changes for boxing day test.

[TennisPlayerAndy]

He is allowed a failure, and it's a good thing. We need him against NZ not against these plodders

Sure.

But it seems ridiculous to me to drop a guy who is coming off a score of 180.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

I've always thought Khawaja would be a good opener - certainly Burns hasn't shown me anything to suggest he'll be better there long term.

How about we leave our best number 3....as a number 3! Khawaja is our best number 3. The last thing we want is Smith in at 3 on a deck that is moving big time. Let's just cut to the chase S.Marsh averages what 35...itnisntnas if we are leaving out a bloke averaging 50+.

If Bancroft or for that matter Silk or another opener have a bumper season I'm all ears to put them in for Burns. But let's not completely change the team to fit S.Marsh in

 

[Phone]

holy shit stop caring so much about batting positions already

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Sure.

But it seems ridiculous to me to drop a guy who is coming off a score of 180.

Not really when Khawaja has 2 tons this year, Smith is a gun at 4, and Voges is better than S.Marsh. Would rather persevere with Mitch at 6, but in saying that I'm open to another AR at 6.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

How about we leave our best number 3....as a number 3! Khawaja is our best number 3. The last thing we want is Smith in at 3 on a deck that is moving big time. Let's just cut to the chase S.Marsh averages what 35...itnisntnas if we are leaving out a bloke averaging 50+.

If Bancroft or for that matter Silk or another opener have a bumper season I'm all ears to put them in for Burns. But let's not completely change the team to fit S.Marsh in

Hate to break this to you but if a deck is moving big time Smith at 4 will be in early anyway.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Hate to break this to you but if a deck is moving big time Smith at 4 will be in early anyway.

Maybe so but I rather him coming in in the 10th over rather than the 2nd. At least Khawaja leaves the ball. I love Smith but the one thing that infuriates me is him having to play at balls 2 feet outside off when he comes to the wicket

 

[Bradesmaen]

Maybe so but I rather him coming in in the 10th over rather than the 2nd. At least Khawaja leaves the ball. I love Smith but the one thing that infuriates me is him having to play at balls 2 feet outside off when he comes to the wicket

What about when he batted at 3 in Trent Bridge and was out inside the first over...

 

[LukeParkerno1]

What about when he batted at 3 in Trent Bridge and was out inside the first over...

Exactly why I don't like Smith at 3. He doesn't leave the ball enough early on

 

[Van_Dyke]

What's the odds when someone goes down/ gets dropped that there will be a crap ton of complaints if S.Marsh comes back in.

 

[Hellgood]

I don't like it as Marsh is one of my favourite players, but the whole 'last in, first out' methodology is still a fairly reasonable and logical option for the selectors in this case.

 

[G Mus]

Crazy selection. Blind Freddie can see the flaws in Burns' game and how he will struggle on anything other than a flat pitch. He won't make a run in New Zealand and he will be destroyed by the South Africans later in the year. Marsh's issues have been mental as opposed to technique. He looks to have finally sorted out the mental issues and found some consistency and now he is dropped.

As Mark Taylor said in the commentary, he has actually been treated harshly since coming back into the team last year. He was dropped unfairly for the Ashes (despite solid performances in Australia and the West Indies), brought back for one test and then dropped again, and then somehow Burns is ahead of him in the pecking order for the Australian summer which is used as the excuse for dropping him again.

If we wanted to look at pecking orders, Marsh should have been ahead of Burns for the Gabba test.

Anyway, Burns won't survive past the New Zealand tour (and if by some miracle he does, he won't survive the South Africans) so Marsh should have a permanent spot by next summer.

Exactly, burns is as manufactured as they come, he's not even a natural opener

 

[drummond2fevola]

Some real good chat happening on the twittersphere

#banter

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Exactly, burns is as manufactured as they come, he's not even a natural opener

Then pick another opener. Khawaja isn't one and neither is S.Marsh

 

[Super Hans]

Marsh isn't a downhill skier, he's just crap.

 

[carnthemlions]

Let's be honest, the only reason Boland is being considered is because of the current obsession with pace.

I have no issue with selectors preferring bowlers with pace... but they still need to be Test standard. Boland may go on to be a wonderful player... but to date, he hasn't demonstrated he's even remotely close to Test standard.

If Boland's in the squad because the the selectors think he bowls fast, they've clearly been forgetting to look at the speed gun.

Crazy selection. Blind Freddie can see the flaws in Burns' game and how he will struggle on anything other than a flat pitch. He won't make a run in New Zealand and he will be destroyed by the South Africans later in the year. Marsh's issues have been mental as opposed to technique. He looks to have finally sorted out the mental issues and found some consistency and now he is dropped.

As Mark Taylor said in the commentary, he has actually been treated harshly since coming back into the team last year. He was dropped unfairly for the Ashes (despite solid performances in Australia and the West Indies), brought back for one test and then dropped again, and then somehow Burns is ahead of him in the pecking order for the Australian summer which is used as the excuse for dropping him again.

If we wanted to look at pecking orders, Marsh should have been ahead of Burns for the Gabba test.

Anyway, Burns won't survive past the New Zealand tour (and if by some miracle he does, he won't survive the South Africans) so Marsh should have a permanent spot by next summer.

