Michael Clarke versus James Anderson

The second Test of the 2013 Ashes clash approaches. The battle will take place at Lord's, the home of cricket. In 2009 we were given a royal hiding which set up the momentum for England after we were unable to squeeze out a victory in Cardiff.

Had DRS existed back then, Ben Hilfenhaus would have had Andrew Strauss LBW for a golden duck, but Strauss went on to score a match winning 161. Rudi Koertzen was still arriving at the ground in that first over.

I have a strong feeling our side will be; Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Usman Khawaja (in for Cowan), Michael Clarke, Steven Smith, Phillip Hughes, Brad Haddin, Ashton Agar, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Jackson Bird (in for Starc).

Pulled out some stats. The clash between Michael Clarke and James Anderson will be the one to watch this match and is already a huge talking point. Fair to say Anderson convincingly won the contest at Trent Bridge.

Michael Clarke at Lord's (one neutral match versus Pakistan):
3 matches, 298 runs, HS 136 (2009 2nd innings vs England), Avg 49.66.

James Anderson at Lord's (all games):
13 matches, 58 wickets, Avg 26.06, BBI 5/42, 4 five wicket hauls.

James Anderson versus Australia at Lord's:
1 match, 4 wickets, Avg 35.25, BBI 4/55

James Anderson versus Michael Clarke:
14 matches and Anderson has dismissed Clarke 7 times from Anderson's 51 Test wickets versus Australia. he has dismissed Jacques Kallis (South Africa) as many times, while Sachin Tendulkar is his prized scalp with 9 dismissals.

From 21 matches against England, Clarke has scored 1,388 runs at 43.27. That is 19% of his Test match runs coming against the old enemy.

Anderson took Clarke's wicket in the first innings of the 2009 Ashes Test, but Clarke's epic second innings performance in that Test stands out as one of my fondest memories of his batting in intense circumstances. Given his form in recent times I believe it will give him a strong foundation to outplay Anderson in this match.

Our side does have a struggle to pull back from an early loss in a Test series, but there's plenty of cricket to come and although there has to be massive improvement from the first Test, there was a fight shown from our boys that has been absent for a long time.

Play hard boys, play smart!

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Australian 2013 Ashes Squad Announced

Without further to do, here is the 2013 Australian Ashes squad to take on England in their territory.
The Australia A squad can be found at the end of this article. Your views are most welcome right here or via The Baggy Green Blog's Facebook page. The comment tab is at the footer of the article, moderation is active.

2013 Australian Ashes touring squad:

Batsmen:
Michael Clarke (Captain)
Ed Cowan
David Warner
Phillip Hughes
Usman Khawaja
Chris Rogers
 
All-rounders:
Shane Watson
James Faulkner

Wicket-keepers:
Brad Haddin (Vice-captain)
Matthew Wade

Bowlers:
Nathan Lyon
Peter Siddle
James Pattinson
Ryan Harris
Jackson Bird
Mitchell Starc

Let me begin with an overall verdict. All in all I am satisfied with this side. The Indian tour, which was a nightmare, is over and we march on. This is the Ashes, a different competition and a different opponent in different conditions. The battle is fresh and after losing Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting, I believe this is a well balanced side of emerging players and experienced candidates. I believe this side can win back the urn.

Batting wise, this was the biggest area of concern for us. This was evident in India and over the last three years we have seen frequent patterns resulting in batting collapses. Far too often our bowlers have been required to dig us out of a hole, which in hindsight has resulted in a bowling unit relatively young in age gain sound experience. This Ashes series is one for the batsmen to stand up. A recall of experience may help that drive.

Michael Clarke was a given. He's yet to be a member of a winning Ashes side in England, but he is now leading a side that has the ultimate opportunity to rise from the pit of negativity, following a tough start to 2013. His batting form has been sublime for some time but right now, we as Australian Cricket supporters, need to see this continue, not as The Michael Clarke show but rather The Australian Batting Show.

