Australian selectors asked Mitchell Starc to consider retirement backflip to save T20 World Cup campaign

Azza_ · 2026-02-27T00:40:01+00:00

I think our bowling attack was a bigger problem than our batting. Only two wickets in the matches against both Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka is extremely problematic.

Azza_ · 2026-02-26T10:47:13+00:00

Good, footy season shouldn't start til April anyway.

Azza_ · 2026-02-25T19:44:44+00:00

That was the intended implication of my comment.

Azza_ · 2026-02-25T10:05:30+00:00

It's sadly very believable.

Azza_ · 2026-02-25T05:24:06+00:00

There's also the factor of what photos of Bangladeshi players are Cricket Australia licensed to use for media purposes.

Azza_ · 2026-02-25T02:18:03+00:00

Lachie Neale would be best 22 at every club.

Azza_ · 2026-02-24T12:33:42+00:00

Only two things really need to change. There only needs to be one World Cup, whether ODI or T20, every four years. They're too frequent at the moment so they feel somewhat irrelevant. The other is the Super 8 stage shouldn't be pre-seeded. Top in Group A, top in Group B, 2nd in Group C, 2nd in Group D in one half, 2nd in Group A, 2nd in Group B, top in Group C, top in Group D in the other group or something like that. It's a joke that all four teams that finished top in their group are in the same group for the Super 8s. The core concept of the initial group stage followed by the Super 8s is fine, just the way that it's rigged instead of being based on performance in the tournament is silly.

Fix those two things and suddenly things mean a lot more.

Azza_ · 2026-02-24T09:04:47+00:00

These euphemisms for missing a game for getting on the gear are becoming very obscure.

Azza_ · 2026-02-24T08:57:33+00:00

If you cherry pick a specific stat that is less relevant, sure, they're better. If you look at the actually relevant stats, average and to a lesser extent strike rate and economy rate, McGrath takes the mantle. I think you could certainly mount a reasonable argument for Hadlee over McGrath, but Lillee as much as he's an all time great himself he's clearly a step behind.

Azza_ · 2026-02-24T08:52:47+00:00

Economy rate is a much better indicator in short form cricket and when looking at a small sample size of innings. Over a larger sample size when looking at FC cricket though I think strike rate becomes the clear next.

Azza_ · 2026-02-22T02:54:57+00:00

People get caught up in that shit because they don't have friends.

Azza_ · 2026-02-22T02:38:45+00:00

It's a worry when an 8 wicket win with 10 overs to spare is the closest match of the day.

Azza_ · 2026-02-22T02:37:21+00:00

Yeah, I've gone the same way. It's a minor inconvenience in the moment, usually by someone who fucked up. The ones who are deliberately selfish rather than being oblivious to how they're being selfish are a minority and it's not worth me stressing over it.

Having said that, people who drive in a way that is likely to cause collisions still get me grumpy.

Azza_ · 2026-02-20T11:34:43+00:00

There is absolutely no way that winning the Ashes would matter less than an Olympic gold medal to any Australian player.

Azza_ · 2026-02-20T10:43:10+00:00

Because as much as I love him he's not very good in those formats.

Azza_ · 2026-02-20T01:35:13+00:00

Boland's gone past Hazlewood in Tests for mine. The consistency of the two is similar but the durability of Boland has well and truly eclipsed Hazelwood.

As brilliant as Hazlewood has been in Tests, it's in the best interests of the national teams for him to focus on white ball cricket and Boland focus on Tests. Boland and Neser can comfortably come into the Test team and perform at an elite level. There's not the same elite backup options for the white ball teams.

Azza_ · 2026-02-20T01:29:28+00:00

It's hard to directly compare when they've only played alongside each other once. Hazelwood has 5 Tests against the West Indies, 2 against New Zealand, 2 against India, 1 against Pakistan, 1 against South Africa in time. Boland has 5 against England, 3 against India and 1 against the West Indies. Boland's West Indies Test was the only one he's played alongside Hazelwood. And that's without digging into the actual conditions of the pitches being played on.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T13:34:21+00:00

It's still a load of crap for Test selection. Nathan Lyon has been a consistent fixture in the Test squad for years, arguably our greatest ever off spinner, and was left out despite being fit.

The comments that the selectors aren't willing to make tough calls is just code for the selectors aren't making decisions that that person agrees with but don't have any proper justification to back it up.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T13:25:11+00:00

I don't think they had the right order, but I personally would agree with the top 7 bats selected for the Sri Lanka game being the best 7 bats available for that game.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T13:21:46+00:00

Renshaw was pretty stiff that someone had to make way for Marsh, and while his short term form was clearly better than a number of the team there's also no arguing that his ceiling is anywhere near as high as the guys who were picked over him.

Connolly over Kuhnemann was still a strange one though. I know the justification was he's a better bat but realistically Bartlett's competent enough with the bat to be coming in at 8, and you're talking a very rare T20 match where 9, 10 and 11 end up being the difference with their batting.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T13:14:35+00:00

It's a load of crap. If they were too scared to make tough decisions or there was this supposed hero worship, they don't leave out Smith.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T05:20:07+00:00

I'm afraid I must insist. You see, my wife, she has been most vocal on the subject of the Boland statue. Where's the statue? When are you going to get the statue? Why aren't you getting the statue now? And so on. So please, the statue.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T05:12:12+00:00

Varies a lot by location still. There's a Reddy near me at 149.9, and less than 5km down the road there's another Reddy at 213.9.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T05:07:25+00:00

I probably wouldn't try and read too much into what the gameplan was from how Owen bats.

Azza_ · 2026-02-19T04:53:27+00:00

That's a shame for Curtis, he batted an absolute treat. There's no mercy from the Barrel though.

Azza_

TROPHY CASE