15 Man Test squad for tour of India named

[Cousin Jed]

Link (http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,27647780-23212,00.html)

Ricky Ponting (c)
Michael Clarke (vc)
Shane Watson
Simon Katich
Michael Hussey
Marcus North
Tim Paine
Steven Smith
Mitchell Johnson
Doug Bollinger
Ben Hilfenhaus

Peter George
Nathan Hauritz
Josh Hazlewood
Phillip Hughes


"While it was disappointing to draw the series in England against Pakistan, the squad reflects the good performances of the team over the last 12 months as we continue to prepare for the Ashes.
“The squad we have selected sees the return from injury of Phillip Hughes and includes a very good mix of experience and new young talent with Steven Smith, Hughes and two young fast bowlers in Peter George and Josh Hazlewood.
“All these exciting young players have the potential to have a big impact in international cricket for many years and the NSP is confident they will all equip themselves well if the opportunity presents itself on this tour."
Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said:
“Brad Haddin is making good progress with rehabilitation of his elbow tendon injury.
“He is due to commence restricted batting in the next few weeks but will not be available to play in the Test component of Australia’s VB Tour of India.
“He is on track to be available for club cricket and for New South Wales with the possibility of being available for selection in the India or Sri Lanka One-day International series. “

[Phone]

As expected really.

(Not forgetting that Harris and Siddle are still recovering.)

[Selective Retention]

The three senior quicks better stay fit!

Siddle hasn't played for ages and you couldn't really pick him even if fit given that but what about Harris?

Haddin's injury has blown out to an extraordinary length of time, must be starting to become a career threatening/shortening one.

[The Governor]

The four stooges (Hilditch, Merv, Cox and Boon) have selected a predictable squad that resembles the England side of the 80s and 90s. Apart from Tim Paine, Phil Hughes, Shane Watson, Steve Smith, Peter George and Josh Hazzlewood, the four stooges have not made the bold decisions in sacking Mike Hussey and Marcus North.

Greg Chappell may not have started his role yet and if the four current selectors were more concerned about holding onto their part time role, they would have made a couple of bold moves in this test series that does not mean anything. They could have dropped Hussey and North for Usman K and Cameron White.

And, with Haddin's injury, I hope GS CHappell makes the bold moves for the 1st test match against England by dropping Haddin for Paine. Tim Paine represents the long term future of Australian cricket.

HERE IS MY 1ST TEST MATCH XI AGAINST INDIA

The Master Chef
Shane Watson
Ricky Ponting (CAPTAIN)
Michael CLarke
Michael Hussey
Stephen Smith
TIm Paine
Nathan Hauritz
Mitchell Johnson
Doug Bollinger
Josh Hazlewood

It seems the selectors will not drop Katich. Heh, he has 2 more years left in test cricket and I hope GS Chappell will make the tough call and drop Katich for Hughes for the 1st test match against England.

THe selectors should look at this summer's test series with the eye of bringing some youth into the side (1982-1983 Ashes series: Phil Ridings dropped Laird and brought in Kepler). With GS Chappell as Chairman of Selectors, I hope he will pick this test match lineup against England:

Phil Hughes
Shane Watson
Ricky (CAPT)
Michael Clarke
Usman K
Stephen Smith
Tim Paine
Mitchell Johnson
Nathan Hauritz
Peter Siddle
Doug Bollinger

THE GOVERNOR

[Indian_Hotdog]

Decent squad.Harbhajan will be waiting.

[Phone]

tim paine isn't even the best back-up we have. another good season by Wade should see him past Paine.

[albundysmate]

watson will be pushed to 6 and hughes will open i reckon. north is a dead duck

[TheColeTrain]

While it was disappointing to draw the series in England against Pakistan, the squad reflects the good performances of the team over the last 12 months as we continue to prepare for the Ashes.
I would hardly call the last 12 months good Hilditch you clown.
Marcus North :thumbsd:

[Phone]

it seems the selectors will not drop katich. Heh, he has 2 more years left in test cricket and i hope gs chappell will make the tough call and drop katich for hughes for the 1st test match against england.


hahahahahahah oh **** i didn't see this before/ holy ****ing crap

[Bomber Bears]

It seems the selectors will not drop Katich. Heh, he has 2 more years left in test cricket and I hope GS Chappell will make the tough call and drop Katich for Hughes for the 1st test match against England.

:rolleyes: You'd drop just about anyone before the Katfish at the moment. Averaging 54 since his reinstatement. Averaging more than Watson up the top of the order. Averaging more than Hussey, North, Ponting over similar time period. Our most reliable and toughest batsmen.

A potentially decent post ruined by showing you have NFI

[The Governor]

:rolleyes: You'd drop just about anyone before the Katfish at the moment. Averaging 54 since his reinstatement. Averaging more than Watson up the top of the order. Averaging more than Hussey, North, Ponting over similar time period. Our most reliable and toughest batsmen.

A potentially decent post ruined by showing you have NFI

I do have a fair decent idea you muppett!!

Fair dinkum. Why don't you have a look at the state of the Australian test match batting lineup. If you take averages and performances out of the equation, MJ Clarke and Shane Watson are the only batsmen who are below the age of 30.

Ponting, Hussey, North and Katich are at the least 30 years of age.

Previous selection panels forced a number of players into retirement for the long term benefit of Australian cricket. I am going to explain the facts to justify my argument.

1980-81 SEASON

THe selection panel led by Phil Ridings and the late Ray Lindwall had the chance to pick Rick McCosker against New Zealand after he played a couple of test matches against the West Indies and ENgland in 1979-80 season. The selectors did not pick McCosker who was still batting well for New South Wales. Instead, they picked a young John Dyson and Graeme Wood to open the batting for Australia.

1982-1983 SEASON

The selection panel (Ridings, Lindwall and Sawle) dropped Bruce Laird from the Australian test XI after the 1982 Pakistan tour. Stumpy Laird was a good dour opening batsman for Australia and he held a respectable record against the West Indies. He basically wore off the sine of the new ball. HE did not score heaps of runs, but he did his job for Australia.

When they dropped or retired Bruce Laird, the selectors picked Graeme Wood and John Dyson to open the batting for Australia. After the 1st test match in Perth (Aldernman injured his shoulder in a spectator tackle), the selectors picked a young Kepler Wessels.