Phillip Hughes struggled in India and there were calls for him to dropped, yet again, from an Australian squad. However, he dug deep and managed to find some form, even though the series was lost. There was a small victory in Hughes finding some runs ahead of the Ashes series. One must also remember that India is historically reported as the toughest place to tour. This was his first tour to the sub-continent and we must keep in mind what Phillip has achieved in recent times. In other words don't base too much on that tour.

For South Australia in Shield cricket, he scored 673 runs at 59.19 from 12 innings. He hit two centuries and three half-centuries. Last county season he didn't dominate by any means as he did in 2009 for Middlesex, but in a stint for Worcestershire from 17 innings he scored 560 runs, averaged 35.00 with a highest score of 135*. Not prolific as when he burst onto the scene, but not poor either.

I also don't believe this return to England will result in short-ball nightmares for him, casting your memories back to 2009. This is an opportunity for him to realise his true potential and move forward, as the whole squad and supporters need to do as well. I also don't see value in questioning Hughes' unorthodox technique against short ball bowling. After all, it is unorthodox! If anything, he displayed a genuine weaknesses against New Zealand during his return with deliveries just back of a length pitched on middle and leg, where Chris Rogers (returning to the side) analysed Hughes' pitfalls from the sidelines.

Usman Khawaja has been in the waiting line a while and as one of the better players in the state system against swing bowling, I see complete value behind his selection. I doubt he is in the starting XI as a certainty, but I can't see any reason to oppose his selection. He's been one of the better performers at state level and a move to Queensland was one to enhance his opportunities and ultimately put himself in the best position to handle swing bowling conditions. He is a versatile batsman too.

Rogers is set to put his Baggy Green cap back on (2008).

Paul Kane: Getty Images

Ed Cowan and David Warner will be viewed as the likely opening duo, but I would say with Cowan currently getting further experience on the county circuit with moderate consistency, and Chris Rogers not showing any serious signs of struggle for Middlesex, Warner is not the definite opener. There has been discussion amongst supporters for Warner to drop the order, which has substance to it. I think the concept of Warner coming in at 6 or 7, as Adam Gilchrist did, will ensure the opposition never find time to relax with the knowledge there is still a game changer due to walk out to the middle.


The opening challenge is definitely set with Chris Rogers back in the frame. Chris has played one Test for Australia, which was against India in 2008. He's been left in the wilderness since but having put in the performances at first-class level he has cemented a case for himself to make this return, better late than never. A recommendation on the 2011 Argus Review was to focus on Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game and reward cricketers for their first-class performances.

For Victoria, Chris scored 742 runs at 49.46 from 17 innings. He had a highest score of 131, with three centuries. Last county season in division one, he scored 1,086 runs at 40.22 with a highest scored of 173. This was achieved in 29 innings. Definitely being rewarded for performances, how it should be!
One also can't expect him to suddenly perform miracles upon entering the side but persisting with him will show the experience come to the surface when needed.

Brad Haddin has been recalled to the squad, which will likely be seen as the most questionable selection. I s my ideal 17 man Ashes side, Brad was my second keeper of choice. I do see value in having Brad as a specialist batsman. He seems to have a bit of a short circuit up top though with the bat in hand at times. There is no doubt though that if he plays sensibly and paces his innings out, avoiding his aggressive desires to hit out, he can put together solid innings.
As selected vice-captain as well, this proposes the likely probability he is going to be in the starting XI come the first Test of the series, bringing the next topic of debate.

Matthew Wade had a poor tour of India and did show difficulties behind the stumps. An improved performance against Sri Lanka saw his confidence return but no doubt Brad will keep him on his toes. The competition may be seen as unhealthy though, given Brad is "on in years" in terms of keeper talk, while Matthew is at an age where his development is as important as the formative years behind the stumps. He's had plenty of experience and exposure to other conditions and I like to think he's had a bit of a boot camp.

