quote:

Is Stuart Clark really as good as his performance in test cricket suggests

He's done it home and away, and against the supposed 2nd best team in the world.

Pretty hard to dispute his record.

quote:

Originally posted by Nasty, brutish, and short:

quote:

Is Stuart Clark really as good as his performance in test cricket suggests

He's done it home and away, and against the supposed 2nd best team in the world.

Pretty hard to dispute his record.

India?

quote:

Originally posted by Fred Nerk:
In his case, half a career could be up till about 2009 Ashes, by which time he'll be 36.

Where did you learn to add up Fred?
Stuart Clark will turn 34 late in 2009.....

quote:

Originally posted by Rowman:

quote:

Originally posted by Fred Nerk:
In his case, half a career could be up till about 2009 Ashes, by which time he'll be 36.

Where did you learn to add up Fred?
Stuart Clark will turn 34 late in 2009.....

He studied at BMSL.

Thought I'd read somewhere he was 33 when he went to SA....but not to worry. In that case he might even still be around for the next home Ashes.

quote:

Originally posted by Fred Nerk:
In his case, half a career could be up till about 2009 Ashes, by which time he'll be 36.

he's only 31 now.

Who cares if he has "half a career".

If he ends up with 200 test wickets at 25 he will have had a fine career.

quote:

If he ends up with 200 test wickets at 25 he will have had a fine career.

Lee has 200+ at 31 right now...

I agree whatever he has already done is a bonus, it's not like he's some young hyped up quick.

We didn't expect him to have any sort of test career, if he takes 100-150 wickets it will be more than we could have hoped.

Like McGrath at his peak, Stuart Clark has a knack of finding whatever movement the pitch has to offer. If you can maintain a good length and line at reasonable pace and move the ball sideways, you're going to take a few wickets at test level.

quote:

Originally posted by RedDuster:

quote:

Originally posted by Mister Robby:
Comparable to Gus Fraser I guess.

Yes a good comparison - Clarke is very similar to Gus.

Yep, exactly the same - except he's actually good

Isn't he the same age as Gillespie?

Gillespie must be fuming when people suggest hes being passed over for Clark so they can bring in some youth, lol.

Even Bracken isn't really all that much younger than him.

If Gillespie still had what it takes he would be straight back into the Australian team.

quote:

Originally posted by Rowman:
If Gillespie still had what it takes he would be straight back into the Australian team.

I'm not so sure. Bichel still bowls like a champ and noone notices.

Gillespie is one of the leading wicket takers so far in the domestic season, as good as Tait at least.

Pura Cup Bowling, so far:

 
Name            Team Wkts Ave   SR   5 10 Best 
Hilfenhaus, BW  TAS  29   26.66 50.0 3 0  7/79 
Bichel, AJ      QLD  24   25.29 44.4 0 0  4/107 
Tait, SW        SA   21   23.86 41.1 0 0  4/46 
Gillespie, JN   SA   20   22.85 50.5 2 1  5/41 
Edmondson, BM   WA   19   36.05 51.9 1 1  6/28 


 

Onya Hilfy

quote:

Originally posted by Fred Nerk:
Dusty, your argument is starting to veer dangerously close to 'he only takes the wickets of batsmen who are crap enough or stupid enough to get out to him'.

Which was equally true of Martin McCague. Or, for that matter, Warne or McGrath.

Nerky -
The point I was endeavouring to make - before the band of mouth-foaming dingos began yapping indignantly - was that Clark is good, no question. Good.
But it's a hell of a lot easier to bowl/collect buckets full of wickets against batsmen (not crap nor stupid) who have "lost it" mentally through a combination of poor leadership, internal sniping, lack of form and two collapses through inept technique.

Clark will never be another McGrath - but he will, however, be marginally better than McCague. To start building his pedestal and polishing his halo right now is just plain stupid!

quote:

Originally posted by please:
Mate i really think your opinion of england pre ashes was just far too high and it's stopping you from accepting just how good this australian team is.

I have accepted that fact and moved on.
Australia had 4 consistent world class players who hit their straps on day 1 of this series.
England had none - as it turned out - 'cept B/S!

For Oz - Ponting, Hussey , Warne and Hawaii did the business. The rest climbed into a demoralised and inept outfit, helping themselves amidst the floundering team England were.

