*Official* Fifth Test at the SCG

[Marcuss]

Yeah but you don't just drop everyone who happens to have had a bad test or two, especially when they're young. Otherwise you'll run out players to drop.

The team you've picked makes a lot of sense though.

No, picking a whole host of inexperience kids and throwing them in at the deep end won't work, but nor will allowing the incumbents to continue playing forever just because they have runs on the board.
There is a middle ground.

Hussey clearly has a few miles left in the tank and Clarke has a long future still ahead of him.
While Ponting may have the former, I really do doubt that his future is long enough for him to reach those extra miles.

So yeah, I'd suggest dropping/replacing Ponting, Smith and Hilfenhaus. Harris is an enforced change and the only other toss up is Katich/Hughes. I'd give the nod to the experienced head, again another person for Clarke to bounce ideas off and also can get through some overs of unappreciated spin, also the fact he's about twice the batsman of Hughes at this point in time too.
Hughes really could benefit with going back and plundering some Shield attacks until Katich calls it a day which won't be too far down the line anyway. Feel quite sorry for the guy about this series, everybody knew he was in pretty horrid form and it's shown.

[Spark]

Agreed completely. Far too many people have decided to throw caution (and logic) to the wind and dropped half the team, and almost everyone with 30+ tests, though.

If Katich makes a speedy return I'd like to see him take up the captaincy for a short while whilst Clarke gets his game sorted out. If it's clear that it's a short term plan whilst Clarke rediscovers his form, then it shouldn't pose too many issues - I hope. Maybe just for one series, even.

[Marcuss]

Aggers seems to think their could be some disciplinary action against an Aussie batsman or 2 for off-field events... will be interesting if anything (suspensions) come of this.

Hughes and Clarke possibly, watch this space I suppose.

[morgieb]

Think it's the Kolpak rules that have been tightened so that counties can't just fill their sides with random South Africans - if the rules were that tight then Mark Cosgrove, David Hussey and Chris Rodgers wouldn't be playing County Cricket year in year out.

Has been tightened a bit - think it's like they had to have played a international game over the past 5 years or whatever.

[social]

If the selectors stick with Beer, I will seriously give up as the "logic" would have to be along the lines of "he has no fc experience, no wickets, cant bat and virtually no chance of succeeding but he isnt Hauritz"

[pup11]

Actually, he was the only young batsman who looked a reasonably sure thing to be established in the test side when Ponting went, plus he had some captaincy experience at Under-19 level. I doubt his 'playing with no fear', ie playing some pretty shots but constantly falling to lame prods outside his off stump, had much to do with him being earmarked for the captaincy.

Maybe, but there is no denying that the brand of cricket he played back then had a lot to do with him rising as a contender.
People say Clarke's technique was the issue with him at the start of his test career, but truth be told his technique is still pretty much the same. All he has done is put away many of his aggressive shots and that has only effectively limited him as a player.
As a result today he is a sort of batsman who can neither attack the opposition nor guts it out in an adverse predicament. Its just a sad situation tbh because he in terms of ability he is a much better player than that.
Though when you start hearing names of people like Paine being talked as the next Australian test captain, then you can't help but think the criteria for becoming an Oz captain has changed dramatically over the years.

[Burgey]

Aggers seems to think their could be some disciplinary action against an Aussie batsman or 2 for off-field events... will be interesting if anything (suspensions) come of this.

Hughes and Clarke possibly, watch this space I suppose.

They've all lacked ****ing discipline except Hissey. Could be any or all of the rest.

[Burgey]

Maybe, but there is no denying that the brand of cricket he played back then had a lot to do with him rising as a contender.
People say Clarke's technique was the issue with him at the start of his test career, but truth be told his technique is still pretty much the same. All he has done is put away many of his aggressive shots and that has only effectively limited him as a player.
As a result today he is a sort of batsman who can neither attack the opposition nor guts it out in an adverse predicament. Its just a sad situation tbh because he in terms of ability he is a much better player than that.
Though when you start hearing names of people like Paine being talked as the next Australian test captain, then you can't help but think the criteria for becoming an Oz captain has changed dramatically over the years.

Disagree massively with that actually. Clarke's tightening his technique led to his scoring much more consistently at test level. He's out of form now, but up til India had been our best test player for two years.

Completely rat-****ed his LO ability, mind you. Still, I'd prefer him to be a better test player and crap LO one, than the other way around.

[pup11]

Disagree massively with that actually. Clarke's tightening his technique led to his scoring much more consistently at test level. He's out of form now, but up til India had been our best test player for two years.

Completely rat-****ed his LO ability, mind you. Still, I'd prefer him to be a better test player and crap LO one, than the other way around.

As I said you are just confusing him giving up his aggressive shots as tightening of his technique. His technique is pretty much the same, he still hangs his bat loosely outside off stump and plays around his front-pad.
His test woes really started when he started getting caught a lot inside the in-field, while trying to be aggressive, as a result he went back to the FC level and came back as a stone-waller. Now there is nothing wrong with that if you have a tight technique, which Clarke doesn't have.
Obviosuly one might argue that this stone-walling approach has made him a more consistent test batsman, but the fact is most of his runs have come when he has been positive during his stay at the crease.
Anyways, in other news read in an article that Ponting might skip the SCG test with his fractured pinkie being the excuse, so that he can sitdown and think about his future, personally would be pretty disappointed if he misses this test.

[Spikey]

Aggers seems to think their could be some disciplinary action against an Aussie batsman or 2 for off-field events... will be interesting if anything (suspensions) come of this.

Hughes and Clarke possibly, watch this space I suppose.

Hughes smashed his bat over Watson's head when Watson returned?

[Midwinter]

Why is everyone still in love with Bloody Mitchell Johnson ?
Combined wth the shocking performance of the middle order, we're playing with 10 men 98% of the time.

Is it a marketing ploy ?

Time for him to go.

[robelinda]

Why is everyone still in love with Bloody Mitchell Johnson ?
Combined wth the shocking performance of the middle order, we're playing with 10 men 98% of the time.

Is it a marketing ploy ?

Time to him to go.

I dont see him getting much better, we know what he does, and it must infuriate his captain when after his initial few overs you know if its a Perth 2010 or a Lords 2009 day.

[Spark]

Hughes and Clarke? Would make little sense as Hughes definitely seems to be one of Clarke's proteges (cbf finding the accents). Someone else and Clarke, maybe.

[Spark]

Maybe, but there is no denying that the brand of cricket he played back then had a lot to do with him rising as a contender.
People say Clarke's technique was the issue with him at the start of his test career, but truth be told his technique is still pretty much the same. All he has done is put away many of his aggressive shots and that has only effectively limited him as a player.
As a result today he is a sort of batsman who can neither attack the opposition nor guts it out in an adverse predicament. Its just a sad situation tbh because he in terms of ability he is a much better player than that.
Though when you start hearing names of people like Paine being talked as the next Australian test captain, then you can't help but think the criteria for becoming an Oz captain has changed dramatically over the years.

Makes little sense. Why was he averaging 60+ per year after shelving those shots and 30 before?

[four_or_six]

Aggers seems to think their could be some disciplinary action against an Aussie batsman or 2 for off-field events... will be interesting if anything (suspensions) come of this.

Hughes and Clarke possibly, watch this space I suppose.

Katich went to Melbourne especially to throttle Clarke?