1989 ENGLAND TOUR

Graeme Wood was a consistent run scorer for Western Australia from the number 4 position. He was picked for the 1st 4 test matches against the West INdies during the 1988-89 season and he scored a century against the West Indies in Perth.

The selectors (Sawle, Simpson and Jim Higgs) did not pick Graeme Wood for the 1989 ENgland tour. Instead, they picked Dean Jones and Mike Veletta.

1992-1998 PERIOD

Dean Jones was a certainty to play for Australia against the West INdies during the 1992-93 test series. John BEnaud and the selectors (Sawle, Benaud, Higgs and Simpson) demoted Dean Jones to 12th man and selected a young Damien Martyn to play for Australia. Ten years later, John Benaud recalled the period and the selectors were interested in bringing youth into an aging test match batting line up.

David Boon was struggling for form during the 1995-96 season. He was struggling to build an innings after making a solid start. Hence, he realised that he had to retire to make way for a young Ricky Ponting. Even though he announced his retirement, he knew Trevor Hohns was going to force him into retirement.

Mark Taylor retired gracefully at the end of the 5th test match against England in Sydney in 1999. He realised that he was at the peak of his form and he did not want the selectors to force him into retirement. Taylor knew that Trevor Hohns was ready to make the hard decisions for the long term future of Australian cricket and he was not afraid to retire players who had great averages because Hohns was more interested in the long term future of Australian cricket.

Under Trevor Hohns, Adam Gilchrist was putting a strong case for test match selection. Ian Healy was still in good form with the gloves, but Gilly had the runs and wicket keeping form on the board.

Trevor Hohns made the right call by dropping Healy for Gilchrist to foruce Heals into retirement. What a masterstroke! Gilly is one of the legends of Australian cricket.

After the 2002 Pakistan series in Sri Lanka and Dubai, Mark Waugh was struggling and Trevor Hohns was under pressure to drop him. Trevor Hohns made the tough call after the Pakistan tour and dropped him for Darren Lehmann.

Darren Lehmann was a key member of RIcky Ponting's test match batting lineup. He injured his shoulder in 2004 and he struggled to score runs during the 2004-05 season. The selectors (Hohns, Border, Boon and Hilditch) did not pick Boof Lehmann for the 2005 England tour. They realised he was 35 years of age and he was pass his prime.

If you look at pass selection behaviours, previous selection panels looked at the long term future of the Australian test XI instead of picking players as a short term fix. Back in 1995, the selectors picked a young Ricky Ponting to tour New Zealand and the West Indies. He made his test debut against Sri Lanka in Perth in December 1995. As a result, we have gained 15 years of test match service from RT Ponting.

Ever since MJ Clarke was picked to make his test debut for Australia in India in 2004, the Australian selectors have only 2 test batsmen who were under the age of 27 to make their test debuts (Phil Hughes and Shane Watson). With the retirements of Hayden, Langer, Martyn and the demise of Andrew Symonds, the selectors had an excellent chance to blood in young players who would inject some positive energy into the test match batting line up.

THe four stooges (Hilditch, Boon, Cox and Merv) opted for Marcus North and Simon Katich to occupy the opening slot and the debated number 6 batting slot.

Simon Katich has done an excellent job over the past 2 years since the 2008 West Indian tour when Phil Jacques did his back and Matthew Hayden suffered an achilles injury.

However, the selectors have to make the tough call. Would not it be better for the selectors to retire Simon Katich when he is on top of his game instead of dropping him after a series of low scores? Lets look at Geoff Marsh. He suffered a long series of low scores during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 season and the selectors (Sawle, Simpson and Higgs) made the hard call and dropped him for Wayne Phillips. Geoff Marsh would be remembered as the 1999 World Cup Winning coach and his tactical nous as vice captain to ALlan Border.

Would not it be better for the selectors to undergo some forward planning from an AFL list management perspective? An AFL club would look at a 3 to 5 year plan where they would pick young players and stick with a core group of young players. Geelong, Hawthorn, St Kilda, Freo, RIchmond and Melbourne have been successful where they picked a number of promising youngsters and allowed them to play alongside a couple of veterans.

With Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke being the batting veterans of the side, the four stooges could have (in hindsight) looked at the test match batting lineup and realised a few things:

With the sudden injury to Phil Jacques after the 2008 WI tour, the selectors could have made the bold decision and used Shane Watson as an opener. They had nothing to lose at the time. The England tour was only 6 months away and it would have been a great time for Watson to play against top quality bowlers.

Instead, they used dear old Simon Katich.

When Andrew Symonds walked away from test match cricket, the selectors opted for Andrew McDonald at number 6. Then, for the England tour, the selectors opted for Marcus North at number 6.

Gee, do you honestly think North, Hussey and Katich will be around in 2013?

How about Usman K, Stephen Smith and Aaron Finch? Usman K was picked for the Pakistan series in England, and what baffled me, was he was omitted from the Indian tour.

With the 2013 ENgland tour 3 years away, the selectors have a chance to pick Usman K to give him test match experience.

Stephen Smith had an excellent series against Pakistan and he should easily slot into the number 6 batting position. His bowling is coming along nicely and his batting reminds me of a young Dougie walters. He has no fear and he is prepared to take it up to the bowlers.

IN conclusion, the AUstralian test match batting lineup reminds me of the ENgland batting lineup from 1985 to 2000. DO you remember the England batting lineup of 1986-87: Broad, Athey, Gatting, Gower, Lamb and Botham. They won the series in Australia, but it took England 19 years to reclaim the Ashes from us with a youthful batting lineup.

The Australian batting lineup reminds me of Dad's Army.

With the appointment of Greg Chappell as the Full Time Selector, he will definitely make the tough calls. He is a huge fan of Smith, Usman K, Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh. He made the tough decisions during his time with India and they sacked him. But, the Indians are the number 1 test match nation in the world. Dohni and Gambir are the key players in the side and Chappell's decision to go for youth during his tenure as Indian coach has paid off.

Even though he had a falling out with Harban Singh and Tendulkar that contributed to his downfall, he got Indian cricket on the right path and Gary Kirsten is putting the ice on the cake.

So, if I have no idea on what is going on, I think reading this reply would open your eyes.

The Governor has more knowledge on Australian test match cricket than you!!!!

