Australian Test Selection Thread 2017 - 2018

[howardj]

It would be criminal to pitchfork Bancroft in over Renshaw

Whilst averages are not everything, Bancroft averages just 37 in FC cricket which is only equal to what Renshaw does in Test cricket

Plus Renshaw has scored a Test hundred before his 21st birthday...a telltale sign of a future star

People put way too much stock in early season Shield form

 

[Red]

From my indoor experience I'd say keeping up to the stumps against a medium pacer is harder than keeping to spin. You're literally guessing where to place your gloves

In my experience leggies are harder. You lose sight of the ball behind the batter at the crucial time.

 

[mr_mister]

But there's time after it passes the bat to catch sight of it again. The ball is a blur after it passes the bat if the bowler is pacey

Anyway in actual cricket the solution is to stand further back so no biggie

 

[Second Spitter]

From my indoor experience I'd say keeping up to the stumps against a medium pacer is harder than keeping to spin. You're literally guessing where to place your gloves

Clang's stumping off McGrath was the highlight of his career with the gloves.

Whilst averages are not everything, Bancroft averages just 37 in FC cricket which is only equal to what Renshaw does in Test cricket

People put way too much stock in early season Shield form

39 actually with this current innings.

Nah, i've watched Bancroft's last two innings, he's seeing the ball like a beach ball, atm. And against the Oz bowling attack.

 

[TheJediBrah]

It would be criminal to pitchfork Bancroft in over Renshaw

Whilst averages are not everything, Bancroft averages just 37 in FC cricket which is only equal to what Renshaw does in Test cricket

Plus Renshaw has scored a Test hundred before his 21st birthday...a telltale sign of a future star

People put way too much stock in early season Shield form

Disagree with this completely. Renshaw needs a score. You can't expect to keep your place in the Test team failing miserably in 3 consecutive Shield matches while having other players score heavily.

It's not like Renshaw was particularly impressive in his recent Test performances either. You can't just pick him because he's young forever.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Gilchrist was a fine keeper imo. He wasn’t as good a glove man as Healy but he was tidy and rarely made blunders. I mean, wade makes him look like Jack Blackham in comparison, but I thought he rarely let Australia down with the gloves in his career

Agree that Gilchrist was underrated as a keeper. I think what hurt his reputation is that when he had a bad Test it was a really bad one (e.g. 3rd Test of 2005 Ashes) where he seemed to make multiple errors so people remembered it. But in reality those Tests happened pretty rarely.

Re: keeping to Warne I always thought that was consistently strong; can’t think off the top of my head of many missed chances he had at all.

 

[howardj]

Disagree with this completely. Renshaw needs a score. You can't expect to keep your place in the Test team failing miserably in 3 consecutive Shield matches while having other players score heavily.

It's not like Renshaw was particularly impressive in his recent Test performances either. You can't just pick him because he's young forever.

It's not based solely on youth. He's acquitted himself well in his Test career to date.

Bancroft has played 65 FC games...that's a large body of work...for an average with a 3 in front of it.

 

[the big bambino]

Australia's most successful periods in the last 30 years have coincided with having Clang and Bad Hands as wicket-keepers. (Lets be honest, Clang doesn't get picked in ATG XI's because of his keeping prowess, although he curiously got better as he went along).

The era of "neat and tidy glovemen" died with Heals.

See a doctor. That clanging sound is in your head.

 

[Red]

Disagree with this completely. Renshaw needs a score. You can't expect to keep your place in the Test team failing miserably in 3 consecutive Shield matches while having other players score heavily.

It's not like Renshaw was particularly impressive in his recent Test performances either. You can't just pick him because he's young forever.

I dont completely disagree, but it should be as hard to get out of the Australian test team as it is to get into it. By that they should be picking guys they legitimately think will play test cricket for years, and the decisions should be based on sound principals.

Which is why I think Callum Ferguson's selection and dropping was the most disgraceful selection and treatment of a player I can remember. You cant select a guy based on about 100 FC games and then drop him after one failure.

