Loading ...
equatorWhat does 4 list A games, 5 wickets, and an economy rate of 6.87 get you?
Well if you are from New South Wales, it gets you a trip to sunny India to replace the other 19 players who never went or have come home.
That is all that Burt Cockley needed to do, 4 of his 5 wickets came in his last game.
He bowled 2nd change.
He is going to India.
Not Brett Geeves, Dirty Dirk Nannes, or the Proctologist Stuart Clark.
You now get the feeling that Australia are purposefully sending over
They have obviously stepped into this deathly vortex and their only hope is sending out players that it doesn’t matter if they get injured.
Andrew McDonald has been sent over as well.
I do understand the theory.
But surely it would be cheaper and safer to just cancel the last two games, lose the 5th game on purpose and come home.
Even if that would mean that Burt, and his piercing blue eyes, miss out on a debut.
Australian injury toll is now 8. That is pretty extreme.
Injury list:
Tim Paine – not enough calcium
Brad Haddin – couldn’t be bothered
Michael Clarke – under the thumb
James Hopes – fringe injury
Brett Lee – recurrence of earnestness
Nathan Bracken – who?
Peter Siddle – faking to get a day off
Moises Henriques – kieron pollard inspired panic attack
Callum Ferguson- who i forgot
Some reasons why, in increasingly implausible order –
The India tour has been written off. 7 ODIS’s are less important than a test series against the W. Indies. The players are being saved for the summer.
Match-fixing
India is cursed – just send over rubbish, to cut our losses
Being poisoned BCCI
Hilditch and co. have been taken over by aliens who think cricketers are this world’s elite military, so are destroying the A-team from within. The aussie fitness coach is their plant.
that was supposed to be “Being poisoned by BCCI”
If Shane Watson stays uninjured, the universe will compensate.
Michael Clarke under the thumb he he he he. It would have sounded better if it had come from katto.
Dirk Nannes should have been sent over instead of McKay let alone Cockley, in fact he should be ahead of Hilfy in the one day format and even though Dougie is doing well, ask Virender Sehwag who he would rather face under lights in Hyderabad…Doug Bollinger or Dirk Nannes….
The big question is exactly what Dirty Dirk has done to upset the NSP…………….
Even Brad Hodge is a better bowler than Cockley, just ask him.
Another curious question is: if they are playing a whole bunch of inexperienced bowlers anyway, why not rest guys carrying an injury like Johnson as well?
Jrod
Stop whingeing about NSW players – since when is Macdonald from NSW? Or Mckay?
It’s all the older in-form players regardless of state who should be the ones to complain.
Fuck this. Burt Cockely! This is getting ridiculous. 5th change bowler for NSW who gets two tailenders out and goes for 5 an over gets a call up.
‘anon’ – the whole problem with this NSW thing we all harp on about is that how many players play 4 games before playing for Australia unless they’re from NSW? Everyone else seems to have to do it the hard way.
I don’t necessarily blame the selectors – they’re just clueless. But the Sydney papers go hard for their players and that’s what the Australian selectors read. Also some of the Blues players have publicists – e.g. whenever you read a Jacques story (and there are heaps) you know it’s been a setup from the publicist including photos etc. Selectors are bunnies in the headlights in the face of this kind of media management.
Cockley? Fuck me..
He’s a long way down the NSW pecking order.
You can’t tell me that all the other states don’t have a quickie who is better credentialled.
Let’s see..
Maggofin
Noffke
Dorey
Nannes
Wright
Harwood
Tait
Cutting
Geeves
Have I missed anyone
Oh yeah, S. Clark
Is there a chance K Rudd and the muppets at CA can get together
and kill 2 birds with one stone by conducting selection trials on
Xmas island and send the next Chaminda Vaas over to play for
us in the final 3 ODIs ? They would no doubt do a better job than
blue eyes Burt who has more injury problems than
Mark Cameron
OK Jrod now even I am thinking there is a NSW bias here. Cockley? What?
