*Official* Pakistan in Australia

[Matt79]

If we're talking strictly a middle order player to replace North, the other candidates aren't heaps better than White. He's still only 26, and he'd be a much better future captain than Clarke IMO - he's got great cricketing sense.

 

[Matt79]

certainly batted like one.

Was a bit hard on him coming in at 8 - was his job to hit out as an aggressive tail ender, or to build an innings?

 

[Xuhaib]

Really liked Butt's knock not the most attractive innings but very gritty, its crimnal how much Inzi and Woolmer dicked around with his career. He was dropped after one test when he had scored a 100 at Sydney against an attack od Mcgrath,Gillispie,Warne & Mcgill.

Still seems to be playing restrained but looking a lot better then what he has looked in the last couple of seasons.

 

[Matt79]

Was just saying in the Brad Haddin thread that today when people on the radio and here (from the looks of it) were slamming the Pakistani tail for folding, I was thinking "At least their top order came to the party"...

 

[Shri]

If we're talking strictly a middle order player to replace North, the other candidates aren't heaps better than White. He's still only 26, and he'd be a much better future captain than Clarke IMO - he's got great cricketing sense.

What about Pomersbach, George Bailey, Dussey etc? Not considered to be good enough?

 

[Ikki]

Yeah, reckon Matt's not far wrong there.

 

[Riggins]

What about Pomersbach, George Bailey, Dussey etc? Not considered to be good enough?

Pomersbach...seriously??

 

[stephen]

Pomersbach...seriously??

Two years ago yes. Today definately not.

 

[pasag]

White's batting just isnt good enough. Put aside all the stereotypes and myths about his batting, every time I've seen him bat at FC level he just doesn't look Test class. I certainly dont think he'd be good enough to face the Aamir's and Asif's of world cricket.

There's no case for anyone else but Rogers. That said I wouldn't drop North.

 

[stephen]

White's batting just isnt good enough. Put aside all the stereotypes and myths about his batting, every time I've seen him bat at FC level he just doesn't look Test class. I certainly dont think he'd be good enough to face the Aamir's and Asif's of world cricket.

There's no case for anyone else but Rogers. That said I wouldn't drop North.

This.

Well except I think White may be a decent #6 one day, but nothing more than a fill in for a few years. Definately not in the class of Martyn or Lehmann.

 

[Prince EWS]

White's a good bat and may even be "Test standard" right now as it is given the quality of other number sixes around the world, but he's not as good a bat as North, Rogers, Jaques, Dussey etc so he shouldn't feature for Australia there at the moment. His First Class average of 42 or is a tad misleading when you consider he only averages 36 in the Sheffield Shield - mammoth efforts for Somerset for whom he averages in excess of 60 get his average up to where it is but I'm inclined to think his Shield average is a better indicator as to his possible Test success. I actually rate Dominic Thornely the better batsman and he can't even get a game for New South Wales at the moment. I like White as a batsman I'd much rather have him as captain than Clarke but he's not quite good enough at the moment.

 

[Noble One]

Australia missed Cam White today. White would have snuffled that 1st slip catch 100 times out of 100.

 

[Prince EWS]

Australia missed Cam White today. White would have snuffled that 1st slip catch 100 times out of 100.

Haha, yeah, White does add the hugely under-rated skill of slips catching, plus he has a great cricketing brain and bowls some part-time leggies wronguns - as a package he's a good cricketer who could find a role in Tests but with Watson and Hauritz in the team and the extreme unlikelihood of White being given captaincy even if he's playing, the package becomes of less use and his batting's really not up there with the other candidates for mine. Even if I ignored the specialist openers I'd have a couple in front of him. His skills aside from his batting would be enough for me to pick him ahead of someone comparable like Marsh, but not North, Dave Hussey or I suppose even someone like Klinger.

 

[Mister Wright]

Howcome Klinger's on a 'suppose'? The guy has been storming it up the last two seasons. He deserves his shot.

 

[Prince EWS]

Anyway, I have a feeling the selectors would just play Smith if they wanted to drop North. I don't agree with it at all - firstly because, obviously, I don't think he's the best option, but secondly because I don't think he'd get a lot of bowling and the #7 bat + part-time bowler role would completely stunt his development at this point - but that's what I think would happen, unless of course Hughes looked less rubbish in the second dig.

 

[Prince EWS]

Howcome Klinger's on a 'suppose'? The guy has been storming it up the last two seasons. He deserves his shot.

Well..

a) it's one and a half seasons
b) I like players to have performed for longer than that to get in the team - particularly batsmen, and particularly players who are 30.

I'm the last guy to pick on age, but when you're picking someone who's only been scoring runs for eighteen months you generally don't want him to have been around for years before finally achieving it.

 

[Matt79]

White bowls straight breaks tbh....

I've been saying "let's wait for North to slip up before axing him". I think he's done himself no favours this summer at all, and is getting to the stage where he should go. Who replaces him becomes so much easier if Hughes can do something worthwhile in the second innings.

Ideally, I'd like to see:
Rogers
Katich
Watson
Hussey
Ponting
Clarke
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Siddle (assuming Hilfenhaus remains unavailable)
Bollinger

Assuming Hughes did get some runs in the second dig, I'd be happy with:
Hughes
Katich
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Watson (although would much prefer him at 3 or 4, but think that's unlikely to happen with the current leadership)
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Siddle
Bollinger

If they aren't going to pick Rogers, and Hughes doesn't get any runs, then I don't think there are any changes that would be a worthwhile improvement on North.

 

[Shri]

The side will be competitive without being totally dominant for a decade, then the pieces will fall into place with players around 25 years being selected after 2-3 successful seasons and the cycle of dominance will continue. Thats whats going to happen.

 

[Jono]

Ponting is too proud to ever bat 5 in my opinion.

 

[Ikki]

I reckon this side is still going to be inconsistent for a couple more years, but has the potential to dominate thereafter. Johnson is the most experienced bowler we have and he's only played 30-odd tests. We have enough good batsmen to average enough in most matches but it's upto the bowling attack to get us back ontop of the pile again.