 

[Second Spitter]

Nevill out for 17. Inb4 MEW:"He was hitting the ball crisply"

I dont completely disagree, but it should be as hard to get out of the Australian test team as it is to get into it. By that they should be picking guys they legitimately think will play test cricket for years, and the decisions should be based on sound principals.

Which is why I think Callum Ferguson's selection and dropping was the most disgraceful selection and treatment of a player I can remember. You cant select a guy based on about 100 FC games and then drop him after one failure.

Made worse by the fact Maddog got an extended run of failures.

 

[Burgey]

Nev gets a start and gets out. Ordinary

 

[TheJediBrah]

I dont completely disagree, but it should be as hard to get out of the Australian test team as it is to get into it. By that they should be picking guys they legitimately think will play test cricket for years, and the decisions should be based on sound principals.

Which is why I think Callum Ferguson's selection and dropping was the most disgraceful selection and treatment of a player I can remember. You cant select a guy based on about 100 FC games and then drop him after one failure.

Renshaw's done enough to get himself out of the team in my books

 

[Red]

I dont think that's unreasonable considering the form Bancroft is in TBH.

A full Shield season wouldn't be the end of the world for Renshaw.

 

[stephen]

Honestly right now I think Bancroft should get the gloves. Nevill has shown that he isn't willing or capable to stick his hand up when the pressure is on. Renshaw should be persisted with. A couple of poor tests in Bangladesh shouldn't rule him out of the side.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Nevill has shown that he isn't willing or capable to stick his hand up when the pressure is on.

While overall he was a bit disappointing as a bat during this Test tenure (certainly in relation to his FC average) I think this is a bit harsh on Nevill. He played some vital knocks in tough situations.

His innings v NZ in Adelaide was probably the difference between the sides, he was 2nd top score (and easily faced the most deliveries) as Australia tried to set a target in the 3rd Ashes 2015 Test and he provided an undefeated 60 when Australia tried to bat out time v SA in Perth last year.

I actually think Nevill's batting issues were the opposite; namely that when Australia needed him to be aggressive and or counter-attack he never showed any sign of being capable. He was quite stodgy at times and slowed the momentum of the innings when historically Oz keepers have been aggressive and busy bats.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I dont think that's unreasonable considering the form Bancroft is in TBH.

A full Shield season wouldn't be the end of the world for Renshaw.

This is the exact time you would pick someone on form too.

Home Ashes series, 3 full Shield rounds before the first Test . . . if you're not going pick someone on form now then you never are

 

[Second Spitter]

Honestly right now I think Bancroft should get the gloves. Nevill has shown that he isn't willing or capable to stick his hand up when the pressure is on. Renshaw should be persisted with. A couple of poor tests in Bangladesh shouldn't rule him out of the side.

This is where I am at. The problem with the team is lower order runs. I'm more worried about Renshaw's stodginess, tbh. I think "seeing off the new ball" is no longer an important thing in Test cricket (because of reverse swing, etc) and it may give Warner an excuse to bat more recklessly. You bat according to the conditions, not some preset strategy.

 

[TheJediBrah]

This is where I am at. The problem with the team is lower order runs. I'm more worried about Renshaw's stodginess, tbh. I think "seeing off the new ball" is no longer an important thing in Test cricket (because of reverse swing, etc) and it may give Warner an excuse to bat more recklessly. You bat according to the conditions, not some preset strategy.

Seeing off the new ball hasn't tended to be our problem anyway. We get to 0-50 or 0-100 easy enough then everyone gets out.

 

[howardj]

Renshaw's done enough to get himself out of the team in my books

Why though? His record in Australia is good, and he averaged more than Warner, Handscombe, and the two Marsh boys on his maiden tour of India.

 

[Starfighter]

Hard to see Bancroft not getting picked over Renshaw now. Shame, as I liked Renshaw as the better long term option. Plus he knows how to be slow, which nice in a #intent filled batting lineup.

Plus, the fewer West Australians in the team the better.