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Australian test selection 2020/21

Spikey

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The fast bowling depth is really strong when you consider that Neser, Pattinson and Richardson aren't in the side, so I don't mind having higher standards for that and acknowledging that Starc's performances this summer haven't been good enough, particularly if you add in the absolute bilge he bowled for NSW and in the ODIs. I'm no Starc hater on the Warne/trundler/Flem level but the replacements aren't a big enough of a step down to really have to put up with that IMO.

Jhye probably isn't fit enough to bowl in a Test yet but Neser or Patto coming in for the first Test in South Africa would be fine by me. I'd still definitely have Starc in the squad.

Lyon was just as bad as Starc if not worse for most of the series, but I have much less faith in Swepson and Agar so dropping him would be a terrible decision.

Wade sucks and should be replaced. The batting depth is awful but even among discarded players, Head, Maxwell and Khawaja are better than Wade. I'd cop Henriques or McDermott ahead of him too even though they wouldn't be my picks.
This is mostly on board. I wouldn't cop Henriques or McDermott though. We're looking to fill one spot, there's no need to overthink it. Use Usman, or use Maxwell and move Green to 5
 

morgieb

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The fast bowling depth is really strong when you consider that Neser, Pattinson and Richardson aren't in the side, so I don't mind having higher standards for that and acknowledging that Starc's performances this summer haven't been good enough, particularly if you add in the absolute bilge he bowled for NSW and in the ODIs. I'm no Starc hater on the Warne/trundler/Flem level but the replacements aren't a big enough of a step down to really have to put up with that IMO.

Jhye probably isn't fit enough to bowl in a Test yet but Neser or Patto coming in for the first Test in South Africa would be fine by me. I'd still definitely have Starc in the squad.

Lyon was just as bad as Starc if not worse for most of the series, but I have much less faith in Swepson and Agar so dropping him would be a terrible decision.

Wade sucks and should be replaced. The batting depth is awful but even among discarded players, Head, Maxwell and Khawaja are better than Wade. I'd cop Henriques or McDermott ahead of him too even though they wouldn't be my picks.
Yeah I broadly agree with this. If Starc did what he did as a batsman I'd have zero qualms retaining him and even now I still think he's one of our best bowlers, but his performances haven't been good enough (especially in the last two Tests) and it's worth rotating him in order for him to get back to his best. But even as poorly as Lyon's bowled this series Swepson is still a fair downgrade.

There's really little difference between Paine, Carey and Inglis (or whatever other keeper you come up with) so I don't really give a **** who plays there. Ideally Paine gets moved on as captain but no-one in the side really stands out as a captaincy option.

The #5 spot as I said in the tour thread is embarrassingly weak. All the potential options (barring maybe Maxwell who I think has been pigeonholed as a one-day specialist) would struggle to average 35.
 

Gnske

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Cummins is a VC last I checked FYI.

Not that he deserves to be burdened with such a terrible undertaking.
 

Shady Slim

International Coach
This is mostly on board. I wouldn't cop Henriques or McDermott though. We're looking to fill one spot, there's no need to overthink it. Use Usman, or use Maxwell and move Green to 5
ffs henriques is the next test captain mate it's not overthinking
 

Shady Slim

International Coach
Cummins is a VC last I checked FYI.

Not that he deserves to be burdened with such a terrible undertaking.
don't think i've said this here - generally i'm not against bowler-captains like most are but i think cummins would be a bad captain

not because of any leadership or tactical failings, he is a great leader and a smart cricketer. just think that he would take the ball and bowl himself until he is quite literally medically deceased because his heart is that big, and he always wants to be the guy who puts in everything he's got for the win. moises on the other hand is a master technician and can bat five, and come in to the team as a batsman only.
 

GoodAreasShane

Cricketer Of The Year
I'm still a bit unsure on how well Neser would fare on some of the flatter decks around in Test cricket tbh, definitely prefer Patt0 if it isn't Starc

Jhye will come back into the picture after getting a couple of Shield games behind him methinks
 

Spikey

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Jhye was still getting someone else to throw the ball back in his last BBL game. He might go on the NZ tour I suppose...
 

Shady Slim

International Coach
mate, he's not even captain of NSW

get Nevill and Henriques in there. Solves the leadership problem straight away
but he is soon to be the captain of the back-to-back big bash champion sydney sixers, who at any point in time should comprise a majority of the test team anyway if the selectors knew what they were doing

think like a south africa style quota rule but for sixers players
 

Gnske

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
don't think i've said this here - generally i'm not against bowler-captains like most are but i think cummins would be a bad captain

not because of any leadership or tactical failings, he is a great leader and a smart cricketer. just think that he would take the ball and bowl himself until he is quite literally medically deceased because his heart is that big, and he always wants to be the guy who puts in everything he's got for the win. moises on the other hand is a master technician and can bat five, and come in to the team as a batsman only.
Oh trust me, I don't want him being bothered with the captaincy either given how his bowling is now, which is totally fine by me.
 

Flem274*

123/5
i object to being a starc hater on the warne/trundler level after officially declaring him a World Class Bowler last summer.

australia have a fantastic core and most of the right dudes.

warner
khawaja
labuschagne
smith
pucovski
green
paine
cummins
starc
lyon
hazlewood

head
henriques
pattinson
swepson

would be my squad. pucovski defends too wide to be a test opener imo, but looks a very promising player so id slide him to #5.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I'm still a bit unsure on how well Neser would fare on some of the flatter decks around in Test cricket tbh, definitely prefer Patt0 if it isn't Starc
Yeah same, but in saying that the two venues it seems the South Africa series has been narrowed to are Wanderers and Centurion, where Philander averages 16 and 18 respectively. Not a bad couple of venues to see what he's got if it happens IMO.
 

Red

The normal awards that everyone else has
FFS, this culture of always looking to try things for the sake of trying things, always looking to be bold for the sake of being bold, is without a shadow of a doubt the worst thing in Australian cricket. This loss may really hurt, and there are many valid questions to be asked in regards to coaching, leadership and general strategy more broadly. But the idea that the personnel are no good and that Australia should look at other options just to see what they have is just absolutely dreadful. It is just completely ignorant of both the step up in standard internationally and also the depth of cricketers that are available. A selectorial night of long knives is just an unequivocally terrible idea
Nah, we lost to India's third XI at home. Heads should roll

Warner
Pukovski
Labuschagne
Smith
Patterson
Green
Carey +
Pattinson
Cummins
OKeefe
Hazelwood

Waiting for Renshaw to dominate a season of SS so we can bring him in. Renshaw and Kurt Patterson becoming very good test cricketers is something I still believe in.
 

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