Test XI Selection Thread

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OurTimeWillCome said:
First, I'll give you a tip. Use paragraphs.

Secondly, Michael Clarke does have the respect of the players, just because a news paper article says he doesn't does not make it so.

My team for the first test.

Watson
Hughes (Katich not considered because of lack of match fitness and form)
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
North
Haddin
Johnson
Harris (Bollinger not considered because of lack of match fitness)
Hauritz
Hilfenhaus
Click to expand...

Look I realise you blokes are all NSW centric, but even Clarke admits his career is on the line as it should be and now he is pulling the old back injury routine.If he is not 100% and could not get through a Shield match then he should not be selected.
Secondly the wonder boy is not a 20/20 player and should not be the Captain of the Australian team.End of story.The 50 over game suits him better. Finally why would you select two spinners on a pitch which will seam? Keep North and get rid of Hauritz and replace him with a quick or another batsman since Watson can bowl his seamers.
 
Getting funnier all the time. 17 players named when no-one expects anyone other than the usual suspects. NSP making fools of themselves. If.... we lose the first test, I might find myself laughing rather than being angry.
 
Beeswax said:
Getting funnier all the time. 17 players named when no-one expects anyone other than the usual suspects. NSP making fools of themselves. If.... we lose the first test, I might find myself laughing rather than being angry.
Click to expand...

Agree. What happens if someone who is not named in the squad pulls out a brilliant performance? I suppose they add number 18 to the list. Crazy situation.They should have waited.The whole organization just seems to be all over the shop.
 
Seriously, our national selection panel is a joke.

What has been missed here is an opportunity to win this series AND look to the future. I repeat, the team should be:

Katich
Watson
Ponting
Clarke
Khawaja
Haddin
McDonald
O'Keefe
Johnson
Harris
Hilfenhaus

And the rest of the squad:

Bollinger
Siddle
White
Ferguson

To the people who reckon McDonald shouldn't be in- we are not in the McGrath/Warne/Gillespie era any more. An extra all-rounder who keeps it tight is what we need. We can't expect Watson to bowl more than 10 overs a day. McDonald is in stellar form, and should be selected.

Khawaja deserves to play test cricket now, he is our future at number 3.

O'Keefe's figures in his short FC career are outstanding. Take a punt on youth.
 
The aquad is a bit of a joke. It's only a group who train together when you are at home. Any one can come into the Aus side. McDonlad and O'Keefe should be in the squad but they weren't but they can still be called up.
 
The fact is that McDonald is not in the equation, being relegated to Shield cricket. He could ton up for the rest of the season and they will find a reason not to play him. When you are a Victorian you are just not considered upto it for some reason.If they get Watson early watch us crumble.Andrew Hilditch to quote Cromwell 'You have sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go"
 
Oh, that's rubbish, it's got nothing to do with him being Victorian. It's because he's not that young any more, and he's been tried and discarded previously. Usually that's a fatal combination, regardless of state.

Those who make a comeback once they're pushing 30 or older usually have to do something pretty special - like Katich piling on 1500 runs in a season.
 
Damn lucky for Hussey that Aus A have been absolute rubbish. 18 ball duck to not squad worthy Ronnie McD. I agree getting hussey (hell even making him your bunny) does not warrant selection for Australia... scratch that does not warrant selection for Zimbabwe.

He must know where the skeletons are buried, cause he shure as hell doesn't know how to make runs anymore. Am I alone in thinking that it is getting a bit sad?
 
Yeah, he should be dropped, enough is enough. Needs to shown the door from the Test side and told to just concentrate on the shorter formats for which he is still one of Australia's very best players.
 
I'm so sick of these selectors. I have no freaking clue how the hell a 20 year old Philip Hughes makes all the runs in South Africa, then gets dropped after 2 ordinary tests, and they retain has been out of form fringe first class cricketers in North and Hauritz in the side. When the ashes is done, you are going to have a dilemma. Ponting, Katich, Hussey and even Haddin will all be on the verge on retiring, and you are going to be thrusting in young kids who either have no experience in test cricket or have had their confidence crushed from poor selections, such as Phillip Hughes.

Look at what Indian cricket has done, there verterans have all retired, however, they have blooded in youngsters for 2 or 3 tests such as Pujara and Vijay, and when the Tendulkars and Dravids retire, they will have the batsmen waiting in the wings to take over the mantle.

Its about time we started bringing in the Smith's, Khawaja's and alike.
Mark Cameron? Ed Cowan?
Looks like another 10 years of has been first class cricketers
 
On current form, you really can't tip Australia to regain the Ashes. We might get away with a drawn series, but you just can't see us winning it at the moment. You'd figure that in 5 test matchs, we are going to have a shocker some wear along the line and that will cost us a match, meaing we have to win two test matchs to regain the Ashes. On current form, and with dodgy weather predicted, I can't see us winning more than 2 matchs, and that is being generous.

