Test XI Selection Thread

[lethalhughes]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

''A lot of the time it's the inconsistency and unpredictability that got him the wickets.''
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Yes you got a point but if Johnson's going for 4 runs and over in a spell and his bowling with Hilfy at the other end.And Hilfy is in the middle of an exellent spell the batsman can simply just play Hilfy out.Its amazing how many times you see two bowlers both keeping pressure together that a wicket falls.Johnson can't afford to be bowling thrash like what he has displayed in recent times, it would be ok if there was a McGrath and Warne in the team but guys like Hilfy and Bollinger heads will go down when they're seeing Johnson continously bowling those wayward deliveries.Its not like Johnson's taking wickets at 22 or 23, so he's definitely droppable if you ask me.As i said i think when on song Johnson is Match winner but he was the chief reason why we lost quite a few games.We have young bowlers coming through if Johnson doesn't step up one of those guys or Harris deserves a go ,imo.He owes the team a good performance in the ashes for what we saw on display in the last ashes( worst bowling i've ever seen , that lords test).If he can't perform simple another guy deserves ago.Dropping him might be a good thing , its not always bad to drop a player.He can still come back and be a more accurate consistent wicket taking bowler.

 

[Boris]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Very good points there, especially the last one about it's not always bad to drop a player.

I think if he as even just an average Indian tour then he's in for the Ashes. India is a very hard place to bowl, very few have conquered it, so even if you are looking at an average of 45, I'm willing to see him through the Australian summer, especially since he is really only good in Australian conditions.

 

[lethalhughes]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Very good points there, especially the last one about it's not always bad to drop a player.

I think if he as even just an average Indian tour then he's in for the Ashes. India is a very hard place to bowl, very few have conquered it, so even if you are looking at an average of 45, I'm willing to see him through the Australian summer, especially since he is really only good in Australian conditions.

Yes i would definitely not drop Johnson before the ashes.Unless he sprays the ball around all series against india and does the same in the domestic games he plays before the ashes.I know he doesnt quite like bowling in English conditions hence he was very out of sorts, but he's bowled wayward quite a few times in Oz.Fact of the matter is he wont be drop unless his form is really terrible before the ashes.I think his average in Oz is someting like 25 which is really good.The bowling attack wont be the problem if johnson can get some consistency going,Bollinger and Hilfy for me should be the first picks.The main problem in the team is the batsmen /batting order.We're not really playing our best batting team and Watto is batting out of position.Those things need to be sorted out and if not England might really give us a scare come this ashes.

 

[Boris]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke (vc), Doug Bollinger, Peter George, Nathan Hauritz, Josh Hazlewood, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Marcus North, Tim Paine, Steven Smith and Shane Watson.

There's the squad for the tour of India.

 

[lethalhughes]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke (vc), Doug Bollinger, Peter George, Nathan Hauritz, Josh Hazlewood, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Marcus North, Tim Paine, Steven Smith and Shane Watson.

There's the squad for the tour of India.

Really good squad with the exeption of a North.Hazlewood is a surprising one though but it wont be long till he plays test cricket for australia.Plenty Youth in there:George,Paine,Smith, Hughes,Hazlewood, those guys are the future of aussie cricket so good to see them there.Why is Marcus ''I continue to fail''North still in the squad?Him being in the squad means he'll play th first test one imagines.My first test team:

Hughes,Katish, Ponting,Clarke,Watson,Hussey,Smith, Paine,Johnson,Hauritz,Bollinger.
3 seamers-watson,johnson and bollinger and two spinners smith and hauritz.

 

[courtjester]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Do you reckon we might go with 2 seamers, 2 spinners and Watson seeing as it's the subcontinent?

And who do you reckon would bowl better over there, Hilfy or Bollinger?

 

[lethalhughes]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Do you reckon we might go with 2 seamers, 2 spinners and Watson seeing as it's the subcontinent?

And who do you reckon would bowl better over there, Hilfy or Bollinger?

