Test XI Selection Thread

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I'm not a particularly big fan of Henriques actually. I don't really see him in our best XI on a regular basis, at least not yet. But it's hard to take your comments about NSW players seriously when they're so riddled with errors.

You say Henriques should be in the ODI team because it 'suits his style', when in fact he is regarded as better suited to the longer format by most NSW watchers these days. You say he didn't earn his place in the squad. Most people could have told you that with Watson unable to bowl, McDonald injured, and Faulkner not good enough to bat in the middle order, Henriques and Maxwell were both going to be on the plane.

You've just characterised Smith as a spinner. He's not, in the longer format - he's in the squad as batting cover only. He rarely bowls in the Shield these days, and when he does it's a couple of overs here and there as a partnership breaker - i.e. no different to someone like Warner.

Both guys have very good form over the last couple of years in the Shield, play spin well, and have the numbers to prove it. It's just easy to write them off if you never watch them play, and judge them from their career statistics (which are heavily weighed down from their earlier years when they were fast tracked into the NSW team).
 
Well Moises made it look so easy last night whilst every one fell around him.Hopefully Lyon may stick around and let him get his century, he certainly deserves it. Wade needs to pull his finger out as he is quickly running out of credits with his batting. I still like the looks of Pattinson as a batsman and he could very well become another genuine all rounder. Hughes needs to be dropped and bring in Khawaja and Cowan could be struggling to hold his spot if there was anyone else. I see Bird has been sent home with a back injury. He should never have been on the tour. The Poms lost the first Test to the Indians and then came back and beat them. The Indians are a bunch of of front runners when consistently pressured will fold as they did against the Poms.
 
There will be casualties with this current touring team and there will be crosses put through some names; Never to be selected again.
Warner has been found out with his lack of technique and revealed some serious chinks in his armour. Australia cannot have the luxury of playing both Warner and Watson in this team. Cowan is currently batting for his career. George Bailey missed out on selection to Smith. I have seen Smith bat and imo he is not a Test batsmen on the sub continent. But Smith is there and he should be given an opportunity as a batsman. Hughes is a fraud and should be dropped without further delay. It would have to be an exceptional set of circumstances to recall him. Watson needs to shut up wanting to bowl and get out there and make a very big score. His reputation as a flat track bully is beginning to gain momentum. Michael Clarke threw away a hundred out of sheer exasperation at the carnage going on before his eyes. Wade’s innings was a waste, failing to go on and post a big hundred. Moises looked like someone had been in his ear about something, because he came out looking like he had made a pair in the previous Test. He was nervous and refused to come out of his crease on what was a decent pitch. I would rest Siddle for the next Test and give Starc another opportunity.

Next Test team in my opinion.

Cowan
Watson
Clarke: must bowl 30-50 overs in the Test.
Khawaja
Moises
Wade
Smith
Pattinson
Maxwell
Starc
Lyon
 
What, Clarke bowl 30-50 overs and **** his dodgy back up??

I can understand and agree with him not wanting to bat at 3 but he needs to make a compromise and at least move up to 4.

Watson is going home for family reasons and wont be available, Khawaja will be given a go I guess but he'll probably struggle being pretty suspect against spin.
 
His back is crook from carrying all of the team. Can only assume it is serious for Watson, to go home, but not a good look. Leaves Johnson, Smith, Starc, Khawaja, Lyon.
I can't see Johnson getting a game. Geez someone is going to pay after this series is over.Contract time is going to be interesting.
Back to the drawing board for the Ashes. If CA is serious they had better have a real careful look at the coaching structure in Australia along with all of these expensive academies. We have batsmen with serious technical flaws who don't seem to be able to make runs when it gets a little difficult.Bowlers who get injured picking up a daisy and spinners who are coached by a former keeper.

This is what Inverarity said of Smith:

"Steve Smith has matured a lot," Inverarity said. "A lot of his play this year he has played especially well, although he hasn't gone through to the big scores. His score [of 72] just recently in the Shield match was very good against Western Australia in Sydney. We see him as a young player of the future, enormous potential and one thing in particular in his favour is he uses his feet really well and plays spin bowling really well. He will be there as a backup batsman and certainly to gain experience. We're really hoping that he's one of the players who comes through in the next couple of years."

He has selected Smith as a specialist batsman even though he doesn't make big scores.Is that a lack of maturity or ability?

