With the Ashes return bout coming to Australia’s shores, Australia will need to pick an XI that can win the Ashes.
The XI I have named would be captained, of course, by Michael Clarke. There are few surprises and I will explain my omissions after the main XI.
I may be young (16), but I do know a lot about cricket and I know what I am talking about, so please take this seriously and agree or disagree and share your thoughts.
1. Chris Rogers
His form in England showed that the Australian selectors should have picked him earlier. At 35, he may not even last beyond the World Cup, but at the moment, he is by far and away the best opening batsman we the country have at the moment.
2. Phillip Hughes
A shock, maybe. But this is Phil Hughes best position to bat in.
Batting, at times, in England, he showed that he can hang around at the crease and show he can tough it out (even though he only makes one he is there for 25 balls). He needs to be left in the Australian team for at least the next 20 Tests.
3. Shane Watson
His tight bowling is invaluable to Michael Clarke when he is trying to attack from the other end. His batting in the final Test at the Oval and in the ODIs was very good and very aggressive.
If he can get a good couple of scores to start the home series, he will then get better as the series goes on. Loves batting in Melbourne and Perth.
4. Michael Clarke (c)
Obvious choice as no.4 and as captain. Australia’s best batsman over the past two and a half years and a very attacking, strategic captain. Unknown how his back will hold up.
5. Steve Smith (vc)
He had a good Ashes series. He made a good fifty in the first Test and threw away his first century and then made his first Test century in the next Test.
Has more shots in his repertoire than any of the palms and his leg-breaks are more than handy. He would be my co-vice-captain with Brad Haddin.
A big series would go a long way to cementing a spot in the Australian team for the next ten years.
6. Moises Henriques
I know, highly unlikely, but he would be my first choice all-rounder to back up Shane Watson. His batting has come a long way for NSW and his bowling is his main focal point.
Batted like a champion in tough spinning conditions in India and got dropped. (What the?) Has three Sheffield Shield matches to stake a claim for a place. Wickets or mainly runs are what he needs to put his name in front of selectors.
7. Brad Haddin (wk, vc)
Unfortunately, his batting has faded significantly since his last stint as Australian Wicket-keeper (apart from 71 at Trent Bridge). Would still be Australia’s best wicket-keeper and Australia’s co-vice-captain. Needs to bat really well with Henriques at 6.
8. Stephen O’Keefe
This guy would have to be one of the most under-rated cricketers in Australia and even the world.
Spins the ball, gets drift, dip and can score handy runs. He is Australia’s Daniel Vettori to be truly honest.
I don’t understand how the Australian selectors, media and society can be calling for spinner ever since Warnie, but apparently a 25-wicket season is not enough to warrant selection (it’s not great, but as well as scoring runs and giving up the captaincy to focus on getting a place in the Australian Test team, is a very good season).
He is the best bowler in Australia and bats at eight anytime.
9. Mitchell Johnson
This is a massive risk, although he took nine wickets in his last two Tests (against Sri-Lanka). He is one I don’t really want to play, but he is left-handed and bowling very fast. As soon as he goes badly though, he is out of my team and Australia should not risk him again until Perth.
10. Ryan Harris
Leader of this attack through an amazing winter in England. 23 wickets in four Tests is an amazing return for a guy who was not even supposed to be fit. If he plays every Test this summer, Australia are very good chance of winning the Ashes.
11. Josh Hazlewood
A shock, maybe. And yet another Blue! Tall, has pace, bounce and gets movement and swing. And he is young. And he is not injured. And Pattinson is injured.
So for me, he takes Peter Siddle’s place as the first change seamer. He could be great for Australia, and why not blood him when we can pump him up in an Ashes series. He is a must for me.
12. Shaun Marsh/Joe Burns
Both of these blokes are batting pretty well. (Burns has been playing County Cricket before coming home with injury).
Burns needs to be more consistent and Marsh needs to not be injured. One or both of these guys would be on standby for Michael Clarke.
Notable Omissions: Peter Siddle
Finished the last three Ashes Tests with six wickets (including a 4fer). Looked good and was bowling great form the start of the series but then dropped off well and truly before the end of the series. Misses out to in-form Hazlewood.
David Warner
Simple. Don’t like him, can’t bat against England’s strong attack and doesn’t deserve a place in this team.
Nathan Lyon
Good bowler. But not good enough.