Therefore, for the sake of development Matthew should keep wicket to not affect his progression. Having said that, we need to win this series and experience is clearly a vital ingredient for the NSP's desired recipe for success. Brad's position and situation does edge me towards the drive for experience in this series to win the urn, but it does put Matthew's position in doubt for the starting XI, a slight cause for concern in the greater scheme of things perhaps.

Shane Watson and James Faulkner make way into the side as the all-rounders of choice.

James, like Chris Rogers, has been rewarded for consistent state performances. He was also a member of my 17-man Ashes squad, and it would seem the selectors share the belief his bowling could prove to be menacing in English conditions but there's of course the value we have in a guy who showcased definite signs of improvement with his batting.

Shane Watson offers greater experience and has the edge over James regarding his batting, but Watto has battles of his own. He's had a shocking return with the bat for Australia in Test cricketer and his lack of bowling duties to help give him some longevity come his body conditioning for Test cricket, hasn't helped his case as well. Fortunately, we have seen the need for experience in this side and with Watto you get it. In the Indian Premier League he recently smashed a century, but has most importantly started resuming bowling duties as well. The short four over bowling will hopefully condition his body as needed to be able to offer Michael Clarke some overs to look at breakthrough opportunities, especially with an older ball in hand.

Watto also recently stepped down as vice-captain, a key reason for Brad Haddin's selection. I'd prefer to not write about the dramas of the Indian tour where he was a core part of the dilemma, but I do back his decision. Since giving up the responsibility of vice-captain, Watto has blasted a century for his IPL franchise - a sign of freeing the mind - and has appeared to be far more confident in his body language.

As selfish as it sounds to give up a role of responsibility to rather focus on your own game, there is logic behind this in a game where your individual input can outweigh a team input on paper at the end of the day. If this means Shane Watson can regain consistency with better performances and find a way to offer greater all-round duties for Australia, I am all for it.

Nathan Lyon is the sole spinner, with Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird and Ryan Harris doing the fast bowling duties.

The bowlers were almost a given. Perhaps the only question mark is why only one spinner was selected; a reason why a 17-man squad had purpose.

Nathan has yet to take on the English batsmen and has gained experience against other oppositions with mixed results. Like Matthew Wade, he has in some ways been through a boot camp of his own. Perhaps having not had the pressure of an Ashes series, while having had exposure against other sides in different conditions has put him in a thrilling position to get ready for the challenge. A second spinner would be good, but that is where the Australia A tour has value and someone like Ashton Agar could easily be retained for the remainder of the series after the 'A' side fixtures if required.

Ryan Harris is making his return after some destructive performances for the Queensland Bulls and remains, in my opinion, our best bowler in the system. The only issue with Ryan is the question mark if his body can handle all five Tests, as well as Australia A duties. His attributes will be sensational to witness in English conditions if he is in top shape.

Peter Siddle is the experienced candidate but by no means a leader in terms of his bowling attributes. His attitude and burning ambition will always be key ingredients for a leadership role to help his teammates through the day's play. His role as a bowler is an anchor role, to build pressure from one end and fire away looking for that one delivery that surprises the batsman, while his mates work around him.

Jackson Bird has an ability to just keep the ball in the right slot with no inabilities come variation. Another bowler who deserves his selection based on first-class experience, but also his performances with a fresh Baggy Green cap.

James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc are the young guns and with Patrick Cummins - our most exciting prospect in years - facing a long road to return with an increased depth, they are the gunners of choice.
Both possess attributes that contribute to the success of our bowling unit with combined with pace, variation and a joint ability to swing the ball. Mitchell Starc gives us the left arm option as well, notably shadowing that of Mitchell Johnson in the eyes of many.

Australia A sees Steven Smith serve as vice-captain, giving him a leadership chance on the back of an impressive show in India. Alex Doolan, Jordan Silk and Nic Maddinson get their opportunities as three batsmen who give us belief in our future batting stocks. The Ashes may be far too soon for all of them, so the opportunity to graft in English conditions with experienced Baggy Green players is vital for their development.

