Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Australia should pick Dave Hussey - if for no other reason than to piss howardj off.
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*Official* First Test at the Gabba
- Thread starter James
- Start date
Howe_zat
Audio File
I'm not surprised. Considering everyone seems to be struggling with the Gabba pitch this year, including Ponting himself.
"Harris had Jon Wells lbw in the opening over and thought he had Ponting with an lbw appeal early in his innings. Ponting was dismissed instead by James Hopes when he edged to Chris Lynn at third slip"
Sheffield Shield: Ryan Harris shines in front of Ricky Ponting on rainy day | Tasmania v Queensland, Sheffield Shield, Hobart, 1st day Report | Cricket News | Cricinfo.com
I'm looking forward to what looks like a tight, low-scoring match.
EDIT: This post is mostly bollocks.
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TumTum
Banned
Since when is the Gabba at Hobart?
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
Looked on the news like they chose a random spot on the square at Bellerieve and decided to put them stumps in there.
flibbertyjibber
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Predictable that he would say that,hardly going to come out and say England will thrive in the conditions is he.
If i was Ponting i'd be more concerned by his own record of 1 ton in his last 16 tests and he reckons Cook is under pressure but he has 4 in his last 11 games.
If i was Ponting i'd be more concerned by his own record of 1 ton in his last 16 tests and he reckons Cook is under pressure but he has 4 in his last 11 games.
Howe_zat
Audio File
Fair point, but I wouldn't be too hasty dismissing Ponting's form. Despite not getting hundreds he has 4 fifties in his last 5 innings, he was Aus' best bat in India.
Cook, like North, seems to get nothing between hundreds, hence why he's under pressure so often.
Spark
Global Moderator
He's actually not looked out of form. What's concerning is precisely that he's not converting - he used to be one of the best, if not the best, in converting a start into a hundred. I think it was in 2003 or so I saw a stat that showed his average once he got past 20 was 80 or something - so rather like North, except whilst North is fail fail fail fail fail win, Ponting was win win fail win fail win win. But now he's just throwing it away, playing across to otherwise inoccuous straight ones, chasing wide balls that there is zero need to play at, pulling balls that are miles outside off and hence should probably be cut or even better left alone, or (worst of all) running himself out.
howardj
International Coach
Understand your thinking, but Kevin Mitchell doesn't do bowlers' paradises for Test wickets. The pitch is always to the extreme East of the square (it's to the West in Shield cricket) and is generally a very good batting wicket. Even in 2003 against India when there was a ton of rain, it was still a ripping wicket - Ganguly peeled off a century and Martyn and Waugh from memory batted beautifully.
It may be sporting in the first session or so, but I will be stunned if it doesn't flatten out into a ripping cricket wicket.
NasserFan207
International Vice-Captain
Far more important than any of this is KP's new tache imo. Could well be a deciding factor. 
flibbertyjibber
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Well the SKUNK worked in 05 so will the SLUG work in 10/11?Far more important than any of this is KP's new tache imo. Could well be a deciding factor.
sifter132
School Boy/Girl Cricketer
This is the one that annoys me most. Ricky's turned into a ball watcher. Put your head down mate
Flintoff would never have caught him short last Ashes if he'd run hard instead of watching it.
inbox24
International Debutant
Honestly if Australia pick any of North, Siddle, White, Smith, McKay, Marsh for any of the Ashes tests, then they will at the very minimum lose those tests, if not the whole series. North should never play internationals again and the damage he has done by being in the team is greater than the retirement of say an Adam Gilchrist or Matt Hayden. At least guys like White and Smith have some potential for the future. The only way we can beat England this summer is to have a squad like this:
Hughes
Katich
Watson
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Hussey
Haddin
Bollinger
Hilfenhaus
Harris
Clark
Johnson (Maybe)
Hauritz
With guys like Ferguson to come in for any injuries. I still can't believe they dropped Clark. Sure on an absolute road in India he may not have that much success, but any hint of green and he can run through teams. With David Hussey at 6 you won't have a giveaway wicket as compared to North.
Hughes
Katich
Watson
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Hussey
Haddin
Bollinger
Hilfenhaus
Harris
Clark
Johnson (Maybe)
Hauritz
With guys like Ferguson to come in for any injuries. I still can't believe they dropped Clark. Sure on an absolute road in India he may not have that much success, but any hint of green and he can run through teams. With David Hussey at 6 you won't have a giveaway wicket as compared to North.
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Julian87
State Captain
Honestly doubt anyone else (now that hodge is retired) would walk straight into the middle order and do a good job from the get go in the most important test series there is. Then there's also the fact that north's bowling is about on par with Hauritz's allowing the selectors to pick 4 out and out quicks and have a reliable finger spinner on top of that.
pup11
International Coach
An English fan or the England team might just see this as a verbal jibe from Punter prior to the start of the series, but he is absolutely spot on here.
The Gabba is arguably the safest ground in the world for the Australian side, as the pitch there has always been very sporting and the bounce and pace have been true, and these are the conditions that most Australian cricketers feel pretty comfortable in and it suits their game very well.
So to put it simply, if we start losing test matches at the Gabba then we would be in real trouble.