Changes for Australian Summer

[Selective Retention]

Hughes, Katich, Ponting, Watson, Clarke, North, Haddin, Johnson, Hauritz, Siddle, Hilfenhaus.

I'm a Krejza fan but if they are going to **** around with the chosen spinner he is better off having a full first class season in the shield to improve on the areas he needs to improve on to become an international spinner.

 

[krusden]

Bailey's above figures in that link read well with both ball and bat.

they do, don't they!

the sa selectors hopefully give him more game time so that he can realise his full potential.

 

[XFactor1979]

changes for the australian summer?

1. weaker opposition
2. a false sense of security

 

[Cousins2Higgins]

No thanks.

Pontings captaincy isn't great, but I'd rather not have a flouncing, prancing, social page loving punce as captain. I like Clarke as a player, but there's no way I'd make him captain.


Play Krezja, and give him some games to adjust against the weak opposition, and minimal pressure we'll have this summer. If he leaks runs, well so be it.

We have to have a spinner (you know, that can turn ball......), that's blatantly obvious. Hauritz was serviceable, but he's not a long term option. Has to go.

Hussey. Seeya later pal. One irrelevant century in god knows how many months of sheer dross hopefully won't save him.


Hughes back in to open. His dropping was absolutely ridiculous in the first place.

Watson hasn't really done anything wrong with the bat, so probably doesn't deserve to be dropped. I'd have him back down the order at 6, with Clarke and North moving up the order.


Clark is probably finished. Better off looking to the future.

Brett "Boys Club" Lee to hopefully never be seen again. The fact he hung around like a bad smell for the whole tour was another blunder. Hell, the fact he was even there was wrong IMO.


I'd keep faith with the 3 guys that did well for us in South Africa (and Hilfenhaus in England too). They're the future, might as well stick with them.

Plus I'd thrown Johnsons mum and girlfriend off a boat in the middle of the ocean. It was pretty clear that those two bickering in public, started the decline of his mental state. He wasn't ready mentally, simple as that.

My team?


Hughes
Katich (Has had a great year or so, but he needs runs)
Ponting
Clarke
North
Watson
Haddin
Johnson
Krezja
Siddle
Hilfenhaus

This.. I was going to post the same 11 while scrolling through the thread.

 

[Yoda_]

Hmmm...make Haddin captain...but drop him

Dont play Siddle and Johnson in the same side...Siddle will get his chance later on...but Siddle is one of 5 to hold his head up high, and is selected alongside Johnson in your Ashes dreamteam

Backflip central!

FWIW (very little, I know)

Hughes to come in... best option is for Watson to slip down the order, maybe to 6, but would it be totally crazy for Katich to make way at the top? Katich is just another makeshift opener as it is. He could take Hussey's spot at 4 for the next few years until Clarke steps up there

Haddin must stay, his plusses with the bat far outweigh his negatives with the gloves

Krejza would have won us The Oval Test... he must play every Test this summer

Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Siddle are our 3 best quicks, and will probably be the backbone of our attack come 2013. Might as well stick with them

just go and watch the cricket and then make an informed decison, please buddy?

 

[jimmy_clement#8]

Watson needs to stay, like aforementioned, if he can combine his batting from England with his bowling from India, and then stay fit (I know, big ifs), then he becomes one of our most integral players.

Hughes needs a full summer now. Looks a typical dropped early in his career but flourished upon return type (see Waugh, Clarke, etc.)

Ponting, Clarke and North don't move. Happy with all three.

Katich and Hussey. Not so sure. Kat got a sturdy hundred at Cardiff, but then didn't outbat Watson really since then.

Hussey gets the century at the end of the series, but he has had 12 scores of 10 or less since his most previous century, and only made six 50s in that same span (28 times at bat).

I think you have to bring Hughes back in, and at the expense of Katich or Hussey.

Marsh and Ferguson are on the bubble, important shield seasons coming up for them.

Haddin, safe.

Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Johnson, that's the trio of quicks we have to persist with. Watson with some form back makes it a nice foursome.

I agree with persisting with Krejza. Someone who can take some wickets. Time to be a bit more attacking with our spinner. Hauritz has never taken more than 3 in a innings.

If Cullen Bailey can impress in the Sheild, really give him a look at too.

 

[koutamarto]

Phil Jaques is the one i really want in and can not believe he lost his contract.
I think he broke his arm and struggled a bit for form for NSW and lost the spot to hughes. Absolute garbage if u ask me. He and katto Complement each other wonderfully.