THE GOVERNOR

[Phone]

man i feel bad giving you a 60 word + hyperlink post in response to your 1577 word post, but this truly is a case of "enough said". the austraian team is old yes, that doesn't mean you get rid of the best batsman in the team and ruining the only part of the team (opening batsmen) that consistently perform (http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;spanmin1=22+Mar+2008;spanval1=span;team=2 ;template=results;type=batting)

[Ill Chicken]

The Governor continues to dribble. Terrible ideas and factually incorrect. Lehmann retired after Clarke came into the side and made a ton on debut against India in India.

[danielnajdek]

I see that Marcus vanilla North is still in :thumbsd: Is he dating one of the selectors daughters or something. Seriously how the hell is he still in the squad?? Please can someone give me a reason.

[cross#4]

I do have a fair decent idea you muppett!!

Fair dinkum. Why don't you have a look at the state of the Australian test match batting lineup. If you take averages and performances out of the equation, MJ Clarke and Shane Watson are the only batsmen who are below the age of 30.

Ponting, Hussey, North and Katich are at the least 30 years of age.

Previous selection panels forced a number of players into retirement for the long term benefit of Australian cricket. I am going to explain the facts to justify my argument.

1980-81 SEASON

THe selection panel led by Phil Ridings and the late Ray Lindwall had the chance to pick Rick McCosker against New Zealand after he played a couple of test matches against the West Indies and ENgland in 1979-80 season. The selectors did not pick McCosker who was still batting well for New South Wales. Instead, they picked a young John Dyson and Graeme Wood to open the batting for Australia.

1982-1983 SEASON

The selection panel (Ridings, Lindwall and Sawle) dropped Bruce Laird from the Australian test XI after the 1982 Pakistan tour. Stumpy Laird was a good dour opening batsman for Australia and he held a respectable record against the West Indies. He basically wore off the sine of the new ball. HE did not score heaps of runs, but he did his job for Australia.

When they dropped or retired Bruce Laird, the selectors picked Graeme Wood and John Dyson to open the batting for Australia. After the 1st test match in Perth (Aldernman injured his shoulder in a spectator tackle), the selectors picked a young Kepler Wessels.

1989 ENGLAND TOUR

Graeme Wood was a consistent run scorer for Western Australia from the number 4 position. He was picked for the 1st 4 test matches against the West INdies during the 1988-89 season and he scored a century against the West Indies in Perth.

The selectors (Sawle, Simpson and Jim Higgs) did not pick Graeme Wood for the 1989 ENgland tour. Instead, they picked Dean Jones and Mike Veletta.

1992-1998 PERIOD

Dean Jones was a certainty to play for Australia against the West INdies during the 1992-93 test series. John BEnaud and the selectors (Sawle, Benaud, Higgs and Simpson) demoted Dean Jones to 12th man and selected a young Damien Martyn to play for Australia. Ten years later, John Benaud recalled the period and the selectors were interested in bringing youth into an aging test match batting line up.

David Boon was struggling for form during the 1995-96 season. He was struggling to build an innings after making a solid start. Hence, he realised that he had to retire to make way for a young Ricky Ponting. Even though he announced his retirement, he knew Trevor Hohns was going to force him into retirement.

Mark Taylor retired gracefully at the end of the 5th test match against England in Sydney in 1999. He realised that he was at the peak of his form and he did not want the selectors to force him into retirement. Taylor knew that Trevor Hohns was ready to make the hard decisions for the long term future of Australian cricket and he was not afraid to retire players who had great averages because Hohns was more interested in the long term future of Australian cricket.

Under Trevor Hohns, Adam Gilchrist was putting a strong case for test match selection. Ian Healy was still in good form with the gloves, but Gilly had the runs and wicket keeping form on the board.

Trevor Hohns made the right call by dropping Healy for Gilchrist to foruce Heals into retirement. What a masterstroke! Gilly is one of the legends of Australian cricket.

After the 2002 Pakistan series in Sri Lanka and Dubai, Mark Waugh was struggling and Trevor Hohns was under pressure to drop him. Trevor Hohns made the tough call after the Pakistan tour and dropped him for Darren Lehmann.

Darren Lehmann was a key member of RIcky Ponting's test match batting lineup. He injured his shoulder in 2004 and he struggled to score runs during the 2004-05 season. The selectors (Hohns, Border, Boon and Hilditch) did not pick Boof Lehmann for the 2005 England tour. They realised he was 35 years of age and he was pass his prime.

If you look at pass selection behaviours, previous selection panels looked at the long term future of the Australian test XI instead of picking players as a short term fix. Back in 1995, the selectors picked a young Ricky Ponting to tour New Zealand and the West Indies. He made his test debut against Sri Lanka in Perth in December 1995. As a result, we have gained 15 years of test match service from RT Ponting.

Ever since MJ Clarke was picked to make his test debut for Australia in India in 2004, the Australian selectors have only 2 test batsmen who were under the age of 27 to make their test debuts (Phil Hughes and Shane Watson). With the retirements of Hayden, Langer, Martyn and the demise of Andrew Symonds, the selectors had an excellent chance to blood in young players who would inject some positive energy into the test match batting line up.

THe four stooges (Hilditch, Boon, Cox and Merv) opted for Marcus North and Simon Katich to occupy the opening slot and the debated number 6 batting slot.

Simon Katich has done an excellent job over the past 2 years since the 2008 West Indian tour when Phil Jacques did his back and Matthew Hayden suffered an achilles injury.

However, the selectors have to make the tough call. Would not it be better for the selectors to retire Simon Katich when he is on top of his game instead of dropping him after a series of low scores? Lets look at Geoff Marsh. He suffered a long series of low scores during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 season and the selectors (Sawle, Simpson and Higgs) made the hard call and dropped him for Wayne Phillips. Geoff Marsh would be remembered as the 1999 World Cup Winning coach and his tactical nous as vice captain to ALlan Border.

Would not it be better for the selectors to undergo some forward planning from an AFL list management perspective? An AFL club would look at a 3 to 5 year plan where they would pick young players and stick with a core group of young players. Geelong, Hawthorn, St Kilda, Freo, RIchmond and Melbourne have been successful where they picked a number of promising youngsters and allowed them to play alongside a couple of veterans.

With Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke being the batting veterans of the side, the four stooges could have (in hindsight) looked at the test match batting lineup and realised a few things:

With the sudden injury to Phil Jacques after the 2008 WI tour, the selectors could have made the bold decision and used Shane Watson as an opener. They had nothing to lose at the time. The England tour was only 6 months away and it would have been a great time for Watson to play against top quality bowlers.

