Test XI Selection Thread

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Jimmy Olson said:
You could be right Nairbe. I thought Haddin must have just been a great bloke because the commentators never criticise him but from what I have heard that is not true either, he is in it for Brad.
Ponting you can defend a bit (something of a leader just a poor tactician most of the time which he could get away with if great coach behind scenes) as he never captained all the way up the tree but Clarke was a national junior captain, why is he so short of the necessary ingredients? Is it just that he is a glowing example of Gen Y, look good, have fancy hair and a flash car but not prepared to dig in if it's hard? I still think he is a wonderful talent, just maybe not cut out for such a job.
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Always thought Punter was doing ok, he may not have been the cricket brain that Taylor was but he was no lesser captain than Waugh. In fact Punter increased the teams win loss ratio when he took over from Waugh. Over the past three seasons he seems to have lost focus, whether he thinks he is doing the right thing staying around or just can't let the money go i don't know, but in the end he seems tired now and just don't want such a great player to go out looking the fool.
Yes Clarke has all the pedigree, junior captain and all aside he did look good as a batsman for a few years but for the last two seasons he seems to lack discipline. For one that is ment to be our future leader his public carry on with Lara and now the night out in Melbourne just don't sit, they sound more like Symonds than a captain. To top it off every time more is asked of him he fails, failed to move up the batting order fails to show leadership, and fails to show team commitment preferring to head off after games rather than share with the team. We are at a cross roads in cricket again as we where in the eighties, we need strong players with hard wills to pull it through, oh and a new chairman of selectors.
 
come on every one such silence on this page while that cricket insult takes place. England and SriLanka are playing at the moment and by the quality of the game we are in big trouble. With South Africa prepared to take decisions and make changes what exactly is the problem with CA. They seem to be too scared to make important changes like coach, has someone got one of those big closet secrets on them???
 
nairbe said:
come on every one such silence on this page while that cricket insult takes place. England and SriLanka are playing at the moment and by the quality of the game we are in big trouble. With South Africa prepared to take decisions and make changes what exactly is the problem with CA. They seem to be too scared to make important changes like coach, has someone got one of those big closet secrets on them???
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Hilditch sticking around and getting to announce the new contracts is not believable in any other way than he knows where some bodies are buried.
 
Beeswax said:
Hilditch sticking around and getting to announce the new contracts is not believable in any other way than he knows where some bodies are buried.
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It truly is bazar the way CA seems to be blind to the problems that we have. Last time we were so low the answers were not in different players or some kind of golden child. The answer came with a tough captan and a work a thon coach. We have captan fabulous and the coach of all thing funny.
 
nairbe said:
It truly is bazar the way CA seems to be blind to the problems that we have. Last time we were so low the answers were not in different players or some kind of golden child. The answer came with a tough captan and a work a thon coach. We have captan fabulous and the coach of all thing funny.
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They are either blind or frightened. Probably a bit of both. Tackling the openers as a way forward seems truly bizarre considering that it's the middle order and no 3 that has been ropey for so long.
 
Shaun Marsh on Foxsports saying he'd love to get a baggy green batting anywhere including the vacant opening spot.
 
Kram81 said:
Shaun Marsh on Foxsports saying he'd love to get a baggy green batting anywhere including the vacant opening spot.
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I hope he's at least ahead of Ferguson but I'm not sure about that. Hughes will probably be first pick for the test 11. His record since South Africa not withstanding as I think they really want him to succeed.

Even though I'm not sure on Marsh's temperament, I'd like him to get a few test matches to find out. And he can play both spin (uses his feet nicely) and seam pretty much equally from what I have seen, he hasn't got the weaknesses that Smith and Khawaja have there. He should really be picked against India at least, as he knows their bowlers.
 
If they do go with Hughs i really hope he comes through, we need some spark and when he is on he certainly supplies that spark.
Where the team is going is hard to understand, clearly from Katich's out burst over being omitted from contract shows that there is a deep unease in the team. I still wonder wether Pup has the team united behind him but i said i would give him a fair go. I would be surprised if Ponting lasts the season and another injury will show Huss out the door. We had a chance to make some courages decisions and build but we went with unsure and poor commitment. Sound alot like England in the 90's
 
hi guys, newcomer here.
Personally, I really hope that Shuan Marsh gets the vacant openers spot. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and pretty solid technique. Hughes I reckon could score more runs further down the order than as an opener. I'd be looking to bring in him and Khawaja for when Ponting and Mike Hussey go (looking like it won't be too far away).
Can't work out what Smith has done right, I'd be bringing in David Hussey ASAP. Better with the bat and can't do less with the ball than Smith did.
 
Squad for tour of Sri Lanka.

