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Asher England

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Joined August 2015

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Good point. In hindsight I reckon I would’ve picked Shakib ahead of Mushfiqur to give the side an extra bowler.

Lyon roars into my 2017 Test XI

He’s played on and off as a specialist batsman this year, with Liton Das sometimes taking the gloves. An extra bowling option would be good though – perhaps Shakib in place of Mushfiqur would make for a stronger side.

Lyon roars into my 2017 Test XI

Yeah that line was in reference to the keepers who have actually played Tests since Haddin. I’ve no doubt Hartley could’ve been an excellent Test keeper.

Australia needs a new ‘keeper, but it’s not Peter Handscomb

No, Victoria’s first choice keeper was previously Wade but now that he’s moved to Tasmania it’s the 20-year-old Sam Harper. Handscomb only keeps as a backup these days.

Australia needs a new ‘keeper, but it’s not Peter Handscomb

Yep, England have played way more Tests than everyone else this year. Root’s still averaged a touch under 50 so I gave him the nod. In fact he’s now overtaken Bairstow by two runs – made 88 today while Bairstow managed 49.

Braithwaite and Wagner in my Test team of 2016

James if I was picking a straight-up World XI I’d 100% agree with you – but this team is based entirely on performance in 2016. In Tests Warner has averaged just 37 this year and while Hazlewood has been solid, averaging 26, other quicks performed better.

Braithwaite and Wagner in my Test team of 2016

Thanks Mike, Brathwaite has really impressed me and I hope for the sake of the West Indies that he keeps developing. Still a very young man.

Wagner is such a fantastic workhorse for New Zealand and it’s great to see him reeling in some wickets this year.

Braithwaite and Wagner in my Test team of 2016

Hi Craig, thanks for the reply.

My comment regarding Nevill’s domestic batting record was a reference to his List A average of just 22.18 (worse than Wade’s ODI record) from a good sample size of 43 innings. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the selectors to be reluctant to pick him for that reason.

Having said that, I do personally rate him as a batsman and believe he’d be able to step up. That last ball six in one of the WT20 matches was great.

Is Matt all you got? Australia Wades into a search for new ODI keeper

Yeah, sorry, that’s a bit unclear, I meant that Smith leads them as captain (not as an opening batsman).

Australia's World T20 top-order conundrum

Personally I’d strongly consider a move to 3 for Warner. Of all the options for that spot I think he’s best equipped to handle it. Open up with Watson and Finch, with Khawaja missing out. Smith is an ideal number 4 in this format.

1. Finch
2. Watson
3. Warner
4. Smith
5. Maxwell
6. M. Marsh
7. Faulkner
8. Hastings
9. Nevill
10. Zampa
11. Hazlewood

Australia's World T20 top-order conundrum

I’d rather Maxwell as a specialist bat and Faulkner the second allrounder. I’d also seriously consider Sandhu instead of Cummins maybe.

Test tour of Bangladesh will challenge Australia

Agreed! A first-class average over 40 (and yet to do justice to his full potential), plenty of prior international experience, plus a gun fielder and handy offspinner. Pick him. It’s not like there’s any other truly outstanding option right now.

It's time for the Big Show to enter the Test arena

To clarify, my post Ashes top 7:

1. Warner
2. Burns
3. Smith
4. Khawaja
5. Maxwell
6. M. Marsh
7. Nevill

Australia should pick Glenn Maxwell for the fifth Test

Hey guys,

A useful read here:

http://www.cricket.com.au/news/glenn-maxwell-yorkshire-australia-test-red-ball-cricket-jason-gillespie-endorses-plan/2015-08-10

Among other things, it corrects a mistake of mine in the article – after Maxwell’s 140 for Yorkshire his average is now just north of 40, at 40.37. Definitely a record that stands up to any of the other batsmen being considered, with the exception of Chris Lynn’s 45.88.

Here’s a short list of batsmen likely to come into contention in my opinion (in no particular order):

Glenn Maxwell (34 matches, age 26) – avg. 40.37, 5 hundreds, 12 fifties
Usman Khawaja (89 matches, age 28) – avg. 39.98, 13 hundreds, 29 fifties
Chris Lynn (35 matches, age 25) – avg. 45.88, 5 hundreds, 11 fifties
Joe Burns (60 matches, age 25) – avg. 40.93, 8 hundreds, 24 fifties
Cameron Bancroft (24 matches, age 22) – avg. 37.38, 4 hundreds, 6 fifties
Peter Handscomb (43 matches, age 24) – avg. 35.05, 4 hundreds, 16 fifties

You could also make cases for Marcus Stoinis and Travis Head, but I suspect we won’t see them in the squad for another couple of years. My first picks would be Burns to open when Rogers retires, Maxwell in for Shaun Marsh, Khawaja in for Clarke (after the Ashes) and Lynn first reserve, or maybe replacing Voges.

Again, thanks heaps for your comments guys, I know my Maxwell proposal might be a little crazy, but I definitely appreciate the debate!

Australia should pick Glenn Maxwell for the fifth Test

I reckon it’s a bit unfair to criticise players for their perceived personalities anyway, a caricature that we receive through the media. Not sure why Maxwell and Faulkner are singled out anyway; Warner and Mitch Marsh are two other Test players who have had bad off-field patches.

And I agree wholeheartedly with Ronan on Faulkner. I’d be getting him straight into the Bangladesh squad when his suspension is over. Huge potential.

On the Stokes/Ali partnership: it’s hard to criticise England when they’re demolishing us, but I actually think playing both Stokes and Ali is a mistake. The series result doesn’t change the fact that Ali is a mediocre spinner at best, while Stokes is still averaging 40+ with the ball in Test cricket. On challenging wickets and against competent batting lineups (i.e. – not ours) I think the English attack will struggle.

Anyway, in this article I’m advocating playing Maxwell as a specialist batsman – his bowling is of little to no value to us in any case (we already have a competent offspinner, and Maxwell’s not particularly good anyway). His value to us is as a middle-order batsman, and he should be told that by the Aussie coaching staff/selectors so that he stops wasting time working hard on his bowling.

Australia should pick Glenn Maxwell for the fifth Test

Thanks for the comments guys.

I totally understand people’s concerns about his temperament, but if he’s ever going to learn it has to be now. He’s talented enough and he has to be given a run now before he becomes a lost cause, spending the rest of his career playing in T20 leagues and ODIs while playing 1-2 first-class games a season. The fact that he’s in England right now, coming off a hundred and with a dead rubber in foreign conditions coming up is an amazing opportunity. There’ll never be a better time to give him a shot.

Australia should pick Glenn Maxwell for the fifth Test

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