To be fair to the selectors I actually think they are doing a pretty good job. We ran out of players when all the dinosaurs retired and now, to quote David Boon, they are ‘going fishing.’ For a fishing exercise they are doing well. I guess with Cockley, and others, they are taking the Ian Healy route – Healy was picked after only five first class games (from Queensland) because Greg Chappel thought he was a hard worker who would be a positive influence at training.
I assume that’s why they picked Siddle. I assume they are seeing this with this Cockley kid. I assume it is why they picked McDonald, who I quite like – the guy works hard, nothing flashy, I’m sure he knows he’s not the world’s biggest natural talent, but he thinks about it, concentrates on the job he has to do, and doesn’t show-pony about the place.
@Hewy – considering the selectors live in Tasmania, Melbourne and Adelaide I doubt they are really that heavily influenced by the Sydney papers. I doubt they are even that influenced by NSW administration – Hilditch left us when he was still quite young even though we made him captain, bastard, and his wife’s old man (Bob Simpson) is still a bit on the nose. The others have never had anything to do with NSW.
I see this a win-win situation set up by C.A. rather than BCCI, to say the aussies lose from here, they blame they wer not full strength (they cud hv picked, but dont want to) but if they win, they obviously kicked ass with a 2nd string-bench_warmers-underdog beat india in india special story. Nicely played James Sutherland or who ever thought of this..
Sid´s last blog ..sidrox: @cwbfeed – is Tait injured as well or in puberty ? wats news with him?
Do you guys know that Nannes wasn’t picked in yesterday’s Victorian one day side? No he wasn’t.
@jamie64 – Looking at that list (with the possible exception of Geeves, who would now have to be next picked), you could seriously just throw a dart and take whichever name it hits. What’s the difference? I doubt that any of them are good enough, we are going to be carrying whoever it is anyway.
9 injuries… there’s Callum Ferguson as well. 2 more and we could field a team of injured players.
Cockley is a strange choice, but then so was Hauritz. At least Cockley makes the NSW first team.
Though I’m not surprised that Noffke didn’t get a callup to replace Hopes, serves him right for moving to WA and not NSW..
Moses´s last blog ..They breed ‘em tough in the country
The great E,
why don’t you suggest that idea to Kev and co. ? “Asylum seekers” will take on a whole new meaning
Ned,
Nannes was rested from yesterday’s game. If he’d played, I reckon he’d be on a plane.
Re the papers : I guarantee you that the selectors will be reading both fairfax & news corp ‘papers’ – online or hardcopy. Majority of those journos are in Sydney. The Telegraph in particular almost pride themselves on dictating selection on sport – Tele’s a news corp paper which probably generates the most cricket copy for the news.com.au site plus syndicated to other news corp papers.
If Dhoni’s team had intelligence enough, one would recommend jrod’s blog for picking up tips on NSW players to sledge them grievously. But then it is a team whose sledging chief Bhajji cant think beyond “terry mackay” – bad luck. Thanks jrod, you try your best to be of service to Ozzie opponents but we dont have the resources to exploit the wealth of useful info that you give out.
Sid, if this team now beats India, then even a certified Ponting hater like me would recommend him for knighthood. And Mr. Mahi will have to forever relinquish his “greatest ever captain for India in Cricket” crown. Against my basest instincts, I am wishing for a Ponting victory in this series…
I noticed Josh (new McGrath) Hazlewood has been picked to replace the Cockster in the current shield match. I hope Josh has a passport just in case.
We shouldn’t be too critical of India’s performance – they traditionally play at the level of the opposition, be it Australia or B’desh (or, as in this delightful case, a bit of both).
A more face-saving theory for the Indian supporter is that its fixed to be 3 all, with the 7th to be decided real-time by the bookies.
At least Lara Bingle on face value is worth being under the thumb to unlike the ugly woman Smith is now dating.
Puke interrupt – did you hear the unwashed masses cry themselve hoarse when Tendulkar reached, shit, all of 7! He is already the highest run getter, every fucking run is a record you morons!
Smith who???
