• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

***Official*** 3rd Test at the WACA

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Mister Wright said:
For England if Vaughan is fit he should come in for Anderson which would give England batting down to Jones at 8 which would mean no reason to select Giles and Panesar can play as the spinner and have Pietersen and Vaughan as back up spinners.
Agreed, but i doubt Fletcher will want to play only 4 bowlers in this series due to fear over over-bowling Freddie & causing another injury.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
shortpitched713 said:
I might dismiss this with a simple charge of blasphemy, but it gets at a situation that has cropped up again and again. Why the higher standards for McGrath? Hes had all of two bad innings, and now you're calling for his head!?! :wacko:

It might have to do with the fact that you're an Englishman, but a few Australians have been quick to jump on him again. There's no reason that you'd drop McGrath at this point instead of Lee, except that Lee is younger. That's it. McGrath has performed better than Lee in the recent past, and has a much better Test record than him. The guy who's going to give Australia a better chance of winning the Ashes is McGrath.
McGrath hardly has a higher standard applied, rather the exact reverse. No other seamer in the Oz team would've had the final say in his own fitness; McGrath is afforded that luxary when he's palpably not fully fit.

A fit McGrath is another kettle of fish, a half-fit one is a luxary in a four-man attack.
 

adharcric

International Coach
aussie said:
If Watson is fit for this test & Martyn is the one to be dropped, who is going to bat @ 4?, i think Hussey should stay @ 5 since thats an important position by itself. Is Clarke or Watson good enough to bat @ 4 ATM. All that the selectors will have to look at when naming the side for the second test.
Why wouldn't Clarke be good enough to bat at 4? There isn't much of a difference between batting at 4 and 6.
 

Mister Wright

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
adharcric said:
Why wouldn't Clarke be good enough to bat at 4? There isn't much of a difference between batting at 4 and 6.
He was promoted to 4 when out of form last time, however this time it might be different. Can't see anything worng with Hussey going to 4 though.
 

adharcric

International Coach
Well they might want to give Clarke an opportunity at #4 and have Hussey as insurance if he doesn't do so well.
 

Laurrz

International Debutant
BoyBrumby said:
I'd say Martyn needs huge runs in the 2nd to save himself now, particularly if Clarke goes on tomorrow, but I wouldn't take Lee as inevitably the man to go for MacGill. He looked an awful lot more threatening than McGrath in our first innings & crucially is able to run in all day. It'd be a huge call to make, but surely no one player is bigger than the team? McGrath can't go on being picked for who he is rather than how he is performing.

Admittedly there's a week off for him now, but all accounts I've heard of the WACA suggest it's unlikely to be conducive to McGrath's style of bowling &, in any case, Oz now have the estimable Clark for such an eventuality.
u can't drop a bloke after one bad innings... when at the Gabba he took 6/50
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
I actually agree with aussie about having Hussey at 5. I'm pretty sure they'll stick him at 4, but I like him at 5 or 6 for a few reasons. It really adds a lot of stability to our middle order, and batting at 5 and 6 isn't any easier than batting at 3 or 4, it just tests different skills. Hussey's ability to bat with the lower order and the high price he puts on his wicket makes him perfect at 5 or 6, and I'd be quite happy seeing Clarke or Watson at 4. Clarke is obviously the more realistic option at this point. It's also worth remembering the way Clarke and Watson have pissed it away at times in the lower middle order, trying to increase the scoring rate when it wasn't really necessary and struggling to properly build an innings. That's not going to be a problem for Hussey, but I can see it being a real issue for Watson in particular. If he comes in at 4 down and a couple of quick wickets go down, suddenly he's batting with the tail, where I think he'll struggle.

People will talk about having your best batsmen up the order, like they have been with Pietersen, but Australia batted Border and Waugh at 5 and 6 through their entire careers with great success, when they were clearly among the top batsmen in the world. Ponting at 3 and Hussey a bit further down gives great balance.
 
Last edited:

Johnners

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
vic_orthdox said:
Concern with Clarke at 4 is about protecting him from the new ball if we do lose early wickets.
He played well against the 2nd new ball, but then i suppose you'd have to factor in bowler fatigue as well.
 

Blewy

Cricketer Of The Year
My Team for the WACA Test

Hayden
Langer
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Watson
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Clark
McGrath

12th Man: MacGill

Depending on the pitch they may play the 2nd spinner but im not sure they will..
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Martyn is like stockings on men - gone and never coming back.

Watson in for Martyn, MacGill into the squad, but I expect Lee to retain his place after today.
 

pasag

RTDAS
FaaipDeOiad said:
Martyn is like stockings on men - gone and never coming back.

Watson in for Martyn, MacGill into the squad, but I expect Lee to retain his place after today.
Sounds good, wouldn't mind seeing Jacques in personally, not to fussed either way, with Gilly and Clarke both finding their groove as well as Clark in serious form, Perth cannot come too soon.
 
Last edited:

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Just think Watson provides that needed 5th bowling option that was lacking in our first innings.
 

oz_fan

International Regular
I'd go with the team Blewy listed as well. Watson should definately come in for Martyn but I can't see MacGill making his way into the team.
 

pasag

RTDAS
I'd have Watson or Clarke at 4 just quietly.

Mahmood, Monty and Read all must be given a go at Perth. Lets be honest, things aren't working out now, so how much worse can it get. Keep Harmison though.
 

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Strauss
Cook
Bell
Collingwood
Pietersen
Flintoff
Read
Mahmood
Hoggard
Harmison
Panesar

Something needs to change and there's nothing to lose now really so bringing in those 3 has to be the right thing.
 

Matt79

Global Moderator
Aussie team for me for Perth -
Hayden
Langer
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Watson
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Clark
McGrath
12th: Johnson

McGrath's inclusion would be subject to him being fully fit and ready for five days of hard cricket. If there's any concerns, I think they should rest him and put in Johnson.

I think Martyn is gone after today's effort. If Australia hadn't got to bat again, or if Martyn hadn't been needed I would have said it was line-ball and thus favoured Martyn, but that attempted shot today showed some very poor judgment and given how steady Clarke was at the end, and how well he played in the first dig, I think he deserves a spot more than Martyn at the moment.

They'll definitely want Watson in as cover for either McGrath's fitness or Johnson's inexperience.

I think Hussey should be our No. 4 permanently from now on.
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Would swap Langer and Hayden, because I`m picky, and have it Clarke, Hussey, Watson.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah, Clarke at 4 for mine. Wouldn't mind Watson at 5 and Hussey at 6 actually, but I'm pretty sure that's out of the question. Hussey at least at 5.
 

Top