South Australia's Chadd Sayers has been rewarded as the leading Shield wicket grabber, while Ashton Agar has a chance to work the ball over as the spinner of choice. The Australian Ashes squad only had Nathan Lyon, but as mentioned the selectors can retain players post the Australian A tour. Ashton is in a great position.

My one surprise exclusion is that of Ben Hilfenhaus, given he was the leading wicket-taker for us in the 2009 Ashes series and has made steady progress since returning from injury, but Hilfenhaus alongside Harris provides a serious injury concern for the greater context of the series. Both would be epic to watch in tandem with the new ball, but not being in the Australia A side, he will have to wait for another opportunity to get that100th Test wicket.

In conclusion, the inclusions of Rogers, Harris and Haddin may prove to be surprises but it's simple really.
We need experience, we need to balance out progressing players with guys who have walked some hard yards. Ultimately it all comes down to what goes on out on the field. This is a team that needs to rebuild their image, needs to gain the confidence again from casual supporters and this move by the National Selection Panel is a start.

Bring on the Ashes! I have confidence in this side, so with that I wish the best of luck to the players selected.

Australia A Squad:

Brad Haddin (Captain)
Steve Smith (Vice-captain)
Ashton Agar
Jordan Silk
Alex Doolan
Chadd Sayers
Nic Maddinson
Usman Khawaja
Jackson Bird
Nathan Lyon
James Pattinson
Ryan Harris
Peter Siddle


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ee merit behind this and when I named


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Considering the bowling coach

Before I head into this article, let me first give a big congratulations to the Australian u/19 team with regards to their victory against England in their first encounter of the ICC u/19 Cricket World Cup.

Our boys currently hold the title after winning the last event. That was a side that featured players like Nic Maddinson, Josh Hazelwood, Mitch Marsh (brother of Shaun Marsh), Alister McDermott and Kane Richardson.

While I am only informed about a handful of the players at the moment, I hope to see some of the lesser known players emerge into the state system with positive futures, especially on the batting front.

It's an exciting tournament to follow due to the raw passion these young blokes have when taking to the field for their team and you can catch some of the action live as well as most of the matches will be broadcast.

I was recently reflecting on the appointment of Allister de Winter as our new bowling coach. There has been an understandable sense of concern and doubt over his appointment. Most of this will be owed to the reason being that de Winter was not exactly a bowler who had any form of domination as a fast bowler during his playing days. Is this fair?

Troy Cooley, who was our temporary coach prior to the appointment of Mickey Arthur, was a player who had a similar background to that of de Winter.

Like de Winter, Cooley played his state cricket for Tasmania and it would be fair to say that he was also not a bowler who would have been talked about in a hyped-up manner amongst supporters back in the day. Cooley finished his state run with a First-Class average of 61.35 from 33 matches, while de Winter managed 21 matches with an average of 50.51.

These statistics suggest far from ideal credibility to take on any form of leadership or coaching roles at the elite level. Yet, we all remember the 2005 Ashes where Cooley played a massive role in grooming the English fast bowlers to wreak havoc against our rather outstanding batting line-up throughout the tournament. That Ashes series goes down as a classic due to the fact there was rarely a dull moment, especially regarding the contest between bat and ball.

There we saw Cooley, who had now become an established coach, take an elite team into a historic Ashes victory with his input and tactical planning being boasted as a key ingredient to the success.

Not long after he was let go by the ECB, he then had a stint as our bowling coach and sure enough the Ashes victory that came soon after was the brutal 5-0 victory. Despite being a plain state cricketer, Cooley knew how to key in with an international cricketer, read the opposition and work on all facets of each individual bowlers strengths.

While this outlook of comparison would not be fair, given de Winter is taking on a bowling unit in all forms of the game that has just a glimpse of experience in comparison the English and Australian bowling units Cooley coached, there is something to be said for the lack of First-Class brilliance they had.

