Australian Test Selection 2016/2017

[adub]

Smith not bowling Maxwell and bowling Head for 10, probably gives you some insight on what he would like for India...

It does open up the idea that Head could be the no.6 for India. Smitteh has been pretty consistent in bowling Head since the first NZ ODI and yesterday's effort isn't likely to change that. Could be auditioning him.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Still can't imagine them going for 2 offies as the spin options, unless they go Lyon & O'Keefe and Head or Maxwell as a 3rd spinner.

Or, hopefully, they just **** off Lyon all together and go SOK + Head/Maxwell

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Still can't imagine them going for 2 offies as the spin options, unless they go Lyon & O'Keefe and Head or Maxwell as a 3rd spinner.

Or, hopefully, they just **** off Lyon all together and go SOK + Head/Maxwell

That is the dream. O'Keefe showed how when you bowl tight overs and keep the runs down he can be a far more useful bowler for the attavks balance. Albeit he bowls his overs a bit quick

 

[micz]

Outside SOK, zampa and swepson, I would like to see Fawad Ahmed given a genuine chance to be a honest.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Outside SOK, zampa and swepson, I would like to see Fawad Ahmed given a genuine chance to be a honest.

He's such a hot and cold bowler. When he's at his best, like tonight, he looks the best in the world. But on a bad day he is truly terrible.

 

[micz]

Yea thats true but I reckon Fawad on spinny pitches in India will help him more than the usual flat pitches in Australia. Doubt he will go though but thats just my 2 cents.

 

[The Battlers Prince]

On Fawad, if he bowls India out in an innings that matters we'd already be ahead. He wouldn't be the only spinner in any XI picked anyway. But he's not going to be going.

 

[NUFAN]

With Fawad, the fact that it is a 16 man squad and no one is currently playing Red ball Cricket is a positive for him. It would be quite a brave decision but I feel like it would be a better utilisation of a squad position rather than say the squad Ponting just named where MMarsh, Agar, Head, Maxwell and perhaps even SMarsh are all playing for what looks like the same spot at 6.

 

[Prince EWS]

Or, hopefully, they just **** off Lyon all together and go SOK + Head/Maxwell

I'm a big fan of Lyon but I'm really starting to come around to this being the best option in India. It means the three best quicks still play, a proper batsman is still at six, there are still five bowling options and the two spinners still turn the ball in opposite directions. I'd still be against it if I thought Lyon was comfortably the best available spinner as I would have in the past, but I'm sceptical that it's still clearly the case in Indian conditions.

 

[adub]

Manly helpfully producing a dustbowl to give Australia's no.1 spinner a good work out.

MyCricket - Match Details

Sokky doing a Paddles by taking the catch that denied him the 10-fer

 

[adub]

India Squad

Smith
Warner
Agar
Bird
Handscomb
Hazlewood
Khawaja
Lyon
M Marsh
S Marsh
Maxwell
O'Keefe
Renshaw
Starc
Swepson
Wade

 

[adub]

MMarsh. FFS.

Other than that no real surprises. Cartwright dead unlucky.

 

[adub]

Looking at the squad and from Hohn's comments it looks like the same team as Sydney, but with Smarsh, Maxy, and Mmarsh fighting for Cartwright's spot with Agar the smokey for the First Test.

 

[stephen]

Wade

 

[adub]

Wade

true, but did we really expect anything else?

I'm just overjoyed they didn't get too funky and say drop SOK for Zampa.

The chance of three Victorians in the starting XI is a very real and present danger though.

 

[Prince EWS]

Manly helpfully producing a dustbowl to give Australia's no.1 spinner a good work out.

MyCricket - Match Details

Sokky doing a Paddles by taking the catch that denied him the 10-fer

Monty only bowling four overs in Manly's innings seems a bit odd if it really was a dustbowl.

 

[morgieb]

Picking Agar and Marsh seems a bit strange to me as long as we don't have a keeper who can bat Top 6.

 

[Prince EWS]

Picking Agar and Marsh seems a bit strange to me as long as we don't have a keeper who can bat Top 6.

Well to be fair, as much as I don't like Wade, they did pick the keeper who has the best chance of pulling that off. I'd feel better about it if he'd made more than one 50+ score in the last two years though. Wade in theory could bat six but in practice right now I think it'd be a really bad call.

 

[adub]

Monty only bowling four overs in Manly's innings seems a bit odd if it really was a dustbowl.

You'll allow me a little hyperbole every now and then won't you?

 

[Prince EWS]

You'll allow me a little hyperbole every now and then won't you?

If anything I thought you'd try and play down how much of a dustbowl it was to make O'Keefe's effort seem more impressive though.