The problem, the effect and our next spinner

As in Brisbane, England finally put us out of our misery by declaring on 5/620. Yes, I am still doing some stats and that makes 1137 runs scored for the loss of 6 wickets at an average of 189.5 runs per dismissal. Aside from losing Pieterson going for quick runs before the declaration, England again made us look ineffective. The ice cream like smooth Ian Bell finished on 68 not out and Matt Prior made a quick fire, undefeated, 27 at over a run a ball.

Happily though, Australia have been considering their recent troubles and seemed to have just about cracked it.

"That's something we've been talking about the last week, really," Shane Watson said. "What are the reasons why we haven't been able to get as many wickets as we would have liked?"

Oh excuse me, I thought they were getting a handle on the issue. Turns out they had only established that they weren't getting as many of the English out as they would have liked. Well, at least they have established the problem, I guess that is something.

"It hurts," Watson said. "It hurts in general

Well, they have also established that it sort of just generally hurts, this lack of wicket taking. A problem and an effect. Now they just need to work on the reason behind it. Not bad for two fifths of the series gone. No hurry boys, in your own very, very modern way.

Australia started with another good opening partnership but unfortunately neither batsman could go on with it. Katich [small pause to resettle one year old who woke up crying. Poor kid was dreaming about losing his very first Ashes series; and on home soil as well] struggled with an achilles problem but made a gutsy 43 whilst Watson again looked great but again failed to go on with it. It is difficult to fault how he has performed since he began opening the innings but being extra picky, he does make a few too many starts without making a big one. He needs to resolve this to really fulfil his potential at this level.

Ponting fell cheaply for the second time in the match and questions must really be asked here. The team is rudderless and Ricky isn't making runs. Is it time for him to give the captaincy away to try and make the most of his remaining couple of years? I know I have no hope of any selector seeing things my way but I think it is a must. You might just see the team pull back together and some big scores from the Boy Who Looked Sad. Anyway, that brought Clarke and Hussey together who got a nice little partnership going before Clarke, who seems to have recovered his composure, was out off what turned out to be the last ball of the day to ... Pieterson. It really is his match isn't it?

So, we are 137 runs behind with 6 wickets left. Well, 5 wickets left once you exclude North and really 1 wicket left once you exclude the four bowlers. Time for another 300 partnership Haddin and Hussey. I suspect England may be having some champagne with their lunch tomorrow.

The boy that looked sad on Day 3 appeared to look even sadder, if possible, on Day 4

My hero, Peter Roebuck, wrote a very interesting piece yesterday around Australia's newest sacrificial spinner, The Bowler Formerly Known As Xavier. Vaguely titled "Doherty simply not up to scratch", Peter summarises, as he often does, the point I have been trying to make on X in far more eloquent terms than I. In very polite terms Peter takes X apart bit by bit. It doesn't take an international cricketing word-smith to make most people realise this however. He was probably gone when Haddin tried the behind the stumps encouragement of “Good start, Doh”. Oh good gracious, now we have Homer Simpson playing for us. Never going to work.

Blind Freddy (you need to imagine a person without sight called Fred, rather than Freddy Flintoff on the open top bus at the end of the 2005 series for that to work) can see that X is not the answer. My fellow blogger Dave summed it up well yesterday with :

"The worst Test bowler I have ever seen"

Possibly a little strong but not far wrong. If you take out two batsmen who were going for quick runs and a bowler, then X has taken no wickets and cost many hundreds of runs. He has no answer and bowls darts. He won't go to Perth but who will? Peter gives us 4 possible options but I will focus on two: Stephen Smith and Steve O'Keefe

Stephen Smith: Everyone keeps telling me that he just "has something". As far as I can see, it is the ability to look completely lethargic at all times whilst still making people believe he has something. At first class level, is capable of making runs (4 hundreds at an average of 43) and take wickets with his right arm leg spin. He is also a wonderful fielder. All in all, we are in a lather about Steve .... except he, of course, averages 50 with the ball over 19 matches. So, at the moment, he isn't really a bowler at all. He is the Adil Rashid of Australian cricket: good at everything without really being good enough to get in the top side on any of them. Same age as well actually.

Steve O'Keefe: A couple of years older than Mr Smith but has only played 10 first class games. Not really near the batsman of Smith (no hundreds but an average of 51) and amazingly has a decent bowling average of a touch under 25. Bowls left arm orthodox though and unfortunately that is a skill that is more often than not, unsuccessful in the big game. Based on Xavier's selection, he might warrant a look though, especially as he dismissed Pieterson in the Australia A game before the first Test (we are willing to clutch at any straw at the moment). Probably rules himself out by having a good bowling average though, based on the past 3 years of Australian spinner selection.

Whatever we do, we need to bin The Bowler and turn to someone else. Interestingly, no one is talking Hauritz, except for me. Ricky clearly doesn't like him. If we don't go back to little Nathan then we are going to have no spinner for a few years and leave North in as basically the first choice spinner or we are going to have to invest in whomever we think has the best temperament and technique, persist with them and see if we can manufacture a Test cricketer. Please let's think this one through, I really don't want to see another humiliation on the scale of The Bowler.

Shane Warne gives up-and-comer Steven Smith some advice on wrist position during the texting of English nurses