Instead, they used dear old Simon Katich.

When Andrew Symonds walked away from test match cricket, the selectors opted for Andrew McDonald at number 6. Then, for the England tour, the selectors opted for Marcus North at number 6.

Gee, do you honestly think North, Hussey and Katich will be around in 2013?

How about Usman K, Stephen Smith and Aaron Finch? Usman K was picked for the Pakistan series in England, and what baffled me, was he was omitted from the Indian tour.

With the 2013 ENgland tour 3 years away, the selectors have a chance to pick Usman K to give him test match experience.

Stephen Smith had an excellent series against Pakistan and he should easily slot into the number 6 batting position. His bowling is coming along nicely and his batting reminds me of a young Dougie walters. He has no fear and he is prepared to take it up to the bowlers.

IN conclusion, the AUstralian test match batting lineup reminds me of the ENgland batting lineup from 1985 to 2000. DO you remember the England batting lineup of 1986-87: Broad, Athey, Gatting, Gower, Lamb and Botham. They won the series in Australia, but it took England 19 years to reclaim the Ashes from us with a youthful batting lineup.

The Australian batting lineup reminds me of Dad's Army.

With the appointment of Greg Chappell as the Full Time Selector, he will definitely make the tough calls. He is a huge fan of Smith, Usman K, Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh. He made the tough decisions during his time with India and they sacked him. But, the Indians are the number 1 test match nation in the world. Dohni and Gambir are the key players in the side and Chappell's decision to go for youth during his tenure as Indian coach has paid off.

Even though he had a falling out with Harban Singh and Tendulkar that contributed to his downfall, he got Indian cricket on the right path and Gary Kirsten is putting the ice on the cake.

So, if I have no idea on what is going on, I think reading this reply would open your eyes.

The Governor has more knowledge on Australian test match cricket than you!!!!

THE GOVERNOR

Yeah...nah

[Bomber Bears]

I do have a fair decent idea you muppett!!

Fair dinkum. Why don't you have a look at the state of the Australian test match batting lineup. If you take averages and performances out of the equation, MJ Clarke and Shane Watson are the only batsmen who are below the age of 30.

Ponting, Hussey, North and Katich are at the least 30 years of age.

Previous selection panels forced a number of players into retirement for the long term benefit of Australian cricket. I am going to explain the facts to justify my argument.

1980-81 SEASON

THe selection panel led by Phil Ridings and the late Ray Lindwall had the chance to pick Rick McCosker against New Zealand after he played a couple of test matches against the West Indies and ENgland in 1979-80 season. The selectors did not pick McCosker who was still batting well for New South Wales. Instead, they picked a young John Dyson and Graeme Wood to open the batting for Australia.

1982-1983 SEASON

The selection panel (Ridings, Lindwall and Sawle) dropped Bruce Laird from the Australian test XI after the 1982 Pakistan tour. Stumpy Laird was a good dour opening batsman for Australia and he held a respectable record against the West Indies. He basically wore off the sine of the new ball. HE did not score heaps of runs, but he did his job for Australia.

When they dropped or retired Bruce Laird, the selectors picked Graeme Wood and John Dyson to open the batting for Australia. After the 1st test match in Perth (Aldernman injured his shoulder in a spectator tackle), the selectors picked a young Kepler Wessels.

1989 ENGLAND TOUR

Graeme Wood was a consistent run scorer for Western Australia from the number 4 position. He was picked for the 1st 4 test matches against the West INdies during the 1988-89 season and he scored a century against the West Indies in Perth.

The selectors (Sawle, Simpson and Jim Higgs) did not pick Graeme Wood for the 1989 ENgland tour. Instead, they picked Dean Jones and Mike Veletta.

1992-1998 PERIOD

Dean Jones was a certainty to play for Australia against the West INdies during the 1992-93 test series. John BEnaud and the selectors (Sawle, Benaud, Higgs and Simpson) demoted Dean Jones to 12th man and selected a young Damien Martyn to play for Australia. Ten years later, John Benaud recalled the period and the selectors were interested in bringing youth into an aging test match batting line up.

David Boon was struggling for form during the 1995-96 season. He was struggling to build an innings after making a solid start. Hence, he realised that he had to retire to make way for a young Ricky Ponting. Even though he announced his retirement, he knew Trevor Hohns was going to force him into retirement.

Mark Taylor retired gracefully at the end of the 5th test match against England in Sydney in 1999. He realised that he was at the peak of his form and he did not want the selectors to force him into retirement. Taylor knew that Trevor Hohns was ready to make the hard decisions for the long term future of Australian cricket and he was not afraid to retire players who had great averages because Hohns was more interested in the long term future of Australian cricket.

Under Trevor Hohns, Adam Gilchrist was putting a strong case for test match selection. Ian Healy was still in good form with the gloves, but Gilly had the runs and wicket keeping form on the board.

Trevor Hohns made the right call by dropping Healy for Gilchrist to foruce Heals into retirement. What a masterstroke! Gilly is one of the legends of Australian cricket.

After the 2002 Pakistan series in Sri Lanka and Dubai, Mark Waugh was struggling and Trevor Hohns was under pressure to drop him. Trevor Hohns made the tough call after the Pakistan tour and dropped him for Darren Lehmann.

Darren Lehmann was a key member of RIcky Ponting's test match batting lineup. He injured his shoulder in 2004 and he struggled to score runs during the 2004-05 season. The selectors (Hohns, Border, Boon and Hilditch) did not pick Boof Lehmann for the 2005 England tour. They realised he was 35 years of age and he was pass his prime.

If you look at pass selection behaviours, previous selection panels looked at the long term future of the Australian test XI instead of picking players as a short term fix. Back in 1995, the selectors picked a young Ricky Ponting to tour New Zealand and the West Indies. He made his test debut against Sri Lanka in Perth in December 1995. As a result, we have gained 15 years of test match service from RT Ponting.

Ever since MJ Clarke was picked to make his test debut for Australia in India in 2004, the Australian selectors have only 2 test batsmen who were under the age of 27 to make their test debuts (Phil Hughes and Shane Watson). With the retirements of Hayden, Langer, Martyn and the demise of Andrew Symonds, the selectors had an excellent chance to blood in young players who would inject some positive energy into the test match batting line up.

