Re: A few Aussie players could be in trouble....

by Henry Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:03 am

Good for you.

by Zat Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:04 am

"It's unrealistic to expect people to spend 220 days or more a year eating hotel room service and living their lives as if they're on a Sunday School picnic," Cricket Australia's Peter Young said.

220 days a year? Really? Between January 1 2005 and December 31 2010 (6 whole years) Australia played 68 Test matches, 174 ODIs, and 39 t20 internationals.

This is a total of 553 days. Or between 92 and 93 days a year when they need to be on top of their game. Which means that really, there are 92 or 93 nights before the players are in action on the pitch when they really shouldn't, to my mind, be out on the turps publicly. Even in 2009, when the Aussies were scheduled to take part in 113 days on international cricket, that leaves over 250 days when they could go out and get on the turps big-time with very few people raising an eyebrow.

It's been said on this board before, but these qunts have forgotten just what a privilege it is to play for their country. Blokes like me who never had the talent to do it would give up just about anything to do it once. There are too many people at Cricket Australia who have accepted the spin as reality. And yet they wonder why interest in the game is declining...

by Henry Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:19 am

To be fair, these things always get highlighted when a team is losing.

by Zat Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:35 am

Do these things happen as often when teams are winning?

And when a team is losing, isn't it fair to expect the players to be just a little bit more professional about it?

by Henry Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:38 am

Zat wrote:Do these things happen as often when teams are winning?

And when a team is losing, isn't it fair to expect the players to be just a little bit more professional about it?

Well Symonds was out on the tiles most nights during his career. Only seemed to really get highlighted when Aus started to lose a bit more often.

One thing is often a symptom of the other. Losing breeds squad disruption and ill discipline, whilst ill discipline and disruption breeds losing.

by Merlin Tue Jan 18, 2011 8:48 am

Aye, but Symmo was an out 'n' out p***head ... so he can ... maybe ... be excused !!

by JGK Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:59 am

I think the thing that rankles most fans is that it was the night that we lost the Ashes. I was bleeding, most hard core fans were bleeding. Why weren't they?

by Zat Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:08 am

Zat, about four posts ago, wrote:It's been said on this board before, but these qunts have forgotten just what a privilege it is to play for their country. Blokes like me who never had the talent to do it would give up just about anything to do it once.

by Henry Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:15 am

(I can't believe i'm defending the Aussie cricketers so much but...) to be fair (again), a lot of people, if they're hurting, tend to turn to a few drinks to numb the pain. As far as I know, these guys are human beings as well.

The problem for Clarke however is that a) he is a senior figure in the team, b) he had already pissed off Cricket Australia by attending the Shane Warne breakfast on Boxing Day, c) he took his young protege along to the bar with him, and d) he was in rubbish form with the bat, which would leave himself open to criticism that he's spending too much time socialising and not enough time practicing.

And it sounds a bit far-fetched that he went to Crown Casino at midnight to talk to Michael Slater about batting techniques.

by Zat Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:34 am

Henry wrote:(I can't believe i'm defending the Aussie cricketers so much but...) to be fair (again), a lot of people, if they're hurting, tend to turn to a few drinks to numb the pain. As far as I know, these guys are human beings as well..

And if you or I went out on the piss on a work night, and it potentially affected our performance, and our bosses found out, wouldn't they be entitled to say 'You've got weekends to do that'...?

These guys are on duty as players on around 100 match days a year. They've got plenty of other days (or nights) to go out and get on it. I don't think it's unreasoable to expect that these guys do things as a team on match days.

by PeterCS Tue Jan 18, 2011 12:29 pm

Jeezh, can't a fella have a little drink theshe daysh? I can't shee what all thish fush ish about, honesht. *hic* ffsh!!

by lardbucket Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:50 pm

'round up the usual suspects'

by Gary 111 Wed Jan 19, 2011 8:10 am

Zat wrote:
Henry wrote:(I can't believe i'm defending the Aussie cricketers so much but...) to be fair (again), a lot of people, if they're hurting, tend to turn to a few drinks to numb the pain. As far as I know, these guys are human beings as well..
And if you or I went out on the piss on a work night, and it potentially affected our performance, and our bosses found out, wouldn't they be entitled to say 'You've got weekends to do that'...?

These guys are on duty as players on around 100 match days a year. They've got plenty of other days (or nights) to go out and get on it. I don't think it's unreasoable to expect that these guys do things as a team on match days.

I think it might help your performance if you have a couple of beers the night before. Get a better nights sleep and its healthier than being couped up in a hotel room all night.

by Guest Wed Jan 19, 2011 8:59 am

Gary 111 wrote:
Zat wrote:
Henry wrote:(I can't believe i'm defending the Aussie cricketers so much but...) to be fair (again), a lot of people, if they're hurting, tend to turn to a few drinks to numb the pain. As far as I know, these guys are human beings as well..
And if you or I went out on the piss on a work night, and it potentially affected our performance, and our bosses found out, wouldn't they be entitled to say 'You've got weekends to do that'...?

These guys are on duty as players on around 100 match days a year. They've got plenty of other days (or nights) to go out and get on it. I don't think it's unreasoable to expect that these guys do things as a team on match days.

I think it might help your performance if you have a couple of beers the night before. Get a better nights sleep and its healthier than being couped up in a hotel room all night.

Then why don't footballers? Or boxers? Or tennis players? Or pretty much any top professional athlete in this day and age?

by Gary 111 Wed Jan 19, 2011 9:35 am

vilkrang wrote:
Gary 111 wrote:
Zat wrote:
Henry wrote:(I can't believe i'm defending the Aussie cricketers so much but...) to be fair (again), a lot of people, if they're hurting, tend to turn to a few drinks to numb the pain. As far as I know, these guys are human beings as well..
And if you or I went out on the piss on a work night, and it potentially affected our performance, and our bosses found out, wouldn't they be entitled to say 'You've got weekends to do that'...?

These guys are on duty as players on around 100 match days a year. They've got plenty of other days (or nights) to go out and get on it. I don't think it's unreasoable to expect that these guys do things as a team on match days.

I think it might help your performance if you have a couple of beers the night before. Get a better nights sleep and its healthier than being couped up in a hotel room all night.
Then why don't footballers? Or boxers? Or tennis players? Or pretty much any top professional athlete in this day and age?

How do you know they don't?

Tennis players must do something to combat the monotony of constantly having to grunt and drink Robinson's during the day.

by Blackadder Wed Jan 19, 2011 9:43 am

Nights out are nothing new for cricketers, anyone that had read any tour diaries or such will see that.
Not so much a storm in a tea cup, more like a drizzle.

by Sponsored content