Gump says WTF?

Gump says WTF like the rest of us

"Former Test paceman Stuart Clark admits to being baffled by national team selections and has backed the form of discards Doug Bollinger and Nathan Hauritz.

The New South Wales skipper benefitted from having both Hauritz and Bollinger out of the Test picture this week with the pair playing leading roles in the Blues' 133-run Sheffield Shield victory over Queensland at Blacktown Olympic Park.

But the 35-year-old right-armer, who himself hasn't officially retired from Test cricket, admitted to often being left confused by selectors.

"A lot of things baffle me about selections in that Test team unfortunately," Clark said, when asked if Hauritz should be back in the Test frame following his controversial axing before the Ashes opener at the Gabba last month."

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While I don't necessarily agree about Bolly, Gump could've just as easily added "Hey I'm in the pretty good form and still deserve a place in the Test side.

"Baffled by the NSP" is very polite.

Gump was hosting BSB this morning. He's quite a intelligent for a "fast" bowler

I wonder what he did to p!ss Drunky off?

G.Wood answered your question before you asked it, Skully.

Henry beat me to it.


Seriously though, he's totally right about SOK.

Ah yes, my mistake, Trev. Obviously Capt. Idiot was intimidated by the big fella's far greater intellect.

skully wrote:Obviously Capt. Idiot was intimidated by the big fella's far greater intellect

Which poses the question... Why wasn't drunky intimidated by the intellect of his own bat? A block of wood is more intelligent than Ricky.

Still, Gump can't complain too much. The use of Bolly, Horrors and SOK (and himself) in the SS looks likely to result in him being a Shield winning captain.

Add Bung to the JAMODD and T20 sides and the anti-Dubber bias in the NSP will make Gump look like a captaincy genius.

Gump says WTF

Would look great on a T-shirt.

Zat wrote:

Gump says WTF

Would look great on a T-shirt.

Ponting Resigns Captaincy - Hussey to Bring Back the Ashes

........... would look great on a back page.

Zat wrote:

Gump says WTF

Would look great on a T-shirt.

It's yours. I'll just take half the profit from sales.

I think Clark showed towards the end of last year's Ashes that he had become a mere trundler, it didn't need any Punter inferiority complex to influence this selection.

The Hauritz axing is the baffling one though. Nobody ever thought he was the pancea, but he's still better than most of the long list they tried and they seemed to have ignored him when he's been in his best form. Punter seemed unduly influenced by his struggles in India despite this fate also befalling Warne.

I might be a sole voice here but thought that Bollinger deserved to be dropped after Adelaide and the attack fared pretty well without him. That's not to say that he shouldn't be recalled if conditions suit and circumstances point to his selection.

Red wrote:I think Clark showed towards the end of last year's Ashes that he had become a mere trundler, it didn't need any Punter inferiority complex to influence this selection.

The Hauritz axing is the baffling one though. Nobody ever thought he was the pancea, but he's still better than most of the long list they tried and they seemed to have ignored him when he's been in his best form. Punter seemed unduly influenced by his struggles in India despite this fate also befalling Warne.

I might be a sole voice here but thought that Bollinger deserved to be dropped after Adelaide and the attack fared pretty well without him. That's not to say that he shouldn't be recalled if conditions suit and circumstances point to his selection.

aye to all that, including the Bubbles thing.

I don't disagree about Bollinger (said as much in my opening post). I saw Gump bowl in a couple of games recently and he looks ever bit as dangerous as Milf and Cot have in the Tests. I don't think he would let Aus down if selected - which he won't be.

Bollinger wasn't really any worse than Siddle in Adelaide and if Golden Boy Hussey had taken a regulation catch would have had 2/10 early in the England innings.

Still, the attitude wasn't great so I had no problems with his dropping.

Having said that, we may well be going into an Ashes deciding SCG test without a single frontline Dubber bowler. I don't think that is smart.

JGK wrote:Bollinger wasn't really any worse than Siddle in Adelaide and if Golden Boy Hussey had taken a regulation catch would have had 2/10 early in the England innings.

Still, the attitude wasn't great so I had no problems with his dropping.

Having said that, we may well be going into an Ashes deciding SCG test without a single frontline Dubber bowler. I don't think that is smart.

What's special about the SCG?

skully wrote:I don't disagree about Bollinger (said as much in my opening post). I saw Gump bowl in a couple of games recently and he looks ever bit as dangerous as Milf and Cot have in the Tests. I don't think he would let Aus down if selected - which he won't be.

Curators are on record as saying that they put more life into the SS strips. Also the SS has been diluted over the years and most times they play sans international players. I said before last year's Ashes that Clark was past his best and nothing there really disabused me of that notion. His high point was in SA in 2006 but he benefited from some grassy strips, especially in Cape town where he bowled on a damp deck. He did well in the last home Ashes series but his game was essentially built around good line and length but his pace has dropped since then. IMHO, the English batsmen might find him rather friendly.

G.Wood wrote:Gump was hosting BSB this morning. He's quite a intelligent for a "fast" bowler

Fast bowlers (or opening bowlers anyway) tend to be more knowledgable about the game than batsmen, who tend to just stand around in the field thinking about their golf swing.

JGK wrote:Bollinger wasn't really any worse than Siddle in Adelaide and if Golden Boy Hussey had taken a regulation catch would have had 2/10 early in the England innings.

Still, the attitude wasn't great so I had no problems with his dropping.

Having said that, we may well be going into an Ashes deciding SCG test without a single frontline Dubber bowler. I don't think that is smart.

but you will have 5 or 6 of the first 7 batsmen (depending on punter fitness or whether he counts as a dubber these days) that have failed the national team over the past 18 months

JGK, have you considered that your signature may itself be some sort of curse?

If Hauritz isn't in the team on January the 8th, and Ponting isn't captain ...

Is this the long-awaited example of you using your powers for good?

Further evidence on offer today. Not much point being able to criticise folk who are no longer in the team ...

Hass wrote:

G.Wood wrote:Gump was hosting BSB this morning. He's quite a intelligent for a "fast" bowler

Fast bowlers (or opening bowlers anyway) tend to be more knowledgable about the game than batsmen, who tend to just stand around in the field thinking about their golf swing.

Gump has a Law degree, doesn't he?

Probably came up with a reason as to why Ponting is breaking the law by being Aussie captain.

Not Law. Commerce I think.

Probably came up with a theory to explain the intellectual bankruptcy of Australia's cricket leadership.