Yes its a tough choice whether you go with Smith or Hilfy/bollinger.I think Bollinger would do better in India than Hilfy.Hilfy tend to rely on swing more although i believe he would do a pretty good job if picked.Selectors will pick Marcus North though and use him as the second spinner.So i expect to see the 3 frontline quicks come the first test.Its quite strange actually cause i feel North is a good pick for Indian conditions but his constant failure means he didnt deserve to be given another lifeline.The bowling attack will look like this: Hilfy,Bollinger,Johnson,Hauritz, Watson,North, 6 pretty good options.Although as i said earlier North wouldn't be in my team Hughes would replace him.A problem with sticking with North is the message it sends to the other players, failure is tolerated.I think however this aussie team may surprise India.

 

[Beeswax]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Yes i would definitely not drop Johnson before the ashes.Unless he sprays the ball around all series against india and does the same in the domestic games he plays before the ashes.I know he doesnt quite like bowling in English conditions hence he was very out of sorts, but he's bowled wayward quite a few times in Oz.Fact of the matter is he wont be drop unless his form is really terrible before the ashes.I think his average in Oz is someting like 25 which is really good.The bowling attack wont be the problem if johnson can get some consistency going,Bollinger and Hilfy for me should be the first picks.The main problem in the team is the batsmen /batting order.We're not really playing our best batting team and Watto is batting out of position.Those things need to be sorted out and if not England might really give us a scare come this ashes.

He has bowled waywardly in Aus. But he can take wickets regardless of how well he bowls, oddity that he is.

Anyone remember the Perth test match against WI over summer? He bowled an absolute pile of poo in that match and yet took 8 wickets. I can't think of a single bowler other than him in world cricket who could achieve that.

 

[lethalhughes]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

He has bowled waywardly in Aus. But he can take wickets regardless of how well he bowls, oddity that he is.

Anyone remember the Perth test match against WI over summer? He bowled an absolute pile of poo in that match and yet took 8 wickets. I can't think of a single bowler other than him in world cricket who could achieve that.

Yes its amazing how much wickets he takes even when bowling poorly.I still believe in consistency no matter what.Him bowling poor regardless if he takes wickets do indeed affect the other bowlers.Can't argue though with his record.But i imagine those two series his neck is on the line, especially the ashes.His the most experience bowler now and really let the team down in the last ashes series , so this time all aussie expect nothing but consistenly good bowling.I would really like to see the current attack of Bollinger, Hilfy and Johnson( assuming he starts being more consistent) persisted with.All 3 bowlers offer something different and ofcourse i think hilfy will be the best of the 3.

 

[Beeswax]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Yes its amazing how much wickets he takes even when bowling poorly.I still believe in consistency no matter what.Him bowling poor regardless if he takes wickets do indeed affect the other bowlers.Can't argue though with his record.But i imagine those two series his neck is on the line, especially the ashes.His the most experience bowler now and really let the team down in the last ashes series , so this time all aussie expect nothing but consistenly good bowling.I would really like to see the current attack of Bollinger, Hilfy and Johnson( assuming he starts being more consistent) persisted with.All 3 bowlers offer something different and ofcourse i think hilfy will be the best of the 3.

We are never going to get consistently good bowling from him as I've come to realise. Boris has said previously how Johnson needs to be used and I agree. Expecting line and length from him is a dead-end. Other bowlers need to provide that.

The trouble is when he is genuinely bowling like an utter pill, which is probably about every third innings or so, we are stuck as the others can't generate enough pressure on their own and Punter is left scratching his head on where to put the field.

He'd be a nightmare to captain as he looks like a clubbie at times.

 

[lethalhughes]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

We are never going to get consistently good bowling from him as I've come to realise. Boris has said previously how Johnson needs to be used and I agree. Expecting line and length from him is a dead-end. Other bowlers need to provide that.

The trouble is when he is genuinely bowling like an utter pill, which is probably about every third innings or so, we are stuck as the others can't generate enough pressure on their own and Punter is left scratching his head on where to put the field.

He'd be a nightmare to captain as he looks like a clubbie at times.

Well if he cant improve on what we've seen in the last year or so i think he should be eventually dropped.I agree that he wont ever be able to consistently hold a line and length to the t but his line and length still got lots of room for improvement.I still believe accuracy is something he can really improve on.Great bowling is always about accuracy no matter how quick one is.The bottom line is fast bowling spots in Australia are becoming more competitive with Harris and Siddle on the sidelines therefore for him or any bowler to keep their spots each bowler needs to constantly keep up their performance.

