*Official* Road to 2013 Ashes

[social]

Rogers with another 100 for Middlesex today

If he keeps it up, he has to be a shoe-in for the first test

[flibbertyjibber]

Rogers with another 100 for Middlesex today

If he keeps it up, he has to be a shoe-in for the first test

Possibly to replace Cowan, 3 50's in 11 innings is hardly setting the world on fire and against lesser attacks than he will face in the test series.

[Cabinet96]

There's room for them both IMO.

1. Warner
2. Cowan
3. Rogers
4. Hughes
5. Clarke
6. Watson
7. Haddin

Is the best top 7 from the squad IMO. I'm not at all convinced by Khawaja and while Wade as a batsman could work, I wouldn't be doing it first test of an ashes.

[grecian]

Hey Jim Allenby has scored a century too, he must be better than Hughes or Cowan.

[Burgey]

Warner looks terribly out of form atm. I think there's a real chance he might miss out unless he catches fire in the CT.

J Silk to be selected mid-series, and become the next Bradman.

[sphynx]

Ahmed gets ticket to England, next stop Ashes? | The Armidale Express

Ahmed gets ticket to England, next stop Ashes?

By Jesse Hogan and Chloe Saltau

June 6, 2013, 10:56 a.m.
The unofficial head-to-head duel for Australia's prime Ashes spinning slot will start in a week after Cricket Australia announced it would send leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed to England following a parliamentary breakthrough.
The morning after an amendment passed the House of Representatives to allow cricketers to have citizenship applications fast-tracked, which brings it into line with tennis and other Olympic sport, CA announced Pakistan-born Ahmed, 31, would fly to England over the weekend to join the Australia A squad.


Enter the Leggie. The oval test just got a hell of alot more interesting.

[social]

Ahmed gets ticket to England, next stop Ashes? | The Armidale Express

Ahmed gets ticket to England, next stop Ashes?

By Jesse Hogan and Chloe Saltau

June 6, 2013, 10:56 a.m.
The unofficial head-to-head duel for Australia's prime Ashes spinning slot will start in a week after Cricket Australia announced it would send leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed to England following a parliamentary breakthrough.
The morning after an amendment passed the House of Representatives to allow cricketers to have citizenship applications fast-tracked, which brings it into line with tennis and other Olympic sport, CA announced Pakistan-born Ahmed, 31, would fly to England over the weekend to join the Australia A squad.


Enter the Leggie. The oval test just got a hell of alot more interesting.

So some bloke with virtually no fc experience is supposed to be our saviour?

What a joke!

I will be disgusted if he gets picked for a test in the Ashes and would prefer that they play with 4 quicks in every game if they don't consider Lyon good enough (which he is)

[sphynx]

So some bloke with virtually no fc experience is supposed to be our saviour?

What a joke!

I will be disgusted if he gets picked for a test in the Ashes and would prefer that they play with 4 quicks in every game if they don't consider Lyon good enough (which he is)

Who's calling him a savior?

"Virtually no fc experience"

Nathan Lyon was picked for the test side with less than half a season of SS cricket, a bit hypocritical.

FWIW, more than one batsman, from more than one state has come out and called him the best spinner in the country. Do they have an agenda also? I've heard both Brad Haddin and Marcus North describe him as easily the best spinner in the shield during the Aus summer.

He's going on the A tour, he will pick himself if he is worthy. If anything else, it gives us a legitimate second option (with variety) for the Oval and Sydney.

This is no bloody All-Star lineup. Like Rogers, if you are taking wickets and knocking runs, every spot is up for grabs. The only locks in this side atm are Michael Clarke and James Pattinson.

[uvelocity]

same is true of the coaching staff imo, and with boof racking up titles left right and centre reckon he should be selected as coach for the ashes

[Backlash]

This whole Ahmed thing is basically rock bottom for Australian cricket.

How someone like Sutherland continues to keep his job saddens me deeply.

[fredfertang]

This whole Ahmed thing is basically rock bottom for Australian cricket.

How someone like Sutherland continues to keep his job saddens me deeply.

Were I to be Australian that would sum up my opinion perfectly

[vic_orthdox]

One season ago he hadn't played grade cricket in Australia. Last year he took 36 wickets at 16. Bryce had 54 @ 13.5 (in four more matches).

Seriously, though, when you get a guy come out of local cricket and do well, you see a lot of people trying to put him down, say he's fluking it, etc. Pretty much everyone has been impressed when they've been up against him and given him his due. We only played him in a T20 so bit hard to say much. As I've said before, just worry about how damaging his leg spinner is. Got all the tricks though.

[Adders]

I don't get what the excitement is about him......39 FC wickets at 32 a piece??

I don't give a crap where he comes from, if he qualifies and he's the best in the country then pick him. But why is he being talked up so much?? The batting in the Sheffield Shield is clearly dire and an ave of 32 whilst not poor by any means is not exactly tearing the competition up is it??

[ajdude]

I don't get what the excitement is about him......39 FC wickets at 32 a piece??

I don't give a crap where he comes from, if he qualifies and he's the best in the country then pick him. But why is he being talked up so much?? The batting in the Sheffield Shield is clearly dire and an ave of 32 whilst not poor by any means is not exactly tearing the competition up is it??

his fc stats also include 10 matches in pakistan spread over 5 years and two teams, think it was 16 wickets in 3 shield matches at 28, he has good control tbh

[flibbertyjibber]

I don't get what the excitement is about him......39 FC wickets at 32 a piece??

I don't give a crap where he comes from, if he qualifies and he's the best in the country then pick him. But why is he being talked up so much?? The batting in the Sheffield Shield is clearly dire and an ave of 32 whilst not poor by any means is not exactly tearing the competition up is it??

Desperation to find a spinner they can call a matchwinner in the Warne/MacGill mould, fact he is a leggie makes them excited as they think England will fall in a heap as soon as they see an Aussie leggie. Nice story and all that but poor lad is having immense pressure shoved on him, more than Tahir had for SA and that worked well didn't it.