Fawad Ahmed
I’m sorry, but does not even get a look into this side. Hasn’t done anything to warrant selection, whereas O’Keefe, Hazlewood and co. have.
Steve Smith’s naming as vice-captain would just be a development plan designed for the future and the coach and Clarke should give him some tips on captaincy, give an opinion and a say during a game, because Haddin is 35 and can’t be vice-captain forever, so Smith gets a training series in captaincy and tactics from a very good captain and a very good coach.
Brendan Buckley
Roar Rookie
Apart from Warner, don't mean to brag - seriously, the rest of this XI is on the money. Bailey was the worst selection of the 21st century (only Dan Cullen, Bryce McGain, Xavier Doherty (& reselection) & Michael Beer's selections come close), Johnson was selected and absolutely destroyed and humiliated the poms, Steve O'keefe took 40 wickets in the Shield (whilst outshining Lyon in a couple games), Smith is our next leader, Hughes had the summer no one has had since 2004, Hazlewood took 22 wickets including 6/50 in the only innings in the final, Peter Siddle has beern dropped, Shaun Marsh was not only 12th man, but made the team in RSA (aswell as a ton). So, and I am glad it happened, Warner is the only one who has changed my mind and scored runs at will.
Kieran
Guest
For mine, George Bailey plays in the middle order. You can't leave Siddle out! And Hughes is goneeeeee ... Warner will play! If we need Henriques as an all-rounder when we already have Smith and Watson in the side, we don't have much faith in our bowlers ... who are the undoubted strength of this team!
Brendan Buckley
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the comments, it all helps. Most of you are right and leaving out Siddle is probably wrong, but the form I am talking about is the final test matches (again, where he took 6 wickets in 3 tests) and the ODI's and some aussies are in county cricket. Henriques is there so when Shane Watson breaks down again, we will have a bowler, but until he breaks down I would slot Burns in at six as he has been playing county cricket and CLT20 (Will need a few good shied games first up). When I selected Hughes I meant that he can hang around for a while until he faces swann or gets another shiz decision from the umpire. Mitchell Johnsons selection comes from all the hype around him bowling straight and fast in the ODI's and CLT20 and with Mitchell Starc injured, Australia always want to play an left-armer. Warner batted terribly apart from that 72, so that is the form I'm going on but I would like to see Hughes vs Warner in the three sheld matches leading up to the test series for a place as the opener with Rogers. SOK is a better spinner than Lyon, better batsman and an even, if not better fielder. So why not pick him? Also good to see a couple of blokes know their cricket. FYI, I'm from Queensland, but unfortunately we don't have test cricketers at the moment.
Red Kev
Guest
I like the fact Warney is supposed to be mending fences with his fiance but instead is off shooting a 71 at St Andrews.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Cummins is no chance of being fit. Isn't he basically out for the season again?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Haddin has some shockers with the gloves in England, but also did some brilliant things. On glovework he's well ahead of Wade at the moment. Lyon would certainly be happier having Haddin there as Wade is one of the worst keepers to spin I've ever seen reach international level.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
True, though I think for a pace-bowling allrounder, debuting in India is probably not the nicest place to showcase your bowling. If Watson went down and they really wanted an quick bowling allrounder to replace him then I think Henriques is the only real contender in Australia at the moment. (Faulkner doesn't count. Until he can reel off some centuries I have a real problem calling him an allrounder, he should be a number 8 batsman at test level, no higher, and therefore has to get in on the strength of being one of the top 3 healthy quick bowlers). Henriques had a great season last year with bat and ball. Anyone can have one good season though. He needs to come out this year and show that last year was a sign of things to come and not just a one-off good season to truly be considered. And even if he did that, with Watson in the team you don't need another allrounder, so unless he showed so much with the bat as to climb to the top of the list of quality batsmen at shield level purely on his batting alone, then you wouldn't pick them both in the same team.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Steve O'Keefe really deserved to have a shot at the test spinners spot back before Lyon got picked when they were going through every spinner in the shield with a significantly worse record than O'Keefe without giving him a chance. And it certainly doesn't hurt that he can handle the bat. But Lyon has been picked, and he is still young, at 24 (he looks a lot older because of the lack of hair) 10 years younger than Swann and 5 years younger than Swann was when he made his debut, and he's continually improving with every series he plays. I wouldn't be surprised if he finishes his career considered a vastly superior spinner to Graham Swann. Give him a few more years and he could be one of the top offies in the world. It's tough being a spinner for Australia though. Like the keeping job, there's really only one spot available. So unlike the batting lineup, where any of the 6 batsmen could be dropped to give you a chance, there's only one at a time with spinners and keepers. That also means there's nowhere to hide. You can have 5 experienced batsmen and pick one rookie and give him plenty of time to work into test level, but if you are picked as THE spinner, you are expected to perform instantly in that role in a way that isn't expected of most of the other positions.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't think Siddle is in the top 7-8 fast bowlers in the country if you take all bowlers, regardless of injury status. However, the raft of injuries to the young fast bowlers means that there are never enough of them fit and healthy enough to actually push him out of the side. So he remains.
