Monday, October 03, 2005

Tait Injury A Blessing In Disguise ?



Shaun Tait is going to be out of action for quite a while it seems. While it is bad luck for the young man, it could in fact prove to be ironically beneficial for him and Australian cricket in the long run. Don't mean to be churlish but I don't think he is quite there yet as far as international cricket is concerned. Young and raw, has a bit of talent but not quite the ready product. Even the most fervent Aussie fans (shattered by the disastrous demises of Gillespie and Kasprowicz and hence eagerly looking forward to Tait) could only go so far as to describe his performances in the 2 tests as 'solid'. Crucially, he is an attacking bowler who does tend to go for runs in trying to get wickets. While that in itself is no crime (in fact it is something to be lauded), Australia already have one such bowler in Brett Lee who despite what many feel has not yet reached World Class standards in terms of consistency and results. So, overall it would be better if someone more defensive and safe like Stuart Clark fills in the void for the moment while Tait polishes his skills on the domestic scene.

About Stuart Clark - the little I have heard of him seems to indicate that he is a McGrathesque bowler and has parents of Indian origin ! Pray how is that ? If anyone could care to explain ...

Also - the injury to Hogg is also not without rewards - to us fans that is - while he has been an excellent cricketer for Australia I personally find his style of cricket a bit boring and dour and would prefer to see what the youngster White has to offer !!

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