I don't think you've followed his career very closely if you think there's much chance of this occurring.

 

[JackOutback]

Marsh's career could ultimately be a testament to CA's incompetence and mismanagement. Picked when he doesn't deserve it, dropped when he doesn't deserve it.

 

[nobbyiscool]

The way I approach the Marsh decision is two-fold. Firstly, I don't rate the Adelaide innings that highly - across the 3 days there was a distinct period where conditions were at their easiest for batsmen in terms of the ball and the swing (or lack of), and he batted in those conditions; additionally, he got out when we needed him not to.

Secondly, I think many people would agree with me that the selectors have dicked around with Marsh's career by not giving him an extended go in the team - two wrongs don't make a right though, so unfortunate as it is for Marsh, you can't turn around and do the same thing to Burns as they've done to Marsh. I'd give Burns til the end of the series in NZ and then reassess.

 

[Bradesmaen]

The way I approach the Marsh decision is two-fold. Firstly, I don't rate the Adelaide innings that highly - across the 3 days there was a distinct period where conditions were at their easiest for batsmen in terms of the ball and the swing (or lack of), and he batted in those conditions; additionally, he got out when we needed him not to.

Secondly, I think many people would agree with me that the selectors have dicked around with Marsh's career by not giving him an extended go in the team - two wrongs don't make a right though, so unfortunate as it is for Marsh, you can't turn around and do the same thing to Burns as they've done to Marsh. I'd give Burns til the end of the series in NZ and then reassess.

That is such a fallacy. He was given all 4 tests against India here in 11/12 and he made a grand total of 17 runs in 6 innings. Against the West Indies in the Windies he was given 3 innings and failed twice. Against India last year he was given favourable batting conditions and made 2 scores in 6 innings. It is the epitome of his career. He will make the odd score but not consistently and that is why his average at First Class level has never been that of someone who truly deserves to play test cricket. South Africa in 2014 is the perfect example. One big score, one decent and then a pair.

 

[nobbyiscool]

That is such a fallacy. He was given all 4 tests against India here in 11/12 and he made a grand total of 17 runs in 6 innings. Against the West Indies in the Windies he was given 3 innings and failed twice. Against India last year he was given favourable batting conditions and made 2 scores in 6 innings. It is the epitome of his career. He will make the odd score but not consistently and that is why his average at First Class level has never been that of someone who truly deserves to play test cricket. South Africa in 2014 is the perfect example. One big score, one decent and then a pair.

Since when is 6 innings, then 3 innings, then 6 innings considered being given a good run at it?

You might be absolutely right in your assessment of who/what you think Marsh is as an international batsman - but none of those stretches that you allude to are significant enough to be able to make a judgment.

I'm not defending him anyway! As you will have seen from my post, I think this was the right decision!

 

[Bradesmaen]

Since when is 6 innings, then 3 innings, then 6 innings considered being given a good run at it?

You might be absolutely right in your assessment of who/what you think Marsh is as an international batsman - but none of those stretches that you allude to are significant enough to be able to make a judgment.

I'm not defending him anyway! As you will have seen from my post, I think this was the right decision!

6 innings of duck, duck, goose is being given a good run at it to see that you aren't capable of being a test level player. It was 4 matches, 6 innings.. he was saved by the fact everyone else could make runs.

 

[Lebbo73]

True but at least one of them is gone.

He isn't from NSW, hey Luke?

The obvious choice was to drop Mitch. Allrounders must justify their selection. They are picked as a batsman or bowler foremost. Not this Marsh however!

 

[Borisdog]

Johnson does not a good argument make. He deserved maybe one third of the caps he got. Most of his career was getting lucky bowling tripe.

Every now and again I read something on here that restores my faith in humanity. Thank God I'm not the only person who thought that of Johnson. Sometimes I thought I was watching a different game to others.
Don't get me wrong - there were times when he was absolutely devastating. But nowhere near as often as many would have us believe.

 

[JackOutback]

Johnson was the definition of inconsistent but at the same time, you don't get 300 Test wickets with just a few devastating spells. He was good more often than Jews bad, overall.

As for Marsh, definitely should have played so they could make a determination on him vs Burns. Khawaja should have been given one more game to rest or Mitch dropped for a game. If Burns fails again over the next two Tests, Marsh will be drafted in again, without games behind him, on foreign wickets, continuing the jerking around of him by CA.

 

[nobbyiscool]

In other news... my weather app is now saying 95% chance of rain in the morning, which is pretty much a guarantee. I've only ever seen it say 100% chance when it's actually raining. I guess the good news is that, while it's still "only" a 50% chance of rain in the afternoon, the amount of rain predicted has fallen. I checked 2 days ago and it said 10-40mm, it's now saying 8-20mm.

Still quite a bit of rain, but if there's a personal positive to all this - and you have to really want to find one - it's that I live close enough to the ground that I can probably stay home, wait for it to stop raining, and by the time they decide to play and clean up the ground I should still be there close to the first ball.

All that said... given how much tickets cost, I'd rather the whole day be rained out than only get half a day. I'm sure CA will encourage the umpires to at the very least play minimum overs that allows them to keep the money though.

 

[Demosthenes]

I hope Victorians remember the free ride Boland is being given next time they whinge about other states getting preferential selection.