Changes for the 3rd Test

[Outshined]

Yep, Perth test...

 

[medusala]

I'm more intrigued about what the hell we're going to do for the home series.

The Poms have made it very clear that it is acceptable to doctor wickets and to use specialist sub fielders. We should follow suit.

Nothing to help Swan at all.

 

[Kid A]

I can't believe people are seriously spruiking Warner as an inclusion.

This is a man who got axed from the side for stupid judgment and was told to go work on his form.

He then managed to score 17 off 2 innings against a bum**** university squad, bringing his aggregate to 28 runs from his past 7 innings.

The only significant contribution he's made this year is to the redefining of sock advertisements.

Bringing him back would confirm the death of Australian cricket.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

What to do then? We cant keep being 3/30. Something has to change. It is hardly one or two tests either. Watson isn't up to it (particularly vs Anderson). Neither is Cowan. Warner is in terrible form.

I would rather have Maddinson in there than watch Watson get yet another LBW and immediately refer it.

Katich has been getting a few runs lately. I would have him back in a heart beat, pity it wont happen.

I would never have dropped Katich meself and this isn't hindsight as I was on this board complaining about it as soon as I heard he'd been dumped. But even then, I understood why they did it. There is always a hierarchy and he was definitely behind Punter and Huss even though he'd outscored them for the last 2 years.

But he is gone and the only person they can swap him for is Rogers or they'll just be in the same pickle in 2 years time. Old guys failing eyesight/reflexes who don't want to let go of a late career. But it isn't going to happen anyway.

 

[HBF]

I'm more intrigued about what the hell we're going to do for the home series.

Exactly what I was going to say. We might as well try and get ready for the home series starting in November.

 

[scoremachine]

I'd like to see how a different looking team like this would go.

S.Watson
M.Cosgrove
U.Khawaja
A.Doolan
M.Clarke
J.Burns
T.Paine/M.Wade
A.Agar
J.Pattinson
P.Siddle
R.Harris
12th Man S.Smith

If Watson fails to make any significant scores then Warner would come in for him.
If Harris breaks down again I would play Pat Cummins.

 

[happy punter]

No point continuing to chop and change. Reality is this is the best we got over there.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

Get Agar to open.

He's more likely to score runs and take wickets than Watson.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

No point continuing to chop and change. Reality is this is the best we got over there.

Katich is best 6, but with Clarke as captain he is no chance

 

[The_Reaper]

Katich is best 6, but with Clarke as captain he is no chance

Give Clarke the option of Watto or Katich

 

[Doodlesweaver]

If Watson fails next test, and I consider these 20 nothing scores a failure, bring in Faulkner at 7 and make Hughes or Koala open. Faulkner's over there.

 

[happy punter]

Why do people keep moving Hughes around! Give him a position, and leave him there. Moving him from three, four, six, opening every second test is not good for him!

If we keep doing this we are going to wreck the confidence of a bloke who has the talent (and a load of work ethic) to be our next Michael Clarke.

Hughes is an opener. I don't understand why the selectors persist with playing him in the middle order. Either play him as opener (IMO I would drop Watson) or just don't play him at all.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Hughes is an opener. I don't understand why the selectors persist with playing him in the middle order. Either play him as opener (IMO I would drop Watson) or just don't play him at all.

The one thing we are not short of is openers. Give Watson one more game there then if he stuffs it up and they want to keep him, send him to 7 and tell him every time he goes to the press with his 'I think I should be opening' routine, he'll be dropped one place in the order.

I sound harsh but there is no way that anyone with his record should be given so much leeway. Not at his age.

 

[The_Reaper]

Hughes is an opener. I don't understand why the selectors persist with playing him in the middle order. Either play him as opener (IMO I would drop Watson) or just don't play him at all.

I'll go back 7 years.

Hussey is an opener. I don't understand why the selectors persist with playing him in the middle order.

