***Official*** Australia in South Africa

[duffer]

Originally Posted by TT Boy

Punter - "I don't reckon will pick two openers" (to tour along with Katich)

Smart move for mine, as long as it's McGain or Krejza they take and not Hauritz.

[iamdavid]

What are the odds of-

1.Jaques
2.Hughes
3.Katich
4.Ponting
5.Clarke
6.M Hussey
7.Haddin
bowlers

[Prince EWS]

Originally Posted by iamdavid

What are the odds of-

1.Jaques
2.Hughes
3.Katich
4.Ponting
5.Clarke
6.M Hussey
7.Haddin
bowlers

Zero.

[NUFAN]

Originally Posted by Matt79

Pretty certain Jaques was ahead of Katich til he got injured.

Yeah i thought so too.

[iamdavid]

Originally Posted by duffer

Smart move for mine, as long as it's McGain or Krejza they take and not Hauritz.

I'm resigned to the fact Hauritz will tour ......atleast it's consistent if nothing else, they pick him and he does what's expected of him really in the test matches then goes back to NSW and puts in a career best performance...would be wrong to dump him now even if he never should have been near selection in the first place.

[Prince EWS]

It was announced that Katich would play (or was "extremely likely" to play) ahead of Jaques before he was ruled out with injury. I remember the debate about it.

[Matt79]

^^ And on that basis, kinda hard to be too bent out of shape about it.

Maybe they should drop Hussey - he's gone anyway - play Haddin at six, Johnson at seven and include both McGain AND Hauritz!

[Matt79]

Originally Posted by Prince EWS

It was announced that Katich would play (or was "extremely likely" to play) ahead of Jaques before he was ruled out with injury. I remember the debate about it.

That's right - it was looming as a pretty contentious decision now you job my memory.

[vic_orthdox]

TBH, have no problem with them taking over two spinners, because its the spot about which there is the most conjecture. And lets be honest, they'll play a spinner in each match on the balance of probabilities.

[duffer]

Originally Posted by iamdavid

I'm resigned to the fact Hauritz will tour ......atleast it's consistent if nothing else, they pick him and he does what's expected of him really in the test matches then goes back to NSW and puts in a career best performance...would be wrong to dump him now even if he never should have been near selection in the first place.

I'd rather they got the team right for once than have loyalty to a player who shouldn't have been there in the first place but you're probably right.

[Matt79]

I do think both McGain and Hauritz should tour.

McGain looks the better bowler, but the reality is he's returning from injury, and more's the point, has never played a test. Hauritz at least has been steady. I'd rather they go over with a solid plan "B" rather than see Cameron White take another emergency trip to the airport to roll his arm over for Australia.

[kiwi_chick]

Maybe it's time to bring back Di Venuto to open for Australia.

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Originally Posted by kiwi_chick

Maybe it's time to bring back Di Venuto to open for Australia.

Yeah, because the country is so desperate for opening batsman that we need another one. Spastic.

[aussie]

Damn. I am not going to rest properly until this squad is picked. Extremely worries ATM.

[pup11]

Originally Posted by NUFAN

Are you sure of this? I thought in the lead up that their was talk that Katich would have to be patient and bide his time as backup batsman. This was until Jaques's injury. Can someone else confirm this?

Yeah i am postive about this, Katich even played ahead of Jaques in the practice match in India which shows Katich had already been confirmed to open ahead of Jaques in the test series.

If i am not wrong, Jaques really never had an injury after that eiher, it was just that his back was bothering him for sometime, and that restricted his strokeplay through the off-side, especially his drives through the cover, and he decided to have a surgery to fix his back once he realised he is out of reckoning.