My thoughts on this (no one is asking, I know
)
Spoilers below if you haven’t watched it, so please do not read the following if you care.
1. Overall propaganda for the Australian team to make them seem like “good blokes” and that we’ve gotten over the disgraceful ball tampering. It’s fine, just know what it is.
2. Agree that team meetings and the like are very interesting, though what are they holding back at some points for the camera that is obviously there.
3. Steve Smith seems very weird... good for the team he is no longer captain, and shouldn’t be again. Strange man and don’t think he has the charisma and nous to captain again.
4. Warner - I don’t think the team really like him (surprise). While the others seem to get on well on tour (cards, playing around), i don’t know if that is the case for warner. Polarising guy, sure... but interesting.
5. They barely address the ball-tampering saga... 5 minutes up front in Episode 1, then nothing. Would have been some good opportunities for introspection with Smith, Warner, Bannedcroft, Lehman even.
6. Langer has anger management problems.
7. Don’t think langer is a very good coach whatsoever. Outsourced the ODI preparations to Punter, and the Ashes preparations to Tugga (everywhere else they lost...)
8. The narratives are too obvious sometimes, and they don’t show enough of what happened in the games. i.e., Usman Khawaja’s tour of India and UAE dominated leading up to selection in the CWC team... but that got no mention and it was all about Finch scratching around back into some form.
9. Did not address key selection decisions (Khawaja dropped in ashes, for example) and others
10. In the team meetings early on, Khawaja was the only one with the guts to stand up to Langer on behalf of the team (Langer noted he was a fan of him, but whatever). What was with that idea of changing the team around in the nets when one person got out... ludicrous!
11. That Stokes innings in the Ashes was incredible. Some bad captaincy, for sure... that DRS call, and they should have never gotten that close.
12. They barely showed Test 5.... as it didn’t fit with the fun story conclusion, “we have everyone’s respect back”
Interested in your thoughts, Sabotage? It was a fun series, but part of me wanted to see more cricket, analysis, performance and a little less about Zampa making coffee and Zampa/Stoinis kissing each other
Yes, I am an Usman fanboi and always have been. Tremendous batsman, who never got the support of the establishment for a long enough period of time.
This upcoming summer is going to be like Shield Cricket, or the tours to the UAE... no crowds!