In any game / series .. (bar Ashes 2005) the team who capitalize from the outset and thus not giving the opposition a chance to pick up momentum and invariably the victors.

No denying Australia worked to a plan, inflicted pain and then drove the knife in deeper, to the point where "pride" is all that there's left for England to play for.

Right now, in the state they're in currently, I reckon the Bangles would give England a run for their money in Sydney.

And believe me, it is very sad to see this talented though demoralized bunch trudging onto the field - hence my deep anger at Feltcher and Flintoff. For Australia - it's cashing-in time ... fill yer boots with the easy pickings, as I hope things will have changed radically by 2009.

quote:

Originally posted by RedDuster:



For Oz - Ponting, Hussey , Warne and Hawaii did the business. The rest climbed into a demoralised and inept outfit, helping themselves amidst the floundering team England were.

the big flaw in the thinking there is that more ofetn than not it's been clark getting the early wickets and then the others cleaning up after.

quote:

Clark will never be another McGrath - but he will, however, be marginally better than McCague

To finish there he'll already have to fall a hell of a long way. McCague made Lee look like Dennis Lillee, Harmison like Brian Statham and Caddick like Winston Churchill.

Clark has certainly been very good - a lot better than I ever believed he would be. Like JGK, had written him off based on ODDs.

Will be interesting to see how he goes once he is the only economical bowler in the side though. At the moment, McGrath, Warne and Gump are building intense pressure on the batsmen between them. Be a different ball game for everyone in the team from next summer.

quote:

Originally posted by onetwentyfour:

quote:

Originally posted by Rowman:
If Gillespie still had what it takes he would be straight back into the Australian team.

I'm not so sure. Bichel still bowls like a champ and noone notices.

Gillespie is one of the leading wicket takers so far in the domestic season, as good as Tait at least.

Pura Cup Bowling, so far:

 
Name            Team Wkts Ave   SR   5 10 Best 
Hilfenhaus, BW  TAS  29   26.66 50.0 3 0  7/79 
Bichel, AJ      QLD  24   25.29 44.4 0 0  4/107 
Tait, SW        SA   21   23.86 41.1 0 0  4/46 
Gillespie, JN   SA   20   22.85 50.5 2 1  5/41 
Edmondson, BM   WA   19   36.05 51.9 1 1  6/28 


 

I recall Gillespie having a good Pura Cup last season if I'm right in saying?

But then in England last summer, for the most part when playing for Yorks he could hardly buy a wicket.

Maybe says something about the strength of the two nations first class cricket.

Clark will never be another McGrath - but he will, however, be marginally better than McCague. To start building his pedestal and polishing his halo right now is just plain stupid![/QUOTE]

Merlin, if Stuart Clark was an English bowler, you would be on the bandwagon, bigging him up and telling us what a great bowler he is.
FFS Merlin, Stuart Clark has achieved twice as much as what Mahmood has yet prior to the Ashes it was good enough for you to tell us what a great bowler Mahmood was and that he would run through Australia's top order.
Not to mention your rubbish Merlin about James Anderson being the next Simon Jones.

You should back off Merlin and accept the fact that Stuart Clark has done an excellent job in his Test career so far. The guy has worked hard and deserves the success he has had.
BTW, I stand by what I said months ago about Mahmood. The guy has pace but other than that he is not a quality bowler.

I dont think he is as good as his test record thus far would suggest, however, I do think he is a good bowler and certainly better than Gillespie now. I think his avrgae will be nearer 25-26 in a few years time.

quote:

Clark will never be another McGrath - but he will, however, be marginally better than McCague

Good one, Merlo.

2006's challenge to "Has Warnie ever taken a 5-for in any form of the game?"

I said at the start of the series that the Clark I remembered from his days in the County game was little more than a line and length pie chucker - he really did struggle to make the first XI at Middlesex, so average was he. However, he has been a revelation this series - he has got more off the pitch than any other seam bowler, and has been the stand out on either side; he has, by all accounts, lost a bit of "holiday weight" and worked hard on his fitness, and I suspect that has given him an extra five mph which, at the top level, makes the difference between a good length ball being creamed for four and it being edged to second slip.