Jackson Bird

[tranquility]

Is a fantastic bowler. He is tall, has a great action, good pace and late swing.

He needs to be in our line-up more often than not. Plays the same role as Hilfy, but due to his better action I would prefer him.

Starc / Johnson offer the wildcard option, which is great and alot of other teams don't have. However I dont think they work that well in the same lineup.

Siddle is the grunt and is the first bowler picked. Can bowl into the wind, great action (very little can go wrong), legend.

Pattinson is obviously a walk-up start when healthy, but due to his age will probably struggle with injuries for a few more years. If injured; I think our best attack consists of;

Bird
Siddle
Johnson
Lyon

Lets not even start talking about Cummins yet.

 

[Lindommer]

I'd prefer, if all fit:

Siddle
Starc
Pattinson
Lyon

Hilfenhaus, Johnson, Cummins, Bird, Hastings and any other fit young fella to vie for the reserve spot when a fast bowler falls over. This latest practice of one seamer going down injured each test really has to stop.

Kerry O'Keeffe has suggested the best left-arm pace bowler in Australia should always be in the frame for selection, he's got a good point. There are now more left-handed batsmen than there have ever been (viz a viz Australia's top order at the moment) but apart from that a left arm seamer adds some variety to a bowling attack. In addition to variety a left armer leaves follow through footmarks on the pitch which help the right arm finger spinner, something Lyon would've been very grateful for in Adelaide against the Saffers. Alas, Starc didn't feature in that match.

 

[Sully]

Didn't Johnson play in Adelade?

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[Lindommer]

Nah, he played in Perth, got 6/164. The pace attack in Adelaide was Hilfenhaus, Pattinson and Siddle, Pattinson's injury left us one down hence our inability to bowl them out on the last day.

 

[Penguin]

It's great to see all these guys coming into the side & not looking out of place, we're building great depth in bowling. Bird has taken his chance with aplomb.
Another name that shouldn't be forgotten & should be in the mix is the unlucky Ben Cutting. Still taking key wickets & scoring handy & fast runs for the Qld Bulls, was within a whisker of making his debut in the 1st test last summer, then sustained a serious injury is a shield game, he now seems to be the forgotten man in selectors eyes. Young Alistair McDermott is another name for the not too distant future.

 

[RugbyReg]

Agree Penguin. I also like the look of Kane Richardson from SA and the Tassie lads Butterworth and Faulkner. Whilst Luke Feldman consistently delivers for the Bulls and would be above McDermott in my eyes.

But Cutting should be next in line. Nice depth!

 

[No4918]

Bird does look very good and will probably pass Hilfy in the pecking order very soon.

My top 4 are

Siddle
Johnson - still plenty to offer and the best we have at intimidating batsmen, not as important with Pattinson fit but must be picked when he is out.
Pattinson
Bird

 

[Torn Hammy]

When he is fit Cummins will be the first bowler picked.

I would then choose Pattison, Johnson, Siddle. You need to fit Lyon in for most grounds.

 

[Penguin]

I've yet to see Cummins bowl a ball in anger, he comes highly recommended & is surrounded by the hype. But until he can string some games together & take those games by the balls I think it's a big call to say he'd be first picked. In time perhaps, but right now Siddle is 1st picked.
Johnson's comeback has been impressive, jeez he can bowl some vicious balls & can genuinely hurt the opposition batsmen,

 

[bryce]

Johnson's comeback has been impressive, jeez he can bowl some vicious balls & can genuinely hurt the opposition batsmen

I remember talking to a bloke who faced Johnson in state cricket. He said something along the lines of Johnson being the scariest guy to face because getting him by him hurt a hell of a lot more than by other bowlers - I think he said that he bowled a really 'heavy' ball.

I'm a fan of Johnson. Yeah, he can be terrible. But when he's good, he's pretty much unplayable. He's sort of like the Quade Cooper of cricket. Tats, freakish natural talent, although he's more extreme in his inconsistency. Either shit-hot or shithouse.

 

[Penguin]

^ I can get behind that analogy! The QC (Quade Cooper) of cricket...