The point is that it doesn't appear as if one had to have necessarily been a spectacular cricketer, let alone at the elite level, in order to key in with your students from a psychological and technical point of view. Clearly having a gift for coaching, the passion to learn and the understanding of the fundamentals can be more than enough. At the end of the day the bowlers are the ones who have to go out there and execute what they have been taught.

Justin Langer was with little doubt one of the boldest and best opening batsman, especially when partnered by Matthew Hayden. Yet, despite JL's credentials as a spectacular international cricketer and human being, he hasn't exactly had a glorious run by any means as a batting coach.

The Australian batsmen have continued to struggle for consistency for some time now and having witnessed JL work with the batsmen at practice sessions it would be unfair to say he doesn't try. He sure does but it proves that having international experience can certainly benefit the players to a degree, but certainly isn't a defining reason for appointment to coach a crop of international players.

de Winter had a far from ideal rehearsal with the disappointing limited overs series loss to England. The bowlers managed all of 13 wickets and the team's synergy was flat. It was definitely not the start that de Winter needed in order to gain a vote of confidence from the Australian supporters around the globe.

The pressure won't be easy to handle for the upcoming season with some high intensity cricket to keep us entertained. Craig McDermott's left a big void after unexpectedly walking away from the game, his resignation being owed to a work schedule that was too demanding. Certainly a bizarre reason coming from a man who took 291 Test wickets and knew the demands to thrive at the highest level.

Irrespective of this, McDermott knew all too well how to key in with his bowlers and we saw our Test bowlers execute their skills with consistency and genuine confidence. International experience must have played a major role but McDermott had the ability to connect with the bowlers which has been publicly acknowledged by Peter Siddle and James Pattinson - who even went as far as to state that he would prefer a bowing coach with international experience to take on the role.

However, de Winter certainly had good motives to get the job and you just need to take a look at the ascendancy of the Tasmanian Tigers bowling unit in recent times.

Ben Hilfenhaus was dropped from the Australian squad after a horrendous Ashes series, which was also partially due to discomfort after suffering from knee tendonitis. Yet Hilfenhaus went back to the Tigers and began to work with none other than de Winter.

de Winter and George Bailey, Tasmanian Tigers/ Australian Twenty20 skipper, worked with Hilfenhaus encouraging him to use the crease more to accommodate his bowling attributes, attacking with different lines and angles but most importantly de Winter reworked Hilfenhaus' bowling action which a more technical dynamic to address.

A rejuvenated Hilfenhaus has since taken 37 wickets at an average of 18.19 from just 7 Tests. Further evidence of de Winter's work in action would be looking at players like Jackson Bird and Luke Butterworth. Hilfenhaus has given de Winter plenty of public support as well which should be taken seriously given the lack of public opinion a player like Hilfenhaus presents.

If de Winter can connect with his bowlers, learn their strengths, iron out the weaknesses and work out how to make each bowler work off his teammates abilities, then de Winter will certainly be on track to carrying on where McDermott left off.

de Winter has been credited as a coach who learns quickly. This will be vital as he gets stuck into a job that will be kicking off with high expectations, starting with a limited overs series in the UAE in conditions that really test a players fitness and patience.

He may not be someone who has international experience or had the perfect first off campaign, but Cricket Australia have made their decision and I am sure this wouldn't have been done without serious consideration. Then again, what person doesn't take on a new role in life where expectations are high or somewhat unreasonable?

de Winter has a job to do and the support from every Baggy Green fanatic would help that extra bit. Everyone has the opportunity to write their own chapter who comes into the Australian cricket story and de Winter has a chance to have his own legacy. With the upcoming schedule, we'll know soon enough how successfully the de Winter method develops.

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A look at what's been going on in Australian cricket

The return of Australian cricket is just around the corner and it's going to be great to see the boys back in action. The catch is that this wait has been slightly messy after what had been a positive period for Australian cricket. It seems as if there is light at the end of tunnel though, so don't fret fanatics!

