Why talking about a Warne come back makes you stupider

embee wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Guess who's talking about a Warne comeback? Oh yes, Australia's resident philosopher Brett Lee -

Pace bowler Brett Lee has become the latest former Australian Test great to join the calls for Warne to come out of retirement. Lee, now retired from Tests but still playing one-day cricket, cites the example of Bobby Simpson who returned at the age of 44 in 1977, 10 years after his last Test, to lead an Aussie side hit by defections to Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.

Simmo was 41 in 1977 ...born Feb 3 1936

I suspect Brett Lee isn't all that good at maths.

I'd love to see a Warne comeback... Until he winds up being smashed all over the park, meaning the last days of his playing career are recalled in the same way as his personal life - as a huge joke. While a comeback a year or two after his retirement may have been possible, and not a debacle, it's too late now.

Sure, Australian cricket is teetering on the edge of the dark abyss. Some might even say it's in the abyss and struggling to get out. But it's not Warne's fault.

It is the fault of many, in no particular order...

1. The NSP, whose 'head in the sand' attitude for the past decade meant that seemingly very little was done to prepare for the days after the greats retired. Given what happened when DK Lillee, GSC and Bacchus retired in rapid succession, this was not rocket science.
   
2. The players who have taken the field in the past few years. Not all of them, but some of them. They seemed to be lulled into believing that they were better than they actually were, mainly because they were playing in a team that was winning everything easily. Their opposition was half-beaten before they took to the field in many cases. As soon as teams started showing a bit of fight in response, these players were exposed as frauds.
   
3. Ricky Ponting. OK, he doesn't have the troops at his disposal any more. But compare and contrast his captaincy with Allan Border, who at times didn't even have a bare cupboard, he had to punch a hole in the cupboard, through the wall behind it, and take what he could off the floor in the adjacent room. There's a lot to be said for doing the basics well. Oh, and having a captain (as is reported) 'in conflict' with the selectors isn't really desirable. The selectors select, the captain leads them on the field.
   
4. Cricket Australia. I understand that companies want to lavish Aussie cricketers with sponsorship deals, and I understand that players only get a few years in the spotlight as a saleable commodity. But do they need to appear in multiple commercials for phones, beer, fried chicken, breakfast cereals, and sports stores, to name but a few? Sometimes the same player appears in three successive commercials in the one break.
   
5. The coaching staff. I don't know why there's a bewvy of support staff in 'coaching' roles. They don't seem to do very much, and sometimes they're not there at all. Take Mike Young as one example. I think he's the fielding coach. Australia's fielding this series has been bog ordinary. So most reasonable people would expect the fielding coach to be on hand during the series to help the players work on any flaws. I read somewhere thsi morning that Young will only be present at two (it may have been three) of the Tests this series. For Mod's Sake...
   

There's probably more, but that's enough of a rant for the time being.

Can someone summarise this thread for me?

PeterCS wrote:Can someone summarise this thread for me?

taipan and Lara are sleeping together

You're sh!t*' me, man!

rubbish embee...nige according to tac has a meanigful relationship with Sky...................pe