Best test XI as of now?

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IanG

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#77
Marsh was the in form batsmen in Sri lanka before he was picked. Made centuries in the tour game, then scored big in his first 2 tests. got injured and scored a century in his T20D innings. you would be mad not to put him in the side on those figures. dissapointing since then, but his selection was never a stupid move.
Marsh was injured the entire summer up until the first India test with only a T20 match before the test. They were mad to pick him without any proper match practice, poor selection policy. Did you note how Siddle is now higher on the world batting ratings than Marsh. As for Kwahaja he hadn't quite gone on with it but he is technically better and looks more assured at the crease than Marsh.
 

PykeDream

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#78
Regarding Haddin and his continued selection, has anybody considered that maybe he is extremely well-liked amongst his peers? Not just the selectors, but his fellow players as well? He is vice-captain, after all. It would explain why the selectors are reluctant to drop him; dropping a well-liked player who is really good for the group can cause more problems than it solves in the short-term, so they may be wanting to give him every chance to find some form to avoid that. And make no mistake, an in-form Brad Haddin is not a bad thing to have. It's just not very common, especially lately.
I don't think James Pattinson likes him very much, not that he is technically in the team at the moment.
 

The Governor

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#79
Here is my TEST XI

Shane Watson
David Warner
Shaun Marsh
Ricky Ponting
Michael Clarke (Captain)
Dan Christian
Matthew Wade
James Pattinson
Peter Siddle
Nathan Lyon
Mitchell Starc

THE GOV
 

Alexwce

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#80
Dan Christian ahead of Ed Cowan/Usman Khawaja and Michael Hussey? Whatever it is that you are consuming, I would greatly appreciate you to share it with me!
 

aussierulesrules

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#82
Marsh was injured the entire summer up until the first India test with only a T20 match before the test. They were mad to pick him without any proper match practice, poor selection policy. Did you note how Siddle is now higher on the world batting ratings than Marsh. As for Kwahaja he hadn't quite gone on with it but he is technically better and looks more assured at the crease than Marsh.
When you say Usman looks more assured at the crease than Marsh, are you referring to the horribly out of form Marsh of right now, who you admit yourself was a silly selection, given how little cricket he'd had leading into the series, or the Marsh that is usually far more assured than this and who managed to face over 600 balls in just 3 of his early test innings, only 3 months ago? (In comparison, Usman has faced only a little more than that, 673, in his 11 test innings so far. Those figures don't scream "more assured" to me.)
 

The Governor

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#83
Dan Christian ahead of Ed Cowan/Usman Khawaja and Michael Hussey? Whatever it is that you are consuming, I would greatly appreciate you to share it with me!
Michael Hussey is nearly 38 years of age and either Ponting or Hussey could make the 2013 Ashes touring squad to the UK. One of them has to retire. I would retire Michael Hussey after the Indian test series. Do we want an Australian XI that resembles the English test XI of the 80s? Rod Marsh and John Inverarity are doing an excellent job and they share the same selection theories as Greg Chappell.

The selectors have done an excellent job in picking youth and the trend has to continue.

I would not pick Ed Cowan for a simple reason. He cannot bat at 3 and I prefer to have Shane Watson in the opening position. As Chappelli mentioned on Cricket Info and on CHannel 9, there is no point in re-inventing the wheel with Shane Watson. He has found his niche as a test cricketer for a number of reasons:

  1. Shane Watson prefers to play against the new ball straight away. During his shield career with Tasmania and Qld, he struggled to bat in the middle order. During his time with Tasmania, he scored a bulk of runs at first drop. During his time with Qld, he really struggled until he was given a chance to open the batting alongside Graeme Smith during his stint at the Royals in 2009.
  2. He is an attacking right hand opener who can use his body language to bully the opposing bowlers in a similar vein to Matthew Hayden and Gordon Greenidge.
  3. Shane Watson reminds me of a young 1986-87 and 1987-88 version of David Boon. The David Boon of the late 80s preferred to play against the new ball. He loved to take the attack to the opposition. He scored a bulk of his runs as an opener in comparison to his stint at number 5-6 during the 1984-85 and 1985 tour of England. Apart from his run of outs in 1986-87, he was one of our most successful opening batsman and no 3 batsman since Sir Donald Bradman.
  4. Shane Watson's body cannot handle the demands of bowling 20 overs of fast medium in an innings. His body is not designed to be an allrounder.
I would pick Dan Christian at number 6 to release Shane Watson from the burden of bowling 25 overs of fast medium deliveries per innings.

Chappelli and Imran Khan always held the view that you need a balanced and varied attack to take 20 wickets in a test match. You need an allrounder at 6 who can relieve the workloads of Siddle, Cummins and Starc/Hilfenhauss.

THE GOV
 

CHIEF SMACKAHOE

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#84
watson averages less than 40, that's not good enough for an opening batsman and tbh if he can't bowl he shouldn't be playing for australia because as a batsman alone he's not quite good enough to justify his spot.
 

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Bucking Beads

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#88
because he's one of the best captains this country ever had? i'll admits he talks a lot of shit but to just throw out his views on stuff like team composition entirely is just idiocy at it's worst
Clarke to 3 and Watson must open.. Watson is only a 4 over spell bowler. Akash Chopra the star. Might have been a good captain but the guy is a moron.
 

aussie1st

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#89
Watson had a shocking stint as opener for Queensland was scoring ducks left right and center. His average as opener in Test is the same as his first class average for Queensland and Tassie where he was batting 3/4 so I see no reason why he can't bat in the middle order. Cowan and Warner looks like developing into a good opening combo so I see no reason to break them up.
 

