Two from each state, who's in your Test team?

No, the issue is cricket doesnt have any money, because cricket gets maybe three days a year thats a good crowd by AFL standards. Someone like Stephen Coniglio would be making a very very risky financial decision to stick with cricket - theres maybe twenty professional cricketers who earn more than he does now, and he was looking at probably 15-1 odds against being one of the three lower-middle order batsmen with an ACB contract.

I think a good exercise would be to see a tri series with a NSW expat 11 (ie: Kawaja, Hughes, Harris, Silk..) v NSW remainders 11 (Clarke, Warner, Smith, Haddin, Bollinger....) versus the rest of the country (Watson, Johnson, Rogers, Siddle, Wade...). I think rest of country loses 10/10.

there is no getting around it though. Again there are 5 NSW'man in that team. The AFL states need to start producing cricketers that stick with cricket and say no to AFL. That's the issue.

Good chat starter. How about an all-time Australian XII chosen on the same basis, one from each state? We would have to clarify what state each player belongs to if he played for more than one in his career. If we allow each player to be tagged with any one if the states he played for, my XII is: Hayden QLD Boon Tas Bradman SA G Chappell SA Ponting Tas Border QLD Gilchrist WA K Miller VIC Lindwall NSW Warne VIC Lillee WA B O'Reilly NSW

Haha realised i put bird ahead of lyon in the batting order. This would not be the case, bird very average with stick in hand, genuine number 11

Alternative would be to drop Faulkner, bat Doolan at 3, Marsh at 6 and Wade at 7. Would leave the bowling thin though, and Clarke (with his dodgy back) as the only real part time option. Very interesting on Rogers and particularly Lyon. I think in the case of Lyon, people have realised that he is the best spinner we've got and has been for some time. With the improvement he showed throughout the ashes summer, i think the only reason he would not be a lock in any test team would be on the greenest of pitches.

A bit of another direction would be to make the second victorian Matthew Wade. Not in the top two most important to the team but fast bowling depth means that the loss of siddle/pattinson could be covered well (by Bird) and still leave a potent attack. Therefore i think the only dilemma is whether to play Faulkner or Doolan from Tasmaina. Doolan will mean better batting but light on for bowling, Faulkner leaves Wade at six and potentially exposes the tail. At the end of the day, this is what i came up with: 1 C Rogers (VIC) 2 P Hughes (SA) 3 S Marsh (WA) 4 M Clarke (c) (NSW) 5 U Khawaja (QLD) 6 M Wade (VIC) 7 J Faulkner (TAS) 8 M Johnson (WA) 9 R Harris (QLD) 10 J Bird (TAS) 11 N Lyon (NSW) 12 C Sayers (SA)

But where is the fun in that! Much more fun to taunt people

I'm feeling more comfortable

Yeah so am I. Maybe I should go for Whiteman as the keeper and the superior bat (to Hartley), and take Lynn or Burns at 5 instead of Marsh. Better?

Great work James. A bit worried about the batting though. We could go from 2/100 to all out 170

You've got to start with the first picked. Clarke, Johnson and Harris. Siddle and Rogers are the two Vics, easy. With Sids in, our fast bowling unit stays untouched. Who goes with Clarke from NSW? Haddin, Smith, Warner, Watto or Lyon? We have pretty decent depth in keepers. Faulkner isn't far behind Watto as an all rounder. Lyon is by far our best test spinner. OK, no one from SA currently in the team. Maybe Hughes in and Sayers in the 12. Klinger is the other one. WA have Johnson, so who else? Marsh, Marsh, Agar, Whiteman? Lyon has to be in because he's so far ahead of 2nd best, further than Smith, Haddin, Watto or Warner. Qld have only Harris in. No wonder fos is steaming about selections. Cutting, Hartley, Burns and Lynn for the other spot. We've got the quicks covered, so do we go for Hartley or a batsman? Tassie - Faulkner, Bailey, Paine, Silk, Bird. Not sure if you need Bird with the fast bowling unit intact. We're losing Smith and Warner because of Lyon and Clarke being picked, so we need a batsman. Plus an all rounder for Watto. For me the choice has come to this - what is stronger - Lynn/Burns as a batsman and Whiteman as a keeper, or SMarsh as the batsman and Hartley as the keeper? Much as I wouldn't have him near the test team, SMarsh gets the nod because I want hartley there as the best gloveman in the country. Would also be happy with Whiteman and Burns (or Lynn) making the team. So mine looks a bit different to yours, Casey. 1. Rogers Vic 2. Hughes SA 3. Silk Tas 4. Clarke NSW 5. SMarsh WA 6. Faulkner TAS 7. Hartley Qld 8. Johnson WA 9. Harris Qld 10. Siddle Vic 11. Lyon NSW 12. Sayers SA

If you want to make it a state of origin then Hughes is definitely out having started with NSW, Bird is from NSW having moved the Tasmania for better opportunity. Both Haddin and Lyon were born, and to the best of my knowledge were raised, so learnt their cricket, in country NSW both have ended up playing for NSW via the ACT, Lyon, of course via SA. Southern NSW country do have strong ties with ACT because of its proximity. Rogers was also born in Sydney, although I'm fairly certain he moved to WA as a child, similar for Harris only to SA. So NSW can still claim half the team as their own. :)

Of course NSW poaching players from other states :P Haddin is from ACT Watson is from Qld but first played for Tas Lyon is from SA. We do understand that the poorer cricketing states do have to raid other states to get decent talent :P