He can bowl some devastating spells to be sure, but when he's crap, he's really crap. Lets hope his time away from the game has given him the chance to iron out those inconsistencies. Those two balls that had him on a hat trick in the 1st innings of the Boxing Day test & the one that has sadly put Sangakkara out for the summer had me up off my seat going "Holy Shit!" Cricket needs that kind of excitement.

 

[Torn Hammy]

I've yet to see Cummins bowl a ball in anger, he comes highly recommended & is surrounded by the hype. But until he can string some games together & take those games by the balls I think it's a big call to say he'd be first picked. In time perhaps, but right now Siddle is 1st picked.
Johnson's comeback has been impressive, jeez he can bowl some vicious balls & can genuinely hurt the opposition batsmen,

Cummins has played one Test against the S. Africans. He got 7 wickets including 6/79 destroying their 2nd innings. Not a bad debut against quality opposition. He bowls at 150kph but when he 'slows' down to 145kph he gets away swing to counteract his natural angle into the RHB. He worked over Kallis with two short brutes and then an outswinger that took the edge-out for 2 runs. Could have used him this series.

Sure he has some injuriy concerns, but he is only 19 years old.

 

[mark_s]

Lets see what Bird can do against a team with 11 players, and preferrably a team from the top 4 or 5 test nations. I'll go so far to say that even Scott Muller and McGain would have looked a world beaters against the Sri Lankans in Melbourne.

 

[Sully]

All I can say is bird didn't look out of place in test cricket.

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[No4918]

Cummins has played one Test against the S. Africans. He got 7 wickets including 6/79 destroying their 2nd innings. Not a bad debut against quality opposition. He bowls at 150kph but when he 'slows' down to 145kph he gets away swing to counteract his natural angle into the RHB. He worked over Kallis with two short brutes and then an outswinger that took the edge-out for 2 runs. Could have used him this series.

Sure he has some injuriy concerns, but he is only 19 years old.

Hughes also got 2 centuries in the test vs SA and has yet to reach those heights.

 

[RugbyReg]

Hasn't Cummins only played 4 first class games? I need more proof.

And remember how many wickets Jason Krezja got in his first test?

 

[Moses]

Bird is the word. I'm also impressed with the young leggie playing for the Sydney thunder in the big bash, good temperament and would be keen to see him in 4 day cricket

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[RugbyReg]

Zampa? Agreed. Has he played much first class at all?

 

[barbarian]

It's all about balance. I reckon the best Australian bowling attack has to have one each of the following three player 'types':

1. Attack leader- Siddle, Pattinson.
2. Mr Consistency- Hilfenhaus, Bird, Harris, Hastings, Siddle, Hazlewood
3. Wildcard- Johnson, Cummins, Starc, Pattinson

You need a bloke to spearhead the attack, bowl the brunt of the overs with a mix of consistency and brilliance. That for me is Siddle- he should be the first picked every time. Maybe Pattinson could do it, but I'm not sure yet.

Then you need someone who can bowl a tight line and length and tie the batsman down. This was an overlooked factor in our Ashes losses- while everyone focussed on Mitch's erratic efforts, barely a word was said about Hilfy, Harris and Bollinger's complete inability to build any pressure at all. Without consitency and pressure, the next guy is useless, and that guy is...

A wildcard, a wicket taker. Someone who may leak a few runs, but can produce unplayable deliveries on a semi-regular basis. They can bowl short, sharp spells and scare the shit out of batsmen.

BUT if Shane Watson is bowling it complicates things a little. You could arguably forgo a consistency man as this is something Watson can provide (if fit). So I have two hypothetical lineups:

If Watson is playing and bowling, I would pick Siddle, Pattinson and Johnson.

If Watson isn't bowling, I would go with Siddle, Bird and Pattinson.
.

 

[Lindommer]

.....remember how many wickets Jason Krejza got in his first test?

12/358, but looking at those runs it should be taken into account Jason's maiden test was in India. Then he was poorly bowled on a flat track in Perth leading to his services being dispensed with and a grand total of two tests. I don't think our spin bowling ranks have overflowed with so much talent post-Warne we can afford to flick potential match winners like Krejza, there must've been something else we don't know about.