**Official** Australia in Bangladesh

[FaaipDeOiad]

I don't know how much the pitches turn in Bangladesh. If they're turning, two spinners is worth a try to given Cullen a run.

The team makeup should be:
Simon Katich
Adam Gilchrist
Ricky Ponting
Damien Martyn/Shane Watson/Phil Jaques
Andrew Symonds
Michael Clarke
Michael Hussey
Brad Hogg
Brett Lee
Dan Cullen/Stuart Clark
Nathan Bracken

I can see the argument for dropping Martyn from ODIs and letting him concentrate on tests though, and it's a good one in my mind. In that case, pick Watson at 4. He'll be a 5th bowler to take the pressure of Symonds and Clarke with the ball, and it'd give him a chance to play some proper innings.

 

[James90]

My BD team fort the first test would be

Nafees Iqbal
Javed Omar
Habibul Bashar
Mohammad Ashraful
Aftab Ahmed
Khaled Mashud
Mohammad Rafique
Mashrafe Mortaza
Syed Rasel
Enamul Haque

Going in with 10 players against Australia? That's just asking to be thrashed.

 

[howardj]

The team makeup should be:
Simon Katich
Adam Gilchrist
Ricky Ponting
Damien Martyn/Shane Watson/Phil Jaques
Andrew Symonds
Michael Clarke
Michael Hussey
Brad Hogg
Brett Lee
Dan Cullen/Stuart Clark
Nathan Bracken

.

That top nine there - with Jacques coming in for Katich, and Martyn retaining his number four position - is what Australia should stick with. I love the look of that team, with Brett Lee down at number nine. It gives the batsmen a real licence to attack from the outset. Australia got into a little strife in the South African series, when they inexplicably left Hogg out of the team (for no apparent reason, really). I really rate Hoggy in ODI's. Opponents find him hard to play, particularly his 'wrong un'. Also, I think Martyn will be a little more settled, now he's regained his Test position. His ODI shot selection has been a little erratic since he got axed from the Test team.

 

[fishyguy]

Going in with 10 players against Australia? That's just asking to be thrashed.

Thats how good the BD team is that they could beat Australia with only 10 players!

Actually I edited my post I forgot Shahrier Nafees

 

[chaminda_00]

Jaques isn't in the OD sqaud just Test...

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

That top nine there - with Jacques coming in for Katich, and Martyn retaining his number four position - is what Australia should stick with. I love the look of that team, with Brett Lee down at number nine. It gives the batsmen a real licence to attack from the outset. Australia got into a little strife in the South African series, when they inexplicably left Hogg out of the team (for no apparent reason, really). I really rate Hoggy in ODI's. Opponents find him hard to play, particularly his 'wrong un'. Also, I think Martyn will be a little more settled, now he's regained his Test position. His ODI shot selection has been a little erratic since he got axed from the Test team.

While I agree Jaques is a better long-term option than Katich, can you really drop him now? He's done nothing wrong in recent times, and has actually been one of the top and most consistent runscorers in the Australian ODI team. Harsh to drop him because his play style isn't for high scoring matches. He's still going to be very handy in the lower scoring ones, and if he can ensure that when necessary he can knock out a 30 off 30 or whatever, he'll be a good player.

 

[Nate]

He can`t find bloody gaps! It`s so frustrating to watch. He doesn`t hit boundaries, and if you`re not doing that, you need to be rotating the strike. It`s painful to watch.

 

[marc71178]

Going in with 10 players against Australia? That's just asking to be thrashed.

They're playing the series on Cricket Coach though

 

[Dizzy #4]

With Dizzy back, Cricket all of a sudden got intresting! If there was no Mcgrath or Gillespie............ I would have said go Bangas........

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

He can`t find bloody gaps! It`s so frustrating to watch. He doesn`t hit boundaries, and if you`re not doing that, you need to be rotating the strike. It`s painful to watch.

But obviously he DOES hit boundaries and find gaps, which is why his scoring rate in ODIs is 71, which isn't particularly bad really. That's the same as Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid. This year, when he's been batting a little slower (presumably under direction), it's 67, which is better than Boeta Dippenaar.

I've been a critic of Katich as well, but as long as he's scoring runs as regularly as he has been he warrants his inclusion in the side. He's averaging 43 this year, and he's second in the world in run scoring. He has to be able to keep up with a good rate when the rest of the team is scoring quickly, certainly, but as long as he can do that I don't see any problem with him opening.

 

[Mister Wright]

Has Johnson or Bracken been called up to replace Tait/Kasprowicz?

 

[howardj]

Australia to play five bowlers

If so, I guess the team would be:

Jaques
Hayden
Ponting
Martyn
Hussey
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
Clark
MacGill

 

[lurchn]

waste of time

the major cricket nations should only play one off tests every 2 rotations of the ICC calander against minor ones

 

[Xuhaib]

So Dizzy gets a recall. I am actualy looking forward to the resumption of Dizzy-Ashraful battle.

 

[fishyguy]

Some pics of the Australian team in bangladesh at Getty Images

on search type Australia bangladesh

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/ms_gins/source/home/home.aspx?pg=1

 

[Jono]

So Dizzy gets a recall. I am actualy looking forward to the resumption of Dizzy-Ashraful battle.

I'm sure Aftab Ahmed's six would still be in Dizzy's mind too

 

[lurchn]

glen is the best opening bowler of our generation if not of all time. If he wasn't bowling at one end the other aussie opening bowlers wouldn't get the figures they get. He's so accurate batsmen feel compelled to play strokes against the other bowlers thus they get out. If he was 5% less accurate he would have 700 test wickets by now/

 

[lurchn]

Watson should already be there.

ur joking Watson is a sheild alrounder at best

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Bangladesh announce 14-man match squad:

Habibul Bashar (c), Khaled Mashud (wk), Javed Omar, Nafees Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Shahriar Nafees, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza, Enamul Haque jnr , Shahadat Hossain and Syed Rasel.

Dilemna with the seamers here. We need both spinners, since there is no decent back-up spin, but Rasel and Shahadat are in good form while Mashrafe is the spearhead.

 

[fishyguy]

Bangladesh announce 14-man match squad:

Habibul Bashar (c), Khaled Mashud (wk), Javed Omar, Nafees Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Shahriar Nafees, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza, Enamul Haque jnr , Shahadat Hossain and Syed Rasel.

Dilemna with the seamers here. We need both spinners, since there is no decent back-up spin, but Rasel and Shahadat are in good form while Mashrafe is the spearhead.

I highly doubt the selectors will give Shahadat a go in the first game, that would be suicide.

He is still very raw and lacks control. He also has a tendency to bowl many short deliveries and we all know how good the aussies are agianst the short ball. He will be thrashed all over the place.

Now the thing with Rasel is even though he has good control and can swing the ball his lack of pace may allow the Aussies to dominate his bowling as well.

I say if Rasel bowls badly in the first test then give Shahadat a chance.

As for the spinners I personally don't think much of left arm spinners. They are mostly used to tie one end up and give the fast bowlers a break. They arent necessarily strike bowlers well except Daniel Vettori who is a class bowler.So I don't think that either Rafique or Enamul would cause too much trouble.

Rafique isnt a turner of the ball so he could be in for a hammering and Enamul once again isnt very experienced and lacks Rafiques control.