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Joined March 2013
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when the seagulls follow the trawler.........
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MJ will definitely start absolutlely no chance of him not playing unless injured, Eng team still carrying scars from MJ’s beasting during last ashes. MJ helped to scare most of their tail out last time. If he doesnt start, Eng batters will be jumping for joy as the other 3 dont have the same fear factor.
Hazlewood will also start, you have to reward him for not putting a foot wrong and he’s style will suit Eng pitches.
That leaves choice btw Rhino & Starc.
Unless he breaks down in warmup games, i reckon Rhino will get the nod. Boof is immensely loyal to some of the incumbents, to the point of blatant blind favortism in the case of Watto who gets picked regardless of form with bat and ball and not that Rhino is teachers pet like Watson but provided he gets thru warmup games fit, Rhino will get chance to start first test as reward for past service.
So Starc will miss out because of that and also 2 left arm fast bowlers might be overkill and despite his improvement, he still has a hint of inconsistency. He’s still capable of bowling unplayable wicket taking deliveries but he can be expensive and struggle to get his radar locked in.
As someone else mentioned above, the bowling isnt the issue as any combo of 4 is capable of taking 20 wickets but the batting remains fragile and capable of collapse. Our batting relies on Smith’s runs and the Tail making crucial innings saving runs which usually hide another poor top6 batting performance.
It's a Starc choice, but we know which Mitch Australia needs
Bearfax i think you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not pro-cowan, totally the opposite, so you dont have to sell me on the Cowan isnt a Test player debate. I totally agree with you, based solely on his Test Record and if you exclude book sales, literary awards and IQ, then he should not even be in the squad and Rogers should open but he is NSP Pet. I’ve no problem with them giving him a long run in the team but they’ve seen enough now to know he’s not up to it and its a shame they havent given UTK the same chance to prove himself.
P.S. I think Warners away record is relevant, he’s had 19 innings at home & 14 away, thats not a great difference, his away ave should be higher. I get the feeling he is due a big away series & this could be the one. If he bats like he did in Hobart, where he digs in & puts a higher price on his wicket but still stays aggresive, rather than trying to T20 them in the first over, he will knock that cocky smile off Swann & Anderson’s faces!
Don't give up on Ashes - England are very beatable
Bearfax, the concern with Warner is he averages 50 in australia but only only a Cowan-like 26 away? And i dont think we can win this series with 2 Cowans? So their are question marks? Having said that, Warner is a potential match winner, Cowan is not.So its Warner for me everytime.
I think NSP have invested too much time in the Warner/Cowan opening partnership to change now, its etched in stone for the 1st Test, so I hope they play Rogers at #3 as insurance so DW can play his natural game and we have solid foundation for Clarke to come in at #4. #5 is up for grabs and I think Watson will get the not at #6 for 1st Test with Faulkner hopefully pushing him real hard for his place….
Don't give up on Ashes - England are very beatable
For what it’s worth, i don’t think the NSP will take long to pick the squad. Inverarity hinted it would be 17man squad: 7 Batsmen, 2Wk, 2 Spinners, 6 Fast Bowlers or 5 FB & 1 Allrounder. I think they’ve decided on 14/15 of them already.
On that basis the NSP will probably name the following: Warner, Cowans, Hughes, Clarke (C), Khawaja, Watson, Smith, Wade, Haddin, Starc, Siddle, Pattinson, Bird, Harris, Lyon. It’s then 2 from Agar, Ahmed, Cummins, Faulkner, Rogers. I’m praying that the Marsh rumour is a crazy hoax and that sanity prevails and they take Khawaja&Rogers
The reality is we don’t have a large pool of proven test quality batsmen. We have one true Test Batsman and a pool of batsmen who are all deeply flawed & more suited to ODI & T20 cricket rather than the blow torch to the belly examination that is Test Cricket. So it’s no use gambling on more rookies, this is the Ashes in England so we have to be pragmatic and save the gambles for home soil.
IMO, I’d leave Smith behind & take Rogers (horses 4 courses) to bat at No#3. Watson goes as batsman but plays as Allrounder which frees up extra fast bowling slot. Fast track Fawad in as 2nd spinner, Agar stays at home to learn his craft for a few more years.
So my team is: Warner, Cowans, Rogers, Clarke, Khawaja, Watson, Wade, Starc, Siddle, Pattinson, Lyon; then on the bench is Haddin, Hughes, Harris, Bird, Cummins, Ahmed.
Our innings must have solid foundations and be built with partnerships not cameos. If Warner goes early, Cowans & Rogers are proven batsmen in English conditions & should stop Poms getting to Clarke early. Clarke in at no#4 knowing he will be followed in by Khawaja, Watson & Wade(not Haddin!) and a tailend of bowlers who are all capable of building a partnership with any of top 7.