Is it just me or are any other Oz fans in two minds about this win? That sort of quasi lone hand innings from Sachin SO did not deserve to be in a losing match. Mind you, apart from Raina, the others couldn’t lick his bootlaces today.
Anon, The difference is that players from other states either have to pay their dues, or play one game that changes the minds of the selectors early, like Siddle taking 9 wickets in a shield final before he has finished 10 shield games. I think Cockley is a fine bowler from the little i have seen of him, but he hasn’t deserved a chance to play for Australia. There doesn’t seem to be many guys given a go from other states based on potential alone.
Jamie, you forgot Ryan Harris and just for me, Allan Wise.
The Big E, Mark Cameron was unlucky to miss out.
Ned, At least Siddle earned it with one huge game in a final, Cockley’s record in one day cricket is shocking. In NSWales it seems that you don’t need that one game, just potential.
Moses, I knew I’d miss one. Fixed now.
Raj, By reading my blog is the only way anyone would have heard of half the squad before this game.
jrod,
what a crap rationalization – pay their dues! You sound like some earnest Liberal backbencher justifying why queue jumpers should incarcerated. Based on that attitude. you should still be working for some backwoods Melbourne suburban rag writing copy.
Anon, Why even bother with domestic cricket then, lets just pick from the NSWales under 17 side. I think I’ve put in more performances than Burt.
But you don’t look like a cricketer, jrod. Not the 21st C ones.
I notice you haven’t bothered to commend fellow McKay for a bloody fine show for someone still wet behind the ears and off the plane. It wouldn’t be easy holding your nerve in an indian nuthouse when their little god is doing his stuff. Don’t bother telling me he’s played in India before. There weren’t hardly any Indians at those matches.
Steve, I did mean in the writing sense, not cricket sense. And I look like Cosgrove or Jesse.
McKay did very well. And Mitch carried the drinks superbly.
I know – but as long as Miriam luvs ya the way you are ….
Vim , you got in the way of my return to JRod – how rude!
and Vim,
as for drinks-carrying, that’s what 10 of the 11 Indians should have been doing.
How useless were they?
9 of them. Raina did alright, didnt he?
SRT was pretty much a shining light in the wasteland, but hell, going along at more than a run a ball every over is a massive ask and it is only that SRT is a cut above everyone else AND was in such superlative nick that they got close. None of the incoming batsmen had time to play themselves in at all.
I just remembered. There was some odd picks against the Saffers earlier this year. Remember Ben Laughlin? At least he had played more than 4 List A matches (I think).
And he did take a screamer of a catch in one of the matches in Safferland.
Hmm. Clark and Nannes are being overlooked, and all you can think about is whether Cockley, McKay, Laughlin and so on are from NSW?
Hewy, I’d suspect a state association conspriacy before bringing the papers into it. NSWCA harp on about producing international players, while the others might care about winning some Shields to catch up. Perhaps the selectors have decided they can make everyone happy by removing players from the NSW team…
But come on, Cockley over Clark – NSW bias? Hauritz over Casson last year? Looks more like a club bias to me… Go the Randy-Petes!
Jonathan´s last blog ..Six months on
Oh yeah, the big Rhino..
Most certainly…
Vim
for what is worth, India, who boast that they have the 4 best (at least) batsmen in the world were playing a side drawn out of a party hat. Three were out to a cowboy.
Play themselves in? What have they been doing the past 4 matches?
by the way, Nannes has been struck down with the dreaded hamstring (so has Cosgrove).
What is the flaw in the Oz fitness regime?
Steve, re the jrod’s physique, I like men with soft sides, who order extra chips for the table, so happily all is well.
Steve, I meant play themselves in, in terms of runrate being against them taking a look at the bowling before they started swinging. In those circumstances, a new bowler that no-one has seen is probably as useful as one they know better.
But SRT was superlative. Didn’t help them in the end though.
Can I just say that I will be pleased if Burt Cockley doesn’t get a game today? Not that I dislike him but I am fed up to the gills with this undervaluing of the baggy green. Literally, anyone can get a game just now.