THe four stooges (Hilditch, Boon, Cox and Merv) opted for Marcus North and Simon Katich to occupy the opening slot and the debated number 6 batting slot.

Simon Katich has done an excellent job over the past 2 years since the 2008 West Indian tour when Phil Jacques did his back and Matthew Hayden suffered an achilles injury.

However, the selectors have to make the tough call. Would not it be better for the selectors to retire Simon Katich when he is on top of his game instead of dropping him after a series of low scores? Lets look at Geoff Marsh. He suffered a long series of low scores during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 season and the selectors (Sawle, Simpson and Higgs) made the hard call and dropped him for Wayne Phillips. Geoff Marsh would be remembered as the 1999 World Cup Winning coach and his tactical nous as vice captain to ALlan Border.

Would not it be better for the selectors to undergo some forward planning from an AFL list management perspective? An AFL club would look at a 3 to 5 year plan where they would pick young players and stick with a core group of young players. Geelong, Hawthorn, St Kilda, Freo, RIchmond and Melbourne have been successful where they picked a number of promising youngsters and allowed them to play alongside a couple of veterans.

With Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke being the batting veterans of the side, the four stooges could have (in hindsight) looked at the test match batting lineup and realised a few things:

With the sudden injury to Phil Jacques after the 2008 WI tour, the selectors could have made the bold decision and used Shane Watson as an opener. They had nothing to lose at the time. The England tour was only 6 months away and it would have been a great time for Watson to play against top quality bowlers.

Instead, they used dear old Simon Katich.

When Andrew Symonds walked away from test match cricket, the selectors opted for Andrew McDonald at number 6. Then, for the England tour, the selectors opted for Marcus North at number 6.

Gee, do you honestly think North, Hussey and Katich will be around in 2013?

How about Usman K, Stephen Smith and Aaron Finch? Usman K was picked for the Pakistan series in England, and what baffled me, was he was omitted from the Indian tour.

With the 2013 ENgland tour 3 years away, the selectors have a chance to pick Usman K to give him test match experience.

Stephen Smith had an excellent series against Pakistan and he should easily slot into the number 6 batting position. His bowling is coming along nicely and his batting reminds me of a young Dougie walters. He has no fear and he is prepared to take it up to the bowlers.

IN conclusion, the AUstralian test match batting lineup reminds me of the ENgland batting lineup from 1985 to 2000. DO you remember the England batting lineup of 1986-87: Broad, Athey, Gatting, Gower, Lamb and Botham. They won the series in Australia, but it took England 19 years to reclaim the Ashes from us with a youthful batting lineup.

The Australian batting lineup reminds me of Dad's Army.

With the appointment of Greg Chappell as the Full Time Selector, he will definitely make the tough calls. He is a huge fan of Smith, Usman K, Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh. He made the tough decisions during his time with India and they sacked him. But, the Indians are the number 1 test match nation in the world. Dohni and Gambir are the key players in the side and Chappell's decision to go for youth during his tenure as Indian coach has paid off.

Even though he had a falling out with Harban Singh and Tendulkar that contributed to his downfall, he got Indian cricket on the right path and Gary Kirsten is putting the ice on the cake.

So, if I have no idea on what is going on, I think reading this reply would open your eyes.

The Governor has more knowledge on Australian test match cricket than you!!!!

THE GOVERNORIm not arguing over Hussey or North. It was Katich. Probably our best and most reliable over the past 2-3 years. Who you want to drop?

Just no.
North should go immediantly, Hussey shortly after. Ponting will keep pushing on i suspect but retirement should probably occur post ashes. But our best performing batsmen shouldnt be dropped for the sake of it.

[Doodlesweaver]

Im not arguing over Hussey or North. It was Katich. Probably our best and most reliable over the past 2-3 years. Who you want to drop?

Just no.
North should go immediantly, Hussey shortly after. Ponting will keep pushing on i suspect but retirement should probably occur post ashes. But our best performing batsmen shouldnt be dropped for the sake of it.

Yeah, lets drop Katich because of his age. That makes so much sense. Why didn't I think of it?

[Russian]

I've missed these threads :rolleyes:

[The Governor]

The Governor continues to dribble. Terrible ideas and factually incorrect. Lehmann retired after Clarke came into the side and made a ton on debut against India in India.

The Governor continues to dribble!!! Come on..My facts are right!!

Boof Lehmann could have been selected to tour England. When he was not named in the side, he decided to retire.

I think I know more about the history of Australian cricket than you!!

[The Governor]

man i feel bad giving you a 60 word + hyperlink post in response to your 1577 word post, but this truly is a case of "enough said". the austraian team is old yes, that doesn't mean you get rid of the best batsman in the team and ruining the only part of the team (opening batsmen) that consistently perform (http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;spanmin1=22+Mar+2008;spanval1=span;team=2 ;template=results;type=batting)

Averages Averages and averages.

Did Trevor Hohns look at the wicket keeping KPIs of Ian Healy before awarding his Baggy Green Cap against Pakistan in Brisbane in 1999? Healy was pass his prime even though his wicketkeeping remained solid.

How about Dean Jones before his 1992 demotion from the test side? He averaged 54 in test cricket and he had a good series against Sri Lanka in 1992 after a successful stint in Durham.

Selection panels are suppose to make tough decisions to ensure Australian cricket stays on top of the tree.

At the minute, the four stooges have not got the courage to make the tough decisions.

Why don't you have look at the state of West Indian cricket? After the 1991 Aust v West Indian test series, the West Indies paid the high price for the lack of forward planning. You cannot replace Viv Richards, Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall in a space of 2 years. The WI selectors should have started the forward planning process in 1989 by looking at Gus Logies' position and Greenidge's position whilst Viv and Dessie were still making runs.

At the minute, until GS Chappell starts his position this month, the four stooges will send Australian cricket down the path of English cricket (1986 to 2003).

THE GOVERNOR


THE GOVERNOR

[TheColeTrain]

What are you talking about, Lehmann offered to step aside so that he wasn't standing in the way of Michael Clarke.
Instead of your ridiculous crusade to get rid of Katich, who has been by dar our best and most reliable batsmen for the last 2 years, why don't you maybe get stuck in to blokes that actually deserve to be dropped like Hussey and North.
You don't know nearly half as much as you think you do.