NSP please let common sense and sanity prevail!!!
Haddin as Test vice-captain the best news yet
Haddin VCapt to add experience and leadership?? Bizarre!
Unlike some I remember how poor his keeping was before he got dropped and he was dropped.
He left because of his daughters illness but he was instantly reinstated because his form was terrible beforehand.
He had 3 bad series in a row against Sri Lanka, SA & India. Dropped catches, regular byes! If I remember, Ian Healy caned him and said he was sub-standard even said he was lazy. His batting & leadership when we were 5 for 18 in SA was a joke, flaying outside off, like my dad does in the backyard?
Wade doesn’t deserve to be dropped, he’s not the greatest gloveman but he will grow into the role like Prior did for England & will give fragile batting line-up more steel.
Dont get me wrong, Haddin should be in the squad . He’s clearly ahead of Hartley and the current version of Paine. Pre-injury Paine would push them but not Post-injury Paine, he’s not up to it. Hartley should get the the nod as backup for return series in Oz but we need experienced backup for England away series.
Haddin as WK & v-capt could just destroy the little confidence i have left in the NSP.
Haddin as Test vice-captain the best news yet
Cameron Rose HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!
Finally someone speaking common sense.
Give yourself a pat on the back mate.
Australian cricket faces a crisis of leadership
Last Friday I was going to write “Calm down everyone, dont panic, take a deep breath and make sure this woeful tour remains a hiccup, not a crisis, on the road to Ashes success”.
Today, I am stunned! And have to say “Stop The Madness!”
Firstly, the players were totally wrong for not completing the task. It’s not hard to send a 3 line text in 5 days. So no excuses, It’s a FAIL that deserves punishment.
But suspending them for this “breach” is stupid, irrational, unreasonable, excessive and counter productive.
Privately read them the riot act, give them a severe reprimand/yellow card and then a heavy/record breaking fine. You then warn the entire squad that you’ve drawn “a line in the sand” and will not tolerate any sub-standard behaviour or performances whether its on or off the field.
Then circle the wagons, create a siege mentality in the squad, dig in and try to save the series from being a total humiliation that destroys and confidence or momentum going into the Ashes.
Do NOT under any circumstances suspend the players and create a crisis. You will lose the dressing room and lose the support of all the fans, including the sane, pragmatic & rational ones like me!
That’s “Basic Cricket Management 101” and a definite sacking offence!
Anger as Pattinson, Watson, Khawaja, Johnson banned
Nevill & Marsh should both start 3rd Test but suspect selectors will replace Nevill with Haddin and keep Marsh.
I dont think Haddin was ever a close call b4 1st test, If fit, he was a cert to start every test regardless of current form with bat and gloves. Marsh/Watto was probably tight until Rhino retired, then it swung dramatically to Watto’s “experience”
For me, Its sentimental decision but for selectors, it will be deemed as remaining loyal to senior leader within team.
Haddin has been a loyal servant but its no time for sentiment. We need to win 3rd Test @ Edgbaston because 1 of the other 2 tests will probably be rain-affected draw, so win here probably means we keep the Urn. Wrap up the 4th Test and Hadds can have farewell Test at The Oval.
I’d like selectors to fight their instincts and not only retain Nevill but promote him to No#6 & put Marsh #7. Nev’s first
class record confirms he is top-6 bat & big improvement on Watto at #6. He has good test technique, doesnt give his wicket cheaply, can bat with tail or Top6 and has potential to score test ton at #6.
Marsh is not a proper Top-6 Test batsman and i doubt he ever will be. At #6 he has to fight natural instincts and try to be a proper batsman whereas playing at #7 the pressure is eased & allows him freedom to “do a Gilly” and counter attack with the tail or one of the top-6. Should Marsh be injured(touch wood), its easier to slot new AR or even heaven forbid, the eight re-incarnation of Watto at 7 or more likely play 5th bowler Cummins/Siddle
Additionally, Lehmann should tweak batting order further by swapping Clarke & Voges at 4&5. Clarke has never scored well or consistently or been comfortable anywhere but #5. He very reluctantly moved down the order and time is right to move him back up. Battiing Order Warner,Rogers,Smith,Voges,Clarke,Nevill,Marsh,Mitch1,Mitch2 would look solid, balanced, full of runs and bat deep.
**please note: any contributor seriously suggesting Watson to come back as opener or even as a batsman, if Rogers doesnt recover, needs their head read and Roar a/c suspended til their medication kicks in. Nothing personal guys but thats madness!
The Ashes: Australia must stick with Nevill and Marsh