The Ashes

[Sandpit Fan]

have you seen the scores in Shield games lately?


And we're not talking young tear aways as the wicket takers. It's players like Pattinson (not considered good enough to make the England Ashes team); Hopes; Butterworth, Faulkner, Cassell, Swan; Dorey, Andrew MacDonald.

Either we just don't have the batting depth; or the talent's been bastarised by 20/20 or our pitches are up to scratch. Or we have the greatest Shield bowlers in history, but the selectors refuse to select them.

That shows you how closely I follow Shield games from this paart of the world!

Reckon the batting depth is the problem, maybe influenced as Cyclo speculates by the plague of ODI/T20 games these days. No easy fix in sight for us I fear.

 

[Ham]

I feel sick....

 

[RugbyReg]

I maintain Watson isn't an opener too. Better served at 5.

I'd open with Hussey. With whom though? I reckon we've seen the last of Kat. All should have, but due to lack of options, he may well be back.

Usman must be picked next. Through in callum Ferguson too.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The batting is the problem and it has been since last year. There appears to be too little application by our top six and in many cases by the guys who should be pushing for selection. I don't know if its the amount of T20 cricket, but I doubt its helping.

 

[cyclopath]

The batting is the problem and it has been since last year. There appears to be too little application by our top six and in many cases by the guys who should be pushing for selection. I don't know if its the amount of T20 cricket, but I doubt its helping.

The batting is the bigger problem. The bowling is not that great. One good Test in Perth, and the deficiencies are somewhat glossed over. Any decent seam bowler could have got wickets there - when the track is a bit flatter, they need to work better together. More consistent line and length, tie them down. Too many loose deliveries on a regular basis, and the pressure is never really on. With good on-side players like Cook, why bowl around the wicket and angle in to them? Slightly off line and it goes, slightly short and it goes, LBW largely out of the equation, lose the classic ball of the right-armer to the left-hander that goes away a bit to slips.
Let's face it, the whole lot is a problem.

 

[stoff]

Andrew MacDonald is back playing? Stick him in for Smith in Sydney.

Our problem is shit shots by shit batsmen. Terrible concentration by experienced campaigners who should know better.

I am pretty sure he was back, then tore his calf in his comeback match.

 

[slasher]

my 90 year ol grandma had better form with the bat on an absolute seamer after xmas lunch yesterday

 

[Epi]

I maintain Watson isn't an opener too. Better served at 5.

I'd open with Hussey. With whom though? I reckon we've seen the last of Kat. All should have, but due to lack of options, he may well be back.

Usman must be picked next. Through in callum Ferguson too.

Kat should be back and as skipper for mine. Should have been 2 years ago...

 

[mark_s]

Anderson bowled pretty well this morning, but we didn't make it hard for him (or his comrades). We're in all sorts of trouble and are going to need some big big batting to save the game from here. This is a pretty good pommie team, they have got better since 2009 where as we haven't.

 

[Sandpit Fan]

Kat should be back and as skipper for mine. Should have been 2 years ago...

Only be a stopgap for this series - he's 35, so I don't see the point. Agree that he should have had it earlier - Ponting for mine has never been a convincing skipper, and some of his decisions defy belief.

Haddin would be a reasonable short term option, although we would only get a couple of years out of him. The less said about any possibility of Clarke getting the gig the better.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The batting is the bigger problem. The bowling is not that great. One good Test in Perth, and the deficiencies are somewhat glossed over. Any decent seam bowler could have got wickets there - when the track is a bit flatter, they need to work better together. More consistent line and length, tie them down. Too many loose deliveries on a regular basis, and the pressure is never really on. With good on-side players like Cook, why bowl around the wicket and angle in to them? Slightly off line and it goes, slightly short and it goes, LBW largely out of the equation, lose the classic ball of the right-armer to the left-hander that goes away a bit to slips.
Let's face it, the whole lot is a problem.

No argument there about the bowling. We were too short and too straight today. England bowled a beautiful length I thought. All that was required then was just a little bit of lateral movement and players out of form will tickle those deliveries behind, which we duly did.

 

[RugbyReg]

Tim Neilson, Justin Langer and Whomever Cooley - gone, gone and gone.

 

[Ham]

Jacques, Marsh and Kwajha in for Hughes, Ponting and Clarke?

 

[Moses]

Jaques for Hughes, Khwaja for Clarke, MacDonald/Ferguson for Smith.

New captain too, Twatto is my pick...

 

[RugbyReg]

we talking Sydney? When was the last time Jacques got runs?

1 Mike Hussey [c]
2 Shaun Marsh
3 Shane Watson
4 Usman Khawaja
5 Callum Ferguson
6 Brad Haddin
7 Andrew MacDonald
8 Nathan Hauritz
9 Mitchell Johnson
10 Ryan Harris
11 Trent Copeland

 

[Moses]

Hauritz should definately get a nod for Sydney, he's in the form of his life, taking wickets, keeps it tight and scoring shitloads of runs

 

[barbarian]

I must thank the Aussies for freeing up the next two weeks of my beach holiday- for a while it looked like I would be glued to the TV during the last 2 tests. But now I am free to read, play golf, and basically enjoy the summer. So once again thanks boys.

As for Sydney, the one guy who I would be bringing in who I don't think anyone has mentioned is Cameron White. Proven international performer, scored a ton for Australia A, a very good head on his shoulders. A future captain perhaps. He comes in for Smith. Khawaja in for Clarke. Marsh in for Hughes. Katich is not the answer, he is 35 and he is a bit of an outcast apparently.

1. Hussey (c)
2. Marsh
3. Watson
4. Khawaja
5. White
6. Haddin
7. McDonald
8. Johnson
9. Hauritz
10. Harris
11. Bollinger (who should hopefully be fully fit)

Jeez thats a handy tail. I doubt that side would get skittled for under 100.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Given that the series is lost, well effectively anyway, I think we need to look to the future and select a couple of young blokes from Shield ranks. Khawaja should play, of that there is no doubt for me. Ferguson should also get a crack, though I would have liked him to have scored more runs this year. Perhaps even a young kid like Maddison should be brought into the system, though at 19 he should be handled with care. Chris Lynn up in QLD looks useful too.

As far as bowling goes, Copeland looks like he might have the goods, but what we really need are spinners and that cupboard is decidedly bare at present.

 

[mark_s]

A dark time for Aus cricket today, the last two days have been as bad as any I can remember - yesterday in terms of skill and application, today in terms of behaviour (and skill). I'm a big ponting fan but today he (and some of his players) went way past the line of acceptable or appropriate behaviour.

Not much is going right for the boys at the moment and this series is parelleling the 86/87 ashes. But good players make their own luck and we have'nt deserved anything better than what we have received. I'm still looking forward to the 5th test and will be there days 1 & 2 but its time to rebuild. Pick some 21-25 year olds who have performed at 19-21 age levels and given them ago.

 

[matty_k]

Does this mean we can burn a set of bails and announce the death of Australian cricket?