ChrisUK
Guest
Not sure any of those selections are any more bizarre than dropping Lyon and selecting Agar to be fair. Or indeed for England to have selected Kerrigan.
ChrisUK
Guest
Well said.
Ilovewarnie
Guest
You have no idea on cricket, don't rate sidldle = ignorance
eryan89
Guest
I dont understand why this article got published ... horrendous writing .....
smithha
Roar Pro
Michael Clarke went missing with the bat, doesn't mean he shouldn't be there. Harris picked up the slack anyway.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Incidentally, CA have scheduled England's warm-up game against NSW at the SAME TIME as NSW are playing Qld in a Shield game. So I understand the two teams will look like this: vs Qld 1. Watson 2. Warner 3. Maddinson 4. Clarke 5. Smith 6. Nevill as a batsman 7. Haddin 8. Copeland 9. Sandhu 10. Cummins if fit, otherwise Hazlewood 11. Lyon vs England 1. Kurtis Patterson 2. D Dawson 3. Scott Henry 4. Rohrer 5. DHughes 6. Henriques 7. SOK 8. Carters 9. Hazlewood or Abbott 10. Tremain or Bills 11. Bollinger Solid bowling against England, light on for batting though. Incidentally, last Shield game last year you had these figures (v SA in Syd) Hazlewood 27 overs 5 for 46 Sandhu 28 overs 7 for 78 SOK 8 overs 3 for 14 The game before that (v Vic in Melb): Hazlewood 37 overs 5 for 110 Sandhu 38 overs 7 for 88 SOK 23 overs 4 for 64
Praveen
Guest
Well said, khawaja and maddins
Bearfax
Guest
Said it before about Henriques. His problem is consistency. When he's hot he seems almost freakish. Take his five Shield matches last year. Ended up with a batting average for that term of 77 and a top score of 161 not out. His bowling was also remarkable with an average of 18. Then he'll become mediocre for a time which explains at almost 27 years old he has a batting average of 31.6 and a bowling average of 28. He's got the potential and also apparently has leadership qualities but he seems to have difficulty maintaining his 'A' game which then slides to a 'C' game when he's off. At his best he seems a test quality all rounder.
jameswm
Roar Guru
As Hookin said, how can we pick a team on form when the Shield hasn't started yet? Like it or lump it, this is already cast in stone. 1. Rogers 2. Warner 3. Watson 4. Clarke 5. Smith (or 6) 6. 1st ? 7. Haddin 8. Siddle 9. 2nd ? 10. Harris 11. Lyon Yep, we're looking at one fast bowliner and a batsman for Brisbane. right now they'd be ranked in about this order, but that depends on form and fitness. 4th BOWLER Pattinson Bird Johnson Faulkner Cutting-Hazlewood-Sayers-Sandhu-others 6th BATSMAN Khawaja Hughes Maddinson (best performed on A tour) Burns SMarsh Cowan Cosgrove Silk Ferguson maybe Form in the first few Shield games will determine those two spots. If I had to bet, I'd guess they'll pick Johnson (Pattinson not fit enough yet) and hmm, tough call on batsman. Maybe Khawaja, or maybe a bolter like Maddinson, or maybe they go back to SMarsh. Don't see Hughes getting picked at 6 any time soon, coming in with Swann at the other end. (Note - all 4 are lefties, but at least 3-4-5 in the lineup all play Swann well)
jameswm
Roar Guru
Henriques has a FC bowling average of 28. His bowling is hardly pedestrian. He's a better prospect in Australia where he gets swing and some bounce. Having said all that, he wouldn't make my 2nd string Australian test side, though I'd have him close in ODIs and T20.
JimmyB
Guest
Those damn Fembots can't be trusted. Or just maybe, the drugs are wearing off and Liz has regained her senses just a little bit. Who knows, this one is going to run and run. :)