 

[The Falcon Strike]

I'll go back 7 years.

Hussey is an opener. I don't understand why the selectors persist with playing him in the middle order.

Huss was an opener.

However what brought him to prominence was his work for WA in ODD cricket batting 6.

Interestingly he had failed at the top of the order, got a late call up to nat lower order and started dominating

His shield record is considerably poorer than his test record.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Bird in for Patto just to give Patto a break and Bird will be good in english conditions and Lyon in for Agar
Wade in for Haddin maybe

Batting line up like this
Rogers, Watson, Usman, Smith, Clarke, Hughes, Wade, Siddle, Harris, Lyon, Bird.

 

[The 27th Jesus]

There is so much we could do but will it really occur...probably not, Just give bird a go if that's the only change then I am happy faulkner, wade, lyon or ahmed would also be good...but I expect a close to unchanged team.

 

[kenneje]

Wouldn't let through any byes.

Pies*

 

[happy punter]

I'll go back 7 years.

Hussey is an opener. I don't understand why the selectors persist with playing him in the middle order.

Different scenario though - Hussey was forced to reinvent himself into a middle order batsman because of a combination of poor form and the abundance of top order players playing in WA at the time. Interestingly it was really one day cricket that kicked started that process given WA at the time had Ryan Campbell, Murray Goodwin, Justin Langer and Gilchrist. People forget that Hussey was barely averaging 40 in the early 2000's in Shield cricket culminating in him being dropped for WA for a couple of games in 2003.

Phil Hughes is being forced to play in the middle order by default because of the lack of middle order options currently in Australia. Up until the last Shield season for SA he was opening the batting.

 

[frankrizzo]

boof was talking about bringing wade in but not for haddin, so assuming they bat wade as a specialist bat at 6 who would be getting dumped?

 

[The_Reaper]

boof was talking about bringing wade in but not for haddin, so assuming they bat wade as a specialist bat at 6 who would be getting dumped?

Hoping Watto

 

[Outshined]

Watson, on merit, doesn't deserve to be dropped considering performance of his team-mates. He provides a vital option with the ball and his batting sooner or later has to click surely.

This alludes to a problem a lot of people (including myself) have with him. His batting still hasn't clicked and he's supposed to be in the prime of his career. Instead, he averages a shade under 35, and doesn't look like fixing a key technical flaw that he's had for years. "Sooner or later" never seems to come with Watson.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Look mate, I can see what your saying, but I'd rather Watson then anyone else because, whether we admit it or not, he still remains our best chance of beating the poms, especially at home. At least he has done it before to some extent (averaged 48 with the bat in the 2010/11 series).

I'd take that in a heart beat right now. Sure, come this time next year, perhaps it would be best to get rid of him, but im loathed to get rid of a player until im totally convinced the team is better off without him. Most people that are bagging Watson are doing it out of frustation - without him firing we are next to no chance of winning.

At the end of the day, if we win the toss in the 3rd test, and Watson tees off all that will change. I don't about you, but Watson is one player the English respect and he gets under their skin. I admire Watson mainly because of his ability to come back from injury. Im not a massive fan of his cricket but I respect his belligerence at times. Still, id love it for him to score a 100 against the poms and then get given out LBW stone dead and review it just to stir the pommy sillys up.

Everyone here would love it as well.

I'd take a 60 from him, I'm not expecting miracles.

 

[VirgilHilts]

I think a return to obscurity beckons for Agar, at least temporarily. But I don't think Ahmed - a 31-year old with 16 first class games under his belt - is the answer. Lyon has to come in, surely?

Pattinson hasn't done much with the ball so another quick may get a go; not sure whether Faulkner or Bird is next in line.

Batting-wise, Warner may come in but I don't imagine that's going to solve anything; it'll just be replacing one set of technical problems with another.

 

[PIE-BOI]

Patto has got a batting average of 36 this series, more than any other Australian, gotta keep him in.