My Australian team for the first Test

Hear, hear. Watto's a legend. The same man who can thump 175 off England in the Fifth Test is on the Lords Honour Board as a *bowler*. If Watson is self-centred what are/were Dennis Lillee, Viv Richards, Shane Warne, Geoff Boycott, Ian Botham, Steve Waugh, Malcolm Marshall? Answer: extremely driven champion cricketers who love to compete and give their all to win (or in Boycott's case, draw).

For all his flaws, Mitchell Johnson's test stats are almost identical to Brett Lee's: a bowling average of 30.93 versus 30.81 and almost exactly four wickets per test. This is despite the fact that Johnson often has been bowled first change and been used as a stock bowler, bowling long spells, whereas Lee tended to get the new ball and was used in shorter spells to keep him fresh and fast. It says a lot for Johnson's fitness that he has consistently been able to bowl at high pace through long spells in hot, testing conditions. He has been selected to play only four test matches in the past 23 months. In the first three of those matches, in Australia against South Africa and Sri Lanka, his aggregate figures were 13 for 335, an average of 25.77. The other test was the Fourth Test of the series against India. In the first innings he went wicketless but had the best economy rate of the five bowlers used. I recall seeing wickets going begging off Johnson's bowling in that innings because the keeper and slips were standing too deep. And in the second innings, with 155 runs to defend, Watson opted to open with Lyon and Maxwell and Johnson was given only two overs. So there is some evidence over the past two years to suggest that Johnson has improved the consistency and effectiveness of his bowling.

Simple, his first class average is a touch below 40. That's why. If you want to storm your way into the test team., averages of 50, 60 and above work much better.

Stuart Clark hasn't played for Australia for quite a few years now (says the spelling Nazi as he grins smugly). ;)

I think we can still get 10 overs a day out of Watson without too much risk of him getting injured. The bowling we do get from him is high quality. He is as good at reverse swing as anyone and bowls with a lot of intelligence. Compare his stats with most of the specialist seam bowlers and then consider the fact that he NEVER gets the use of the new ball. Also if one (or more) of our fast bowlers gets injured during a match Watson could step up and give us 20-25 quality overs. Kallis typically bowls 12 to 15 overs a day for S Africa and Watson is a very similar bowler (indeed, player) except that he has more of a history of injuries. Hence I say 10 overs for him as a default bowling plan. While Lyon should remain the frontline spinner (with Ahmed the next in the queue), Steve Smith's bowling is an asset that should be nurtured. Clarke should have made more use of him during the Ashes series, particularly against Bell whom he troubled. Smith gets good turn, drift and dip and has a good wrong'un, so he will generally be a be a wicket threat especially against a team like England. He is a good foil to Lyon, who is better equipped to play a stock-bowling role as a spinner. Watson plus Smith backing up our three best fit quicks and Lyon gives us a quality attack with depth and balance. Especially with a true wicketkeeper behind the stumps, i.e. Hartley.

True that he was way out of his depth against spin (of that quality) at the start of the India tour, but he improved considerably by the end of it. He has also closed up the weakness against short balls that he showed early on. And he showed in the First Ashes Test he can play a grafting innings in tough circumstances as well as a slashing innings on a true deck. He was averaging over 60 in the first-class matches of the Ashes tour when he was dropped. That is not the statistic of a batsman who "struggles against pace." I think his proven determination and ability to improve his game should be noted and rewarded with further opportunities.

Both Haddin and Wade have missed so many dismissal chances in tests it is impossible to keep count any more. The keeper HAS to be Hartley.

I don't believe Hughes should have been dropped during the recent Ashes series. His 81 not out in the First Test, on top of his undoubted talent, showed all the fighting qualities of a long-term champion test bat. He was averaging over 60 for the first-class matches on tour at the time he was dropped, many of those runs having been made at the crucial No 3 spot.

My team would be 1.Rogers 2.Warner 3.Watson 4.Clarke 5.Smith 6.Maddinson 7.Wade 8.Johnson/Faulkner (depending on the ground) 9.Mitchell Starc 10.Ryan Harris 11.Nathan Lyon

Fair enough.I would only play Watson as a batsman,he is too prone to breaking down when he bats and bowls.That opens it up for a all rounder in the team.I went for Hopes and Hauritz purely because it is being played at the Gabba and being members of the Qld Sheffield Shield team that finished runners up in 2012-13 and they both have represented Australia before,I thoght would give them a opportunity to see how they go.

