Changes for 3rd Test, SCG

[Ducky Tie]

Bird averages 15 after one match. Must be our best selection in the last decade by those standards.

I'm not saying that Hastings was a good selection but the crap he has got here is complete rubbish. He came in due to an outstanding first class record which is what people are always saying the selectors don't do. He came in against the best team in the world containing the likes of De Villiers, Amla, Kallis and Smith. Now sure he wasn't great, and things didn't go his way, but I have no doubt that he played against the Sri Lankans, he would have had success.

Now I'm not saying I want him to play a test match again or that he is a star but he doesn't deserve to be treated like someone who is a disgrace to the baggy green.

 

[eddiesmith]

lol @ people suggesting Henriques because he made his first ever century this year...

 

[Bradesmaen]

lol @ people suggesting Henriques because he made his first ever century this year...

I think you'll find its more on the back of his bowling than batting. His batting is worthy of a spot at #7 and so is his bowling. He's more of a bowler than a batsman these days, where as Maxwell is neither.

 

[Marlin01]

Bird averages 15 after one match. Must be our best selection in the last decade by those standards.

I'm not saying that Hastings was a good selection but the crap he has got here is complete rubbish. He came in due to an outstanding first class record which is what people are always saying the selectors don't do. He came in against the best team in the world containing the likes of De Villiers, Amla, Kallis and Smith. Now sure he wasn't great, and things didn't go his way, but I have no doubt that he played against the Sri Lankans, he would have had success.

Now I'm not saying I want him to play a test match again or that he is a star but he doesn't deserve to be treated like someone who is a disgrace to the baggy green.

Hastings bowled slowly and inaccurately. I don't think he'd have had success against Sri Lanka.

 

[Kram]

Hastings is the definition of a military bowler, poor selection for a Test match especially in Perth.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Hastings was the form bowler in the shield at the time (with Bird of course).

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Australia are going to want 3 pace bowlers and 2 spinners as much as possible when playing in India. Given Watson's issues, you can't rely on him to be that third paceman. Maxwell provides that flexibility and, given the series is already won and the SCG is the best deck for spinners, it's the perfect time to try Maxwell out.

Wade can be the third pace bowler, after all we don't want him keeping to spin too often.

 

[matty p]

Warner
Cowan
Hughes
Khawaja (rest Clarke)
Hussey (c)
Wade
Johnson/Maxwell (depends on the pitch)
Starc/Johnson
Siddle
Lyon
Bird

If the selectors pick with their head and the foresight to look forward to the Ashes, Bird will play. I fear they will pick with their heart though and play Johnson and Starc instead.

 

[Underarm]

Starc will play. Should never have been dropped.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Starc will play. Should never have been dropped.

He wasn't dropped.

 

[DaRick]

Hastings is an example of what can happen when you focus too much on the numbers and not enough on the cricketer behind them.

From what I saw of him, I immediately realised that, as things stood, he would be one of those guys who would consistently do the job at the FC level but did not really have the tools or potential to justify his selection in the Test team. He bears a lot in common with someone like Shaun Young in that respect.

Basically, he's not accomplished enough with the bat nor is he quick or sufficiently accomplished at generating seam movement or swing.

There have certainly been worse selections in recent times, however. People like Xavier Doherty didn't even have the numbers behind them to justify their selection, for example.

 

[Hellgood]

Starc will play. Should never have been dropped.

To be honest, Starc did very well to clean up the South African tail in Perth and the Sri Lankan tail in Hobart, but it's made people forget that he was very ordinary bowling to the top order in these games with him leaking boundaries with pretty alarming regularity. I like him and think he's definitely got a future ahead of him at international level, but jesus, the way people are talking him up as our best bowler etc. after two tail order demolitions and no impact against the top order is unfathomable.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

To be honest, Starc did very well to clean up the South African tail in Perth and the Sri Lankan tail in Hobart, but it's made people forget that he was very ordinary bowling to the top order in these games with him leaking boundaries with pretty alarming regularity. I like him and think he's definitely got a future ahead of him at international level, but jesus, the way people are talking him up as our best bowler etc. after two tail order demolitions and no impact against the top order is unfathomable.

No impact on the top order? I reckon that Alviro Petersen and Kallis count as top order. He was inconsistent in Perth, but did have an impact.
In Hobart even when he wasn't in full control at least he was full and wide of off rather than bowling half-trackers. You could see he was reying to do the right thing, something that can't be said some others.

Some of the love for Starc (and the bowling line-up as a whole) is over the top for mine - but saying Starc has had no top order impact just doesn't ring true. He's not a top shelf bowler though, time will tell if he becomes one.

 

[Hellgood]

No impact on the top order? I reckon that Alviro Petersen and Kallis count as top order. He was inconsistent in Perth, but did have an impact.
In Hobart even when he wasn't in full control at least he was full and wide of off rather than bowling half-trackers. You could see he was reying to do the right thing, something that can't be said some others.

Some of the love for Starc (and the bowling line-up as a whole) is over the top for mine - but saying Starc has had no top order impact just doesn't ring true. He's not a top shelf bowler though, time will tell if he becomes one.

Yeah I remember those two balls, they were absolute pearlers, but I think aside from that he really struggled in the second innings in Perth and for all of Hobart except the final session. Like I said, I like him and think that he could develop into a real weapon and have no problem with him being a part of the "rotation pool", but I also have no problem with him being the first one dropped/rested at this stage.

 

[MG MG]

To be honest, Starc did very well to clean up the South African tail in Perth and the Sri Lankan tail in Hobart, but it's made people forget that he was very ordinary bowling to the top order in these games with him leaking boundaries with pretty alarming regularity. I like him and think he's definitely got a future ahead of him at international level, but jesus, the way people are talking him up as our best bowler etc. after two tail order demolitions and no impact against the top order is unfathomable.

Agreed. In Perth, his 6-for were the last 6 wickets. Johnson knocked over the top order with his 4-for and Starc just bundled out the middle-lower order. Nothing brilliant about knocking over Imran Tahir.