The talks between Cricket Australia and the ACA (Australian Cricketers Association) seem to have made progress to resolving the issues with regards to the payment structure for the players that Cricket Australia's adamant to implement. The threat of a mid-tour boycott seems to be unlikely now and I will maintain a sense confidence that we won't see our cricket in such a state over financial complications.

The players are awaiting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for their contracts and relative payment structures. According to Cricket Australia Chairman, Wally Edwards, the major issues have been dealt with and the finer details are being finalised for both parties to have an amicable agreement. This is good news.

"From a Cricket Australia perspective we're confident there will be a successful outcome before the end of June." - Wally Edwards.

The situation is particularly messy for the State players who are not on the fringes of consideration for National duty. This impact has left a few players (allegedly) in a really unfair situation where they have no set indication as to whether they will be getting a contract with their state and players considering a move to another State will be unable to make any immediate plans until a new MoU has been agreed upon.

Basically you'd be left contemplating moving into a full-time job and passing up on cricket or simply just carrying on as is. It would be mighty embarrassing if an agreement wasn't reached and a strike occurred but I am certain both parties will realise how these issues affect all with interest invested in the game.

I do think the relationship between the ACA and CA will be affected by this even if it is the positive outcome we all hope for. This is one implication with Cricket Australia controlling the state system. It has positives but this shows us how one party not being happy can have serious knock of problems for the rest.

All in all, I am confident it will be resolved. Lets just hope it's a positive move forward.

If you need a refresher on the upcoming ODI tour schedule, check out the fixtures page.

The bowling coach situation:

A while back a bomb was dropped when Craig McDermott announced his departure as bowling coach. There was a possibility the great Pakistani bower Waqar Younis could have taken the job but Ali de Winter, Tasmanian assistant coach, is inline to take the job.

He will be the bowling coach for the upcoming tour and this is very exciting as he's done a remarkable job with Tasmanian cricket and a prime example of his work is to simply look at Ben Hilfenhaus.

Hilfy's game has done a full three-sixty and both de Winter and McDermott were key players in this turnaround. You can also look at the improvement of Tasmanian cricket. Take a look at Luke Butterworth and Jackson Bird as examples of the bowling front!

He is with the team for the UK ODI tour and this will be an important stepping stone for him for what's to come. Wishing him all the best.

Talking about State cricket, the Sheffield Shield will most likely start in September this year.

A bit earlier than usual but with due to the schedules of the ICC World T20 and the Champions League.
The implication is that this is not quite summer so Tasmania, for example, will not be able to host any Sheffield games due to the spectacular outdoor weather in that part of Australia around that time. So other venues could be considered for hosting matches.

What this does mean is that the cricket season will be starting off a bit sooner than usual. Can't complain about that!

Simon Katich retires from Australian First-class cricket:

The other news is that Simon Katich has retired from Australian First-class cricket.
The decision is due to family reasons and the obvious fact that he has done all that he can for Australian cricket and has done a mighty fine job as well.

He will continue to play for Hampshire (Shane Warne and Michael Clarke's former county team) but you can still catch Katto in Twenty20 cricket so he's not done yet, but it's all over in Australia for the form of the game he was most accustomed to.

As such a young batsman during a dominant era of Australian cricket, the fact Katto got himself on the radar by debuting for Australia in the 2001 Ashes series as such a young man spoke of his value and it was hard to ignore the possibility of him making a return to the Australian team somewhere down the line, despite being dropped during different stages of his playing career.

He fought back like a dog to get his recall for the West Indies tour and he was easily our most consistent batsman from that very return. He was our anchor at the top of the order and he had a great run with the Baggy Green cap back on his head.

The saddest part of all of this would be that Katto didn't get to win an Ashes series upon his recall and his final treatment from the former selection panel was poor, really poor!

When the last Cricket Australia contract list was released, the simple fact that Simon Katich wasn't on that list was shocking. It's is the nature of International sport but the fact he'd been scoring runs for Australia and was so consistent as well made the matter really bizarre. The reasoning given by Andrew Hilditch (former Chairman of selectors) was due to Katto's age and the importance of getting a settled opening duo in place.