Michael Clarke (capt)
Shane Watson (v. capt)
Michael Beer
Trent Copeland
Brad Haddin
Ryan Harris
Phillip Hughes
Michael Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Usman Khawaja
Nathan Lyon
Shaun Marsh
James Pattinson
Ricky Ponting
Peter Siddle

Good to see Shaun Marsh get an opportunity and the selectors actually dropping Smith. Lyon is an interesting selection but I think Hauritz is still injured, anyway anyone has to be better than the dud Jason Krezja.
 
Kram81 said:
Squad for tour of Sri Lanka.

Michael Clarke (capt)
Shane Watson (v. capt)
Michael Beer
Trent Copeland
Brad Haddin
Ryan Harris
Phillip Hughes
Michael Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Usman Khawaja
Nathan Lyon
Shaun Marsh
James Pattinson
Ricky Ponting
Peter Siddle

Good to see Shaun Marsh get an opportunity and the selectors actually dropping Smith. Lyon is an interesting selection but I think Hauritz is still injured, anyway anyone has to be better than the dud Jason Krezja.
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So where does Ponting bat in this line-up? Personally I'd have him at 4.

Watson
Hughes
Khawaja / Marsh
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
 
I'm very happy that Smith has been dropped from the test team. It was stupid keeping him there for no particular reason that anyone could fathom.

Punter will be at 3, unless Clarke has a change of heart. I'm hoping he does have one and puts himself down to 5 as well as Punter to 4. He'll do the whole team and himself a favour if he does that. Considering that it is in Sri Lanka, if Punter stays at 3 and Clare at 4, I would expect Marsh to come in at 5 or 6 as I imagine that he would shade Khawaja by some way against spin.

There was a sort of inevitability about Lyon and the test squad unfortunately. Still, he won't be any worse than Smith or Doherty and has the potential to be better than both of them by a fair bit at present. It's just a shame that he is up against very good players of spin. That, as we know, can seriously hamper a career early on. And he might be carrying the drinks anyway. I suspect Beer has a decent temperament, far more so than Krejza.
 
My 1-7 batsmen, not likely to happen though.​

Shane Watson
Shaun Marsh​
Ricky Ponting
Usman Khawaja
Michael Hussey
Michael Clarke
Brad Haddin

Shaun Marsh is basically a specialist opener so I'd be giving him the spot, leaving Phil Hughes out. Leave Ponting at 3 for now, but that is definately liable to change. Khawaja will need the top-ish order experience if he is going to be the eventual no. 3, so I put him at 4. If he doesn't preform well he can move down. Hussey and Clarke to follow, rounding out the batsmen.
 
I agree with those players as the top 7 batsmen but I'd prefer Marsh down the order tbh. I guess the problem then is that the the other options to open with Watson are very limited.
 
Interesting line-up. Glad Smith is dropped and that they are injecting some sort of youth into the squad. I'm glad Marsh is finally getting a chance although I'm still convinced it's a bit early. I just hope he doesn't turn out how Marcus North ended up.
 
Ljp86 said:
Interesting line-up. Glad Smith is dropped and that they are injecting some sort of youth into the squad. I'm glad Marsh is finally getting a chance although I'm still convinced it's a bit early. I just hope he doesn't turn out how Marcus North ended up.
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Mmmm. It's a bit of a worry with him. Still, you never know, he might have some real faith that he is meant to be there.
 
Beeswax said:
Mmmm. It's a bit of a worry with him. Still, you never know, he might have some real faith that he is meant to be there.
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He'll get some time to settle in but I hope he starts firing straight away otherwise he'll probably find himself on the outer pretty quickly.
 
CA issued some 25 contracts and yet they select two spinners who are not even on the list. Why? On what basis is Brett Lee still on contract? What has Hughes done to earn selection? These selectors continue with their mid boggling decisions.

CA contracts 2011-12

Article by AngryAngy

Doug Bollinger
Michael Clarke
Patrick Cummins
Xavier Doherty
Callum Ferguson
Brad Haddin
Ryan Harris
John Hastings
Nathan Hauritz
Ben Hilfenhaus
Phillip Hughes
David Hussey
Michael Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Usman Khawaja
Jason Krejza
Brett Lee
Shaun Marsh
Tim Paine
James Pattinson
Ricky Ponting
Peter Siddle
Steven Smith
Shane Watson
Cameron White

IN: Cummins, Doherty, Hastings, David Hussey, Khawaja, Krejza, Pattinson
OUT: Hopes, Katich, McDonald, McKay, North, Tait, Voges
 
I am glad to see Cummins, D. Hussey and Khawaja with contracts, but I'd be finding room for Copeland and Peter George. I'm impressed with both of them (from what little I've seen), and see them both as becoming our front-line quicks pretty soon.
 
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