***Official*** West Indies in Australia

[howardj]

My team for Hobart:

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Katich
Clarke
Hopes - if fit (averaged 40 with the bat, and 26 with the ball last summer)
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
McGrath
MacGill

Don't see the point in going back to Symonds or to a 30 year old Brad Hodge. Best to work towards winning the Ashes next summer, and keep the structure/blueprint in place, that is most likely to achieve that. That means an attack of McGrath, Lee, Warne and MacGill, with someone (ideally Watson) to bowl a tidy ten overs, and bat in the top six.

Katich, if he is to be retained, must move up the order and Michael Clarke - whose freewheeling game is more suited lower down - to move to number five/six. Whatever the selectors do, it should be geared towards regaining the Ashes and, most importantly, it should have some purpose about it.

 

[social]

My team for Hobart:

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Katich
Clarke
Hopes - if fit (averaged 40 with the bat, and 26 with the ball last summer)
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
McGrath
MacGill

Don't see the point in going back to Symonds or to a 30 year old Brad Hodge. Best to work towards winning the Ashes next summer, and keep the structure/blueprint in place, that is most likely to achieve that. That means an attack of McGrath, Lee, Warne and MacGill, with someone (ideally Watson) to bowl a tidy ten overs, and bat in the top six.

Katich, if he is to be retained, must move up the order and Michael Clarke - whose freewheeling game is more suited lower down - to move to number five/six. Whatever the selectors do, it should be geared towards regaining the Ashes and, most importantly, it should have some purpose about it.

Hopes is out for 2 months with an injured shoulder from 1 dayer on Friday.

 

[howardj]

Hopes is out for 2 months with an injured shoulder from 1 dayer on Friday.

Hmmm kind of screws things. I'd probably just retain Bracken then. And get everyone to move up one spot.

 

[Top_Cat]

Don't see the point in going back to Symonds or to a 30 year old Brad Hodge. Best to work towards winning the Ashes next summer, and keep the structure/blueprint in place, that is most likely to achieve that. That means an attack of McGrath, Lee, Warne and MacGill, with someone (ideally Watson) to bowl a tidy ten overs, and bat in the top six.

Katich, if he is to be retained, must move up the order and Michael Clarke - whose freewheeling game is more suited lower down - to move to number five/six. Whatever the selectors do, it should be geared towards regaining the Ashes and, most importantly, it should have some purpose about it.

You'll have to enlighten me as to the purpose of picking a 27 year-old Hopes ahead of a not-too-much older Hodge. Sorry but forget his average - a 600-run summer being his best ever isn't quite good enough to be batting 6 for Australia. Pick North, pick Jacques, pick Thornley even but Hopes? Why replace one mediocre allrounder with an even more mediocre one? When Warne made his mark as a leg-spinner, how many teams suddenly picked one? Just about all of them. How many are still playing?

You pick your best team first. And there is no way Hopes in the best XI Australia can offer. And if you pick him, there's no way you'd bat him above Gilchrist. Geez, batting Hussey at 6 would be a better option. As Jack said - someone already in the international framework would be the most likely option anyway.

 

[howardj]

You'll have to enlighten me as to the purpose of picking a 27 year-old Hopes ahead of a not-too-much older Hodge. Sorry but forget his average - a 600-run summer being his best ever isn't quite good enough to be batting 6 for Australia. Pick North, pick Jacques, pick Thornley even but Hopes? Why replace one mediocre allrounder with an even more mediocre one? When Warne made his mark as a leg-spinner, how many teams suddenly picked one? Just about all of them. How many are still playing?

You pick your best team first. And there is no way Hopes in the best XI Australia can offer. And if you pick him, there's no way you'd bat him above Gilchrist. Geez, batting Hussey at 6 would be a better option. As Jack said - someone already in the international framework would be the most likely option anyway.

I was more looking at it in light of Gilchrist's comments and the desire to maintain the current balance of the side. In that context, Hopes is more likely than most. Thankyou for enlightening me though, on the point that Jacques and Hussey are better batsmen than Hopes. I would never have known!

 

[howardj]

As Jack said - someone already in the international framework would be the most likely option anyway.

So Hopes is not in the international framework? It must have been his twin on the NZ Tour and in the Super Series squad then.

 

[Top_Cat]

So Hopes is not in the international framework? It must have been his twin on the NZ Tour and in the Super Series squad then.

Someone already in one of the teams on a regular basis would be who I was referring to. Hopes is clearly on an apprenticeship.

 

[Top_Cat]

Originally posted King_Ponting
probably bruising, he always acts like its more serious than it is....

How stupid do you feel right now?

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,17171226-23212,00.html

Surgery today, likely out for the season.

 

[Slow Love™]

"I should've known it all along, you know why, David? 'Cause of the kids. They called me Mr. Glass."

