Australian test selection thread 2015/16

[morgieb]

Why not Cosgrove? Is he too old or something?

Weight.

Also his form has been patchy lately IIRC.

EDIT: Apparently his form has been consistent, just not brilliant. And he's playing county cricket as a local player these days anyway.

 

[Furball]

Cosgrove's a fat ****.

 

[Riggins]

One of the funniest things I've seen happen on a cricket field was Cozy being sledged for being fat by a 5 foot 5, 95kg Papa New Guinean.

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Last match of the season Cosgrove was flogging the Bulls bowlers around a bit. Peter George and Hopesy in particular

 

[TheJediBrah]

I can't live with Shaun Marsh. He's just flat out not good enough.

I don't know what the answer is, but it's not Darsh. And despite a decent output with the willow over the past 18 months or so, I am far from sold on Mitch Marsh being up to test cricket as a bat who bowls a bit either. In fact I'm not sure any of the options they'll consider to use in that role over the next 2 years or so are good enough for test match cricket. Henriques has shown glimpses of potential but seems far from durable or consistent. Maxwell is Maxwell and I'm not sure he really helps the cause with Lyon entrenched in the team. Stoinis seems flavour of the month. Faulkner is definitely not good enough to bat in the top 6 in test cricket.

The 'must pick an all rounder' policy will ensure these guys keep playing almost no matter what.

Yet most of those 'all rounders' as as good or better batsmen than most other specialist batting options.

Even if Mitch Marsh couldn't bowl at all he's at least as good as Shaun as a batsman in recent times IMO

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Australia could really use a keeper bat who can bat top 6, would allow one of those mentioned to possibly fill in at 7

 

[morgieb]

Australia could really use a keeper bat who can bat top 6, would allow one of those mentioned to possibly fill in at 7

On recent Shield stats Nevill > most specialist batsmen, if he comes good I could see him batting 6.

Would also allow a way to pick Faulkner. On heart and determination he ought to be playing Tests, unfortunately for now he just seems a bit of a no-rounder at the level.

 

[Tangles]

I'd rather keep Darsh in just so if/when he's dropped, he's done. If he gets dropped now I can just see him getting one more chance. Plus it's not like he'd be replaced with anyone noteworthy. It'd probably be Voges and well....

I fully expect Darsh in a decade to be on the fags and the tinnies and yet still being called up and given chances because he is 'young' and has potential.

 

[andruid]

Y'all should have stuck with Luke Ronchi

 

[Julian87]

Australia could really use a keeper bat who can bat top 6, would allow one of those mentioned to possibly fill in at 7

Well AFAIC all of Nevill, Wade and Whiteman have more than enough potential to be suited to that than any keeper we've had for a long time.

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Yeah Neville had a great season with the bat, second to Voges in the averages. Wade too went well

 

[Howe_zat]

I'm surprised Watson is almost unanimously left out.

You'd think Smith, Warner and 4 noobs does not a top six make so at least one of Watson or S Marsh will be involved. I think Watson's typical batting output is more useful than Marsh's unreliability and he can bowl, so I'd be surprised if he didn't play Tests again.

Also cancer usually comes back

 

[Prince EWS]

I'm surprised Watson is almost unanimously left out.

You'd think Smith, Warner and 4 noobs does not a top six make so at least one of Watson or S Marsh will be involved. I think Watson's typical batting output is more useful than Marsh's unreliability and he can bowl, so I'd be surprised if he didn't play Tests again.

Also cancer usually comes back

The word though was that Clarke was told he wouldn't be picked after the Ashes. To me that only makes sense if the selectors actively wanted to rebuild by pursuing younger players. It doesn't make sense to axe Clarke in order to recall Watson, so I think he'll only be back if Mitch Marsh doesn't work out or they decide they want to give him another go at opening.

 

[Howe_zat]

The word though was that Clarke was told he wouldn't be picked after the Ashes. To me that only makes sense if the selectors actively wanted to rebuild by pursuing younger players. It doesn't make sense to axe Clarke in order to recall Watson, so I think he'll only be back if Mitch Marsh doesn't work out or they decide they want to give him another go at opening.

dire if true

 

[NUFAN]

I am now reasonably certain that the selectors want Voges to remain as the experienced bat. I don't really mind him at 5 if he is going to have the likes of Burns and MMarsh either side of him (plus Nevill).

1. Cameron Bancroft
2. David Warner
3. Steve Smith
4. Joe Burns
5. Adam Voges
6. MItch Marsh

I don't really know what to do with our 3 pace bowlers now though. The annoying part is that I'm happy with who I think our six best quicks are (Johnson, Starc, SIddle, Hazlewood, Cummins, Pattinson) but the one duo I don't really want is Mitch+Mitch and it is the most likely.

 

[howardj]

I seriously cannot believe last night when the so-called experts (Messrs Warne, Healy, Taylor, Slater) all to a man had Shaun Marsh in their team going forward

Test Average: 32
First Class Average: 38

He's a flop and but for the fact he is Swamp's Son, the selectors wouldn't give him the time of day in the longer form with stats like that

Even if he was as good as his old man, and sadly he's not even that good, he'd only be a hack anyway (Swamp also averaged in the 30s in Tests)

Jesus Christ if you're going to show nepotism to anyone, wait for Ponting, McGrath or Gilchrist's cricket loving Sons to be old enough

Not a hack like Swamp

 

[Spikey]

I was surprised none of them had him (or Burns for that matter) in the opening position.

 

[howardj]

From memory, Burns was only included by Healy

The rest of them somehow overlooked a young man who scored two 50s in his last Test

And doesn't have the history of failure that guys like SMarsh do

 

[NUFAN]

Yeah, the ShaunMarsh inclusion annoyed me too. Also how Khawaja who hasn't made a first class 50, that's right 50 in almost a year is getting ahead of Burns is beyond me.

I've been thinking about the bowling attack more lately and a part of me* thinks that it would be great for TPC (the perfect captain) to get his own side which means that Mitch Johnson would unfortunately be a casualty. I think we can build around:

young core group
Starc 25
Hazlewood 24
Pattinson 25
Cummins 22

a bit older:
Bird 28
Coulter-Nile 28

potential:
Behrendorff 25
Sandhu 22
Plus some random guy who starts the season well and I jump on his bandwagon


My new XI - a team for the present and future.

1 Bancroft 2 Warner 3 Smith 4 Burns 5 Voges 6 MMarsh 7 Nevill 8 Starc 9 Pattinson 10 Lyon 11 Hazlewood

*the other part thinks SIddle should stay in the team. Also, I'm not completely sold on Nev but can't see him not being picked for now.

 

[mr_mister]

no voges please he's old and untalented