Australia v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Melbourne, Nov 3, 2010

Smith didn't even play in India. Has been expensive without taking many wickets in his last few ODIs/T20s.

And yet on Wednesday, with Sri Lanka 8-for-bugger-all and struggling against the spin of XD, and with Smith having something like 3-0-8-0, Clarke went for the pace option to finish things off. Inexplicable.

Then again, it's seemingly been aprt of Australia's ODI plan for years, to use bowlers in a pre-determined order regardless of how they're going. A glaring example was a one-dayer against South Africa at the SCG, where Andy Bichel took four wickets in next to no time, leaving Jaapan at 6 for about 50, before Bichel was taken off having bowled maybe 5 overs.

The bowling attack was then swtched to Warney at one end and the perilously dangerous spin of Mark Waugh at the other, and the SAffies got to over 100...

There's plenty of other times when simlar things have happened.

Zat - Smith has a back injury - that's why he couldn't bowl

Another one with a bloody back injury. Clarke, Smith, North.... Has anyone looked at the training regime to see if there's a common factor?

Marsh as well....


Must be all that bending down to suck Hilditch's c*ck.

Zat wrote:Another one with a bloody back injury. Clarke, Smith, North.... Has anyone looked at the training regime to see if there's a common factor?

Did we have these many injuries when Hooter was the team physio?

I hope they are not just crying off ... or getting their excuses in early.

Kinda ironic that Watson stands strong as his weaker peers fall by the wayside.

horace wrote:Zat - Smith has a back injury - that's why he couldn't bowl

Can't have been that bad a back injury, he's playing this afternoon, less than 48 hours later.

Farkin sooks.