Has Barely put a foot wrong while opening the bat. Only downside may be his age. (30 is not that old in cricket terms)

Jaques
Katich
Ponting (C)
Clarke
Fergussen (North)
Watson
Haddin
Kreja
Johnson
Lee
Hilfenhaus

I still think people underate haddin's batting and even b4 he brok into the australian side He was 1 of my fav players. Love his slog sweep. However I cannot believe how bad his keeping is. Particulary when up to the stumps or balls down leg. If this cannot improve I would be a big wrap for tim paine in a few years or even mat wade. Manou is a fantastic keeper but Im not sure his batting is in the same class as haddins. Hopefully haddins keeping can stand up.

For some reason I have never been a big fan of husseys even when he was scoring runs. I would have like Brad Hodge to have come in 4 him at the start of the tour. He has had loads of experience in england and is a quality performer. however going forward I think north or fergussen could fill the spot

 

[BILC]

I think Haddin has to go

Get someone who can keep

 

[BILC]

This is the side id like to see

Hughes
Katich/Jaques
Ponting
Clarke
Watson
North
Manou
Krezja
Johnson
Clark
Hilfenhaus

 

[Caesar]

I've said it in other threads, but how many byes is Manou going to save that Haddin would let through? From the stats, probably on average 5-10 an innings. Haddin is worth double that in terms of his additional batting ability.

If Haddin was dropping catches or missing stumpings, it would be another matter.

 

[XFactor1979]

its remarkable how quickly phil jaques has been forgotten by the selectors

he made a century in the last test he played for us didnt he?

mind you jason gillespie made a test double century in his last ever test for us

 

[mattymac]

If Warney says so, it must be right. Of course had we followed this advice we may not have won the fourth test.

And clearly the West Indies side that dominated world cricket for 15 years would have looked a lot better if Croft/Walsh or Holding were ommitted to make way for Harold Joseph, the less than wily off spinner.

How about, "where conditions suit AND where you have a spinner who justifies his selection, select a spinner".

Warney talks a lot of bollocks to be sure, but as a general rule of thumb its spot on imo.

I wouldn't be comparing Siddle, Johnson, Clark and Hilfenhaus with the mighty Windies of yore. Not in this lifetime or the next. There is one exception to every rule and the windies were it.

Pitches have also changed massively in the intervening decades.

Problem, as you point out, is our present crop of spinners aren't exactly a daunting proposition for the opposition. But until we pick one and stick with him until he evolves into some form of hard nosed veteran we are just going round in circles, giving multiple spinners a start then ditching them.

Also, with our proven inability to read wickets consistently (think Edgbaston 05, Oval 09, Perth 08...) its prolly not a bad idea to anchor a spinner in the team. If 3 quicks can't take the wickets on the odd occasion when a pitch is truly pace friendly, then we're either playing the wrong 3 or we're screwed for lack of talent.

Maybe Bailey could fit the job. Seems he's pulled his finger out and is showing some hunger.

 

[DIG]

changes for the australian summer?

1. weaker opposition
2. a false sense of security

True - that should do it!

I don't see the need for sweeping changes. Like in '05, we could well have won this series. In '05 it was more dodgy decisions and McGrath's injury that cost us.

This time, with both fielding much weaker sides, England outperformed us more often in the pressure situations. eg. when they superbly saved the first test.

This Aussie side knocked off South Africa on home soil too. I'd keep the current batting order, with the personal hope of getting Hughes back in soon, especially if Hussey does nothing early this summer. Bowling - maybe Krezja but we can't make chocolate out of shit - we just don't have a world class spinner. If the pitch will offer minimal or no turn just play the 4 quicks.

You'd think Hauritz would have won us the Ashes with a 9 wicket haul the way some people carry on, but he's no threat at all! Even on that pitch.

 

[jpdixon]

its remarkable how quickly phil jaques has been forgotten by the selectors

he made a century in the last test he played for us didnt he?

mind you jason gillespie made a test double century in his last ever test for us

He was pretty close to beating Hughes for the spot after his come back from injury, and would have been the alternative to Hughes rather than Watson if the selectors hadn't opted for a "fix-all" in the tour party.

It's hard to believe Watson can be seen as a serious opening option when you look outside the tour party. Whether Hughes stays or not, though, selectors should seriously consider dropping Hussey for Jaques, rather than ferguson, etc. Katich would do quite well at 4 or 5.

 

[courtjester]

He was pretty close to beating Hughes for the spot after his come back from injury, and would have been the alternative to Hughes rather than Watson if the selectors hadn't opted for a "fix-all" in the tour party.

