Test The Ashes Fifth Test January 4-8 1000hrs @ The SCG

[peternorth]

Tails is the call

england will bat

 

[HoldMyBeer]

Dead rubbers now have some meaning when they used to have none.

Oh, the humanity!

My opinion is you're wrong there when we're talking about The Ashes

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Bowling first
Probably a good thing with our mostly pace attack

 

[Jimthegreat]

Obviously Smith's coin tossing skills need work...lol. He's lost every toss.

 

[cats_09]

Webster for Richardson

Potts in for England

 

[icyflakes]

Obviously Smith's coin tossing skills need work...lol. He's lost every toss.

He said he wanted to bring Cumdawg back just for the toss!

 

[aabp1978]

I think England are always much better at chasing a total, so not the worst

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

England also not playing a spinner.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

You hopeless campaigners still can’t win a yoss

 

[Jimthegreat]

Not sure I like going in with just 3 genuine bowlers and 2 all rounders.

 

[Drakescoffeecake]

They want Green to make it so bad.

 

[CakeEater]

Webster for Richardson

Potts in for England

Bit rubbish dropping Richo for Webster.

Thought Richo bowled well last test and didnt deserve to be dropped for a bitsa player like Webster

 

[Aussie pie]

When in doubt leave out the Victorian even if it’s a spinner at the SCG??? wtf!!!! Why would anyone want to bowl spin here? CA are screwing the spinners in this country.

 

[CakeEater]

They want Green to make it so bad.

Theres noone like him coming through

 

[peternorth]

"Good toss to lose"

Now a part of cricket vernacular.

 

[10Dulkar]

Instinctively I hate going with only three specialist bowlers and no spinner.

 

[HBF]

Don't mind having a bowl first on this deck.

 

[peternorth]

Theres noone like him coming through

In terms of a tall cricketer who can bat and bowl a bit?

 

[peternorth]

Instinctively I hate going with only three specialist bowlers and no spinner.

feel similiar. but is it because we've been brought up on this being a 70s born person?

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

It's an interesting topic. Does it help the Poms more? Or does it just give fringe local players more of an opportunity?

Does playing in a diluted comp against lesser opposition help THEIR Test players?

It's a kneejerk for mine, you want the best you can get in your premier comp.

There were heaps of Poms, Indians and Pakistanis playing in First Grade in my era in Perth but very few in the Shield. I'm sure it was, and is, the same in other states.

Australia has always been fairly "reluctant" to have overseas players in the Shield, and it's even less likely now given the schedules. You can pretty much write off the Southern hemisphere players from it. I can't remember the last one to be honest. Wessels played for QLD before SAF's readmission, likewise Barry Richards for SA. Sobers? Tony Lock played for WA after he'd retired from England.

It is rarer in Australia for a couiple of reasons. Obviously T20 crammed in the middle of the season.
We only have six states, so nobody in the Shield is all that far from national honours in one of the formats - whether ful team or A teams or whatever else.
The final and salary caps. It is almost worthless getting a player in, paying them, for the Shield prize money (not sure what that is, but quite low I suspect) at the best of times. But if they won't be around for the final, even moreso. Counties can bring a player in, pay them for a few weeks, and in the multiday game there is no final. Points in round one are as important as winning at any other stage of the season.

Back in the 80s and less so into the 90s it was reasonably common for some states to have an international or two. Holding at Tas, Garner at SA, Botham at Qld, Imran at NSW, etc, not counting those like Brian Davison (Rhodesia/Tasmania) and Kepler Wessels (South Africa/Queensland/Australia/South Africa) who basically moved long-term (Wessels obviously moved back later).
Johan Botha at South Australia might fit that category much later. But there were less tours happening in the 1980s and early 90s, every now and then West Indies or England would not be touring Australia or New Zealand and so players would have months free and a few chose to play Shield or club cricket.

 

[CakeEater]

In terms of a tall cricketer who can bat and bowl a bit?

And field well too.

Plus has the capability to make big centuries batting 4.

 

[Jimthegreat]

Bit rubbish dropping Richo for Webster.

Thought Richo bowled well last test and didnt deserve to be dropped for a bitsa player like Webster

What is wrong with just dropping Green for Webster. Green is obviously well entrenched in the boy's club cult. A cult where you can be the most average player going but never get dropped.

 

[Drakescoffeecake]

Theres noone like him coming through

Someone who is tall?

 

[Linda Lovelace]

This seems to be the expected XI, from what I’ve pieced together from the media whispers. Personally, I don’t really see the point of playing Webster at 8 — you may as well have played Murphy or kept Jhye in.

Head
Weatherald
Labuschagne
Smith
Khawaja
Carey
Green
Webster
Neser
Starc
Boland

This guy nailed the complete stupidity of the selectors. Bravo, sir.

3 all-rounders and no spinner? Are we playing for the draw?

England will lose anyway, but that doesn't mean the selectors haven't been huffing paint.

 

[Westend]

Morning all

Nice to see the green haters out in force again

good to see webbie in the team

no murphy selectors came to there senses and realised they picked the wrong spinner in the squad