Ponting says all batsman are safe

[eddiesmith]

Well thankyou Ricky, a good seamers wicket and you are happy to keep all 6 underperforming batsman in the side.

Once again on behalf of all English supporters and players, Thank You very much. Maybe once you have lost the Ashes you will realise what an idiot you are

It seems unless Clarke is unfit, the batting lineup will be the same, and Steve Waugh even reckons Dizzy may not be out yet, but I would highly doubt they would keep him

Told you all that in terms of the team, only a loss would have led to any changes

[Ricketts]

They are the right 6 batsmen for the job.

Can't just go throwing them all out after a couple of poor scores.

[larrikin]

Well thankyou Ricky, a good seamers wicket and you are happy to keep all 6 underperforming batsman in the side.

Once again on behalf of all English supporters and players, Thank You very much. Maybe once you have lost the Ashes you will realise what an idiot you are

It seems unless Clarke is unfit, the batting lineup will be the same, and Steve Waugh even reckons Dizzy may not be out yet, but I would highly doubt they would keep him

Told you all that in terms of the team, only a loss would have led to any changes
Geez Eddie - get your hand off it

[DBAH0]

All 6, obviously missed Ponting's last innings. Although going by your logic, Vaughan must be out of form as well then I guess.

[eddiesmith]

I was counting Gilchrist as one of the batsman

[R00StaR]

Your right Eddie, we (Australia) have be pathetic so far, we have no bowlers and no batsmen. Yet we drew the one dayers and the test series is tied atm, go figure.

How well is England travelling when they cant beat us when so far out of form? We can only get better, England is going down!

[Arsene Wenger]

It sends out a bad message. I liken this situation to the AFL club I support. We were up for so long (last 4 yrs - only winning one flag), but we were dominant. PLayers aged and selectors failed to see the future. This year we are paying the price for poor decision making.. A successful organisation realises when its time for change.. The Aussies are struggling. Its only a matter of time before the POms beat us.. Hayden is sadly out of form. Langer is doing ok. Punter - good.. Marto strugling as well. Clarke - ok, but his injury is a worrying sign. Katich is rubbish (for me hes gotta go). Gilly - well he is Gilly..

Foresight is needed - as is fresh blood.. Get Katman out get Hodgey in. Dizzy has got to go and Kaspa in (due only to the seeming wickets) if it were in Aus I would chuk taity in...

My worry is that the selectors will wait too long and much more will be lost than could have been.

[Wicked Lester]

I agree it sends out a bad message, but Ponting wont be the first or the last captain to resist change in the team.

Remember Border threatened to resign when Geoff Marsh was axed, and Tugga was always pre-empting the selectors by publicly announcing his preferred team prior to a test match. He always defended the status quo even when it was bloody obvious someone's number was up (best example being his brother). The "age shouldn't come into it" and "never change a winning formula" reached a crescendo several years ago under Tugga in part to defend his own position in the team.

So why would Ponting suddenly change the way things have been done. Besides what's he meant to say in a press conference?

"Yeah, thanks for asking. Look I agree with you Dizzy's been bowling absolute $********. I've lost complete faith in him. It looks like injuries have caught up with him and yes, it looks like his career is over"

or

"I agree with you Haydos, Gilly and Kat have been seriously exposed. Look I think their positions should be in some doubt. Perosnally I would bring in Hodge, Hussey and Haddin but that's just my view"

Gee, wouldn't that be great for team harmony and morale.

Realistically the only alternative to what he's said is to play with a straight bat (pardon the pun) and state something along the lines of 'its up to the selectors'. But then he'd be accused of not backing his longstanding teammates like Tugga used to.

[crownie]

easy to say we would make the changes and whatever but harder done when you actually have the power to do so.

with the series still in the balance id keep the same batting line up but put Martyn and Katich on notice you must perform in this test.

[bulldogtragic]

True. Will only take a monumental failure and embarrasment to change the side.

After the next test hopefully that's it. The majority of these batsmen can't make runs against this attack. I think it's what weve done to batsmen for some time, some of our batsmen fear some of their bowlers.

So bring in Hodge for christs sake. And bring in Tait while your at it.

[pav_is_god]

If twp batsmen actually make a stand together in this test than the Poms are done for. Our mediocre batting is the only thing that has kept their heads above water.

[frankrizzo]

Its pretty much a test of the selectors vision and pontings as well, if you don’t make a change for this test batting wise you can’t do it for the 5th test not fair to the new bloke, so basically we have to say they are backing the likes of katich to win us the ashes, if they don’t they have to wear the consequences of not acting while the series was up for grabs.

I personally think we are underestimating the slump our top 7 is in, you can’t have 4-5 members of your top 7 out of form and expect to win a series against a tough opponent.

We made the mistake in India 2001 of not replacing either Slater or Langer when it was clear neither was going to score runs in the series against Singh.

[grayza]

not surprised to see Punter back the incumbents

although id like to see change, the skipper backing them in a week or 2 before the Test is the best thing for them to see, saying the 2 day match will have little to no bearing on the 4th Test team, and just let Hayden and Katich go out there and scoire some runs without the weight of having to make runs on their shoulders

[Freo Big Fella]

Well unless they were bringing Mike Hussey in there isn't much point. We can't have Hodge coming in and making his usual international pair :) .

[grayza]

We can't have Hodge coming in and making his usual international pair :) .

what are you talking about?

[eddiesmith]

Never listen to a Western Australian, totally biased and as anti Victorian as Jaymin

Everyone says the Aussie top order fires, England are done? Umm, the English top order has yet to fire together this series. They have all scored runs at some point, but never in the same innings. England still have alot of improvement in their batting even though no one here will admit it

[weevil]

I remember how hysterical some people (especially Eddie) became when England announced that they were not changing their squad after the first test.

[sinepari]

Never listen to a Western Australian, totally biased and as anti Victorian as Jaymin



What's the alternative? Listen to you? Someone as anti-west australian as many on here are anti-victorian! Awesome solution to your bias problem :rolleyes:

This is the last time i'm going to point this out. Many of us West Australians on here are not biased (And by the way,how are you not biased when it comes to victorians? Explain how you can't be!) nor anti-victorian, just good judges of talent. We do support Brad Hodge (etc), yet firmly believe that better options exist within the Country. I consider myself to be a very fair judge when it comes to cricket talent, and I believe that many other WA posters are the same.

[eddiesmith]

I am not Anti WA, only anti NSW, QLD and Tassie

Hodge is the best batsman outside the current Aussie team and that is seen by the selectors by the fact he is the one in the Squad, they obviously see Hussey as a better one day player than 4 day player whilst Hodgey is the opposite

There are no players in Australia who have had better records over recent years in the Pura Cup competition

[Jaymin]

I am not Anti WA, only anti NSW, QLD and Tassie

Hodge is the best batsman outside the current Aussie team and that is seen by the selectors by the fact he is the one in the Squad, they obviously see Hussey as a better one day player than 4 day player whilst Hodgey is the opposite

There are no players in Australia who have had better records over recent years in the Pura Cup competition

Symonds?