Changes for 4th test

[LukeParkerno1]

Lyon bowled beautifully in the last test.

How many wickets did he get...

As a bowler you are judged on your ability to get wickets. Swann got 4 Lyon got 1 on a raging turner practically! Lyon has ZERO control, and he doesn't have Agar's excuse that he is young!

 

[Phone]

There's no point messing around with Watson. We move Watson down to 4/5/6 right now, we're just gonna hear a bunch of shit from his supporters and probably himself about how he hasn't been given a fair enough go in his preferred position, how 3 tests isn't a big enough sample size. Another sideways move for Watson right now will only muddy the waters and that's the last thing we want to be doing with the Watson problem. If the series wasn't already lost, it'd be different, but it's not, so we can afford, for the sake of the long term, to give Watson what he wants for a bit more, and if he fails in these two tests, well maybe it'll force Watson to re-consider his weird belief that he can only succeed opening the batting.........(after we tell him he's most likely all but dropped for the first home Ashes test, of course)

 

[Phone]

Usman, it goes without saying I would have thought, is in roughly the same position. Just keep on selecting him for these two tests so we leave best placed to make a clear and good judgement on his future. (so basically what western royboy said)

 

[Whowants2know]

There's no point messing around with Watson. We move Watson down to 4/5/6 right now, we're just gonna hear a bunch of shit from his supporters and probably himself about how he hasn't been given a fair enough go in his preferred position, how 3 tests isn't a big enough sample size. Another sideways move for Watson right now will only muddy the waters and that's the last thing we want to be doing with the Watson problem. If the series wasn't already lost, it'd be different, but it's not, so we can afford, for the sake of the long term, to give Watson what he wants for a bit more, and if he fails in these two tests, well maybe it'll force Watson to re-consider his weird belief that he can only succeed opening the batting.........(after we tell him he's most likely all but dropped for the first home Ashes test, of course)

Has now gone 44 innings without a century! How many batsmen worldwide would still be playing for there national team???

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Talk of Durham being seam friendly

We might even go with the 4 quicks + Watson

It's a pity Clarke's back is rooted as he'd be a good option on a seaming wicket to rattle off some overs to keep the bowling rate up, rather than pick a specialist spinner

 

[Phone]

buddy, we can give him 4 more innings if it help us cleanly end to this saga. The series is lost, remember. Moving him down to 6, but not dumping him wont be a clean ending. It'll be a repeat. The saga will live on. Ian Chappell and Shane Warne and shit will complain loudly. (and hey, if he makes a king pair next game, we can probably end the saga then)

 

[Cleavy]

just play Faulkner instead of Watson. Could hardly do any worse.

 

[Mateyman]

How many wickets did he get...

As a bowler you are judged on your ability to get wickets. Swann got 4 Lyon got 1 on a raging turner practically! Lyon has ZERO control, and he doesn't have Agar's excuse that he is young!

Have you ever seen an Indian pitch? This was by no means "a raging turner", especially when Lyon was bowling (1st innings mostly)

 

[Gak Attack]

I wish they would just piss Watson off. If they need the extra bowler, just bring in Faulkner and bat Haddin at 6. Not exactly hard for Faulkner to match Watson with the bat anyways. Would love for Bird to show what he's got, was very unlucky to not get picked ahead of Starc... wouldn't be surprised to see Harris rested for him.

 

[funk44]

Out: Watson, Starc
In: Hughes, Bird

If any bowler can't handle a 5 test series they should choose another profession

 

[courtjester]

How many wickets did he get...

As a bowler you are judged on your ability to get wickets. Swann got 4 Lyon got 1 on a raging turner practically! Lyon has ZERO control, and he doesn't have Agar's excuse that he is young!

What a crock.

Swann took five in the first innings, sure. But Australia were looking to force the pace so Swann got lucky with Siddle (heaved across the line), Smith (just trying to smash him) and Warner (chasing runs).

Lyon only took one in the first innings, but England were batting super conservatively in that innings, and in the second innings Lyon only got to bowl 3 overs.

If you watched it, you'd know he bowled beautifully.

 

[Marklar_33]

I'd go as far as to say had we had 2 more sessions, Lyon would have been the match-winner

 

[funk44]

I'd go as far as to say had we had 2 more sessions, Lyon would have been the match-winner

agreed, he was looking extremely dangerous in the 2nd innings

 

[Big Bryza]

Need to give Big Bird a crack in the last 2 tests. To win the ashes back in Aus we need Harris fit and firing for the 1st test at the Gabba. I'd consider resting him this test and play him in the last test. Starc bowled much better but is still a fair way off having the control of Harris or Siddle.

