***Official*** Australia in South Africa

[pup11]

Cricket Australia rule Roy out of South African tour

Best thing to happen for Australian cricket in a while, there should have been no way he should have been in any contention at all for this series from a cricketing POV itself, and his off-field antics should have only made the decision easier for the selectors.

Now the flip-side of this is, McDonald is most likely to hold his place at no.6, which i am not too chuffed about either, he might be a steady bowler, but he is hardly a batsman who can bat in the top 6 of a test team.

 

[pup11]

Reckon that having Hauritz at 9 was a luxury that allowed them to play McDonald at 6. Hauritz is good enough to bat at 8. However, if McGain takes Hauritz's place, then this may make it hard for the selectors to include McDonald.

Oh, that's what we think, but for the selectors McDonald is a pure breed all-rounder...

 

[social]

Cricket Australia rule Roy out of South African tour

What's Haddin's penalty?

Execution by firing squad would seem to be the most appropriate

I find it really amusing that those people who agree with this decision are also saying "oh ****, we've got no-one to replace him with!"

 

[inbox24]

What's Haddin's penalty?

Execution by firing squad would seem to be the most appropriate

I find it really amusing that those people who agree with this decision are also saying "oh ****, we've got no-one to replace him with!"

I disagree, we do have people to replace, David Hussey, Brad Hodge, and Phil Hughes even.

But the realistic chances of the selectors considering this are zero.

 

[social]

I disagree, we do have people to replace, David Hussey, Brad Hodge, and Phil Hughes even.

But the realistic chances of the selectors considering this are zero.

Hodge is the closest but wont get picked

Hodge is a much better player than his team-mate, Dussey

Hughes is an opener

So, in other words, we can pick someone but they simply wont be as good/suited in that position

 

[inbox24]

Ponting, Langer, Martyn, Symonds all played out of their natural positions early in their careers.

 

[Manee]

Not sure about Hilfenhaus. Got a nice outswinger but he swings it from the hand and doesn't get the ball to move late like Steyn.

He should tour though. There isn't much else.

Hilfenhaus seemed to reverse the white ball in the ODIs at the death too. Moreover, he seems to have an action, release and pace conducive to reverse swing.

 

[kingkallis]

CA has taken a really brave decision to leave Roy out!

Marcus North should get chance ahead of McDonald in SAF but yeah South African wickets will help the seamers more than Aussie wickets...it will be interesting to see who is picked for the tour.

 

[kingkallis]

Not sure about Hilfenhaus. Got a nice outswinger but he swings it from the hand and doesn't get the ball to move late like Steyn.

He should tour though. There isn't much else.

Steyn's pace helps there!

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Marcus North should get chance ahead of McDonald in SAF

Perhaps if he could score a run in domestic cricket.

 

[howardj]

My spies have lead me to believe that this will be a 14 man squad as follows:

Ponting
Clarke
Hughes
Katich
Hussey
Jaques
Klinger
MacDonald
Haddin
McGain
MacGoffin
Siddle (if not fit, Bollinger)
Bracken
Johnson

 

[Prince EWS]

My spies

Your spies should be shot judging by the amount of times they've given you false info though, it must be said.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

If by "spies" you mean "I'm guessing and will be wrong" then yep.

 

[howardj]

Sorry for having a sense of humour - will hop back into my box and go into serious mode.

Pretty good squad though.

Will leak more information as it comes to hand.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Magoffin and Klinger skipping the queue? Hmm.

 

[howardj]

Goffers is a cert.

 

[social]

So Klinger scores a mountain of runs on the world's flattest road to get in contention?

Selectors must have missed his average of 26 last year and 36 overall

Seems like the days of actually having to perfromed for a couple of years are long gone

 

[social]

Goffers is a cert.

If he is picked ahead of Bollinger then that is another absolute joke

At this rate, the selectors will have enough material to headline at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival

 

[aussie]

There's no way he won't be picked now. Was respectable in Sydney, and since Symonds has failed horribly in state cricket and McDonald took 6-fa in the recent Shield match.

He was respectable. But he is clearly out of his depth in the Australian side & the selection of him as a potential all-rounder @ 6 is straight crap.

Him taking 6 wickets againts that weak South Aus looking batting-lineup, is more of an indication of how average they where rather than a solid signs of how he could be an effective bowler in SA.

 

[aussie]

Both rarely get their feet outside the line of the stumps, leave themselves room to free the arms and flay through the off. Hence they drive very well square of the wicket, but as a result hang their bat outside the line of their body and eyes. Martyn was similar, but he always had his eyes in line with the ball; these two do not.

I am a big fan of Hodge, and think that he should have played more cricket for Australia. However, I think that his chance has passed, and that we aren't to gain anything by playing him. We need to get the next generation of batsmen ready whilst we have the settled leadership of Ponting, Hussey and Clarke for them to bat around.

This current notion for the injection of youth for this crucial tour & the ashes worries me.

Although i will accept that Hughes is 100% likely to be picked. As i've mentioned before if Steyn & co expose him. He will quickly regress from prodigy to selectorial mistake.

For these tours regardless of players ages, Australia need to pick their best XI. Injection of youth could start next home summer.