MacGill quits
Stuart MacGill will retire from international cricket after the completion of the second test against West Indies having struggled to make an impact during the current tour of the Caribbean. MacGill went on to state that "his time was up."
MacGill to retire after second test
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Well that just threw a spanner into the works, I thought Stuey might be able to go around for a while yet but he hasn't looked too good so far in the Caribbean and is probably making the right decision to end it now rather than be dropped later on. Disappointing for Stuey really, he was a fantastic bowler and would have been the leading spinner in any other international side had he not been an Australian. Unfortunately for MacGill, the best leg-spinner in the world happened to be in the same generation as him - the one and only Shane Warne.
His retirement will raise an interesting debate though. Who will take MacGill's position? This was discussed numerous times over the summer and a host of candidates were mentioned. Beau Casson is over there now and he would be the obvious choice for the third test. The selectors could go a different way altogether and play either Ashley Noffke or Doug Bolllinger thus going with five quicks for the final test. And with Michael Clarke taking two important wickets with his left-arm spinners yesterday it appears that five quicks may be a possibility although a small one at that.
That position will no doubt be a hotly contested one now, Casson will probably have first crack but there are quite a few others who will also be in contention. Aaron Heal and Xavier Doherty would right up there but are more suited to one-dayers. Nathan Hauritz has been tried but was outbowled by Michael Clarke on that tour of India in that game where the ball would turn at right angles. Hauritz's name will no doubt come up again and then there are a host of others.
Interesting times ahead.
Stuart MacGill will retire from international cricket after the completion of the second test against West Indies having struggled to make an impact during the current tour of the Caribbean. MacGill went on to state that "his time was up."
MacGill to retire after second test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well that just threw a spanner into the works, I thought Stuey might be able to go around for a while yet but he hasn't looked too good so far in the Caribbean and is probably making the right decision to end it now rather than be dropped later on. Disappointing for Stuey really, he was a fantastic bowler and would have been the leading spinner in any other international side had he not been an Australian. Unfortunately for MacGill, the best leg-spinner in the world happened to be in the same generation as him - the one and only Shane Warne.
His retirement will raise an interesting debate though. Who will take MacGill's position? This was discussed numerous times over the summer and a host of candidates were mentioned. Beau Casson is over there now and he would be the obvious choice for the third test. The selectors could go a different way altogether and play either Ashley Noffke or Doug Bolllinger thus going with five quicks for the final test. And with Michael Clarke taking two important wickets with his left-arm spinners yesterday it appears that five quicks may be a possibility although a small one at that.
That position will no doubt be a hotly contested one now, Casson will probably have first crack but there are quite a few others who will also be in contention. Aaron Heal and Xavier Doherty would right up there but are more suited to one-dayers. Nathan Hauritz has been tried but was outbowled by Michael Clarke on that tour of India in that game where the ball would turn at right angles. Hauritz's name will no doubt come up again and then there are a host of others.
Interesting times ahead.