 

[Woody_cloudofsm]

This one is way o ut of left feild and it will not happen but i would play johnno moss of victoria at number 7 hes just come of a great summer in county cricket with derby hes just as good a bowler as hopes or watson a solid bat.
he has a first class batting average of 38 with over 4000 runs and over 100 wickets at 32 with the ball. lets not forget his 8 wickets in the opening pura cup match either.

when compared to teh record of hopes and even watson who are

hopes 30 with the bat and 47 with the ball

cmon why isnt john moss ever come into contention before the lieks of james hopes i will never know

Katich has been given enough opportunities he should go however the selectors will almost certainly give him another chance. I like Clarkey but i agree with mark waugh his carefree attitude outside off stump would mean that keeping him in the hut a little longer wouldnt be a bad thing so i would have him at number 5. Marto is the best number 4 in the country and he should be the number 4 against the winides in hobart but it wont be the case. I would go for Hodge or Marcus North Hands down. Age aint nuttin but a number and especially with test cricket. you just want tow in every test match and if it means u need to call in a shaun udal or a mustaq ahmed out of obscurity its well worth it So at 30 moss and hodge defenitly ghave a lot to offer australian cricket. weather they decide to go t hat way is another story altogether.

my side for the test considering langer will most likely be unfit

1.Hussey
2.Hayden
3.Ponting
4.Martyn
5.Clarke
6.Gilchrist
7.Moss
8.Warne
9.Lee
10.Mcgrtah
11.Macgill

 

[Linda]

1.Hussey
2.Hayden
3.Ponting
4.Martyn

Id give a lot to see that name at number 4 again. But selectors dont like to admit they were wrong, and his Pura Cup form hasnt been flash.

 

[age_master]

Hussey
Hayden
Ponting
Clarke
Katich
Symonds
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Bracken
McGrath

Macgill

Symonds my tip for another chance in tests

 

[SquidAU]

Since everyone is tipping Symonds to get another go, I'll go the other way.....Hodge will make his debut.

Katich should be given the flick though, Hodge should get a go and Symonds comes in for Watson.

 

[Hodgo7]

Since everyone is tipping Symonds to get another go, I'll go the other way.....Hodge will make his debut.

Katich should be given the flick though, Hodge should get a go and Symonds comes in for Watson.

I think Hodge will get a run but not sure if they will drop Katich just yet. If the Aussies were struggling again like they did in England then he would be gone. Symonds bowling just isnt good enough for tests. But I suppose if Gayle can get wickets...

 

[SquidAU]

I think Hodge will get a run but not sure if they will drop Katich just yet. If the Aussies were struggling again like they did in England then he would be gone. Symonds bowling just isnt good enough for tests. But I suppose if Gayle can get wickets...

I think Symonds bowling will be good enough to stop the runs, rather than take wickets. His batting though, more than makes up for that.

Katich has had a horrid run. Even Clarke has been getting more consistent scores. So, Katich gone for mine, give Hodge a couple of tests or even the summer, even if he is a Victorian!

BRING BACK BOOF!

 

[aussie]

My views on the 1st test & situation since

Well i saw everything from trinidad & from australia's point of view a top class team performance, they fought their way out of brief periods of trouble and seized every chance to apply pressure back on the windies, who in contrast strated well on the 1st day but just wilted expectedly IMO in the end, i didn't really read too much into the pre-match hype about their preparations at all, i reckon for sure they'll be whitewashed but i expect them to put up some resistance sometime before the series is out. For the next test Bravo should come in for Lawson dont see why he wasn't pick in the 1st place.

Plus Chanderpaul's captaincy is very funny, i dont see why he has Collymore his best bowler coming on the 2nd or 3rd change, he should be opening the bowling

Now that Watson is disappointedly out for 2 whole months, i say Bring Martyn instead of Hodge, Katich & Clarke in that middle order doesn't give me too much confidence for a permanent middle-order birth at all & also i think Symonds should be considered again if Hohns wants to stick with the idea of having an all-round player in the side.

Also must say well done to my mayn Lee on his 5 for, i've been backing his ability to be successful at test level through thick & thin and now hopefully this is the start of great things for him in tests...
My Teams for 2nd test:

Australia:
Hayden
Hussey
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Symonds
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Bracken/MacGill - it would be though to drop bracken, but its up to the selectors
McGrath

West Indies:
Gayle
Smith
Sarwan
Lara
Chanderpaul
Samuels
Bravo
Ramdin
Powell
Edwards
Collymore

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Plus Chanderpaul's captaincy is very funny, i dont see why he has Collymore his best bowler coming on the 2nd or 3rd change, he should be opening the bowling

As explained earlier, Powell has been the best new ball bowler for the West Indies all year. The reason Edwards shared it with him is because of his extra pace, and the fact that he's generally useless with the old ball.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Will they televise the West Indian tail drawing straws to see who'll bat 8-11 this Test?

 

[roseboy64]

Greg Chappell's backed up my poitn that Chanderpaul shouldn't be the captain. He made reference to the Sri Lanka tour and how better the team looked when Joseph stood in while Shiv was off the field. This is in no way an indictment of his skills but at this stage the West Indies needs someone else to be skipper. Lara or Sarwan I'd say.

 

[roseboy64]

Will they televise the West Indian tail drawing straws to see who'll bat 8-11 this Test?

Won't make much difference will it?