Australian test selection 2018/19

[Prince EWS]

The one player who might be reasonably close to the team at the moment at the expense of Handscomb is Alex Carey. I know Paine wouldnt like it, but he has a nice technique and shown some fight and skill in his ODI performances. Fresh off a ton in the Shield too. Can he field ok in the slips?

Dead god that would be an absolutely despicable selection. I wouldn't even be thrilled with him batting seven as the keeper in a Test team, let alone playing as a bat.

 

[aussie tragic]

Lol at Carey being picked as a batsman. At least Wade is leading run scorer in the shield so at least pick him as a WK playing as a batsman

 

[Dan]

Dead god that would be an absolutely despicable selection. I wouldn't even be thrilled with him batting seven as the keeper in a Test team, let alone playing as a bat.

Fine.

6. Paine
7. Carey +

 

[Prince EWS]

Fine.

6. Paine
7. Carey +

If you're playing two keepers* they're both being selected as batsmen IMO. If one of them isn't good enough to be picked as a batsman he should be dropped for one, whether he's actually keeping or not.

*assuming both keepers are of similar keeping quality and you don't have a Sangakkara situation where one of them is one of the best batsmen in the world and batting in the top four

 

[Dan]

If you're playing two keepers* they're both being selected as batsmen IMO. If one of them isn't good enough to be picked as a batsman he should be dropped for one, whether he's actually keeping or not.

*assuming both keepers are of similar keeping quality and you don't have a Sangakkara situation where one of them is one of the best batsmen in the world and batting in the top four

...why did you bite?

 

[Prince EWS]

...why did you bite?

Couldn't help it.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Wade is ahead of Carey, and I wouldn't select Wade as a specialist batsman.

 

[NUFAN]

Haha. I was just meaning the selectors are probably considering it. I wouldnt do it.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Wade is ahead of Carey, and I wouldn't select Wade as a specialist batsman.

Wade would probably be better (or at least as good) as Marsh or Handscomb or even Head (as impressive as he's been). Probably Finch too.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

I remain unconvinced, don't see him doing a great deal more than he did in his last stint in the team, even factoring in having the pressure of wicketkeeping taken off him

 

[Prince EWS]

His wicket keeping was mostly fine in his last stint in the team and that he actually got dropped for batting like a muppet. I'm not sure selecting (as a specialist batsman) the bloke you dropped from the keeper role for not batting well enough can ever be a particularly enticing idea, but I suppose these are desperate times.

 

[stephen]

Wade has made a heap of runs for Tasmania this season, a lot of them being important, game defining runs. We could certainly do worse than picking him as a batsman.

 

[stephen]

In fact the irony meter would be off the scale if Wade got picked as a specialist bat given Paine got picked ahead of him as Australian keeper when Wade was keeping for Tasmania and Paine was playing as a specialist bat.

 

[Burgey]

They should do it just because of this tbh^

 

[Eloquentia]

Dead god that would be an absolutely despicable selection. I wouldn't even be thrilled with him batting seven as the keeper in a Test team, let alone playing as a bat.

I couldn't help but laugh listening to Ed Cowan speaking (after quite a few red wines) at a dinner suggest that his test XI for this series would have been the same as what we got but with Carey in for Paine and Cummins captaining.

Carey's nowhere near ready.

 

[Burgey]

Still think it should be Maxwell if it’s a direct swap for Handscomb, but they could bring Renshaw or Burns in up front and move Finch to five or six where I think he could do some proper damage away from the new rock.

If they’re going to bring in an opener then it should probably be Burns, much as I love Renshaw. Another right hander appeals to me, especially if Ashwin plays. Might also nullify Sharma and Bumrah who seem to be bowling really well to the lefties from around the wicket.

 

[stephen]

Burns is in much better form at the moment as well. I think we're all agreed that Handscomb really can't be persisted with any longer. He's a liability and needs to fix his technique before he gets another look in.

 

[GotSpin]

Why on earth has no coach sat him down and told him that his technique is ****ing stupid

 

[stephen]

Why on earth has no coach sat him down and told him that his technique is ****ing stupid

It's perplexing isn't it.

 

[Burgey]

He keeps making runs at Shield level so I suppose there's no need for the Victorian coach to do it. Then again, they like to think of themselves as a bit edgy and quirky down in Victoria, because they have 19th century style trams and have put some cafes in a few lane ways, along with some graffiti. So hep.

I mean, even if he wanted to use the same technique, he would perform a lot better if he batted with his back foot on the popping crease to negate the movement. The fact he doesn't probably means he's actually scared/ can't play the short ball/ a ****.