 

[Beeswax]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

I'll tell you what Lethal, your namesake has been dire for Hampshire.

I've been listening to the commentary that BBC provides online and he has so far in about 8 innings not only not got a fifty but hasn't even got to 40 yet. And he has been getting out for 'champagne' shots from what I gather.

You expect more from a no 3 in a 4 day match. It sounds like he hasn't tempered his vaguely mindless aggression about his shot-making at all.

And if his form is poor, let's face it, his technique is never going to bail him out.

 

[LadyInRed]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

One thing I wonder with Mitch is why do we play him in so many ODI's rather than Test being the focal point. Sure like all bowlers you want to play all the time but its getting out of hand I think. We have enough ODI bowlers to cover that.

And its such rotten timing for Fergerson to get his injury when he did - Im conviced if that didnt happen he would be in the test team by now. Not sure if the Ashes is too early in the peice but the next test series after that I wouldnt be suprised if he was in squad.

 

[Ljp86]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

One thing I wonder with Mitch is why do we play him in so many ODI's rather than Test being the focal point. Sure like all bowlers you want to play all the time but its getting out of hand I think. We have enough ODI bowlers to cover that.

And its such rotten timing for Fergerson to get his injury when he did - Im conviced if that didnt happen he would be in the test team by now. Not sure if the Ashes is too early in the peice but the next test series after that I wouldnt be suprised if he was in squad.

I think CA see Johnson as important to all three sides, he's also a pretty marketable player. He has had some time off ODI cricket in recent times, I remember him resting for quite a few games earlier in the year.

And agreed on Ferguson, could potentially be lining up in the Ashes this season if it weren't for his knee injury.

 

[Beeswax]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

I think CA see Johnson as important to all three sides, he's also a pretty marketable player. He has had some time off ODI cricket in recent times, I remember him resting for quite a few games earlier in the year.

And agreed on Ferguson, could potentially be lining up in the Ashes this season if it weren't for his knee injury.

It's been good watching him in the CL20. He's a very nice batsman to watch and looks like he has the sort of adaptability that makes Mike Hussey a real boon to the Aus team in the short formats.

That mix of great instincts and a fast-moving brain.

 

[lethalhughes]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

I'll tell you what Lethal, your namesake has been dire for Hampshire.

I've been listening to the commentary that BBC provides online and he has so far in about 8 innings not only not got a fifty but hasn't even got to 40 yet. And he has been getting out for 'champagne' shots from what I gather.

You expect more from a no 3 in a 4 day match. It sounds like he hasn't tempered his vaguely mindless aggression about his shot-making at all.

And if his form is poor, let's face it, his technique is never going to bail him out.

Hughes got dropped when he was at the heights of his game, true he had PROBLEMS with the short ball in his first 2 test but what he had going for him was confidence being dropped so quickly must have really affected him no doubt.He''ll be back and he doesn't need to change his game just needs to be more selective early on.Yes he does play mindlessly sometimes especially early on for an opening batsman.He'll learn and he can only get better, he needs to be in the aussie team though.

 

[Boris]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

I tell you one thing, although North has been in terrible form, at least he's a great guy off the field and really expresses a lot of common sense in the many interviews and press conferences he has been in.

Has anyone seen much of Khawaja? I haven't and would like to know his batting style. Is he more of an anchor who can stonewall/score at a SR of 45-55 or goes out there and scores a bit more like Watson/Hughes at nearer to 70%?

For me he is one of the choices for a replacement of Ponting/Hussey and, especially if replacing Hussey, he needs to be able to stay in for LONG periods of time. I think the team has become a bit flustered worrying about scoring rates at times, the batsmen seem to not get themselves set before expanding their shots and if they get bogged down they try to hit themselves out of it. It's a Test, and they need someone with a Gavaskar-like mind that can hold down one end for the entire innings.

 

[Ljp86]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

I tell you one thing, although North has been in terrible form, at least he's a great guy off the field and really expresses a lot of common sense in the many interviews and press conferences he has been in.

