Australian Test Selection Thread 2017 - 2018

[Starfighter]

i'm really confused by this post

It's got two parts to it.

I'm just saying (1) that judging Marsh's form against that England attack isn't the wisest, but that India's is probably not much more challenging and (2) we have more of a struggle against India because without Smith and Warner we can't rely on scoring 500 in every innings like 14/15, depending on the pitches.

 

[Spark]

It's got two parts to it.

I'm just saying (1) that judging Marsh's form against that England attack isn't the wisest, but that India's is probably not much more challenging and (2) we have more of a struggle against India because without Smith and Warner we can't rely on scoring 500 in every innings like 14/15, depending on the pitches.

but two tests ago = durban and pe? i'm lost

 

[Starfighter]

but two tests ago = durban and pe? i'm lost

I haven't been watching cause I don't have foxtel, so my mind just goes back to the Ashes. Combined that with post daylight savings lag and you end up with stupidity.

 

[Prince EWS]

It's got two parts to it.

I get what he's saying though; the parts contradict each other, even themselves, at times.

(1) that judging Marsh's form against that England attack isn't the wisest, but that India's is probably not much more challenging

Maybe judging Marsh against an attack of a similar standard to what he'll actually be facing is the wisest, though...

(2) we have more of a struggle against India because without Smith and Warner we can't rely on scoring 500 in every innings like 14/15, depending on the pitches.

But if their attack is England-away-from-home-level then MMarsh averaging 100, SMarsh averaging 75 and Khawaja averaging 48 come right into it anyway.

You could also tackle this post in the complete opposite way, so I can see why Spark is confuzzled.

 

[GotSpin]

Its hard to see where Australian cricket goes without Warner and Smith. No one did that well in the Shield and there aren't any young players knocking down doors. Bowling seems to be doing well but the batting has been an issue for 10 years now

 

[MagicPoopShovel]

I think the main question is if not M Marsh then who?

Maxwell has to get a proper run now

Khawaja has been pretty useless it has to be said

Should Paine just focus on batting and bring in that young keeper whose doing well I forget his name right at this minute ..

 

[Spikey]

just read my first "paine should give up the gloves up and bat up the order" article. This year is gonna suck so bad

 

[Burgey]

The answer to our batting problems plays Futures League for NSW Metro. #Bertmentum

 

[MagicPoopShovel]

There are no bad ideas right now mate

It’s a brain storming session

*watch that “Corporate” Episode*

 

[Prince EWS]

If Paine can't bat, keep and captain all at once, and he has to captain, I'd sooner have him "bat eleven" each innings and just declare nine down while still keeping and captaining than I would have him play as a specialist batsman and bring in another keeper. He looks good with the bat but I've followed him in First Class cricket long enough to know he's not going to have anywhere near the output of a Test batsman. Australia's stocks are low at the moment but not that low.

 

[Top_Cat]

Yeah Jesus, I mean come on. Even at 7 the best you can hope for is a contribution from Paine.

 

[stephen]

Paine should keep. He's not one of the top 6 batters in the country and if they captaincy is too much he shouldn't have it.

I think I'd like to see:

Renshaw
Burns
Khawaja
Maxwell
S Marsh
M Marsh
Paine
Cummins
Starc
Hazlewood
Lyon

For the next year while Smith is out. Handscomb isn't good enough long term. The Marsh brothers need to be persisted with until someone else puts up their hand at first class level.

All of those guys had the best shield seasons. We can't ignore the fact that we've basically fallen to an English level batting lineup. It's the most dire circumstances for 30 years and the cupboard is bare.

 

[Starfighter]

If we want an older hand, then maybe Ferguson should get another shot. Perhaps in the place of one of Khawaja or Darsh. Granted those two usually do score runs at home, so maybe everything will work out fine. But Khawaja vs Ashwin is going to be interesting, and Marsh may have to bat higher which makes things more difficult for him. Frankly I'd rather sacrifice him to make things easier for Maxwell though.

I wonder how the opener situation is going to work. I hope Renshaw gets a good run and does well, I'm not sold on Burns after his last effort.

Is it an exaggeration to say this is the worst crisis (batting wise) we have faced since the middle eighties? It looks like England at the moment, no one else is standing out at all domestically.

 

[stephen]

This is absolutely the worst our batting has been since the 80s. And at least then we had AB.

 

[Justo]

IMO the middle order needs a major revamp. Khawaja and S Marsh haven't improved on their issues and I wouldn't have had Handscomb as reserve bat anyway. Given that we've got Zim away? and Bangla at home we should be able to limp through both until the home series and see where things are with the shield from there. For bowling Haze is a concern and I'd get Tremain in for Sayers but otherwise nothing dramatic (depending on Starc's fitness).

Burns
Renshaw
Maxwell
Cartwright
?
M Marsh
Paine +*
Cummins
Tremain
Lyon
Haze

4 and 5 are the toughest spots for me. I'd probably go Cartwright since he started to return to form towards the back end of the season. The other spot is a bit of shootout between a bunch of fairly even average players IMO (the Patterson, J Lehmann grade players etc). If no one stands up in the off season then you can always revert to Khawaja and S Marsh for India at home but if someone does stand up then you've potentially got some more meat to the line up when Smith returns.

I doubt it will happen though. Both Khawaja and S Marsh will stay and continue their cycle.

 

[SeamUp]

It obviously isn't Shield Cricket.

But there may be plenty to play for with an 'A' series to India and guys playing County Cricket.

Batting alone

Glamorgan : Shaun Marsh
Surrey : Mitchell Marsh
Worcestershire : Travis Head
Middlesex : Hilton Cartwright

Previously Bancroft, Handscomb, Khawaja have gone.

Outside the guys in contention for 'A' cricket like some of the guys on SA tour (Renshaw, Burns,Handscomb, Maxwell) + Cartwright, Harris, Hughes, Patterson, Weatherald, Ferguson, Head,

The positives from the Shield is seeing new young names scoring a 100 this season. Guys like Doran and Pucovski. They were the youngest to do so ? We probably watching the NSW trio of J.Edwards, Sangha, Uppal next and probably the most talented of this bunch in Mackenzie Harvey. These sorts need to put a couple of seasons together but this is always the exciting part. Seeing how or if they progress or not.

Suppose Queensland can be happy with Labuschagne and Heazlett's progression in 4-day cricket ?

 

[Tangles]

Switching to the Duke full time and having pitches not be highways would help the bats be more adaptable for other conditions. Bats facing the Kookaburra on highways don't learn how to face a moving ball. CA don't really care though as long as $$$ keep rolling with the current arrangement.

 

[Burgey]

Shame K Pat hasn’t come on as much as we’d hoped

 

[Starfighter]

I don't think the shield pitches have been that highwayish over the past couple of seasons. The test pitches have been so highwayish that I expect the ball to be impounded under the 'Hoon Laws' at the next MCG match, if the pitch is anything like the last one.

The less said about the Kookaburra the better. I hope they go out of business.

 

[the big bambino]

There's no solution. We just have to hope for a successful appeal to overturn what where ott suspensions in proportion to the offences. Failing that, get ugly with a law suit for restraint of trade or whatever grounds you can come up with. **** the "healing process" this is serious. We can't take the field without Smith and Warner. Its amazing to think that Bancroft is arguably the third best bat in the country. Try everything to get all 3 back in straight away. I'm sure captain Paine would want them in so that his time as captain wont be a complete debacle.