Cricket: Australia – Farewell Phillip Hughes

Cricket: Australia – Phillip Hughes Remembered

Australia: Cricket – Phillip Hughes Remembered

Cricket: Australia – Phillip Hughes

Cricket: Australia – Phillip Hughes Has Died

A terrible tragedy. Not only a great player but a great bloke from all accounts. Michael Clark has shown himself to be a class act through all of this – great captain, great friend and a great bloke. Well done Michael Clark in and through a very hard and sad time. And of course my thoughts are with the family and friends of Phil Hughes especially, but also the very distressed guy who bowled the bouncer – not his fault. I feel for him greatly.

This is my game – my sport. I don’t know any of those involved personally, but this has quite distressed me. I think because of my humanness but also because it has always been my sport.

Phillip Hughes – far too young and gone too soon. Very sad day for Australian cricket and cricket in general.

CRICKET: AUSTRALIA BACK ON TOP OF WORLD CRICKET???

Having won the first test in convincing style in South Africa, Australia has started the second test in the same vain, ending the first day at 4 for 303. Phillip Hughes (115) and Simon Katich (108) both scored centuries as Australia poured on the early pressure. Both Ricky Ponting (9) and Michael Clarke (3) failed, with Mike Hussey (37 not out) Marcus North (17 not out) steadying the ship at the end of the day.

Australia’s form in South Africa raises the question of whether or not Australia is again resting easily in the number one position in test cricket, having seen off the South African challenge for the time being.

As a consequence of the Pakistan terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team and match officials in Lahore, security has been massively intensified in South Africa.

CRICKET: AUSTRALIAN TEST TEAM IN DECLINE

I have been saying it for some time now – both on and off this Blog – the Australian test cricket team is in decline and coming back to the field. The recent test series results against India, New Zealand and now South Africa seem to show that it is indeed so. It had to happen – just as it happened to the world dominating West Indian team of yesteryear. Teams rise to the top and come back to the mix as another rises to the top.

Which is the top team now? Is it South Africa or is it India? England pretended to make a claim for the top ranking a little while back, but these two teams seem far more serious in their respective attempts. A test series between these two teams will perhaps show us the answer.

In the mean time it is likely that South Africa will defeat Australia in the current test series in Australia to the tune of 3 – 0. That is my prediction.

The ridiculous inclusion of Andrew Symonds while injured in the last test match came home to bite Australia when Brett Lee went down injured. Lee now appears to be out injured for some time and will join Stuart Clark on the sidelines – as will Andrew Symonds belatedly. Shane Watson will also be on the sidelines and his inclusion in the last team is as bewildering as that of Symonds, given that Watson was also injured and requires surgery.

It seems incredible to me that the replacements coming into the Australian team are simply those replacing injured players. The inclusion of Doug Bollinger is one that I have thought logical for some time, while Ben Hilfenhaus and Andrew McDonald are unexpected in my view.

If the selectors are going to keep Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle (which I suspect is a given), then I would also include Bollinger and Hilfenhaus, as well as McDonald. Who would go to make room for these three? Lee and Symonds (as well as Watson) have already been forced out due to injury. I would put Hilfenhaus in ahead of Nathan Hauritz. We just don’t have a spinner that currently cuts it at international level.

The selection that really bothers me is that of keeping Matthew Hayden in the side – if the selectors don’t know that it is time for him to go then surely Matthew Hayden must know! Even if he scores a reasonable or big score in the final test it is time for Hayden to make way for Phillip Hughes. Hayden has done little to justify his continual selection in the test team for some time and it is now becoming a sad tragedy to see this former great test opener heap embarrassment upon himself and the national team with each failure. It seems any big scores are now punctuated by a plethora of insignificant contributions with the bat from Hayden.

And one other thing – the attempt by Mike Hussey to take that skier in the last test – if you can’t see it in the sun there is little he can do about it. It looked embarrassing but there was little Hussey could do to change what was. The bigger concern for Hussey is his own poor form in the batting department. He must begin to contribute more soon too or he also could face the chop.

BELOW: The Michael Hussey attempted catch

BELOW: Graeme Smith speaks to Mark Taylor after South Africa won the second test and the series