Is there any better WK in Australia than Wade?

[Prince EWS]

Smith, Warner, Lyon are safe but that's it. The quicks will depend on who's fit.

I think Renshaw and Handscomb should be safe but you're probably right that a poor run of form between now and then could make the selectors panic.

 

[Gnske]

You lost it there mate when you described Johnson as a "hard man"..........the rest of the post was mostly bollocks, but that........that's just ridiculous.

Lay aside your national biases my good man. A man's strength is within his ability to come back from weakness and despair. Johnson did it time and time again. He survived the Barmy Army, his wife and mother engaging in open warfare over him, despair, abandonment and years of dead Australian pitches. He only eventually left because the WACA broke his heart and sent him into a deep depression.

He's of the Brian Close breed to me.

 

[Gob]

Lay aside your national biases my good man. A man's strength is within his ability to come back from weakness and despair. Johnson did it time and time again. He survived the Barmy Army, his wife and mother engaging in open warfare over him, despair, abandonment and years of dead Australian pitches. He only eventually left because the WACA broke his heart and sent him into a deep depression.

He's of the Brian Close breed to me.

Yeah Ross Taylor scoring runs was the final nail in the coffin for MJ.

 

[91Jmay]

Mitchell Johnson looks like a tattoo parlor mannequin and if not a professional cricketer would have been selling sunloungers on a beach and doing part time softcore 'modelling' for men's magazines.

 

[Gnske]

So?

Don Bradman looked like the kid bootblack you used to find on every street corner all through his career.

Nathan Lyon looks like he would belong in Mars Attacks on the side that says "Ack ack."

Never judge bluray by it's cover.

 

[Dan]

Has anyone in the Oz camp actually said (or implied) that Nevill was too nice / didn't sledge well enough? Or is it just something we've decided?

Seems clear to me that Wade was brought back because Nevill didn't score enough runs and they thought Wade would do better. With his two tons to Nev's high score of 66 that's not a huge stretch. It's not like they always intended him to score nowt this tour.

I mean, Nevill had been out-scoring Wade in the Shield for quite a while.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I think Renshaw and Handscomb should be safe but you're probably right that a poor run of form between now and then could make the selectors panic.

What happens if Handscomb/Renshaw make nothing in the pre-Ashes Shield rounds and Cartwright, Khawaja & some other dudes make tons of runs? I would not be surprised at all for those guys to be dropped. They haven't done anything at all over the winter to cement their spots.

 

[Riggins]

Yeah agree about Renshaw in particular. I think Handscomb is a lock.

 

[Starfighter]

The've barely done anything over winter full stop. That doesn't help.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah agree about Renshaw in particular. I think Handscomb is a lock.

I'd have thought it was the other way around tbh but I have always loved an opener with a great temperament.

 

[Gnske]

Nah leave Renshaw unless you either want to shove Usman in as opener or go crawling back to Ed "The aging wine" Cowan for mine. Even if you wanted to do that I'd still leave him.

The rest of the contenders for the spot right now aren't even really that good (at present).

 

[the big bambino]

If you're going to give guys a pass on the reason they've played a lot of sub con matches then Renshaw's got that ticket too. Their main competitors are way behind them. Of those out of the side atm, Usman is the one most likely to come back in and he can be picked without discarding either.

 

[Starfighter]

I'd have thought it was the other way around tbh but I have always loved an opener with a great temperament.

Same, and for the same reason. Who else have we got to open? I don't wanna go back to Burns.

Handscomb needs to learn to keep the ball down.

 

[Gnske]

Same, and for the same reason. Who else have we got to open? I don't wanna go back to Burns.

Handscomb needs to learn to keep the ball down.

Bancroft is probably closest among the rest of the schmucks excluding Cowan. But he's been pants ever since his call-up that never was. And his winters in England have not been servicing him all that well.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Nah leave Renshaw unless you either want to shove Usman in as opener or go crawling back to Ed "The aging wine" Cowan for mine. Even if you wanted to do that I'd still leave him.

The rest of the contenders for the spot right now aren't even really that good (at present).

If you're going to give guys a pass on the reason they've played a lot of sub con matches then Renshaw's got that ticket too. Their main competitors are way behind them. Of those out of the side atm, Usman is the one most likely to come back in and he can be picked without discarding either.

Same, and for the same reason. Who else have we got to open? I don't wanna go back to Burns.

Handscomb needs to learn to keep the ball down.

Yeah but that's the thing, there's 3 shield rounds and who knows who could be in insane form at the start of the season. Bancroft could make 3 tons, Kurtis Patterson might average 100. You just can't predict it now.

Stability in the team is great, but you could do a lot worse than picking a couple of bolters who are in the form of their life

 

[Gnske]

As long as it isn't Marcus Harris making those three tons

 

[the big bambino]

Yeah but that's the thing, there's 3 shield rounds and who knows who could be in insane form at the start of the season. Bancroft could make 3 tons, Kurtis Patterson might average 100. You just can't predict it now.

Stability in the team is great, but you could do a lot worse than picking a couple of bolters who are in the form of their life

Yeh but that was Renshaw and Handscomb after the SA debacle. Patterson and Bancroft could have barged into the side then. Its not just for stability. We are trying to achieve that. We are still rebuilding with these young batsmen and I think you'd harm that by junking either for a bloke who shows a shiny bit of form.

Of the two Renshaw is more solid imo but you can still pick both, Usman and a bolter (say K Pat) when you are back in Australia. We can generally get by with 3 fast and 1 spin bowler without a dinky all rounder at 6.

 

[Furball]

I probably did over assume, sorry Gnske. I probably had Matt Wade more in mind, who I detest everything about and who you defended

Clarke's not a hard man either. Bit of a wannabe really. Must be the inferiority complex because he couldn't match up to the manliness of the Pontings, Waughs, Borders before him.

Nah Clarke was a tough bastard. You don't score a ton with a barely functioning back in the immediate aftermath of burying your best mate if you're a soft ****.

 

[Red]

Yeh but that was Renshaw and Handscomb after the SA debacle. Patterson and Bancroft could have barged into the side then. Its not just for stability. We are trying to achieve that. We are still rebuilding with these young batsmen and I think you'd harm that by junking either for a bloke who shows a shiny bit of form.

Of the two Renshaw is more solid imo but you can still pick both, Usman and a bolter (say K Pat) when you are back in Australia. We can generally get by with 3 fast and 1 spin bowler without a dinky all rounder at 6.

Correct. If you pick a player like Renshaw you do it with the long term in mind, and not drop him at the first sign of something. Renshaw stays in the side.

Pleased to see Cartright in as well. Long term we should look at him pushing up the order by the end of the summer. By the end of the Australian summer we should have almost fully transitioned into Smith's Own Team imo

Warner
Renshaw
Cartright
Smith *
Handscomb
Patterson
Nevill (or another young keeper)
Starc
Cummins/Pattinson
Hazelwood
Lyon

 

[NUFAN]

Such a Red Hill post.

- makes a good point
- spells Cartwright's name wrong
- names a team
- the team has more than 11 options.