Has anyone seen much of Khawaja? I haven't and would like to know his batting style. Is he more of an anchor who can stonewall/score at a SR of 45-55 or goes out there and scores a bit more like Watson/Hughes at nearer to 70%?

For me he is one of the choices for a replacement of Ponting/Hussey and, especially if replacing Hussey, he needs to be able to stay in for LONG periods of time. I think the team has become a bit flustered worrying about scoring rates at times, the batsmen seem to not get themselves set before expanding their shots and if they get bogged down they try to hit themselves out of it. It's a Test, and they need someone with a Gavaskar-like mind that can hold down one end for the entire innings.

Khawaja is a stonewaller most definitely, career strike rate in first-class cricket is a touch under 51. He can be very difficult to get out though as shown by his recent Sheffield Shield season in which he was one of the best bats in the domestic competition. He will be a useful middle order addition once he comes into the side and will likely go up the order when the likes of Ponting and Clarke have reached retirement.

Nice to see you around by the way Boris.

 

[Beeswax]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

I tell you one thing, although North has been in terrible form, at least he's a great guy off the field and really expresses a lot of common sense in the many interviews and press conferences he has been in.

Has anyone seen much of Khawaja? I haven't and would like to know his batting style. Is he more of an anchor who can stonewall/score at a SR of 45-55 or goes out there and scores a bit more like Watson/Hughes at nearer to 70%?

For me he is one of the choices for a replacement of Ponting/Hussey and, especially if replacing Hussey, he needs to be able to stay in for LONG periods of time. I think the team has become a bit flustered worrying about scoring rates at times, the batsmen seem to not get themselves set before expanding their shots and if they get bogged down they try to hit themselves out of it. It's a Test, and they need someone with a Gavaskar-like mind that can hold down one end for the entire innings.

I don't care how nice or even what a good mind North has. What use is that if his batting isn't up to it?

I agree about the scoring rates. Sometimes the team appears to think that they need to wave the 4 runs an over flag to keep up some sort of tie with the past and the shot selection goes to hell.

Brad Haddin is the worst example of this. He plays like a complete airhead at times. He thinks he can belt his way out of any situation.

 

[Boris]

Re: Test XI Selection Thread

Khawaja is a stonewaller most definitely, career strike rate in first-class cricket is a touch under 51. He can be very difficult to get out though as shown by his recent Sheffield Shield season in which he was one of the best bats in the domestic competition. He will be a useful middle order addition once he comes into the side and will likely go up the order when the likes of Ponting and Clarke have reached retirement.

Nice to see you around by the way Boris.

I find it annoying that in Australia it is easier to watch English county cricket than it is to watch any Australia state cricket at all. The Sheffield Shield is barely ever shown and if it is, only on Australia's rip off pay TV that I got rid of last month for being completely useless. Plus the only other domestic cricket to watch now is the hit and giggle split innings one dayers and the even more hit and giggle Big Bash. This means that even if I want to see what a domestic player is like, the only way to do it is to travel around Australia and watch from the grounds. Anyway my rant over...

Khawaja sounds like a pretty good batsman to me, I think I'll be promoting him from here. Plus he's Pakistani so he's bound to have a very big dedication to the game, especially to move here for it.

And thanks Ljp, good to be back.

I don't care how nice or even what a good mind North has. What use is that if his batting isn't up to it?

I agree about the scoring rates. Sometimes the team appears to think that they need to wave the 4 runs an over flag to keep up some sort of tie with the past and the shot selection goes to hell.

Brad Haddin is the worst example of this. He plays like a complete airhead at times. He thinks he can belt his way out of any situation.

North seems to be one of the main press men of the team, does a lot of talking in interviews about the team and whatnot, so maybe one of the reasons they are keeping him around?

Watson's natural game is to score fast, Ponting seems to keep trying to, Hussey can't get himself set, North seems to go out there only for a stroll, Haddin has the brain fades you mention, Johnson tries to emulate his 123* in South Africa every innings with some slogging and nobody else lower can bat. Katich has been batting wonderfully and Clarke seems great one season, but doesn't spark the next. It doesn't really matter who is in the team, because every player seems to do it, I think it's time to go back to basics and remember there are five days to use up.