So whose a stirrer TonyM. Having a little fun getting a reaction to your team are you. OK I'll bite Hopes with a first class bowling average of 28 (fair but not world shattering)..A 32 first class batting average...yeh well he'd be considered I guess as an all rounder, but you've already got Watson in your team. Two mixed bag batsmen in your top 6. Hardly. And he's no spring chicken at 35 Hauritz. Oh yes very impressive. 21 first class batting average and wait for it..42.5 first class bowling average. My reaction as if you didnt expect it. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

My team for the first test at Gabba would be; Rogers,Warner,Watson,Smith,Clarke,Hopes,Hartley,Hauritz,Harris,Cutting,Bird

We are not in the golden era of aussie cricket...so rather than FC record currently we need to looka at a good level head batsman at no.6 who can handle the pressure... Bailey fits the bill (till the time the Gen Y come along as you say) Very exciting time to see how the following come along : Silk, Marcus Harris , Doolan , Burns, Maddinson , Patterson , Handscomb , Lynn, Travis Head and Sam Whiteman

It beats me how less the name of JOE BURNS is mentioned....without doubt he is the best batsman in the country right now outside the test team...

Sorry Davros but if Bailey was scoring the same in first class cricket as these kids or more I might agree with you. But he is not. He does not deserve a spot ahead of these kids because they are scoring runs at first class level and he is not. He averaged 17 in the last extended first class Shield season. Yeh that would assist the Oz side.

sayers ave's around 130 -132...what about Bollinger ?...he's another who has done the job well in the past....with far less ordinary performances than johnson although I would agree when Johnson is at his best he slightly shades bollinger

I have completely the opposite opinion...let younger players earn their way in with lots of runs and taking time to know there game inside out ...bailey may or may not have what it takes ..but by now he is battle hardened and very experienced and knows his game well ....I don't think it would be the worst decision to give him an opportunity ...stats only tell half the story....imho we cruel a lot of younger guys picking them way before they are ready ...or have earnt it ...I don't mind a bit of maturity and hard won experience....especially if they have performed overseas and in this instance against pommie attacks...so maybe klinger is another and If cosgrove would only get half fit ...

Horses for courses Andy. Just as horses are suited to different types of races, so cricketers are suited to different cricketing formats. Finch, Shaun Marsh, Voges, Bailey etc are suited to short form cricket which is designed quite differently with field restrictions, ball changes, limited over bowling for your best bowlers. That suits the more flamboyant cricketer. Some might also become able test crickets, but a different style and temperament is required it seems. Those mentioned have shown, despite almost a decade of first class cricket that they cant consistently do well in the longer form of the game and their age suggests that significant improvement is unlikely in the long term. Remember both Voges, Bailey, Shaun Marsh and Finch averaged under 20 in the last Shield competition, which is the last serious longer form succession of cricket games these guys have played Cowan on the other hand is better suited to the longer form of the game and would be one of the first picked given his doggedness, needed in test cricket. But he fails consistently to go on with it and with an average just over 30 following around 20 tests and being over 30 years himself, he is also unlikely to improve. He also average a little over 20 in his last Shield year Batsmen like Khawaja, Hughes, Warner, Smith, have a natural ability at the longer form of the game to score big. Their first class averages are there to see and they are young enough to develop their game. Sure they are not meeting what we hoped of them yet, but if we started to use some of those older batsman, I suspect Australia's performances would become even more mediocre. Smith is beginning to show he has the skill and temperament for test cricket, Warner is hot and cold and as is Hughes. Khawaja just hasnt received enough game time to adjust. But I would be sticking with them with the only replacements coming from the younger group like Maddison, Burns etc, not older players who have never been test level successful at the longer form of the game and are now closer to retirement than when they started first class matches..

I think you may be under-estimating Wade here. He is still only a kid in test cricket standards and though he struggled a little keeping to Lyons, he was good with the fast bowlers and in fact far more athletic than Haddin catching balls way away from his body that Haddin couldnt reach. He is on a learning curve and as indicated by several former test cricketers had been improving noticeably. But like Khawaja and Hughes the pressure has been on him every time he makes a mistake, which his critics are now always jumping onto. Other wicketkeepers are not being so heavily scrutinised, because so many have their favourites who they want installed. Consequently like Khawaja and Hughes he has been over compensating and not allowing his natural instincts to prevail. As a result all three are performing at present well below their best. With all of them a bit more time and a few confidence building performances and they will be on their way to being established test class cricketers. Funny how several of the English batsmen failed badly in the last Ashes series including wonderkid Root, but little is being said about them. And their wicketkeeper has been hardly setting the world alight with some average performances. I think we should just let these youngsters take their time to achieve what their potential promises.

Aged Chris