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***Official*** Australia in Sri Lanka

adub

International Captain
8-)

I can't find my older post on this, but basically Marsh has averaged 55-60 over the last three seasons of Shield Cricket, and you look silly.
In the last three years (since 08/09):

Marsh has scored 1058 @ 48 in 13 matches (ie he's been broken for more than half the available games). He has scored 2 hundreds.

Cosgrove in the same time (including in England) has scored 3587 @ 52 in 47 matches with 14 tons. His English record is a bit better than his home record, but not by a huge amount.

The only people who look silly are those trying to pump the tyres of a guy who averages 38 with 6 hundreds in a 10 year First Class career because he's had a tiny bit of success in between his latest injury woes. Marsh is a fraud.
 

Spark

Global Moderator
Khawaja vs Marsh and Johnson vs Siddle are two very close battles, so fair enough. :)
I just think that having backed Khawaja for Sydney, he should be given time to prove or disprove himself. Don't want us to treat batsmen like we treat spinners.

Johnson vs. Siddle came down to 1. Johnson is a far more proven consistent wicket taker than Siddle even when he looks terrible and 2. Left-arm variety will be useful. It's not like Siddle is going on any sort of brilliant form.
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
In the last three years (since 08/09):

Marsh has scored 1058 @ 48 in 13 matches (ie he's been broken for more than half the available games). He has scored 2 hundreds.

Cosgrove in the same time (including in England) has scored 3587 @ 52 in 47 matches with 14 tons. His English record is a bit better than his home record, but not by a huge amount.

The only people who look silly are those trying to pump the tyres of a guy who averages 38 with 6 hundreds in a 10 year First Class career because he's had a tiny bit of success in between his latest injury woes. Marsh is a fraud.
Haha, what garbage. So Cosgrove averages the same as Marsh in the only comparable competition?
 

pup11

International Coach
I'd pitch Mitch over Siddle in that lineup itbt. Like the batting order in the middle order but there's no chance Watto's going anywhere from opener. Unless Clarke kneecaps him again to make him...

As for Lyon vs. Beer, the argument against Lyon is that he's played hardly FC matches and Test cricket is no place to be learning your game. All completely legitimate criticisms, but then you see who the other spinner they picked...

DeusEx's lineup is the one I'd choose, personally, given that squad.
Sri Lankan pitches would be pretty dry and would start spinning from the 1st session of the test so playing two spinners in the XI is something that they would have to seriously consider and that's why I think they made a mistake by dropping Smith, he could have played as our second spinner which would have obviously provided more variety to the attack.
 

Ruckus

International Captain
Quoted for hilarity:


Cricket fans have heard plenty from Hilditch during the same period. He pops up whenever a squad is announced, usually with a line about how much promise the spinner du jour has shown.

"We look forward to watching his development during the course of the tour," Hilditch said of Beau Casson's call-up for the Caribbean tour of 2008. Casson played a Test, performed adequately, and was dropped for the next series, shattering his confidence and ruining him for the next few years.

"We feel that Cameron's right-arm leg spin and experience in Indian conditions ... will provide a good balance to our slow bowling attack," Hilditch said of choosing Cameron White to tour India in 2008. In 17 matches since that trip, White has taken six first-class wickets at 74.16. He barely bowls now.

"The national selection panel believes the left-arm orthodox variety Xavier Doherty provides against a predominantly right-handed English middle order is the better option," Hilditch said of axing Nathan Hauritz for the Ashes. Doherty did not prove to be a Test wicket-taker.

"Michael Beer replaces Xavier Doherty ... and we expect he will bowl very well against the English on his home ground," Hilditch said ahead of the third Ashes Test in Perth, where Melbourne-born-and-bred Beer had hardly played. Beer didn't get to play until the Sydney Test, and took one wicket.
 

Spark

Global Moderator
Sri Lankan pitches would be pretty dry and would start spinning from the 1st session of the test so playing two spinners in the XI is something that they would have to seriously consider and that's why I think they made a mistake by dropping Smith, he could have played as our second spinner which would have obviously provided more variety to the attack.
Except on quality it's hard enough justifying one spinner in the attack, let alone two.
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
I just think that having backed Khawaja for Sydney, he should be given time to prove or disprove himself. Don't want us to treat batsmen like we treat spinners.

