Quote:
Originally Posted by Spikey
Feldman actually made his List A debut for Australia A. Whether that was a case of injury striking and him being the closest player, I don't know. but that was itstl when I saw it the other day. His current Mo def. gives him something the others don't have
well it's a different but compared to butterworth etc, but I don't think it's too out-of-line to place him in with the rest of the people in the group. I would have put Herrick in there too, ftr
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That Australia A game was weird; Brendan Drew also played. I don't even remember it clearly but the lineup contains some players I don't think would've been Shield regulars in 2010 so maybe the game coincided with a SS round or something and they were looking not to dilute the Shield too much. He'd definitely be a surprise pick anyway IMO, but I can see where you're coming from. I don't mind him for what he is.
I think I'd call Cutting a PONI, tbh. He nearly made his Test debut last summer and in the Shield at least he's continued to perform. When Hazelwood was selected there was a bit in the media about how it should have been Cutting so I think he's probably closer to the side than we think, but then again that Australia A game that I didn't think we should be taking too seriously (the one this summer, not the Feldman one) has been followed through on by the selectors. Quiney got selected based on hitting 80 odd in it despite not really being mentioned as an option before that, Bailey wasn't selected in it despite the fact that I thought he was the reserve batsman and he's been looked over for Quiney and Hughes since.. and Hastings opened the bowling in that game which we all thought was odd, but then he made his Test debut and opened the bowling in that too. Cutting didn't play that either. So it's hard to place him. Maybe I'm selectorially Gambhiring here because I don't rate Cutting at all but I think he's rated pretty highly by CA.
The more I think about it though, the more I think NCN is probably next in line. Mickey Arthur being coach really helps him for a few reasons I think - the first is obvious (NCN was basically a Mickey Arthur project player at WA) but even beyond that I think it helps him because of how Mickey would actually go about selecting a fast bowler. When Arthur was WA coach he famously ripped into the Sheffield Shield pitches and suggested they were making some bowlers look far better than they were. I can't find the original article but he touches on it
here as well. Many believe it's the reason Copeland was suddenly axed when Arthur took over as coach. On this front, NCN has two things really going for him:
1. He's a genuine 140 clicks bowler, meaning he won't be seen as another medium pacer filling his boots on green tops
2. He performs well in OD cricket and T20 cricket on the flatter pitches. Butterworth, Bird and Cutting let themselves down here, and I think that's why Hastings was preferred to them in Perth too.
Beyond the fact that I'm sure Arthur would be keen, he Can Bat, is a good field for a fast bowler and has been the mainstay of the bowling attack in all the Aus A games lately - including the one I didn't think meant anything but seems to have.