[Ill Chicken]

The Governor continues to dribble!!! Come on..My facts are right!!

Boof Lehmann could have been selected to tour England. When he was not named in the side, he decided to retire.

I think I know more about the history of Australian cricket than you!!

Yeah so the tough call was made on Geoff Marsh. The guy should never have played 20 tests let alone 50, he should have been dropped in 1988. Not four years later.

[Doodlesweaver]

Averages Averages and averages.

Why don't you have look at the state of West Indian cricket? After the 1991 Aust v West Indian test series, the West Indies paid the high price for the lack of forward planning. You cannot replace Viv Richards, Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall in a space of 2 years. The WI selectors should have started the forward planning process in 1989 by looking at Gus Logies' position and Greenidge's position whilst Viv and Dessie were still making runs.

At the minute, until GS Chappell starts his position this month, the four stooges will send Australian cricket down the path of English cricket (1986 to 2003).

THE GOVERNOR


THE GOVERNOR I agree with you about the lack of forward planning.

The problem with the selectors is that they think that by sticking with Marcus North, they are doing quality forward planning. Hidlitch made that obvious with his baloney about how he sees tthe mid-long term future of Marcer Snorf in the team.

But you are targetting the wrong player in Katich.

But considering how the selectors look at the team, I think you'll find that Katich won't need to have much of a poor run with scores to get dropped anyway. He's not looked upon in the same way as Huss or Punter who are unfortunately untouchable due to form a couple of years back and North who appears untouchable due to said reasons of 'forward planning'.

The selectors need a serious shake-up for the reasons above plus they and Nielsen are stuck in the mentality that a player is young at 28/29. Kicks up backsides all round. They are basically going down the route of having a big transition of players every 5/6 years or so. It's really dumb.

[Rookie]

Katich and Ponting should be the oldies we keep.

Hanging onto Marcus North is a joke. He must be replaced by either Steve Smith (assuming Hauritz is our main spinner in India - we may need two) or Usman or Hughes, depending on order and balance.

Hussey should be retired at the end of the Ashes - IF he can score runs in India.

[whats_at_stake]

The selectors missed a serious oppurtunity against Pakistan and the Windies to blood new players- the next two summers will be England and India where you probably want Hussey, Ponting and Katich's replacement to have a year of test cricket before they face these sides.

[DIG]

What are you talking about, Lehmann offered to step aside so that he wasn't standing in the way of Michael Clarke.
Instead of your ridiculous crusade to get rid of Katich, who has been by dar our best and most reliable batsmen for the last 2 years, why don't you maybe get stuck in to blokes that actually deserve to be dropped like Hussey and North.
You don't know nearly half as much as you think you do.
This.

I don't know why Boof was brought up as an example in the first place. When he wasn't selected on the 2005 Ashes tour, i had my first moment of uncertainty with that tour, really wanted Lehmann on that plane after his years of dominating county cricket.

Anyway, "The Governor's" views are comical as always, if he had his way Katich would never have been recalled.

[jackster83]

Agree that it is time for Hussey and North to go. Watson moves down to no. 6 and a younger batsman (Ferguson?) comes in for Hussey.

The 3rd quick role is also well and truly up for grabs.

[King Elvis]

While it was disappointing to draw the series in England against Pakistan, the squad reflects the good performances of the team over the last 12 months as we continue to prepare for the Ashes.

Since when we did we start embracing and rewarding mediocrity?

[courtjester]

Averages Averages and averages.

Yep, they're what you get when you divide total runs scored by times dismissed. Very handy indicator of form!

Did Trevor Hohns look at the wicket keeping KPIs of Ian Healy before awarding his Baggy Green Cap against Pakistan in Brisbane in 1999? Healy was pass his prime even though his wicketkeeping remained solid.

The KPIs of wicket keeping are catches and stumpings. Gilchrist was brought into the team because of his dynamic batting.

How about Dean Jones before his 1992 demotion from the test side? He averaged 54 in test cricket and he had a good series against Sri Lanka in 1992 after a successful stint in Durham.

And he should never have been dropped.


Why don't you have look at the state of West Indian cricket? After the 1991 Aust v West Indian test series, the West Indies paid the high price for the lack of forward planning. You cannot replace Viv Richards, Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall in a space of 2 years. The WI selectors should have started the forward planning process in 1989 by looking at Gus Logies' position and Greenidge's position whilst Viv and Dessie were still making runs.

Exactly, you prove that you dont know what you're saying by this example. In a cricket team, retirements/sackings should be staggered as long as form is not absolutely disgraceful. Of the list of players you want dropped (Hussey, North and Katich), you seem most keen to get rid of Katich. However, he is currently our best bat. He should be the last one to go. North should probably go on form now, Hussey should be told that unless he has a bumper Ashes he will make way. But Katich should stay until his form drops significantly. My personal preference in the top six is to see this happen this summer:

P. Hughes
S. Watson
R. Ponting
M. Clarke
M. Hussey
S. Katich


After the Ashes, we should see something like:

P. Hughes
U. Khawaja (could open or bat at three, prefer Watson at three personally)
S. Watson
M. Clarke
R. Ponting
S. Katich


So, by the series following the Ashes, North is gone (dropped), and Hussey retires gracefully. In to the team come Khawaja and Hughes. Then the selectors wait for an announcement (or form slump) from Ponting and a form slump from Katich and one of them is replaced by Smith or Ferguson.

The next time we play England in England, the team should look like this:

P. Hughes
U. Khawaja
S. Watson
M. Clarke
R. Ponting (if not Ferguson)
S. Katich (if not, Smith)

We cant just throw all these guys out at once and throw a heap of young guys in because that's what they did in the 1980s. Keep in mind, Governor, that in the 80s Australian cricket was shit because of the triple retirement of G. Chappell, Lillee and Marsh and everyone pissing off to play for Kerry Packer. We dont want that to happen again. Ponting and Katich still have a bit of a way to go to guide us through this last transition phase so that we dont end up like we were in the mid 80s.

[King Elvis]

Gov, I rate your postings, but Katich is as safe as houses mate.

North should've been dropped already, ideally before last Summer, so Khawaja or Hughes can spend a year or two in the side, with Ponting, Hussey and Katich mentoring them.

Instead, we'll probably lose Huss/Kat/Punter in a short period of time, and we'll have to throw 2-3 new kids into the deep end.

