• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

*Official* Road to 2013 Ashes

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
like i said before, I don't get the point of Faulkner's selection. McDonald, Agar or Hilf would have made more sense. Faulkner batting @ 7 in an attack with 5 bowlers does not make sense
If he takes wickets it makes sense.

Picking a cricketer in a squad who's had a good season and performed in the Shield Final and has been a part of a winning culture does actually make sense.

Faulkner has ticked most of the hyperthetical boxes.
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
If he takes wickets it makes sense.

Picking a cricketer in a squad who's had a good season and performed in the Shield Final and has been a part of a winning culture does actually make sense.

Faulkner has ticked most of the hyperthetical boxes.
Do you think he is good enough to bat at 7 in Test matches though.
 

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
Do you think he is good enough to bat at 7 in Test matches though.
Ideally Faulkner is a number 8 bat and that's where I would pick him in HIS best couple of scenarios so it doesn't really matter that he's not quite good enough at 7.

Basically for a guy who's not good enough at 7, he's a terrific number 8.
 

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
Just to add to my point, someone like Ian Healy had a career Shield record similar to Faulkners and he was a decent enough Test number 7. Faulkner is also improving on his record and an average of 34 for the year shows improvement in a bowler dominant season.

At 22 years of age Faulkner has the ability to bat at 7 if we really wanted our keeper at 6 at some point down the track but I wouldn't risk it this Ashes series unless there were exceptional circumstances.

I have it in my mind that there will be atleast one pitch this Ashes that will suit Faulkner perfectly. It might be a Test where we factor in Faulkners batting to pick him ahead of Lyon.
 

adub

International Captain
I wouldn't see Faulkner in our best side at this stage, but talk of him being an undeserving selection is way off base. As you say Nufan he's performed and done it in the Shield Final. Actually three times. In the last three seasons Tassie have played three Shield Finals for two wins. He made 71 and took 4/117 in his first Shield Final, 21 and 3 and took 5/91 in his second Shield Final, and 46 and 89 and 4/60 in his third Shield Final. That's crazy. In each of those seasons, Faulkner has been awarded Tasmania's player of the year. Unheard of stuff and he's not yet 23!

No I don't think he's right for 7, and like I said I think we have a better pace attack without him at this stage, but you've got to give it to him, he's a performer. He deserves to be going to England and may even make a real contribution over there, but yes probably should only be considered as a head to head with Starc at 8 (or maybe Lyon if there's no Watson and we're thinking four quicks). Very different bowler obviously, but also a much more consistent wicket taker in red ball cricket at this stage, shouldn't be discounted just because he's not as tall or quick. There are other ways to get wickets and Faulks has found some that work pretty well.

Oh and before anyone goes on about bowling at Bellerieve his away Shield ave is 23.10 with a s/r of 48 so he's not just a home ground hero. One to watch.
 

chaminda_00

Hall of Fame Member
There nothing wrong with Faulkner's bowling. I would personally have him in front of Sayers as specialist bowler. But his not being picked as specialist bowler and is unlikely to be batting at 8 or below. If he makes the side it will be as 5th bowler, batting at 7.

I agree that his batting record is on par with Healy, as is someone like Hartley. But it is not the 90s anymore and standard required at No 7 is higher now.
 

Red

The normal awards that everyone else has
Gideon Haigh agrees with me about the Jackson Bird/Terry Alderman similarities.

If Bird plays all 5 tests, I'm backing him to take close to 30 wickets.
 

Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
Let's not get carried away with Faulkner here, I'm not sure he is above Sayers as a bowler for example (who took 48 wickets bowling at the Adelaide Oval half his matches this season). He deserved selection after 3 good SS seasons though.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
guys, this picture

Jesus. Sez something about the moral fibre of a squad when Brad Haddin looks the least wankerish amongst you. :ph34r:

Looks like Bird's head has been stuck on two minutes before the pic was taken.
Yeah, might just be the pic, but the looks to have a massive nappa in it. Huge head for his body.

Bird gonna tear it up over there if he's picked. Deadset perfect method for England.

The new McGrath

#nopressure
New Paul Reiffel, IMHO.

Would seriously have him ahead of Siddle and Starc for our conditions.

England have tried some different young batsmen with limited success, I've been disappointed with Bairstow but I though James Taylor looked OK against SA. Root is obviously the pick of them and Compton seems to be able to hold his own. Their bowling is very settled and very good, but they struggled in NZ at times, It's hard to predict much about England before the home series against NZ, so we'll soon see...
It's an interesting opinion.

Thought he looked way out of his depth, tbh.
 

Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
Yeah Taylor didn't look that great, but he held up an end well at Headingly. I think his temperament was excellent but his technique was more suited to division 2 county bowlers rather than the SA attack.
 

burr

State Vice-Captain
I wouldn't see Faulkner in our best side at this stage, but talk of him being an undeserving selection is way off base. As you say Nufan he's performed and done it in the Shield Final. Actually three times. In the last three seasons Tassie have played three Shield Finals for two wins. He made 71 and took 4/117 in his first Shield Final, 21 and 3 and took 5/91 in his second Shield Final, and 46 and 89 and 4/60 in his third Shield Final. That's crazy. In each of those seasons, Faulkner has been awarded Tasmania's player of the year. Unheard of stuff and he's not yet 23!

No I don't think he's right for 7, and like I said I think we have a better pace attack without him at this stage, but you've got to give it to him, he's a performer. He deserves to be going to England and may even make a real contribution over there, but yes probably should only be considered as a head to head with Starc at 8 (or maybe Lyon if there's no Watson and we're thinking four quicks). Very different bowler obviously, but also a much more consistent wicket taker in red ball cricket at this stage, shouldn't be discounted just because he's not as tall or quick. There are other ways to get wickets and Faulks has found some that work pretty well.

Oh and before anyone goes on about bowling at Bellerieve his away Shield ave is 23.10 with a s/r of 48 so he's not just a home ground hero. One to watch.
Agree. Good post.
 

South

Cricket Spectator
Is Joe Root a shoe in for the First Test? Or Bairstow? It'll be interesting how they compare up to Khawaja or Smith (if he gets a go).
 

Top