Alexwce

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#91
Michael Hussey is nearly 38 years of age and either Ponting or Hussey could make the 2013 Ashes touring squad to the UK. One of them has to retire. I would retire Michael Hussey after the Indian test series. Do we want an Australian XI that resembles the English test XI of the 80s? Rod Marsh and John Inverarity are doing an excellent job and they share the same selection theories as Greg Chappell.

The selectors have done an excellent job in picking youth and the trend has to continue.

I would not pick Ed Cowan for a simple reason. He cannot bat at 3 and I prefer to have Shane Watson in the opening position. As Chappelli mentioned on Cricket Info and on CHannel 9, there is no point in re-inventing the wheel with Shane Watson. He has found his niche as a test cricketer for a number of reasons:

  1. Shane Watson prefers to play against the new ball straight away. During his shield career with Tasmania and Qld, he struggled to bat in the middle order. During his time with Tasmania, he scored a bulk of runs at first drop. During his time with Qld, he really struggled until he was given a chance to open the batting alongside Graeme Smith during his stint at the Royals in 2009.
  2. He is an attacking right hand opener who can use his body language to bully the opposing bowlers in a similar vein to Matthew Hayden and Gordon Greenidge.
  3. Shane Watson reminds me of a young 1986-87 and 1987-88 version of David Boon. The David Boon of the late 80s preferred to play against the new ball. He loved to take the attack to the opposition. He scored a bulk of his runs as an opener in comparison to his stint at number 5-6 during the 1984-85 and 1985 tour of England. Apart from his run of outs in 1986-87, he was one of our most successful opening batsman and no 3 batsman since Sir Donald Bradman.
  4. Shane Watson's body cannot handle the demands of bowling 20 overs of fast medium in an innings. His body is not designed to be an allrounder.
I would pick Dan Christian at number 6 to release Shane Watson from the burden of bowling 25 overs of fast medium deliveries per innings.

Chappelli and Imran Khan always held the view that you need a balanced and varied attack to take 20 wickets in a test match. You need an allrounder at 6 who can relieve the workloads of Siddle, Cummins and Starc/Hilfenhauss.

THE GOV
And your proposed solution for an all rounder is Dan Christian? You can't rely on him to bowl you 20 reliable overs and he hasn't yet proved himself to handle the bat.

In the last 5 or 6 years, Watson has lost a lot of kilo's and thus has become a lot leaner. He is the countries best old ball bowlers even if he only bowls 15 overs per innings, those 15 overs is something we desperately need to accumilate 20 wickets to win a match.

Yes. Watson has been our most valuable player for a few years however his batting average has taken a bit of a dip and now is under 40. You could also argue that he isn't good enough to be a specialist batsman. For Australia's sake he needs to play as an all rounder.
 

Thommo 42

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#92
Dan Christian is the ultimate bitsa player.

No way would he ever be considered as a specialist batsman or a specialist bowler, but because he is just 'ok' at both skills, he is suddenly up for selection?

If we want to go down the road of an all-rounder instead of Watson, it needs to be someone that can at least demand, or get close to demanding selection with one discipline. If for example, Tim Paine eventually replaces Haddin, you could bat him at #6 and have Luke Butterworth in the side, as at least one of his skills is arguably test standard.

I can't believe Christian is under consideration.
 

nobbyiscool

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#93
using the rationale of getting in a half-arsed allrounder, wouldn't you at least make it James Faulkner or Mitch Marsh to try and develop them, as opposed to Christian who will only be our next version of Andrew McDonald?
 

maelcoluim

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#95
watson averages less than 40, that's not good enough for an opening batsman and tbh if he can't bowl he shouldn't be playing for australia because as a batsman alone he's not quite good enough to justify his spot.
He has a first class batting average of 45, a good 6 runs better than Cowan. Ideally he would be able to bowl but I think he justify's a spot in this team as a batsman alone.
 

dan warna

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#96
1. Warner (not convinced he'll score against england)
2. Khawaja (convinced he has the tools to be a long term opener)
3. Cowan (plug in)
4. Ponting (not long to go punter)
5. Marsh (dropping him down the ladder)
6. Clarke (the further down he bats the better he is)
7. Wade (hartley or paine acceptable, word is nevill is competent, would take him also)
8. O'Keefe (why has every other pie tosser been given a shot but him? that said lyon has been acceptable)
9. Pattinson (wunderkid!)
10. Siddle (The rock of Australia's resurgent bowling)
11. Hilfenhaus (lovely to watch bowling!)

Cummins and Faulkner in the background and watson if he is genuinely fit.

Lot of respect for Harris but like hussey and punter, the clock is against him.

Cutting also deserved a shot but his injury again a knife in the back of this young man.
 

Alexwce

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#99
hussey is fading, mentioned him in the notes at the end.

Khawaja is the best potential for an opener. I will have cowan at 3 and elevated to opening if warner fails.
Hussey has made scores of 150*, 89, 118, 93, 142, 95, 116, 93, 52, 195 at an average of 47.62 since the commencing of the ashes series. How is that fading?

Obviously Hussey won't play forever but to oppose his value and form in the contemporary Test XI is crazy.

Right now the Warner/Cowan opening partnership is working at a satisfactory level. Why would alter the partnership to make space for Khawaja who has been out of sorts when previously playing at test level?
 
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