and the momentum slips away.

I think there is a mental thing as well. Hopefully our new thinking will make a difference there.

I really dislike the day/night game, particularly over there. The lights just have too big an effect on the ball and you are effectively playing in two separate matches at once.

I think they have stopped them over here - it didn't work. Still think it makes too big a difference in Oz as well but they like them

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Oh I'm not saying I disagree with his selection. I think he deserves it but it just doesn't seem in keeping with previous mantras about wanting pace / people who bowl a heavy ball. He's more of an English style bowler who wobbles it off the seam.

I read somewhere {at a guess Times or Cricinfo} that there had been a change of mindset. That they now want a bit of variety. They know that 3 right arm Eng medium-quicks doesn't work. But it no longer has to be pure pace - esp cos all our quicks break down.

I think the knew term is "point of difference." A left-armer would be nice, but they say the Sheff Shield showed there is still one place in the XI for an old skool Eng style right arm medium-fast IF they have the skillset.

{Didn't we used to have someone called Jimmy something who fitted that description?}

[Peter]

I read somewhere {at a guess Times or Cricinfo} that there had been a change of mindset. That they now want a bit of variety. They know that 3 right arm Eng medium-quicks doesn't work. But it no longer has to be pure pace - esp cos all our quicks break down.

I think the knew term is "point of difference." A left-armer would be nice, but they say the Sheff Shield showed there is still one place in the XI for an old skool Eng style right arm medium-fast IF they have the skillset.

{Didn't we used to have someone called Jimmy something who fitted that description?}

So that will be Woakes, then

[Luis Anaconda]

I read somewhere {at a guess Times or Cricinfo} that there had been a change of mindset. That they now want a bit of variety. They know that 3 right arm Eng medium-quicks doesn't work. But it no longer has to be pure pace - esp cos all our quicks break down.

I think the knew term is "point of difference." A left-armer would be nice, but they say the Sheff Shield showed there is still one place in the XI for an old skool Eng style right arm medium-fast IF they have the skillset.

{Didn't we used to have someone called Jimmy something who fitted that description?}

We did - did you see his last effort in Australia. Move the **** on for ****'s sake. His last Ashes at home was pretty average as well

[Luis Anaconda]

So that will be Woakes, then

I think they are trying to move on tbh.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

We did - did you see his last effort in Australia. Move the **** on for ****'s sake. His last Ashes at home was pretty average as well

Oh, I did. My point was we need someone world class. JA was over the hill and had been declining for some time. Basically, he switched swing for wobble ball but would even go back to swing on those days with cloud cover that used to be a guaranteed five-fer with one of the most beautiful curves a cricket ball has ever made.

Woakes would be great if his away averages were like his home ones. A genuine all rounder. But he's proved time and again he can' cut the mustard away from home. We don't have enough fit genuine quicks. We don't have a decebnt left-armer. We don't have a spinner who can at least bat at 8 or 9 when there's not much turn and we just use him to try to hold and end, wait for the new ball and try for the odd wicket before breaks.

In short we might as well give Cook a go in light of the lack of other options. Stokes not being able to bowl enough also causes problems when we lack a spinner of Swann's class.