Australia / India

Australia protect some bowlers so that some different ones can get injured

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If the Gabbattoir is seeing anyone slaughtered, it’s not the Indians but the home team’s bowlers. Ryan Harris was rested because he’s slightly injured and while Peter Siddle was flat-out dropped, he might be back for the next Test because the Aussie bowlers who actually are playing have been attempting to rotate at too great a speed.

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchells Starc and Marsh all suffered in some way on day one of the second Test. A third Mitch – Johnson – only suffered in terms of his bowling figures, which were 0-64 off 15. Hazlewood and Starc should be okay to bowl on day two, but Marsh, in a respectful nod to his absent captain, has done his hammy. They’re even being a bit vague about whether he’ll bat.

All this cramp and nigglage hasn’t done much for the over rate either. Despite 22 overs of spin, only 83 overs were bowled in the day, which is shocking. India still found time to make 311.

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14 comments

  1. That Aussie batting lineup really does look bits-and-pieces doesn’t it? Warner and Smith aside (neither of whom ‘look’ like test cricketers in style, though their averages disagree).

    37-year old opener with a test average of 34
    Injury-prone number three with a test average of 36
    Number five averages 33.
    And a number six bat who averages 29 in FC cricket!

    Long gone those days when David Hussey could average 52 and not even get a single baggy green cap. Lot’s of mediocre bowling options in that top six though, which is nice.

    1. Like an understandably cautious real estate investor, we’re not really sold on either Marsh.

  3. I so enjoyed watching the last few minutes of play this morning.

    Aussie commentators love to describe their English counterparts as “whingeing poms” when things go wrong for England. But there is nothing so one-eyed and moan-tastic as an Aussie commentator towards the end of a bad day at the Aussie office. Chappelli was having a veritable whinge-fest today. Luv it.

    1. It’s a common phenomenon for people to be most irritated by those negative qualities that they themselves exhibit.

  4. Plus March Snr is sufficiently injured (prior to the match) that he can’t actually throw – or at least that’s the explanation I’ve read for his dropped catches.

    What a time to not be an Australian fan, I’m not sure we’ve ever had it so good.

    1. Perhaps they should have picked Marsh Really Sr instead?

      Or one from the other Marsh family -these guys are the kids of the mediocre batsman, not the great keeper, right?

  5. Theory: Australia’s success is more dependent on Ryan Harris than they’d like to admit.

    I’m at work right now so I can’t check that, but my recollection is they’ve been dominant with him and not so great without him over the last couple years.

  6. Serious question, KC: what do you think of Steve “Chicken Dance” “Punchable Face” “Devereux” Smith as current/future Australian captain?

    1. We really don’t know enough about him. His recent batting has shown signs of intelligence and match awareness, but that’s not really much to go off. He seems to have had success when he’s captained at lower levels too.

      Or do you mean how do we feel about it? We’re sure respect and hatred will build in unison.

    2. “We’re sure respect and hatred will build in unison.”…

      …with Australian captains, ’twas always thus.

    3. Thank you for the feedback, Yer Maj. Not knowing what to think about him, I’m glad to have the opinion of somebody much more experienced at thinking about these sort of things, and that he also doesn’t know what to think about him.

  7. Ryan Harris has been far and away Australia’s best bowler over the past few years, and also their most injury prone. Perhaps Cricket Australia has done some good old-fashioned post hoc analysis and concluded that decent form comes directly from knee-knack and chronic back-warch. In which case, presumably they’ve got Josh “Mitch” Hazelwood lined up for an injury in the second innings.

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