"Usman is very much to the fore of our thinking," Inverarity said. "I was in Canberra the other day when he got 69 [for the Prime Minister's XI] against the West Indies and played really well. I think Usman is a very good chance of being in the first Test team."

Based on 69 on a road in Canberra against an attack that compromised of pace?

Angels and ministers of grace defend us.
 
I'd probably go something like this for the 3rd Test at this stage if Watson is off home.

Cowan
Warner
Khawaja
Clarke
Smith
Wade
Henriques
Johnson
Pattinson
Doherty/Maxwell
Lyon
 
Kram81 said:
I'd probably go something like this for the 3rd Test at this stage if Watson is off home.

Cowan
Warner
Khawaja
Clarke
Smith
Wade
Henriques
Johnson
Pattinson
Doherty/Maxwell
Lyon
Click to expand...
They desperately need someone else to bulk up that the middle order -- listing Smith after Clarke just looks... wrong. Strike out Doherty's name from that list and play Maxwell at nine, and that's probably the best you could hope for.
 
Well there is really no one else if you drop Hughes.

In hindsight Adam Voges should been taken over in the squad. He's in top form and solid against spin, I'd be a lot more confident of him possibly making a few runs than some of those blokes.
 
After losing to India (who were emphatic in their first inning!) I agree with troll3y about needing to bulk up the middle order. The top guys in the team didnt seem to be firing on all cylinders either. I just read an article about Australias problems being from the selectors and it made for interesting reading, but is there any truth in this (Article) - Australias problems start at the top
 
Matthew Wade has sprained his right ankle. Brad Haddin will fly to Mohali as cover. No wonder Australia are in trouble. The selectors say they are "looking to the future". They have a wicket keeper who can bat and is full of potential in Tim Paine, yet they leave him out for a 36 year old Brad Haddin. Brad Haddin is not part of the Australia's future. The selectors shouldn't be brining in a player that goes against everything they have said. The selectors need to be replaced and Australia won't be a successful cricket team again until they are.
 
Well with the recent news of four players (Watson, Johnson, Khawaja & Pattinson) being dropped for the third test and one of those four (Watson) going home it's basically guess your own line-up for the third test in Mohali.

What a joke this series is becoming.
 
Zack said:
Matthew Wade has sprained his right ankle. Brad Haddin will fly to Mohali as cover. No wonder Australia are in trouble. The selectors say they are "looking to the future". They have a wicket keeper who can bat and is full of potential in Tim Paine, yet they leave him out for a 36 year old Brad Haddin. Brad Haddin is not part of the Australia's future. The selectors shouldn't be brining in a player that goes against everything they have said. The selectors need to be replaced and Australia won't be a successful cricket team again until they are.
Click to expand...

Found the omission of Paine a mystery all along. The Team is in deep trouble and to be quite frank needs a new Captain with a new vision that is cohesive not egocentric. They have a reasonable team there and now, a pity Bird came home but he is more needed for the home series with Cumins. So where to find a new captain? South Africa made a left field move with Smith many years ago and it has worked but i just don't see anyone in the ranks.
 
Ljp86 said:
Well with the recent news of four players (Watson, Johnson, Khawaja & Pattinson) being dropped for the third test and one of those four (Watson) going home it's basically guess your own line-up for the third test in Mohali.

What a joke this series is becoming.
Click to expand...

Time Clarke stepped up and took responsibility at 3 and stops playing games with the morale in this team.
 
In light of the I-forgot-to-submit-my-homework drama, the team will now have to look something like:

Cowan
Warner
Khawaja Hughes
Clarke
Smith
Wade Haddin
Henriques
Johnson Starc
Pattinson Siddle
Doherty/Maxwell
Lyon

They have no choice but to play Hughes now -- that lineup would look even flimsier without him. Plus, literally every available player in the squad is listed in the above list of twelve. If there is any sense among the Aussie selectors now, Xavier Doherty will be carrying the drinks.
 
I still believe we have the talent about to have a good team. It really is looking like a Kim Hughes disaster at the moment with Clarke failing to unify the team and under performing players like Watson forever forgiven. The Ashes will be long and painful but we need fresh and willing,

Cowan
Warner
Clarke - must be 3 or give it away
Watson - Last chance garage
Smith
Henriques
Wade
Stark
Pattenson
Cummins/Bird - depends on fitness
Ahmed - Get him qualified

Khawaja, Paine, Siddle, Lyon as tourists.
 
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