*Official* Australia A in England 2019

[aussie tragic]

Jeez, Haze's first 2 balls are wides and he goes for 19 off his first 2 overs

 

[MW1304]

Benny smashing them to all parts. Shame he couldn't finish things off, but leaves Gloucs with a chance still.

 

[aussie tragic]

Thankfully Abbott took 4 wkts...17 needed off last over


Edit: and Aussie A win by 9 runs

 

[Burgey]

Dermo Sabba Abbott with the numbers here. I'm telling you, an Ashes call up awaits him. He's a better version of Anderson with the Duke Ball.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Wonder if his debut would be as underwhelming as Bertus' for NSW

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Burns flying back over to link up with Australia A before the four day stuff starts.

Fully agree that Liddle is hopeless, prank bowler

 

[aussie tragic]

So that's the one-day stuff wrapped up and therefore D'Arcy Short, Ashton Agar, Sean Abbott and Andrew Tye now leave the tour.

One-day tour averages

Wade 355 runs @ 88.75, SR 182.05
Head 236 runs @ 59.00, SR 106.78
Pucovski 188 runs @ 94.00, SR 90.38
Handscomb 149 runs @ 74.50, SR 101.36
Marsh 126 runs @ --.--, SR 92.64
Short 32 runs @ 10.66, SR 76.19
Patterson 24 runs @ --.--, SR 68.57

Abbott 8 wkts @ 23.37, econ 4.79
Tye 7 wkts @ 16.71, econ 6.15
Agar 6 wkts @ 36.16, econ 5.86
Marsh 5 wkts @ 29.60, econ 5.48
Hazlewood 3 wkts @ 47.00, econ 4.70
Neser 3 wkts @ 59.66, econ 6.17
Head 0 wkts for 66 runs, econ 8.25
Short 0 wkts for 70 runs, econ 6.36

 

[aussie tragic]

With only 2 FC games before the "Big one" of 22 Australians fighting it out for an Ashes spot, what a selectors headache for picking the team for these:

July 7-10: Australia A v Sussex, Arundel Castle Cricket Ground, Arundel
July 13-16: Australia A v England Lions, The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury

Squad
Bird, Burns, Handscomb, Harris, Hazlewood, Head, Holland, M. Marsh, Neser, Paine, Patterson, Pattinson, Pucovski, Tremain, Wade

I would bench the following for the first game (with all playing in the second game)

Burns - Only arriving just before the first game after illness - let him settle in
Wade - His form is known on this tour, so give someone else a chance
Hazlewood - Did not have a great one-day series - let him re-group against England A
Pattinson - Seems to be on permanent rest duties so leave the cotton wool on for now

 

[Burgey]

Wonder if his debut would be as underwhelming as Bertus' for NSW

Could never be as underwhelming as your posts and your face tbh

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Hypothetically the best XI out of that squad would be something like

1. Harris
2. Burns
3. Patterson
4. Head
5. Handscomb/Wade/Pucovski*
6. Marsh
7. Paine
8. Neser
9. Pattinson
10. Hazlewood
11. Bird

Now take the World Cup team and and the various Aussies playing county cricket and you would end up with something like this

1. Warner
2. Bancroft
3. Khawaja
4. Smith
5. Darsh
6. Labuschagne
7. Carey
8. Cummins
9. Starc
10. Siddle
11. Lyon


*would probably lean towards Wade myself, seems unlikely the selectors will go that way though, wouldn't bother with a 5th bowling option personally

 

[trundler]

Harsh on Head.

 

[aussie tragic]

Now take the World Cup team and and the various Aussies playing county cricket and you would end up with something like this

1. Warner
2. Bancroft
3. Khawaja
4. Smith
5. Darsh
6. Labuschagne
7. Carey
8. Cummins
9. Starc
10. Siddle
11. Lyon

What I find interesting is that there is no logical 2nd captain given Smith/Warner bans. Khawaja is the only State captain, but never seems to get any of the multiple VC roles given in the last 12 months. Cummins is a VC, but that role seems to be "leader of the batting" and "leader of the bowling" groups now rather than a real VC role of the past.

I can actually see them giving the captaincy to Carey, or bring Finch into #5 instead of Smarsh just so he can captain (btw, whoever of Handscomb / Wade / Pucovski that doesn't get # 5 in the A team, would likely be in ahead of Smarsh or Finch in the other team)

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Harsh on Head.

How so? Personally he would almost definitely be in my XI for the first test barring something bizarre happening. Always been quite a fan, and not just because there is finally a South Aussie in the team.

The teams I named were purely hypothetical, I suspect in reality there will be chopping and changing in between the teams, I just wanted to see the best sides I could make from each list of players individually

 

[NUFAN]

Marsh would be the fifth bowler. The number would potentially be the 6th.

Also Tragic, id much rather see Haze playing in the first game compared to every other player in the squad. Dont rest him.

 

[aussie tragic]

Also Tragic, id much rather see Haze playing in the first game compared to every other player in the squad. Dont rest him.

Yeah fair call. I keep thinking that as there are only 2 FC games they will try to give each squad member a game. Silly thinking really with Ashes selections on the line.

My strongest A team for first game would be:

Harris
Burns
Pucovski
Wade
Head
Patterson
Paine
Neser
Pattinson
Holland
Hazlewood

Bird unlucky, but that tail is so long if Neser doesn't play and they have to play a spinner with no allrounder.

 

[Burgey]

Have been so impressed with Alex Carey this WC. Certainly a potentially very good number seven at test level. Only concern with him is keeping up to the stumps.otherwise a ready made replacement for Paine.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yeah fair call. I keep thinking that as there are only 2 FC games they will try to give each squad member a game. Silly thinking really with Ashes selections on the line.

My strongest A team for first game would be:

Harris
Burns
Pucovski
Wade
Head
Patterson
Paine
Neser
Pattinson
Holland
Hazlewood

Bird unlucky, but that tail is so long if Neser doesn't play and they have to play a spinner with no allrounder.

Pattinson is just as good a bat as Neser, probably better over the last couple of years

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Have been so impressed with Alex Carey this WC. Certainly a potentially very good number seven at test level. Only concern with him is keeping up to the stumps.otherwise a ready made replacement for Paine.

Carey is a top keeper against seam, some of his work with Chadd Sayers in the Shield has been brilliant. Definitely needs to improve his keeping against spin though.

And with that, I'll be jetting off to Townsville soon, see all you lot in a few days

 

[TheJediBrah]

Carey is a top keeper against seam, some of his work with Chadd Sayers in the Shield has been brilliant. Definitely needs to improve his keeping against spin though.

And with that, I'll be jetting off to Townsville soon, see all you lot in a few days

Should be keeping up to Chadd Sayers anyway

 

[aussie tragic]

So Aussie A has gone from 'difficult to decide which 2 batsmen to leave out' to ' we don't have enough batsmen to play.

Handscomb has already joined the WC squad and unconfirmed rumours are that Wade and M. Marsh will both be joining WC squad as cover for Khawaja and Stoinis.

This leaves Burns, Harris, Pucovski, Head, Patterson and Paine as top 6, so Neser and Patterson as the only bowlers that can bat would have to be 7-8.