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***Official*** Australia in India 2012/13
- Thread starter Dan
- Start date
Jono
Virat Kohli (c)
*Clarke bowls*
*Clarke gets Tendulkar out*
*Clarke does his back*
*Steven Smith selected for next test as replacement*
*India win series despite sucking balls to an extreme extent*
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
I don't know whether you're actually saying it's a bad idea for Clarke to bowl or just trying to paint an annoying picture, but depending on how he actually feels about his injuries at the moment I think he should be right to go. I mean, in Australia's last overseas Test he bowled 23 overs in the second innings - the second most by any Australian bowler - and he really didn't need to be bowling those overs, especially since Watto was in the team and fit to bowl. He just felt like it after assessing the conditions.
If he had to bowl all the time it'd become a problem, but I think talking about him bowling 10-15 overs a day for one series where it solves a couple of selection dramas and really balances the side nicely and then giving it up again after that should be okay.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
The Henriques selection is seriously scary. Not even just because I don't think he's good enough (and I don't) but because I really don't think they'd bother even thinking about picking him as a fourth seam option. He's only going to play if both Doherty and Lyon play, and that would be absurd IMO.
No Haddin in a squad of 17 is pretty weird too, and I'm not really seeing the point of picking both Smith and Maxwell.
All in all, the worst we could've hoped for really.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Henriques to play as the third seamer batting 7 would be your best chance IMO.
Worst case scenario for Australia from the squad would be something like:
1. Watson
2. Warner
3. Hughes
4. Clarke
5. Khawaja
6. Wade
7. Henriques
8. Johnson
9. Siddle
10. Lyon
11. Doherty
Obviously finding a way to get Maxwell and Smith into that side too would be even worse but that's the worst eleven that has a chance of playing.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Anyway, from that squad, hoping for:
1. Cowan
2. Warner
3. Hughes
4. Watson
5. Clarke
6. Wade
7. Maxwell
8. Pattinson
9. Siddle
10. Starc
11. Lyon
I favoured picking six specialist batsmen originally, backing the frontline bowlers and perhaps getting something out of Clarke or Warner with the ball, but the only way to do that now is to bat Khawaja at 6 and I'm really not keen on him batting there. I'm not really keen on him playing Test cricket at the moment fullstop but I'd be okay with it in the top four; at six I reckon he's be on a hiding to nothing.
1. Cowan
2. Warner
3. Hughes
4. Watson
5. Clarke
6. Wade
7. Maxwell
8. Pattinson
9. Siddle
10. Starc
11. Lyon
I favoured picking six specialist batsmen originally, backing the frontline bowlers and perhaps getting something out of Clarke or Warner with the ball, but the only way to do that now is to bat Khawaja at 6 and I'm really not keen on him batting there. I'm not really keen on him playing Test cricket at the moment fullstop but I'd be okay with it in the top four; at six I reckon he's be on a hiding to nothing.
Spikey
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worst we could have hoped for is a 15 man squad with both of maxwell and henriques in there tbh
i don't really have a problem with picking a spinning all-rounder and seaming all-rounder in a 17 man squad for a 4 match series tbh. talk that maxwell or henriques may line up for the first test before we've even seen the pitch though...
Jono
Virat Kohli (c)
That's probably fine. Just don't want an injury or for Doherty to get absolutely tonked first game and they panic.
Jono
Virat Kohli (c)
Doherty is a better pick than Maxwell surely?
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Well a seaming allrounder really shouldn't be needed. I just don't foresee a situation where picking Henriques would make any sense at all, and that the selectors do (hopefully it doesn't mean Doherty and Lyon both playing..) worries me no end.
I also have no idea why Smith is actually in the squad. I don't have an irrational hatred of Steve Smith like a lot of the Australian public do, but he's just taken a big long break from bowling in order to start from scratch over the winter and build it back up. So we're interrupting that to take him to India as an allrounder, backup to another player who might not even be in the starting eleven anyway, even though he hasn't actually been bowling. Or is he just straight up in the side as a specialist #6 batting option, ahead of Bailey, Doolan etc?