It's hard to believe Watson can be seen as a serious opening option when you look outside the tour party. Whether Hughes stays or not, though, selectors should seriously consider dropping Hussey for Jaques, rather than ferguson, etc. Katich would do quite well at 4 or 5.

Agreed. It's amazing that we have so many 'real' openers in Australia but none of them are playing for Australia (Rogers, Jaques, Hughes).

Katich would be a good addition to the middle order IF Hussey is finished.

Seeing as there are no middle order batsmen demanding a spot that's the way I'd go. Honestly, picking a real team would have to look something like this:

Jaques
Rogers/Hughes/Watson
Ponting
Clarke
Katich
North
Haddin

In all seriousness, the seven above are the guys that should be batting for Australia. If, for whatever reason, Rogers is never playing for Australia again, play Hughes or Watson.

 

[Jimthegreat]

Warney talks a lot of bollocks to be sure, but as a general rule of thumb its spot on imo.

I wouldn't be comparing Siddle, Johnson, Clark and Hilfenhaus with the mighty Windies of yore. Not in this lifetime or the next. There is one exception to every rule and the windies were it.

Pitches have also changed massively in the intervening decades.

Problem, as you point out, is our present crop of spinners aren't exactly a daunting proposition for the opposition. But until we pick one and stick with him until he evolves into some form of hard nosed veteran we are just going round in circles, giving multiple spinners a start then ditching them.

Also, with our proven inability to read wickets consistently (think Edgbaston 05, Oval 09, Perth 08...) its prolly not a bad idea to anchor a spinner in the team. If 3 quicks can't take the wickets on the odd occasion when a pitch is truly pace friendly, then we're either playing the wrong 3 or we're screwed for lack of talent.

Maybe Bailey could fit the job. Seems he's pulled his finger out and is showing some hunger.

I think Bailey should be next used. A leggie, which helps, and bowling well both at the end of the domestic summer and in the England county scene. Actually, if there was no faith in Hauritz it wouldn't have been that dumb to call him up for the last Test given he's there and bowling well. Might have been too intelligent for the selectors though.

 

[The Governor]

The Governor is going to have his say.

A national Selection Panel with Troy Cooley, Ricky Ponting and Tim Nielsen, would develop a 5 year plan with the long term goal of winning a test series on UK soil in 2013.

In the next 18 months before England returns to our shores in 2010, we have an opportunity to plan for this test series by using Watson as an opener with Hughes; looking at Krezja and Jon Holland as our spin bowling options and looking at blooding in a young batsman for the all important number 5 position.

At the minute, our selection panel with Tim Nielsen have made some baffling decisions and I think we need a Director of Coaching to head the Australian test team with the coach focussing on coaching and teaching ie a two man coaching panel with one person focussing on the media and admin responsibilities and the other person focussing on teaching.

I would look at sacking Tim Nielsen. He is the wrong man for the rebuilding phase of the Australian test team. We need a teacher with a proven track record, and the best man to coach Australia is Steve "Stumper" Rixon. He is a hard taskmaster who has a proven track record with NSW and New Zealand. And, my director of Coaching would be Darren Berry, who has a proven track record as a Director of Coaching with Shane Warne's Royal 20-20 team. Darren Berry performs really well on SEN and K-Rock radio as a radio commentator and he has good interpersonal skills to deal with the press.

Australian cricket has to look at adopting an AFL Football style Football Department coaching model with the Director of Coaching handling the media responsibilities whilst the coach focuses on coaching.

And, with Steve Rixon and Darren Berry heading our coaching department with Troy Cooley as the fast bowling coach; Greg Chappell as the batting coach; Mike Young as the fielding coach and the great SK Warne helping our spinnners, we will have a top class Coaching Department within the Australian test team.

Hence, with this style of coaching structure, Australian cricket can plan for the long term future instead of looking at short term solutions to win a test series. We had a 12 year dominance in the test cricket scene (1995 to 2007) and I think it is about time for some planning to come into play to achieve this goal again.

We may not get another Warne-McGrath combination because great bowling combinations come about every 10 to 20 years.

So, this is my test XI to play the West Indies with the view of building the side for the Ashes in 2010 and the UK Tour in 2013:

Phil Hughes
Michael Hill
Shane Watson
Ricky Ponting (CAPTAIN)
Michael Clarke (VC)
Andrew McDonald
Brad Haddin
Mitchell Johnson
Peter Siddle
Jason Krezja
Ben Hilfenhauss

I would promote Watson to no 3 because he has the technique to bat at first drop and Ponting should drop himself down the order to number 4.

