Cricket - Lehman selected (1 Viewer)

[ViolentJ]

I feel sorry for Simon Katich, being overlooked so Darren Lehman could be selected. I don't think Katich did that bad in India. Lehman is a good player but I think he is too old. I think Katich should've stayed in the 12 and Lehman go. Also do you think Brett Lee will make it back into the 11 in the upcoming series against the kiwis?

 

[Pace Setter]

You dont drop a player for being too old. You drop him only when he's not good enough. Many around Aus right now consider Lehmann the most complete and best batsmen in the team. The selectors obviously also share this view-Lehmann would be one of their first choices for the team. Tell me, would you pick a 50 year old Bradman, or a 20 year old who looks talented but in your eyes, is less likely to succeed?

Really, the only debate here is whether the selectors made the right choice on WHO to drop-out of the likely candidates of Langer, Clarke and Katich. While there are cases against Langer and Clarke being kept in the side, the reasons are also clear on their retention.

 

[ViolentJ]

I stand corrected, good call.

 

[twiddla]

Yeah but the thing is it is not a matter of which one is better in this case - there is basically nothing between them - the main reason Lehman was selected apparently was as a mentor for the younger players esp clarke but as anyone can realise katich has metored clarke in the NSW squad before and wouldn't it be better to have a mentor stay on for longer! yes I do agree that Lehman has some terrific alround qualities as a player and yes he is very complete in that sense but so is Katich - well he has captaining experience at state level and did it very amiably and also he was 3rd in the batting averages for the series in india - besides he can also bowl on Australian pitches - if i remember rightly he has a 5 for at test level something that lehman has not so far achieved.

 

[Pace Setter]

Yes Katich is a much better and proven bowler than Lehmann on Aussie pitches. Battingwise however, I meant that Lehmann was more of a complete and proven batsmen (not just more of a "complete" person), all on kinds of surfaces. In English county cricket and Australian domestic cricket he's being the premiere batsmen who's belted every opposition bowling attack, whether it be on a flat track, seamer, turner, you name it. Before the Indian tour began, he had averaged 60 for the year in tests-which is only bettered by Hayden and Ponting. And just as in domestic cricket, internationally, he was pretty much man of the series in the West Indies, and handled Murali most comfortably out of all the Australians in Sri Lanka (maybe with the exception of Martyn), as testament to the number of runs he scored there. There's no doubt that Katich has done well since coming into the side, but I dont think (and neither do the selectors) that he has or will be quite at the standard of Boof.