It was a bit of a kick of teeth considering Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee were still on the list and not exactly a bunch of spring chickens but I think it was the manner in which the decision was handled that angered Katto.

Having been performing and been one of very few players who stood out during a very difficult period for Australian cricket, it was definitely a shock that he didn't get his contract renewed. Mixed emotions led to him giving a transparent opinion of the selectors and the feelings within the Australian camp.

It was brilliant in my opinion and I admired Katto's courage and confidence to tell it exactly as he felt it all. Sometimes I do believe that in life we shouldn't have to follow the rules when it comes to voicing our opinions and despite certain critics saying he didn't do it the right way, that was how he did it and I don't think any method of tactic would have given him a chance to put the Baggy Green cap back on.

He still has my respect as unfortunate as the end was for his international career.
I wish him all the best with his family and hope his future holds plenty of positives both cricket and non-cricket related. Well done mate.

Upon reflection of the comment Stuart Clark made a year ago, it's what he had to say when Katto didn't get a renewed contract having been one of best batsman during a tough period of cricket:

"He's arguably Australia's best batsman over the past three years, so for him not to be selected can only mean that they've just said 'you're too old and we want to go down a youth path' and any other job in the country that'd probably end up in court somewhere.
"A four-minute conversation is probably not enough for someone that's been part of the organisation for 12 years. How long is right I don't know, but surely Simon deserves something more than that."

Looking at the statistics we see the positives! Katto was a highly accomplished batsman for Australia and I hope he can add a few more centuries to these stats for his time with Hampshire in the county circuit.

Simon Katich statistics overview:

Test debut: England v Australia at Leeds, Aug 16-20, 2001
ODI debut: Australia v Zimbabwe at Melbourne, Jan 21, 2001

Tests:
Batting - 56 matches/ 99 innings/ 4,188 runs/ HS 157/ Avg 45.03/ 100s (10)/ 50s (25).
Bowling - 56 matches/ 25 innings/ 21 wickets/ 635 runs/ 30.23 avg/ BBI 6/65/ BBM 6/90

ODIs:
Batting - 45 matches/ 42 innings/ 1,324 runs/ HS 107*/ Avg 35.78/ 100s (1)/ 50s (9)

First-Class:
Batting: 247 matches/ 422 innings/ 119,667 runs/ HS 306/ Avg 52.86/ 100s (54)/ 50s (104)
Bowling: 247 matches/ 105 wickets/ 6,231 runs/ 35.09 avg/ BBI 7-130

Can't wait for some ODI cricket again. Hope it will be a distraction amongst all the drama. Main thing is hoping that the players will have the complete motivation when taking to the field.

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Australian performances at the 2012 IPL

 The Indian Premier League has been concluded.

Admittedly I am rather annoyed that the Chennai Super Kings lost the final but well done the Kolkata Knight Riders for chasing down a mammoth total. Certainly made for an entertaining final which was vital given a few controversies that were sparked during the event.

I still maintain that as a domestic league with a few International stars, the tournament is WAY too long.

Most importantly for our sake, here's a look at how the top Australian players went:

Batting:

Cameron White: 13 innings, 479 runs, HS 78, Average 43.54, x5 fifties, x20 sixes
David Hussey: 15 innings, 396 runs, HS 68*, Average 33.00, x2 fifties, x17 sixes
Steven Smith: 14 innings, 362 runs, HS 47*, Average 40.22, x14 sixes
Shaun Marsh: 13 innings, 336 runs, HS 68*, Average 30.54, x2 fifties, x7 sixes
Michael Hussey: 8 innings, 261 runs, HS 56, Average 32.62, x2 fifties, x8 sixes
David Warner: 8 innings, 256 runs, HS 109*, Average 36.57, x1 century, x1 fifty, x14 sixes
Shane Watson: 11 innings, 255 runs, HS 90*, Average 42.50, x2 fifties, x14 sixes
Brad Hodge: 12 innings, 245 runs, HS 48*, Average 30.62, x9 sixes

Bowling:

Ben Hilfenhaus: 9 games, 14 wickets at 16.64.
Brad Hogg: 9 games, 10 wickets at 25.30.
Ryan Harris: 5 games, 8 wickets at 16.25.
Doug Bollinger: 6 games, 8 wickets at 19.62.
Dan Christian: 7 games, 8 wickets at 29.12.

