Goodbye Gilly & Heroic Hoggy

The State of Australian Cricket

The Australian cricket stocks have been thinned with the retirements of Adam Gilchrist and Brad Hogg whose International careers concluded tonight. For Gilchrist we celebrate the most successful wicket-keeper batsmen of all time.

Gilly revolutionized the role of a wicket keeper and was the most damaging attacking batsmen we have seen in the modern era, loved by all Australians.

While the celebrations for Gilchrist will continue its Brad Hogg whose name maybe left of the list of retirees who tonight bowed out as 12th man. A slap in the face to the best Australian spinner currently playing the game, our second most successful one day spinner of all time.

Australia’s decision to leave Hogg out of the 2nd final is an absolute disgrace especially when part time spinners, Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds bowled 13 overs between them and to add further injury to insult, Hogg’s replacement Stuart Clark only bowled 6 overs for 32 runs and one wicket.

Rubbing salt into that wound, Australia only lost by 10 runs which dare I say could have been scored by a better tail-end batsmen, namely Brad Hogg.

Hogg’s credentials, his lively enthusiasm, wagging tongue were sorely missed in the 2nd final and the service he has given the game and his country to be left out of the final is a dishonor to a distinguished career.

The Australian batsmen lost the team the series, not looking stable or in form throughout the month long competition with only Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting scoring centuries, while no one averaged over 50.

It was the bowlers lead by Nathan Bracken who took 21 wickets at 16 and Brett Lee, 16 wickets at 22 that kept Australia in the competition.

Ponting’s captaincy will once again come under fire with a bewildering decision in today’s final to take Jame Hopes off at a crucial time when his tight line and length bowling with 0/20 (6). Hopes was replaced by Lee who went for almost 20 off his final two overs. Doing the maths, that decision may have cost Australia the game.

As the sun sets on Hoggy and Gilly’s careers the Australian cricket team will return to the drawing board not knowing who will be the next spinner and what affect the retirements of those plus Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath will have on shaping the new team.

For one, Nathan Bracken must now be a certainty for a test recall with no obvious spinner deserving a chance in the side. As Matthew Hayden’s feet become more and more itchy, its now a matter of time before he joins his mates in the grandstands.

A new era of Australian cricket heroes is being developed as pressure will initially be on Ricky Ponting whilst Brett Lee, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey together with Hayden and Ponting appear to be the only players guaranteed of positions, although more consistency is needed from them all.

Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson have had mixed summers with the ball, Clark not looking as dangerous as he did against the English and struggling in the one day arena. Johnson is developing, having a mixed test and one day series.

James Hopes looks like he has the one day all-rounder role sealed with impressive performances with both bat and ball.

Brad Haddin will replace Gilchrist in both the test and one-day arena and expect either Hopes or Clarke to move up the order to open the batting with Hayden in the shorter form of the game.

Luke Ronchi is now the wicket-keeper in waiting who is also a dangerous batsman or Queensland gloveman Chris Hartley.

On the batting front, David Hussey appears to be at the top of the queue with Adam Voges, Brad Hodge, Simon Katich, Marcus North and Luke Pomersbach all hovering.

Fast bowling stocks are somewhat thinning but Doug Bollinger and Ashley Noffke lead the charge with Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Geeves, Ryan Harris, Ben Edmenson, Steve Magoffin and young Victorian quick, Peter Siddle starting to make their presence felt.

Shane Warne’s retirement has opened a Pandora’s Box with Brad Hogg joining Warne in retirement and Stuart MacGill's future unknown.

Victorian leg spinner Bryce McGain has been sounded out but at 35 he doesn’t seem like a strategically sensible decision. Bracken must fill that vacated fourth bowling spot in the test side while the Australian spin stocks have time to develop.

For that development to occur each state must field a spin bowler in every Pura Cup and ING Cup game and be given ample opportunity to bowl.

Four spin bowlers I consider need to be watched are Xavier Doherty, Aaron Heal, Nathan Hauritz and Beau Casson. In the one day team however Queensland all-rounder Chris Simpson may be the answer as he can both bat and bowl off leg spin.

All that is assured is an unsure and uncertain future. Perhaps the golden run that the Australian cricket team has had since 1995 is coming to an end and the Indian’s are waking.

Taking nothing away from the Indian’s performance in the Commonwealth Bank Series as they thoroughly deserved the trophy, being the better of the two teams.

Just who will make up the next Australian XI could be anyone’s guess, I would choose the following:

ONE DAY XI

1 Matthew HAYDEN
2 Michael CLARKE
3 Ricky PONTING
4 Michael HUSSEY
5 Andrew SYMONDS
6 Brad HADDIN
7 David HUSSEY
8 James HOPES
9 Brett LEE
10 Ashley NOFFKE
11 Nathan BRACKEN
12th MAN: David HUSSEY

TEST XI
1 Matthew HAYDEN
2 Phil JAQUES
3 Ricky PONTING
4 Michael HUSSEY
5 Michael CLARKE
6 Andrew SYMONDS
7 Brad HADDIN
8 Brett LEE
9 Mitchell JOHNSON
10 Nathan BRACKEN
11 Stuart CLARK
12th MAN: David HUSSEY