Nathan Lyon on track for Test recall

This whole resting bowlers is a bit of a worry. Imagine telling a Lillee or McGrath that they were told to sit out a test match in order to be fit for the one dayers. And why would you want to rest bowlers in obviously career best form? If Hilf or Siddle are rested, I hope we hear stories about how they stormed out of the meeting in a murderous rage.

According to some, McDermott is a miracle worker who can fix up Johnson's dreadful action and aid him to bowl consistently as others bowlers can.

I presume you mean Clint, not Brett, Disco...

You've just explained why Ponting's continued presence is problematic. On Nevill; he's certainly done more than what Healy had done before he replaced Greg Dyer.

Chris Faulkners trying to be an alrounder. ATM in 20 odd matches he averages 24 with the ball and just under 30 with the bat.

Although I agree with jameswm regarding what will happen; it is very interesting to note the ages of Australia's new rejuvenated batting lineup - 25, 29, 30, 37, 30, 36. Compare to the bowlers. The selectors need to stop dithering on Ponting and get another sub-30-year-old in there.

Yep - unless Marsh bats very well in Adelaide, and the openers don't, Watson will come in for Marsh. Hopefully Ponting to 3 so Watson can bwol (and bat at 6). They won't drop Warner, and if Cowan scores a hundred (he hasn't yet), he's safe for a while. As I also said - if Haddin does bugger all and Wade or Nevill has a storming 2nd half of the Shield season, look for one of them to come in. My tip (and I'd get decent odds) is for P Nevill to be the Australian keeper for the Windies tour. I think he's a better gloveman than Wade, and he's certainly a better batsman on numbers. I've seen the kid bat in person, and he's very impressive.

Forgot about Copeland. I'd put him on a par with Cutting. Chris, Faulkner still has a bit of proving to do, and Johnson does have some good test performances to fall back on. It's not like Johnson's suddenly the 20th best bowler in the country. I'd have no prpblem with the bloke (Johnson) coming back and proving everyone wrong, with a swag of Shield wickets and consistent performances. I just don't think he has it in him. He's had enough opportunities, why should he change now. And given Billy the Kid's limited grey matter, I find it hard to believe he is solely responsible for the improvement in Sid and Hilfy. Hilfy did a lot of work with his state coach (de Winter I think) in the off season and has got fit, and Siddle actually bowled quite well last summer. He's fit and aggressive and consistent, he only needed a bit of tweaking and pressure put on at the other end. I've got to say though I've been pleasantly surprised with what I've seen from our bowlers and heard from Billy. There is still significant room for improvement in all our quicks though. They only need me as a once-a-month consultant - I won't charge too much.

Hazelwood's injured as well. Cutting must be close to a return though?

James - how crap is Faulkner if you put him below Johnson?

Ordinarilly you'd probably be right, especially with little no Shield matches right now, but the eventual return of Watson makes it harder for him. Someone will have to make way for Watson in the WIndies and Cowan seems to have impressed the important people. Clarke was full of prasie for him in the post-match press conference. It will take a big score from Marsh in Adelaide to put him ahead of the others I'dimagine.

All that's true, but my point was really that the those players I mentioned survived multiple Test losses and I fear that Marsh - judging by Uncle Arthur's comments - has been penciled in for a run in the side regardless of his form and results.

The slectors have concerns about the penetration that he gets given his pace. His record before SL would indicate that they're wrong, but he has really struggled for wickets this Shield season. He's not going for many runs but the wickets aren't flowing either. He's only taken 2 wickets in his 5 Shield innings since he was dropped.

Pontings record was always going to give him an unbelievably long time to find his form. Hussey got ages before the last Ashes series as well. If you're a player who's had a long-term succesful career you will get a long-time to find form. It's the way it's always been. Hughes was on the chopping block in SL before making that hundred, then the 88 in SA. Hell Marcus North survived for ages by doing nothing for a few tests and pulling out a hundred when his neck was on the line. No argument with Johnson. He was always given too long. The Perth Ashes test gave him longer then he should have had, though again, the start of his career was always going to give him a fair bit of time to find form. Smith was picked for 2 tests, dropped, then picked for 3 more tests and dropped, very much like Khawaja was. Hardly an extended run in the team. For what it's worth his test batting average is only .44 below Khawaja's. His last innings before he got dropped was 54* I'm not sure how many players (especially batsmen) have been dropped after scoring an unbeaten 50 in their last innings..... Haddin has probably been saved because the next annointed one, Paine, is injured. Also his half century in the 2nd test at the Wanderers helped. Again though, up until recently, he was a keeper averaging over 40 in test cricket. In the last Ashes he averaged 45. Haddin, Watson and Hussey were our only players to average over 30 in that series. Keep in mind that for Marsh we're talking 3 bad tests. It's the same as Smith and Khawaja got however Marsh with the only difference being that marsh is lucky enough to be in a winning team. Having said all that he has only averaged an astonishing 3.50 this series!

I wonder where Copeland fits into that mix? He played all three Tests the only time Australia won an away Test series in the last 18 months.

I thought Starc was impressive in Perth.

Not sure he would've been dropped even in that case such is the esteem with which he seems to be held. The selectors have form retaining continually struggling players after multiple losses; Ponting, Hughes, Johnson, Smith and Haddin spring to mind.

Meanwhile, New Zealand haven't shown any such reluctance in changing a winning team with Reece Young dropped for their Test against Zimbabwe. He's not the only under-performing 'keeper-batsman I can think of...

I guess the likes of Cutting, Bollinger and Hastings are injured. Hazelwood might get a look in, McKay even.

I also think with Starc - and the same for Hilfy - when the ball's new and moving, they can't have every ball swinging or swinging the same amount. Starc needs the straighter ones to make the batsmen play at the ones which slide across the right-hander and don't come back. That's why Johnson needed to bring the ball back - so they played at his meaningless ones slanting across. And Hilfy needs to bring the Terry Alderman LBW element into his game. Some straight ones early, rather than just hooping it around, would mean that the opposition batsman will nibble more at his stock ball. I constantly think this when he's bowling, and can't believe it isn't something they've worked on. The odd straighter fuller quicker one brings in LBW and gives him more chance of finding edges on the ones that do swing. Either hold it across the seam, or bowl with a slightly higher arm with the different wrist position.