The performances alongside the Big Bash League certainly gives the National Selection Panel the perfect situation to decide upon the players they wish to select for the 2012 ICC World T20.

It was very good to see Shaun Marsh and Cameron White regain their confidence and it was even better to see them play their natural games, despite it being Twenty20 cricket. Their natural temperaments came to the forefront and they looked focused, in control and seemed to really enjoy themselves. Sometimes that is all it takes! Well done boys.

The Hussey brothers delivered the goods for their respective teams and our big hitters Shane Watson and David Warner were able to provide a few firework displays during the tournament. The NSP definitely have a few tough decisions to make on the batting front!

The Big Bash boasted some excellent bowling performances, especially for Brad Hogg. He is eying a comeback into the Australian side for a major ICC event. Since the Big Bash League he has played a T20i against India in Australia and his performances in the IPL - from what I saw on the tele - were good enough to suggest we should give the bloke a go out there. He still has the enthusiasm and no shortage of energy!

Ben Hilfenhaus made a wonderful impact and it's amazing to think that the Big Bash League played a relatively significant role to put him back on the Australian fanatics radar just before getting the recall to the Test side. He will be well aware that he needs to work on his death bowling but the subtle variations to his bowling have FINALLY arrived for the T20 format.

Otherwise Ryan Harris would be my pick but in Ryano's case a lot depends on his fitness. Was also good to see Douggie Bollinger getting some game time.

The bowling will be a tough one for the NSP but they have enough to bring in a good variation of players, especially taking note of the most important Twenty20 event of the season being the Big Bash League.

What's your ideal 14 man squad for the ICC World T20?

Hope you're all surviving the cricket drought!

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Ben Hilfenhaus: The journey of the working class bowler

On 5th January 2007 Ben Hilfenhaus was rewarded for his outstanding achievements at the Allan Border Medal award ceremony where he won the Bradman Young Cricket of the Year Trophy. He won it convincingly receiving 97 votes in total. His performances for Tasmania sparked a fair bit of interest from the National Selection Panel and on that night it was clear that Hilfenhaus was well on track for a future with the Australian cricket team.

The award was one suited to the young working class man who had been a bricklayer prior to becoming a full time cricketer. He is man who knows about hard work and as humble a man as Hilfenhaus is as well, he had plenty to boast about after the 2006/07 Pura Cup.

After 11 matches he sent down 509.1 overs taking 60 wickets, the most for the season at an average of 25.38. Andy Bichel took the second most for the season with 45 wickets. Even Glenn McGrath stated that he viewed Hilfenhaus to be “very impressive”.

On that evening in Melbourne Hilfenhaus declared, “it's been a fast ride”. The ride had been a fast one for the working class bowler to get his name on the radar and although it was going to be a ride that would continue, there would be many, many bumps along the way. This article takes a brief look at this journey.

Given the massive workload in that breakthrough period, stress fractures and injury niggles caused minor setbacks to his emerging career. He returned the following season with modest figures in 2007/08 claiming 28 wickets at an average of 43.82.

Having debuted for Australia in Twenty20 and ODI cricket and shown reasonable consistency in First Class cricket, he was given the nod to join the Test Squad during periods of 2008 but lucked out due to injury concerns, an unfortunate pattern that would mean he’d have to wait until 2009 to receive his Baggy Green cap. He continued to do what he could do best and that was to take as many wickets as possible for the Tasmanian Tigers when he was fit.