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

[morgieb]

Yeah the Marsh selection seems to be very conditions dependent, given the way the WACA's been playing recently we probably do need 5 bowlers there and it's never been good for spinners so Maxwell is unlikely to be effective there. Trouble is though it's unlikely he'll be dropped for the MCG test if he's picked here, where Maxwell is the much better option.

TBH Maxwell, especially when you take his part-time bowling and his fielding into account on current form may be a better package than Marsh or even Khawaja, but that's harder to prove.

 

[Daemon]

England win by taking 20 wickets. Don't give them that chance by weakening the batting imo.

 

[Spark]

Yeah the Marsh selection seems to be very conditions dependent, given the way the WACA's been playing recently we probably do need 5 bowlers there and it's never been good for spinners so Maxwell is unlikely to be effective there. Trouble is though it's unlikely he'll be dropped for the MCG test if he's picked here, where Maxwell is the much better option.

TBH Maxwell, especially when you take his part-time bowling and his fielding into account on current form may be a better package than Marsh or even Khawaja, but that's harder to prove.

Yeah that's my thought too. Basically I view MMarsh as a fairly useful addition (if he can get his batting even to a mid-30s average standard), but Maxwell as an absolute necessity. He should be in the side.

 

[Spark]

England win by taking 20 wickets. Don't give them that chance by weakening the batting imo.

If we're dropping Handscomb we aren't weakening the batting.

 

[oblongballs]

England need to bat first considering how flat these tracks are in Australia and they need to score big. On top of that I thnk Cook may have to be dropped. I hate to say this but the idea of him getting another go just because of the history of his career is not enough now.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

If there was any rational sense in the universe, MMarsh shouldn't have been even in the conversation until he made a lot more Shield runs. One century on an absolute highway in Perth isn't enough to prove he has put his past batting deficiencies behind him.

If we're dropping Handscomb we aren't weakening the batting.

Even a badly out of form Handscomb probably would be on par or better with the bat.

 

[mr_mister]

If we're dropping Handscomb we aren't weakening the batting.

Fair, but Marsh is not strengthening it in any way.

This is guy who could not reach 50 to save his life for nearly his entire test career. One solid knock in his second test. Then **** all except for a 53 against SL.

We were praising his 30s in Asia like they were match winnings innings we were so desperate to find something positive about him. They were more important than a usual test 30 since they were low scoring games but they were not enough to call him a test standard bat or anything close to it



I really am shocked he's been recalled

 

[Spark]

It was actually really weird that he looked so much more confident in spinning conditions than pace-friendly conditions given he plays half his Shield games at the WACA. No idea why that's the case tbh.

 

[morgieb]

It was actually really weird that he looked so much more confident in spinning conditions than pace-friendly conditions given he plays half his Shield games at the WACA. No idea why that's the case tbh.

Not having a forward defence probably helps/hurts. Less slips in the subcontinent.

See also: his ODI record.

 

[Spark]

Not having a forward defence probably helps/hurts. Less slips in the subcontinent.

See also: his ODI record.

Why did he get dropped from the ODI team again? We aren't exactly blessed with batting riches in that department. Was he injured?

 

[mr_mister]

I feel part of it is that he can't play an actual slowly constructed test innings. Slogging everything seemed to be working best in Asia for our recent tours(excluding India) because if batsmen tried to dig in sooner rather than later they'd get some unplayable delivery. He wasnt actually more confident he was just smart enough to know he wasnt gonna be able to bat for hours so he decided to just go for it. It half worked

 

[Gob]

Yeah that's my thought too. Basically I view MMarsh as a fairly useful addition (if he can get his batting even to a mid-30s average standard), but Maxwell as an absolute necessity. He should be in the side.

Can't fit in both MMarsh and Maxi tbh. Unless you get Bancroft to keep or whatever

 

[Spark]

Can't fit in both MMarsh and Maxi tbh. Unless you get Bancroft to keep or whatever

This is in the context of a batting spot opening up because we're dropping Handscomb.

 

[Daemon]

If we're dropping Handscomb we aren't weakening the batting.

I didn't word that well but you sort of are because Maxwell is sitting out.

 

[Gob]

This is in the context of a batting spot opening up because we're dropping Handscomb.

Even then i cant see it unless you want Marsh to open instead of Bancroft

 

[Woodster]

England need to bat first considering how flat these tracks are in Australia and they need to score big. On top of that I thnk Cook may have to be dropped. I hate to say this but the idea of him getting another go just because of the history of his career is not enough now.

We can’t possibly drop Cook, as scratchy as he may have looked in his last innings I would still back him over anyone else, other than Root, to get a three figure score, you can’t drop someone with the record he has in our current plight on top of the fact we have nobody at all to replace him worthy of a mention.

 

[Gob]

We can’t possibly drop Cook, as scratchy as he may have looked in his last innings I would still back him over anyone else, other than Root, to get a three figure score, you can’t drop someone with the record he has in our current plight on top of the fact we have nobody at all to replace him worthy of a mention.

He looked really good against the quicks in the first innings. Prob the best i've seen for a while

 

[TheJediBrah]

Why did he get dropped from the ODI team again? We aren't exactly blessed with batting riches in that department. Was he injured?

Yes he had shoulder surgery or something. Was never dropped.

 

[fredfertang]

or indeed pick a cricket team with 11 players in it

England don't always bother

 

[Bijed]

We can’t possibly drop Cook, as scratchy as he may have looked in his last innings I would still back him over anyone else, other than Root, to get a three figure score, you can’t drop someone with the record he has in our current plight on top of the fact we have nobody at all to replace him worthy of a mention.

Yeah. For me he's pretty clearly coming right to the end of his career now, but in all honesty, as minimal as his output has been this series, I genuinely wouldn't have expected much, if any more, from anyone else who would have hypothetically played in his place.

Tbh, once he is gone, the only way I can see us having a opening pair which isn't a bit of a joke (relatively good as Stoneman has been, and I do like him, he's hardly a world-beater) is if Root moved up to open, which I don't imagine he's inclined to do.