Australian Discussion (Final Squad Announced Post #82)

[NZTailender]

Dussey to have monster tournament.

 

[howardj]

Would be extremely surprised if Mussey is fit; usually a three month injury tearing the string off the bone.

Agree, it's worse than a torn hamstring.

It's similar in nature to what Kerr and Riewoldt did last year.

 

[howardj]

The other thing I would say is that it's vital we finish as high up in our group as possible, and thus avoid a likely QF joust with India or South Africa who I dare say will finish in the top two spots in Group B. If we finish in the top two in our Group, then we are likely to play England, West Indies or Bangladesh in the QF. Tough games, but less so than the powerhouses of India and South Africa.

 

[Mike5181]

The other thing I would say is that it's vital we finish as high up in our group as possible, and thus avoid a likely QF joust with India or South Africa who I dare say will finish in the top two spots in Group B. If we finish in the top two in our Group, then we are likely to play England, West Indies or Bangladesh in the QF. Tough games, but less so than the powerhouses of India and South Africa.

Can't see you losing to anyone other than maybe Sri Lanka. New Zealand seems to lift their game against Australia but other than that should be fine.

 

[Top_Cat]

Stunned they picked Tait, tbh. Such a risky selection considering the workload of an already fitness-challenged player plus his injury history.

 

[Howe_zat]

Stunned they picked Tait, tbh. Such a risky selection considering the workload of an already fitness-challenged player plus his injury history.

Yeah, I seriously doubt they'll get away with both Lee and Tait in the XV and remain injury-free. Likely why Hastings has been called up to provide extra cover. It's cost them an extra batsman.

 

[Top_Cat]

That and he's bowling like ****.

 

[TumTum]

Stunned they picked Tait, tbh. Such a risky selection considering the workload of an already fitness-challenged player plus his injury history.

He's to cover Lee imo. If one gets injured, we'll still have an aggressive strike bowler available.

 

[social]

He's to cover Lee imo. If one gets injured, we'll still have an aggressive strike bowler available.

Tait has one of the best strike rates in odi history (2nd or 3rd IIRC) and has quite a while to get fit

Nothing like the biggest of our problems

 

[Top_Cat]

If you bring in someone for injury, the injured player can't play again in the tournament.

Where'd you get that?

 

[howardj]

It's definitely the case, I can confirm.

 

[Prince EWS]

Where'd you get that?

Previous tournaments, unless they've changed it. Of course it doesn't apply if you bring someone from the actual 15 in though, obviously.

 

[pup11]

Stunned they picked Tait, tbh. Such a risky selection considering the workload of an already fitness-challenged player plus his injury history.

Don't think we would have any chance of winning the worldcup by just sitting on the fence, picking both Lee and Tait is a risky move but still its a risk worth taking given the current circumstances the side is in.

 

[pup11]

I don't necessarily agree with it, but Marsh ahead of Ferguson isn't exactly "absurd" given recent LO form. Dave ahead of Ferguson is perhaps more of a sham. Dussey is far from a match-winner in ODI cricket, and until he shows otherwise nothing will change. Blokes done nothing of note in domestic LO matches since he was dropped in 2009 for being less than impressive, and he's somehow back in the mix. Plain dumb if you ask me

Ferguson is a superb LO batsman, he is always busy at the crease, hardly gets boged down and without taking any real risks he can maintain a pretty good strike-rate.
That's pretty much what Mussey does, and therefore Ferguson would have been a like for like replacment for him, and Ferguson unlike Marsh is a middle order batsmen.
Its true that Dussey hasn't been in the greatest of form this season, but along with Hodge he is arguably the best LO batsman in the country, so I'm pretty happy with this selection.
I mean in the end if you look at the squad, apart from Clarke, Paine and Johnson pretty much everyone is capable of winning games pretty much on their own which is possibly the biggest strength as well as the biggest weakness of this squad, because if this lot clicks as a unit then there would be just no stopping them, but if they don't gel together then this side could prove to be a huge disappointment.
Anyways... Mussey' situation kind of reminds me of a similar situation that we had with Symonds during the last worldcup he tore his bicep off the bone but recovered within a month of the surgery; but then he was a freak of nature in every regard, but still I hope we give Mussey all the time we can to recover even if that means sending him to the worldcup along with a shadow player like Ferguson or Finch, so in case he doesn't recover the shadow player can then replace him.

 

[social]

Looks as if we are the only major nation to pick 2 specialist keepers

I think it's fair to say that our selectors are {insert abuse here} for wasting a spot when the rules dictate that it's not required

 

[Howe_zat]

I cannot begin to fathom how Hilditch's mind works any more. The particularly bizarre thing is that there could be a very good argument for bringing Hauritz back.

Hilditch could cite that extra spin options are a good idea in India, that Hauritz has been a good to reasonable ODI performer for two years now, that he has a genuinely decent record in list A cricket, and that he offers more batting and fielding than Doherty or Beer.

Anything would have done.

But Hilditch took a wild stab in the dark and came out with an objectively wrong answer. He has literally no idea why anyone is being picked.

Hilarious.

 

[Burgey]

I cannot begin to fathom how Hilditch's mind works any more. The particularly bizarre thing is that there could be a very good argument for bringing Hauritz back.

Hilditch could cite that extra spin options are a good idea in India, that Hauritz has been a good to reasonable ODI performer for two years now, that he has a genuinely decent record in list A cricket, and that he offers more batting and fielding than Doherty or Beer.

Anything would have done.

But Hilditch took a wild stab in the dark and came out with an objectively wrong answer. He has literally no idea why anyone is being picked.

Hilarious.

I actually heard on the radio last evening that the statement attributed to Hilditch was actually a release from the marketing bloke at CA who put Hilditch's name at the bottom of it.

I don't know if that's the case, but if it is its not a ringing endorsement for how CA are doing things ATM.

 

[howardj]

Probably that muppet with the bow tie.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I quite liked the look of Hastings when I saw him, seriously huge guy who got some troubling climb off the pitch, but I'd have been more inclined to have a wicket-to-wicket sort of bowler like Hopes in the all-rounder's seat myself.

Don't have a problem with Hauritz's recall either but, as others have pointed out, the thought process behind it seems baffling to anyone even vaguely welded to logical reasoning. Presumably the issues which lead to all the "over my dead body" noises emanating from his captain's camp have now been resolved & the selectors have presumably latterly decided to take into account X-D'oh's test form, despite him being considered a live option for the first ODI versus us and him being one of the more economical performers on display.

 

[Top_Cat]

In my experience, Hilditch isn't an idiot, tbh. I just reckon he's not committed enough to the job, relies on his minions to give him good info. Someone's getting a paddling today.