***Official*** 3rd Test at the WACA

[GotSpin]

Come on Joe

 

[Spikey]

guys guys guys hear me out

is ben stokes the new shane watson. can't score tons and gets out lbw

 

[Gob]

guys guys guys hear me out

is ben stokes the new shane watson. can't score tons and gets out lbw

Joe Root is the new Shane Watson

 

[Spikey]

man i can't get ben stokes out of my mind

 

[mr_mister]

I swear they wouldnt have pulled this **** if the Smarsh recall was a failure. It's made Lehmann mad with power. There is definitely some non cricketing reasons involved in this selection/snubbing of Maxwell. Was told to go out and make a big ton after being dropped, has scored a mountain of runs since, Lehmann is just a stubborn son of a bitch

Mitch Marsh batting well in FC. That's nothing new. He got an extended run in the test team to prove his worth. With all those chances there should be an implicatiom that when he does get dropped hel really have to smash the door down to get repicked. Instead one ton and literally the fact he's fit to bowl, not a string of wickets but being able to bowl has won him back into favour

What message does it send to the rest of the fringe players. 278 not enough, must get 378 instead

 

[Starfighter]

Marsh over Maxwell is absolute bullshit, in other words exactly what I'd expect from Darren Lehmann.

I remember when he did a couple of commentary stints for the BBL, bloke sounded like the type who'd barely know how to tie his shoelaces, let alone make sensible decisions on cricket. When this team has been succeeding it's in spite of Lehmann, not because of him. What kind of a team atmosphere does obvious favouritism create? Maybe that's why we're so angry on field.

 

[mr_mister]

The weird thing is Lehmann knows better than everyone how bullshit it is to be ignored for imaginary reasons despite awesome FC performances. You'd think he'd have empathy for Maxwell

Anyway I know Maxwell was hot and cold for a lot of his career, but he has batted like the don this shield summer

 

[Spark]

Honestly Maxwell should be in over probably everyone but Smith and Warner. He just brings way more to the team than, well, every other batsman in the country save for those two.

 

[Gnske]

Warner
Khawaja
Smith
S.Marsh
Maxwell
Cummins
Starc
Hazlewood
M.Marsh
Lyon

A side for all seasons.

 

[Spark]

Warner
Khawaja
Smith
S.Marsh
Maxwell
Cummins
Starc
Hazlewood
M.Marsh
Lyon

A side for all seasons.

is maxwell keeping in this side

 

[Spikey]

spark makes a good point. let's get noted keeper/spinner arun finch in there

 

[Debris]

Maxwell is the only decent choice from the shield at the moment. He should never have been dropped and now should be picked over Handscomb.

Burns is another player who is in good touch at the moment but he shouldn't be near the side without being in good touch for longer.

If Haze hadn't come out this arvo bowling like Haze I'd have been tempted to give Bird a crack in his place but the Haze I saw today was the Haze I remember from the last three summers.

Geez. The armchair selectors in this forum are cut-throat. Talked about as the best bowler in the world before this series and 2 mediocre performances (not bad, but mediocre) on return from injury and people are already talking about turfing him. Saved at the last moment, I guess.

 

[Gnske]

What's it like to actually proof-read a post?

 

[Spark]

What's it like to actually proof-read a post?

or indeed pick a cricket team with 11 players in it

 

[stephen]

Geez. The armchair selectors in this forum are cut-throat. Talked about as the best bowler in the world before this series and 2 mediocre performances (not bad, but mediocre) on return from injury and people are already talking about turfing him. Saved at the last moment, I guess.

"Tempted" doesn't mean I'd actually do it. I just feel sorry for Bird, who is smashing down the door this season. He just can't break into a ridiculously good attack.

 

[mr_mister]

Marsh is a good bowler but like, its our batting that needs improvement. Handscomb and Bancroft look shakey. The bowler's dont, they really dont need much improvement. I hear a 4th pacemen is a necessity at the WACA but I dont know if thats really true

We just bowled a team out twice very efficiently. We just batted poorly in our most recent innings. Marsh is going to weaken the side.

 

[Spark]

Marsh is a good bowler but like, its our batting that needs improvement. Handscomb and Bancroft look shakey. The bowler's dont, they really dont need much improvement. I hear a 4th pacemen is a necessity at the WACA but I dont know if thats really true

We just bowled a team out twice very efficiently. We just batted poorly in our most recent innings. Marsh is going to weaken the side.

I definitely agree with this, which is why I prefer Maxwell to MMarsh, but 5 bowlers is always very useful, especially when the 4 bowlers don't have a great track record of staying on the park and we're going to arguably the flattest pitch in the world in the last few years at Test or FC level. The last two pitches haven't been super typical Australian pitches (although I thought the Adelaide pitch was a very good Test pitch, unlike Brisbane) so you can't rely on the oppo getting shot out for sub-250 every time (even if it does seem very likely rn)

 

[stephen]

I definitely agree with this, which is why I prefer Maxwell to MMarsh, but 5 bowlers is always very useful, especially when the 4 bowlers don't have a great track record of staying on the park and we're going to arguably the flattest pitch in the world in the last few years at Test or FC level. The last two pitches haven't been super typical Australian pitches (although I thought the Adelaide pitch was a very good Test pitch, unlike Brisbane) so you can't rely on the oppo getting shot out for sub-250 every time (even if it does seem very likely rn)

We had a 4 man bowling attack for the better part of a decade and a half and had no real problems. Yeah we don't have McGrath or Warne, but we have 4 bowlers that are better than Gillespie and Lee.

 

[mr_mister]

Hmm. Well with the position we're at in the series a draw is suddenly an appealing result. Further evidence for a boost to the batting over the bowling Not that Maxwell will ever increase the chance of a match being a draw... nor does it rain in Perth, but you get my dift


I agree a 5th bowler is super valuable to prevent injuries. But I guess I just really don't want Marsh in the top 6, which is where he'l be

 

[Spark]

We had a 4 man bowling attack for the better part of a decade and a half and had no real problems. Yeah we don't have McGrath or Warne, but we have 4 bowlers that are better than Gillespie and Lee.

We did have problems at times though, and those were often covered by the ridiculously strong batting. Also, McWarne didn't have the injury problems of this lot. Looking at one of the greatest sides in history 20 years ago instead of the evidence of the last 5-10 years when we had a generally strong bowling but brittle bowling lineup and very questionable batting. In that case 5 bowlers has been extremely useful, whether in the form of Shane Watson or (briefly) MMarsh himself, and that should take precedence over "had arguably the two best ever bowlers in their discipline in the side".