I would promote Michael Hill and give them a go at Test Level. We will be playing against lower ranking test nations like the WI and Pakistan so it is a good chance to blood in the younger players. Australian cricket has not had chance to blood in a young 20 year old batsman since RT Ponting's debut in 1995.

I may sound crazy, but Australian cricket has to adopt the approach of an AFL Club who rebuilds its list with the long term goal of the ultimate prize. The ultimate prize would be to win an Ashes series on UK Soil and to reclaim the number 1 title from South Africa or India.

Here is a likely approach I would adopt from an AFL Club perspective who would manage its list to win a flag:

1. The Long term goal would be to win an Ashes series on UK Soil in 2013.
2. To reclaim the number 1 test match nation title.
3. To win series in INDIA, Sri Lanka and South Africa on a consistent basis.

In order to achieve these long term goals, CA must adopt the right coaching structure to achieve these goals.

At the moment, CA and James Sutherland do not have the courage to make the tough decisions.

I will bet my bottom dollar CA will only make window dressing decisions that will bring short term success without having any long term sustained success.

CHEERS


THE GOVERNOR

 

[mattymac]

I think Bailey should be next used. A leggie, which helps, and bowling well both at the end of the domestic summer and in the England county scene. Actually, if there was no faith in Hauritz it wouldn't have been that dumb to call him up for the last Test given he's there and bowling well. Might have been too intelligent for the selectors though.

Yup. More than likely a bit beyond them. They're not really the most inspired lot.

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

Out: Hussey.
In: Richard Chee Quee (ie. anyone).

Never to be selected again: Lee, Hauritz.

 

[Jono B]

Phil Hughes
Michael Hill
Shane Watson
Ricky Ponting (CAPTAIN)
Michael Clarke (VC)
Andrew McDonald
Brad Haddin
Mitchell Johnson
Peter Siddle
Jason Krezja
Ben Hilfenhauss

I agree with your bowling set up. I think it is fairly obvious that we need both a spinner and a seamer that can build pressure.

The obvious pairing would be Clark and Hauritz. One problem with this is the fact it would leave us with a very long tail.

Whereas if we played McDonald and Krezja instead we would lengthen the batting and then have control with seam in the first innings and strike power with spin in the second innnings. The added advantage of this approach is these two players are younger than their counterparts allowing us to establish an attack over the next few years.

 

[Cleavy]

I would promote Michael Hill and give them a go at Test Level.

so you'd punt on someone who is yet to play First Class cricket?!

 

[beatnik]

well, we are no longer number 1 - in fact we're number 4

the monkey is finally off our back and we don't need to win every Test

the Australian sporting psyche will accept the rebuilding concept - let's pick a team to be number 1 again within 2 years...

Openers:

Kato - a great battler and I'm a big fan but he is 34 and might be time to move him on

Watson - he did admirably but is not a true opener; his form opening makes me think he should bat at no 3 and take over from Punter in that spot

Hughes - bring him in and keep him there

Jaques - bring him back; he's 28-29 and a true opener

Top order and middle order:

Punter - move him to number 5; let him average 60 there without the captaincy

Hussey - love the Huss but he's 34 and in poor form; let him go out on a ton

Clarke - move him to number 4; give him the (c) next to his name

North - leave him at 6; might move up the order later but don't mind him where he is

Bowlers:

Clark - move him on; should have played from the start of the Ashes but it's time to rebuild

Siddle/Johnson/Hilfenhaus: the future of our quick-bowling department

Krezja - pick him, play him and show some patience

My rebuilding side:

Hughes
Jaques
Watson
Clarke
Ponting
North
Haddin
Krezja
Johnson
Siddle
Hilfenhaus
​

that's my 5c...

 

[damochandler]

bring in a bowling coach that can teach our bowlers to bowl line and length. anf to bowl better at the tail. the bloke that is in now. has no clue

 

[Donnie Darko]

- sack the current australian selection panel: you can't keep playing players based on reputation ie mr cricket, s.clark, and a panel responsible for losing an ashes series to one of the worst english sides in recent history should be hung out to dry

Just to be thankful that pietersen and Flintoff were crocked for the series.
Would have been even less favourable for you.

You might as well bring back Hughes if the next opposition is West Indies. He will likely milk a mountain of runs against them.

 

[Zaka11]

1. New captain
2. Get more young guys in the team eg- Hazelwood, Ferguson
3. Get some selectors that dont just go on tour for a holiday!