Stupid, short-sighted efforts from the stupid Selectors.

[Cousin Jed]

Out: Hazlewood (Dreaded stress fracture in the back)
In: Starc and Pattinson (On Standby)

Link (http://www.cricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2010/content/current/story/477653.html)

[Phone]

Victorian bias imo.


Geeves still injured?

[grimlock]

Wow Starc, really?

[Doodlesweaver]

Wow Starc, really?

Starc is a really odd choice. Why don't they grab Copeland?

[Phone]

they don't rate him. Not yet anyway. From memory Starc and Pattinson were impressive during the off-season at the academy so no surprise they got picked, despite the inexperience. Given the bowling stocks already in there (6 if needed, although Smith barley gets in there) it's just experience building for whoever ends up going.

[Blue Dimension]

Starc is a replica of Mitchell Johnson.

Imagine both of them in the same team... good God. Enough for a captain to lose all of his hair in the space of a single Test.

I may be completely off the mark, but I think this comes as a bit of a blow for Australia. Had a feeling that they were hoping that they might be able to unearth Hazelwood in this series in preparation for the Ashes.

Hopefully James Pattinson gets a gig somewhere along the line.

[Bradesmaen]

Cutting?

Anyway, looks like CA hasn't learnt a thing. 19 year old bowling too much = another stress fracture of the back. Poor kid will probably be injured like that for the rest of his career, similar to Watson.

[Bomber Bears]

they don't rate him. Not yet anyway. From memory Starc and Pattinson were impressive during the off-season at the academy so no surprise they got picked, despite the inexperience. Given the bowling stocks already in there (6 if needed, although Smith barley gets in there) it's just experience building for whoever ends up going.
Starc and Pattinson impressed because they got given a go. Starc is rubbish, and Pattinson has potential but hasnt shown a whole lot.

On the other hand a bowler hasnt burst on the scene ala Copeland in recent memory. 35 wickets in 5 games at 17. So of course in CA's infinite wisdom they completely ignore him over the off season. Despite out bowlig the like of Pattinson, Starc, Cutting, George and whoever else you can think of this last summer.

Hopefully he has a cracking 2010-11 and forces them to take notice.

Re Hazlewood. Big ****ing surprise that one! I've said in a couple of threads, he's 19 ffs. Dont rush these players, the body isnt even fully matured till 22-23, no matter how tall or impressive looking you might be. Stress fractures will happen with a test bowlers workload at this age, so dont give them that workload. Just let them develop and get them past the stress fracture age and you have 10+ years of quality fast bowling.

In summation, Cricket Australia is ****ed at present

[Doodlesweaver]

Starc is a replica of Mitchell Johnson.

Imagine both of them in the same team... good God. Enough for a captain to lose all of his hair in the space of a single Test.

I may be completely off the mark, but I think this comes as a bit of a blow for Australia. Had a feeling that they were hoping that they might be able to unearth Hazelwood in this series in preparation for the Ashes.

Hopefully James Pattinson gets a gig somewhere along the line.

The only time I've watched Mitchell Starc bowl, he unfortunately bowled very much like Mitchell Johnson. It was kind of depressing. I'd so like to see a young Ausse bowler who knows and cares about where the bloody stumps are.

[Cousin Jed]

Re Hazlewood. Big ****ing surprise that one! I've said in a couple of threads, he's 19 ffs. Dont rush these players, the body isnt even fully matured till 22-23, no matter how tall or impressive looking you might be. Stress fractures will happen with a test bowlers workload at this age, so dont give them that workload. Just let them develop and get them past the stress fracture age and you have 10+ years of quality fast bowling.

In summation, Cricket Australia is ****ed at present

I'm failing to see how Cricket Australia caused this? They picked him for a one day tour but didn't exactly use him much, (he played in 1 ODI only. He may have also played a warm up game). He's also played just 6 shield games for NSW since November 08.

[amer]

Starc will play 50+ tests for Australia.

[BarneyBent]

Starc will play 50+ tests for Australia.

Starc is a bit of a spud. Not that I'm disagreeing with you.

[Cousin Jed]

India squad
MS Dhoni (capt. & wk),
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
VVS Laxman
Suresh Raina
Cheteshwar Pujara
M Vijay
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Ishant Sharma
Pragyan Ojha
Sreesanth
Amit Mishra

[triplejdude]

I really hope that Sreesanth plays, if for nothing else but providing teh lulz.

[whats_at_stake]

Really hoping Pujara players- been dominating the domestic circuit for a few years and scored a lot and lot of runs. I have heard he is in the Dravid mould.

Article about him below:
http://www.cricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2010/content/story/477991.html

[amer]

Starc is a bit of a spud. Not that I'm disagreeing with you.

Surprised so many people don't think he's got anything. I've seen him bowl a few times, good signs in there. Erratic yes, but lots of them are at that age. We'll see. Hazlewood looks the best of them though.

[amer]

Starc is a replica of Mitchell Johnson.

Imagine both of them in the same team... good God. Enough for a captain to lose all of his hair in the space of a single Test.

I may be completely off the mark, but I think this comes as a bit of a blow for Australia. Had a feeling that they were hoping that they might be able to unearth Hazelwood in this series in preparation for the Ashes.

Hopefully James Pattinson gets a gig somewhere along the line.

Yeah that's been my suspicion all year, that they were planning a bit of an ambush for that first ashes test.

Should he recover in time I'm betting he'll still play some part.

[Chris25]

Let's not forget Peter George. He would have played ahead of Hazlewood anyway, and rightly so.

[BarneyBent]

Surprised so many people don't think he's got anything. I've seen him bowl a few times, good signs in there. Erratic yes, but lots of them are at that age. We'll see. Hazlewood looks the best of them though.

He's fine at state level, "spud" is harsh, but he just seems to lack that x-factor, that something special, that will make him a really damaging bowler.

Having said that, he's very young, so that's not to say he won't develop something.

[Nugget1985]

Really hoping Pujara players- been dominating the domestic circuit for a few years and scored a lot and lot of runs. I have heard he is in the Dravid mould.

Article about him below:
http://www.cricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2010/content/story/477991.html

So he runs the ball down to third man alot.....god I hope not.

[whats_at_stake]

So he runs the ball down to third man alot.....god I hope not.

More solid defensive batsman which unfortunately due to the introduction of Twenty20 seem to be getting rarer and rarer by the day.

