- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia have been absolutely destroyed by India. But let’s face it, nobody wins there, the pitches are unfavourable, there’s no DRS and the batsman are trained to bat against quality spin.
England won there because they had two world-class players in Alastair Cook and Graeme Swann. We only have one in Michael Clarke.
England have a more balanced line-up.
Despite our recent success in Australia, we were never going to win in India.
However in England, we have a better shot.
The pitches are fair, there is a DRS and most of our batsmen (besides Phil Hughes), can cope with the swinging ball.
To win in England we need to have our best line-up on the park.
All-rounders that can’t bat or bowl such as Glenn Maxwell and Moises Henriques aren’t allowed.
Our batting line-up has to be stable and not prone to collapse. The only way we will have a line-up that can do well in England is if we look to our own domestic competition and not to limited overs cricket.
I have gone through and named who should be in the Ashes squad, with a number beside their name if they should be in the starting XI.
The batsmen
1. Dave Warner. Yes he hasn’t impressed in India but has anybody? He is an exciting batsman that when he’s on song can take the game away from the opposition.
2. Chris Rogers. He complements Warner perfectly at the top of the order, because he can play defensively but can also score runs. Age is against him but he is a quality player that can’t be ignored.
3. Shaun Marsh. Marsh beats Phil Hughes and Rob Quiney for first drop because he can build an innings but also attack. He is back in form and looked great in the second half of the season. There is a question mark as to the fitness of his hamstrings though.
4. Michael Clarke. The captain moves up to four because he has to bat higher. His spot is completely safe, but is dropped from the selectors panel.
5. Usman Khawaja. Usman is in the number five position unless Mike Hussey comes out of retirement . He is a great talent that hopefully will finally play against England.
Other batsmen that must be included in the final squad include George Bailey and Joe Burns.
If we choose to go with experience then George is a great man to have. He would definitely push Khawaja for the number five position but could also bat at six if we play no all rounder. He is a great leader that could definitely help Clarke out.
And Burns would come in as a back up for Marsh if his hammies give way. He has impressed for Queensland this season.
The wicketkeepers
There has been much argument about who should take the gloves for Australia. Haddin was a great player for Australia and did extremely well especially in the shadow of Gilchrist but he is past it. His reactions aren’t quite as good as they used to be.
There are two other options in Matt Wade and Tim Paine. My solution is to take both on tour, however in my XI Paine gets the nod at number six.
6. Tim Paine. He is a better batsman than Wade, however he has a bad history of injuries.
The all-rounders
There is a lot of debate about whether we should even have an all rounder in our side, but I think we should.
They give us extra batting and bowling depth that otherwise we wouldn’t have.
7. Mitchell Marsh: he has talent, he can bat and bowl better than Henriques and the only reason he doesn’t have a cap yet is because that like his brother he is injury prone. He will be a star.
James Faulkner should also come on tour as a shadow all-rounder. If Marsh gets injured then Faulkner is next in line if he improves his batting a bit.
The pacemen
8. James Pattinson. He is an exciting bowler who can lead the attack. He has a bit of DK Lillee and Merv Hughes about him.
9. Ryan Harris. It’s so great to see ‘Rhino’ up and about again and in the wickets. His spell against the Warriors was fantastic. Hope he can stay on the pitch because he is vital for the Ashes.
10. Jackson Bird. He swings the Kookaburra a fair way so imagine him with a brand new duke in his hand. He is the perfect bowler for English conditions.
Who else is on the plane? Patrick Cummins is a star for the future, despite being an injury risk.
Mitchell Starc wins the battle of the Mitches because he gets more swing than Johnson and is also very handy with the bat.
However if he is not fit for the Ashes (having surgery now) then Johnson takes his place.
Peter Siddle has a big heart but doesn’t move the ball. He is still a handy man to have in the squad.
The spinners
This is probably the hardest of all to pick. However, I settled on two spinners, one right armer and one lefty.
11. Ashton Agar. Agar wins the race of the spinners. He is a big talent at 19 years of age and turns the ball more than Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe or Xavier Doherty,
O’Keefe should also come along as it would be good to have some experience to back up Agar.
So, that is an XI that I reckon can win us back the urn.
Your thoughts?
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.