Well if you have picked up a paper, switched on a tv or you turned your radio on, you would know that 4 Australian test cricket players have been dropped from the 3rdt est side to play against India in Mohali.
So why did James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson get dropped from the side? Well coach Mickey Arthur and Captain Michael Clarke asked his players to fill in a written personal review after the side’s massive loss in the second Test at Hyderabad and the axed four had failed to take part in that. The review asked players to reflect on the team’s culture and expectations and suggest improvements that need to be made for the upcoming Test match. If the players did not do what the Coach and Captain asked of them, the powers that be would have to take serious action against the offending players.
Well 12 of the players handed in their homework and they are able to take part in 3rdtest. So why do we think the 4 players didn’t do their homework?
Well I think Usman didn’t do his homework, because well he has only been carrying the drinks in the first 2 tests and he was on course to carry them again, so really what was he going to right in his report? “Dear coach, in the 3rd test I promise I will make sure I keep the Gatorade a lot colder than I have in the first 2 tests”. If I was him I would have done my homework, but written some smart ass comments, but hey that’s just me and that’s why I’m not in any professional sporting teams.
I feel that Mitchell may have felt he was in the same kinda boat as Usman. He hasn’t played a test in the series and he didn’t really bowl that well against Sri Lanka earlier this year. I think all they are really using him for is to just bowl in the nets to batsman and as a back up to the other, better bowlers in the squad. I’m sure he felt that he wasn’t going to get a go in the 3rd test either, because seriously do we really need another fast bowler to bowl on those pitches in India, no, no we don’t.
But here is where I think the coach and the captain screwed up royally. James Pattinson is one of the best bowlers we have in Australia and dropping him is seriously a stupid move. So far he is Australia’s leading wicket taker in the series against India, with 8 wickets. If you wanted to punish him give the kid a fine or something.
As for Shane Watson, well there are a few conspiracy theories floating around why he was dropped. The most popular one is that Shane and Captain Michael Clarke aren’t getting on so well and Shane isn’t that good at taking orders from Clarke. I think that’s a load of bullshit. I think Shane thinks he’s to good to do those tasks set by the Coach and the Captain, so he didn’t do them. See I’m not a fan of Watson, the guys is not consistent enough. He’s always bloody injured and he always takes forever to get into shape and make runs or take wickets. But hey when have the powers that be ever listened to me!
I ranting to much, I can go on about how much I hate Shane Watson, but he’s just about to be a dad, so we’ll leave him alone for now. I’m sure he’ll give me plenty of reason to continue ranting later on in the year, while we’re playing the Poms in the ashes.
Look, I kinda understand why the Coach and Captain did what they did. When your playing for your country and your asked to do something, you do it, no matter how many shitty Commonwealth Bank or Brut ads your in. But the Coach and Captain should really think carefully about their punishment on a case by case basis, I mean not letting Pattinson play in the 3rd test is looking like it could be a serious mistake and if we can’t take 10 wickets each innings against India I’m gonna be one of the first to fire up and say if Pattinson was bowling we would have had a way better chance in getting India all out.
The 3rd test starts tomorrow Thursday the 14th of March in Mohali and if Australia doesn’t win this match, we shall lose the series. So Mickey and Michael, I hope you know what your doing, because I hate losing to India, almost as much as I do when we lose to those bloody poms. I’ll be watching every bowl on Fox Sport and if we don’t win, I’ll certainly be getting on my soapbox and letting Mickey and Michael have it. So stay tuned to this blokes-corner for my post match rant. It’ll either be really nice if we win or there will be a hell of a lot of swearing and I told ya so, if we lose.
Mike Hunt.