[Bomber Bears]

To be fair to dravid, at his peak he was a machine. Had all the short and was sure as anything defensively. It's just that he seems to be dragging his career out over a period of time despite a long slow downturn in ability

[whats_at_stake]

To be fair to dravid, at his peak he was a machine. Had all the short and was sure as anything defensively. It's just that he seems to be dragging his career out over a period of time despite a long slow downturn in ability

Dravid will go down as one of the greats of the game. More thex ten thousand runs. Agree he should retire though would like to see pujara get a go soon- maybe this summer?

[Indian_Hotdog]

Watch out for indian batting ace C.Pujara on this tour.

[Nugget1985]

Dravid is a great player no doubting that.

I admire his attributes as a great test batsmen but as a keen cricket follower I have grown old of his accumulation of runs in particualar his non ability to score heavily in front of the wicket over the last three to four years..

I hope Pujara is of a more aggresive mindset.

[whats_at_stake]

Dravid is a great player no doubting that.

I admire his attributes as a great test batsmen but as a keen cricket follower I have grown old of his accumulation of runs in particualar his non ability to score heavily in front of the wicket over the last three to four years..

I hope Pujara is of a more aggresive mindset.

The Cricinfo article mentioned that he was scoring quicker then used to. His ODI domestic strike rate is 82ish and Twenty20 is 130ish. No data for the longer format.

http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/32540.html

[Nugget1985]

Where did I say he wasn't scoring fast??

My post refers to where and how he gets his runs not to the speed of them. My hope is that Pujara adopts an agressive mindset to play some risks in hitting the ball in front of the wicket in the test arena.

[whats_at_stake]

Where did I say he wasn't scoring fast??

My post refers to where and how he gets his runs not to the speed of them. My hope is that Pujara adopts an agressive mindset to play some risks in hitting the ball in front of the wicket in the test arena.

Sorry I misinterpreted that. Will be interesting to see what he does in regards to his scoring zones but I have no idea how he scores his runs at the moment. The highish strike rate would suggest though he does have a range of shots. Will probably not debut until one of Dravid or VVS retire or there are one or two injuries.

Murali Vijay would be still be in front of him in the pecking order so one retirement and an injury and he is in.

[Nugget1985]

I love Murali Vijay, I hope he is successful at the test arena!!!

[itcouldbeworse]

Interested in hearing peoples opinion on North? seems to me he only seems to make runs when they aren't needed and when the team is struggling and wickets are falling he gives away his wicket far to easily? Don't get me wrong i still think he is good player. his bowling is fairly handy

[Doodlesweaver]

Interested in hearing peoples opinion on North? seems to me he only seems to make runs when they aren't needed and when the team is struggling and wickets are falling he gives away his wicket far to easily? Don't get me wrong i still think he is good player. his bowling is fairly handy

I think he has problems concentrating. It makes him an unreliable catcher as well.

On cricinfo, they just showed a stat that in the last 26 matches, Mike Hussey has scored at around an average of 36. So basically about 3 to 4 of our batsmen are having a really shite year/2 year period. Looks good for the Ashes, doesn't it?

[Bomber Bears]

It says that both are lucky to be still in the side.
Particularly North, who had little in the bank to fall back on (as opposed to Hussey).

Wasnt so long ago that Martyn was cut after a poor Ashes series (featuring a couple of shocking decisions), after a year in which he scored 6 tons. Or Hughes after two bad tests. Yet Particularly North and Hussey can do no wrong

[Chris25]

Everybody knows that the Australian selectors aren't very creative, and it takes months of planning for them to even consider making a change.

So I think the Ferguson injury really messed up the plans of the selectors. He would have taken North's spot in the Test team, but instead he got injured and the selectors lost the only alternative in their eyes.

They at least brought Khawaja into the squad, but giving someone a Test debut without being around the Australian setup for at least a few months would be unheard of.

[whats_at_stake]

Tour game on right now can be followed here:

http://www.cricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2010/engine/current/match/464525.html

Bollinger and Hussey aside Australia playing their best 11.

The notable players in the Indian President's Board 11 are Gambhir, Pujara, Sreesanth and the two spinners in Chawla and Ojha. Fairly strong outfit so should be a good game.

[Bomber Bears]

0/207, katich has hit a ton and watson on 95

[thefamilyguy]

Fairly strong outfit so should be a good game.

0/207, katich has hit a ton and watson on 95

Genuine lulz
:p

[Cleavy]

typical frickin road of a pitch

[frankrizzo]

Typical on an Indian tour, if it's a road for the tour game the first test will be a raging turner.

Although i think India would be better facing us on two good pitches where they can grind us down and out.

At least a huge turner gives us a lottery chance of nicking a test.

[Indian_Hotdog]

Typical on an Indian tour, if it's a road for the tour game the first test will be a raging turner.

Although i think India would be better facing us on two good pitches where they can grind us down and out.

At least a huge turner gives us a lottery chance of nicking a test.


The Mohali pitch is completely different , lots of bounce and seam possible.

Ponting should know very well :D



NsaxK5EZCvg&p=8D71F6FFD68655B1&playnext=1&index=16

[whats_at_stake]

I have to say I remember watching that bowl and thinking it is one of the bests I have ever seen. I bet you as soon as Ponting comes to bat Sharma and Harbhajan will be on both ends.

[Doodlesweaver]

It says that both are lucky to be still in the side.
Particularly North, who had little in the bank to fall back on (as opposed to Hussey).

Wasnt so long ago that Martyn was cut after a poor Ashes series (featuring a couple of shocking decisions), after a year in which he scored 6 tons. Or Hughes after two bad tests. Yet Particularly North and Hussey can do no wrong

Ahh, the Martyn decision. I've never really understood the politics behind that. Some players get a free pass and others are always on the chopping block.

[Nugget1985]

That was a terrible decision, Martyn was a wonderful player and an unneccesary scapegoat in the selectors need to be seen to be making changes.

[Bucking Beads]

We need to get Ferguson into the team ASAP. Also the amount of time Hussey has been given to find form is a joke. North is rubbish IMO but is clearly a butt buddy if Punters so his spot is safe. Even Pup got dropped when he deserved it and he is a golden boy.

[Phone]

we really don't need to get Ferguson into the team asap. he needs another good season at fc level. he's had one.