I reckon our best bet is to have a rain shortened Gabba test match, ensuring a draw, but getting some more game time into our test players, and then hoping they can find form.

If Mitchell Johnson fires, then we will fin. I have no doubt about that, because when he fires, he is unstoppable with both bat and ball, often simultaneously.

Ricky Ponting is also, obviously, crucial.

If Ponting leads us to victory in this Ashes series, it would have to rank as one of his finest achievements considering our build up.

I'd be tempted to play Smith as the specialist spinner, because I really can't see Hauritz or Doherty doing anything more than what Marcus North can provide with the ball. Playing Smith will lengthen the batting and he has an X-factor. Watson is more than capable of providing a 4th seam option.

I reckon the selectors might go that way, there has to be serious doubts about our batting.
 
Come on Clocker, mate.

Don't get caught up in the hyperbole.

The series is still 0-0 and a ball is yet to be bowled. Hell, we saw before the 2009 Ashes when the Poms were rolled for 51, and lost a captain and a coach, yet they still won the Ashes. So, all is not lost for us.

People are kidding themselves if they honestly thought Australia were going to name a 12 man squad, ten days out from the first test. For one, I can't see a man of the statue of Greg Chappell making a fool of himself by naming a small squad and risking a prospective player having an absolute blinder in the last round of shield games only to not be included in the first test squad.

Additionally, why give England a head-start in their planning for the test by showing our hand so far out from the first test. At least, with an extended squad England really can't get a fix on our likely tactics before the first test, not to mention the fact that pitch conditions may influence the makeup of the team and these can only be detailed a few days out for the start of the match.

I'm not going to sit here and say that Australia is flying at the moment - because we are not. But, we are not as bad as the media and some other public figures are saying. At the moment, England probably deserve to be favourites because they have had a relatively settled preparation and buildup. However, once that first ball is bowled that really means very little. England showed that last year in the 2009 Ashes.

Don't throw the towel in yet mate.
 
Oh I Swing that way said:
I'm so sick of these selectors. I have no freaking clue how the hell a 20 year old Philip Hughes makes all the runs in South Africa, then gets dropped after 2 ordinary tests, and they retain has been out of form fringe first class cricketers in North and Hauritz in the side. When the ashes is done, you are going to have a dilemma. Ponting, Katich, Hussey and even Haddin will all be on the verge on retiring, and you are going to be thrusting in young kids who either have no experience in test cricket or have had their confidence crushed from poor selections, such as Phillip Hughes.

Look at what Indian cricket has done, there verterans have all retired, however, they have blooded in youngsters for 2 or 3 tests such as Pujara and Vijay, and when the Tendulkars and Dravids retire, they will have the batsmen waiting in the wings to take over the mantle.

Its about time we started bringing in the Smith's, Khawaja's and alike.
Mark Cameron? Ed Cowan?
Looks like another 10 years of has been first class cricketers
Click to expand...

At the end of the day, i think Katich and Hussey are fairly easily replaced - Im not being disrespectful to their ability, because they are both fine players. However, middle order batsmen are fairly easily replaced. I see Kwajawa as almost a ready made batsmen ready to make the step-up to test cricket.

Ponting will be a massive loss when he eventually retires. I still think people don't really realise how great he is as a batsmen. Number 3 batsmen of his ilk are almost one in a generation type players. Still, there is no doubt he is on the decline, that is understandable at his age, and it is concerning that our fortunes at present are largely dictated by his batting. That obviously doesn't bode well for the future.

We are still in for a few more years of pain yet I'm afraid.

We should be targeting the 2013 Ashes in England as a realtisic timeframe for being the number 1 or 2 side in the world at test cricket.

I'd like to see this side for the 2013 Ashes series.

1)Hughes
2)Insert Opener
3)Watson
4)Clarke (c)
5)Kwajawa
6)Smith
7)Wade
8)Butterworth
9)Johnson
10)Bollinger
11)Hilfenhaus
 
My source is telling me that Doherty is going to get the nod over Hauritz - the idea of having two spinners (Doherty and North) that turn the ball in opposite directions gives more variety to the attack.

The 12 man squad will be this:

1) Ponting (c)
2) Michael Clarke (vc)
3) Shane Watson
4) Simon Katich
5) Michael Hussey
6) Marcus North
7) Brad Haddin
8) Mitchell Johnson
9) Xavier Doherty
10) Peter Siddle
11) Doug Bollinger
12) Ryan Harris

There you go, you heard it here first.
 
Yep, my bad thanks edward.

The word is that Siddle will get the nod over Bollinger as well, not sure if I agree with that, but that is the way the selectors are leaning.
 
I wouldnt be suprised at all, they made Siddle take the week off and Bollinger was ineffective for NSW in the 2nd innings today in the end gifting Tassie the win with 15 runs off 5 balls when all NSW needed was 1 wicket

With back to back tests they may be best off taking the safe option and picking the 3 fit quicks
 
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