Johnson vs. Siddle came down to 1. Johnson is a far more proven consistent wicket taker than Siddle even when he looks terrible and 2. Left-arm variety will be useful. It's not like Siddle is going on any sort of brilliant form.
In Marsh's favour, Khawaja hasn't been in good form in his last tenish outings in the longer forms.

And Johnson is the better wicket taker, but Siddle has a greater economy.

Like I said, it's very open to debate.
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
Beer and Lyon over O' Keefe are the only calls that mystify me, the rest of it's a lot better than I expected. Smith and Hilfy justified axings, no Bollinger makes sense too, harsh as it may seem.

Of course, the real crime is no Katich.
 

pup11

International Coach
Haha, what garbage. So Cosgrove averages the same as Marsh in the only comparable competition?
Cosgrove is a much better player than Marsh and his consistency over the years has been amazing, whereas Marsh's FC career almost mirrors that of North. Marsh seems to play a couple of good knocks and then he goes through a patch where he starts struggling for every single run and this has been pretty much the story of his career thus far.
 

pup11

International Coach
Except on quality it's hard enough justifying one spinner in the attack, let alone two.
Siddle and Johnson are no quality bowlers either, they are rhythm bowlers who if all the planets are aligned perfectly would bowl an awesome spell or two but in general they would bowl all over the place and things would only get worse if the conditions are going to be against them.
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Cosgrove is a much better player than Marsh and his consistency over the years has been amazing, whereas Marsh's FC career almost mirrors that of North. Marsh seems to play a couple of good knocks and then he goes through a patch where he starts struggling for every single run and this has been pretty much the story of his career thus far.
I give you evidence and you give me conjecture. Superb.

CricketWeb can be so good with Spark, PEWS, Top Cat, etc. But the randoms that pop up when a squad is named is infuriating.
 

four_or_six

Cricketer Of The Year
Seems a bit harsh on Smith. I know he's not been brilliant, but he's shown glimpses. I saw a quote that said he'd been dropped because he hadn't cemented his place in the side, but he's only played 5 matches, I think, and not even all in a row. If they're going to drop every player who doesn't cement his place after that amount of opportunity, I think they'll get through a lot of players!
 

Spikey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
from an upcoming post by user Spikey

For whatever reason I can't seem to actually find any quotes from Hilbitch about Smith's selection for the Pakistan in England Tour. Nevertheless Steven Smith has gone from playing as the solo spinner @ number 8 (Pakistan in England tour), to playing as an all-rounder @ 6 (perth/Melb 2010), as a batsmen @ 7 (sydney 2011) to now being dropped because "he (didn't) cement a spot in the space of 14 or so months. Gee I wonder....
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
In Marsh's last 40 innings, he has made 1721 runs @ 52.15. To say his selection is unwarranted borders on stupidity.
 

benchmark00

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Cosgrove has obviously had the superior career to date, and is the better batsman, but CA will never select someone that fat again, for image concerns alone.
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Cosgrove has obviously had the superior career to date, and is the better batsman, but CA will never select someone that fat again, for image concerns alone.
I'd agree that Cosgrove's career has been better overall, I'd disagree that he is the better batsman, but yeah, if he lost 20kg, he'd be a shoe-in.
 

Spark

Global Moderator
Siddle and Johnson are no quality bowlers either, they are rhythm bowlers who if all the planets are aligned perfectly would bowl an awesome spell or two but in general they would bowl all over the place and things would only get worse if the conditions are going to be against them.
Mitchell Johnson has had three bad series since his full establishment in the attack.

All of them involved England in some way.

The idea that Johnson only takes wickets sporadically is a complete myth. He takes wickets all the bloody time (unless England is involved) - he just doesn't do it by bowling what most of us would consider wicket taking spells. He also does it at a high cost, but Siddle can be pretty expensive too, and he is someone who only sporadically takes wickets. This is not to say he's a fantastic bowler, just that he is one with a knack for taking wickets.
 

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