***Official*** Australia in Bangladesh 2017

[Black_Warrior]

Australia are still pretty well placed I would say given that their 4 best players of spin are still available. Can see Smith and Renshaw build a partnership tomorrow, not unlike the Tamim-Shakib one after 3 wickets, but the they are less likely to throw it away.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Nasir and Miraz are supposed to be allrounders. So it's really 2 quick bowlers, 1 full time spinner, Miraz+Shakib, and then Nasir who can bowl a bit.

Probably playing this many bowlers in order to reduce the workload on all of them without sacrificing a spot in the XI (in terms of playing a 4th pure bowler). I don't mind it. Seems to be working.

Yet Miraz + Shakib are both being preferred over the "1 full time spinner". Surely the side would be stronger if they punted the "1 full time spinner" who is realistically the 3rd spinner, and/or one of the fast bowlers, and picked 1 or 2 extra batsmen.

When you bowl 2 overs of a fast bowler with the new ball on day 1, and the other doesn't even get used, then you're not going to need 2 quicks. Stupid selection IMO.

 

[Black_Warrior]

Why are Bangladesh playing 6 bowlers? Same thing England did recently. Seems like a waste of a spot when you could just play an extra batsman.

I don't get why teams are doing this. It's not like this is a road.

It's not so much that they're playing six bowlers, but more that they are picking up to 8 guys who can bat and filling them up with guys who can bowl a bit too - Nasir. Bangladesh test selection has pretty much always been like this..it has it's roots in Bangladesh getting bowled out by 100 and they just starting packing the side with batsmen. The thinking still persists.

 

[morgieb]

Why are Bangladesh playing 6 bowlers? Same thing England did recently. Seems like a waste of a spot when you could just play an extra batsman.

I don't get why teams are doing this. It's not like this is a road.



WACA would swing plenty but they're not playing there are they? Hobart will probably have the best chance of swing depending on the weather, and there should be plenty of reverse in Sydney. Also Adelaide with the new ball if it's a day-nighter but I don't remember if it is or not.

Well Hobart swings/seams plenty but they aren't playing there this summer.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

When you bowl 2 overs of a fast bowler with the new ball on day 1, and the other doesn't even get used, then you're not going to need 2 quicks. Stupid selection IMO.

2 overs with the massively inferior one too which makes the decision even weirder.

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

Yet Miraz + Shakib are both being preferred over the "1 full time spinner". Surely the side would be stronger if they punted the "1 full time spinner" who is realistically the 3rd spinner, and/or one of the fast bowlers, and picked 1 or 2 extra batsmen.

When you bowl 2 overs of a fast bowler with the new ball on day 1, and the other doesn't even get used, then you're not going to need 2 quicks. Stupid selection IMO.

There is a case for Shafiul being dropped only for another batsman. Taijul is full time spinner and Miraz and Shakib worth place in the team purely as bowlers. Nasir is playing as the batting heavy AR who can bowl if required.

 

[TheJediBrah]

It's not so much that they're playing six bowlers, but more that they are picking up to 8 guys who can bat and filling them up with guys who can bowl a bit too - Nasir. Bangladesh test selection has pretty much always been like this..it has it's roots in Bangladesh getting bowled out by 100 and they just starting packing the side with batsmen. The thinking still persists.

Well obviously not because they're 1 or 2 batsmen short than what they could be. Picking a 3rd spinner who can't bat and a 2nd quick who also can't bat are both wasted positions.

Well Hobart swings/seams plenty but they aren't playing there this summer.

So they are playing at the Perth? For some reason I thought they'd lost the Test

There is a case for Shafiul being dropped only for another batsman. Taijul is full time spinner and Miraz and Shakib worth place in the team purely as bowlers. Nasir is playing as the batting heavy AR who can bowl if required.

Yes but why do BD need a 3rd full time spinner? They have Miraz and Shakib + Nasir as a 3rd option if required. It's almost as if they expect to have to bowl 200 overs.

 

[TheJediBrah]

2 overs with the massively inferior one too which makes the decision even weirder.

Was it windy? Maybe they were worried Mustafizur would blow away in the breeze

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Need to feed the Aussies some spicy Haaji biryani with green chilies... for them to wake up against spin in the subcontinent.

 

[Black_Warrior]

There is a case for Shafiul being dropped only for another batsman. Taijul is full time spinner and Miraz and Shakib worth place in the team purely as bowlers. Nasir is playing as the batting heavy AR who can bowl if required.

I think Shafiul was picked mainly because Bangladesh don't have a test quality third spinner after Mehedi and Taijul. The Sunny brothers are banned (I think) and Jubair is in wilderness and Sohag Gazi is forgotten

 

[cnerd123]

They don't want to overbowl Shakib (who they need to score runs) and Miraz (who is essentially still a kid).

So I get the third spinner idea.

The second seamer I'm not so sure of tbh. Have mentioned this before, they might be better served with a seam-bowling allrounder of sorts instead.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Miraz still a kid is a fair assessment.

Kagiso was knocking over quality batsmen's stump while 19 going 20.

 

[morgieb]

Well obviously not because they're 1 or 2 batsmen short than what they could be. Picking a 3rd spinner who can't bat and a 2nd quick who also can't bat are both wasted positions.



So they are playing at the Perth? For some reason I thought they'd lost the Test



Yes but why do BD need a 3rd full time spinner? They have Miraz and Shakib + Nasir as a 3rd option if required. It's almost as if they expect to have to bowl 200 overs.

I think what you're thinking of is the potential of the Perth being played at the new Perth Stadium but it not being ready on time. From memory it will be played at the WACA.

 

[stephen]

Two pieces of trivia. Jason Gillespie was the last Australian to score a century vs Bangladesh. Martin Love was the last Australian to score a century vs Bangladesh in Australia.

 

[quincywagstaff]

That first day had a bit of Sri Lanka 2016 about it for Australia: Usman/Warner making a very vulnerable top order, Hazlewood blunted, excessive reliance on the main strike pace bowler, Lyon taking a long time (too long) to get multiple breakthroughs etc...

This may be different as Australia seem to have a better batting lineup (or at least middle order) for spin conditions and Smith has seemingly matured from the captain he was in Sri Lanka, but a lot of hard work ahead.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Re: the Khawaja run-out, I noticed that he scampered through for a very quick run off the first ball he faced. It's almost as if he's become very self-conscious about the criticism he's gotten over not being good at picking up quick singles and over-compensated.

 

[Gob]

That first day had a bit of Sri Lanka 2016 about it for Australia: Usman/Warner making a very vulnerable top order, Hazlewood blunted, excessive reliance on the main strike pace bowler, Lyon taking a long time (too long) to get multiple breakthroughs etc...

This may be different as Australia seem to have a better batting lineup (or at least middle order) for spin conditions and Smith has seemingly matured from the captain he was in Sri Lanka, but a lot of hard work ahead.

This has been identical or a bit worse to the Galle test so far. Definitely fears the events of Galle day two unfolding.

 

[Energetic]

I really like the pitches Bangladesh have been giving out over the last year or so in tests. Australia should've just defended in the overs they had to bat otherwise they wouldn't have lost more than 1 wicket. Smith could be the difference between the sides tomorrow. His average is amazing. Bangladesh have the upper hand.

 

[MW1304]

That Cummins ball.

Also the Khawaja run out is made even more hilarious by the fact that he wasn't playing a shot.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

The Shakib celebration after getting the wicket of Lyon's

Shakib probably saying to himself: ain't no way in hell a Aussie nightwatchman scoring a double century against us again!!