I really hope that was a momentum shifter in Manchester and not a flash in the pan moment. Even though we can't win the series we should be looking to win these last 2 tests and if not forcing a draw. Give these campaigners nothing.

In - Bird
Out - Harris or Starc

On the Watson issue. Yeah his batting stinks, well not entirely true as he looks great getting to 20 but then completely ****s it all up. His bowling is world class and I think that's the sticking point. I'd personally bat him at 6/7 and really focus on his bowling.

1 - Rogers
2 - Warner
3 - Khawaja
4 - Clarke
5 - Smith
6 - Watson
7 - Haddin
8 - Siddle
9 - Starc/Harris
10 - Lyon
11 - Bird

On a final note - **** england and **** their weather!

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Lyon has nearly always dissapointed when his time has come to bowl out a team in a 4th innings, not much to suggest he'd have done it the other day. The seamers would have won us the game.

 

[jhong]

Listening to boof's presser on TV it sounds like he is toying with the idea of dropping Watson down the order, calling him an all rounder,and resting Harris . Not sure if he was playing funny-buggers with the press ,we shall see.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

What a crock.

Swann took five in the first innings, sure. But Australia were looking to force the pace so Swann got lucky with Siddle (heaved across the line), Smith (just trying to smash him) and Warner (chasing runs).

Lyon only took one in the first innings, but England were batting super conservatively in that innings, and in the second innings Lyon only got to bowl 3 overs.

If you watched it, you'd know he bowled beautifully.

If he bowled that well he would have got 3 wickets dead minimum. Fact is, he is ordinary, especially at getting top order wickets. As a spinner it doesn't matter how you get them, it matters that you do. He is ridiculously inaccurate and for an off spinner that is almost criminal, he should be able to pitch the ball on a 20c piece, and yet he is all over the shop.

 

[frankrizzo]

Listening to boof's presser on TV it sounds like he is toying with the idea of dropping Watson down the order, calling him an all rounder

Yep he is an allrounder, if he was just a batsman then he would have surely been dumped after the awful last 2 years he has had with the blade.

Bat at 6 and bowl more is the only place for him in test cricket, we need openers to get a start and go on with it and watto has just 2 tons since his test debut 8 long year ago.

He makes pretty 40's and 50's so batting him at 6 makes more sense.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Yep he is an allrounder, if he was just a batsman then he would have surely been dumped after the awful last 2 years he has had with the blade.

Bat at 6 and bowl more is the only place for him in test cricket, we need openers to get a start and go on with it and watto has just 2 tons since his test debut 8 long year ago.

He makes pretty 40's and 50's so batting him at 6 makes more sense.

Yep, let's just leave him at 6 for the rest of his career. His bowling is great and quick 40s (or more) will be pretty handy to go along with that.

 

[The Passenger]

The oval (fifth test i know, but just gazing ahead) is typically quite a spinning wicket so you could potentially look at a 6/7/8/9 combo of Haddin, Faulkner, Agar and Starc.

That would overcome any shortfall in the batting by playing a keeper at 6. And the shortfall on the batting isn't really there given that the guy to make way is Watson, and on current form you'd back Faulkner to make just as much runs at 7 as Watson at 4 or 6... (cue Watson runs in 4th test)

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Lyon certainly has form for not cleaning up on the 5th day, so I wouldn't think it was a given that he was going to slice through them. As Thorne says, it would have been down to the seamers.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Yep, let's just leave him at 6 for the rest of his career. His bowling is great and quick 40s (or more) will be pretty handy to go along with that.

I'd be happy if he batted after Haddin at 7.

 

[courtjester]

If he bowled that well he would have got 3 wickets dead minimum. Fact is, he is ordinary, especially at getting top order wickets. As a spinner it doesn't matter how you get them, it matters that you do. He is ridiculously inaccurate and for an off spinner that is almost criminal, he should be able to pitch the ball on a 20c piece, and yet he is all over the shop.

If an offspinner doesn't get a chance to bowl in the 3rd/4th innings, how can you say he should have got 3 wickets min?

How is he inaccurate? He's very accurate.

His drift, flight, turn and spin were spot on in that last test. Bowled beautifully.

 

[Cleavy]

Bird is in the squad of 12. That's it! Bah!

 

[HBF]

Watson to 6 for mine. Takes some of the pressure off him going in to open, and he won't have to face the new ball. He's fortunate that no-one is really kicking the door down making a heap of runs otherwise he'd be in trouble. Bird to come in for Starc, or if Harris doesn't come up.