First Test since the SCG

[The Fonz]

I'm very interested to see what happens in this upcoming series against Sri Lanka. For mind, everyone in the team apart from Shane Watson is in shaky form and has question marks about them.

To a certain degree, Clarke as the skipper gets immunity but he only averaged 21 in the Ashes.

Hughes - averaged 16 in 3 tests in Ashes
Ponting - where will he bat? How will he cope not being the captain.
Hussey - in great form but just turned 36
Khawaja/Marsh - just starting off
Haddin - average form
Copeland/Harris/Siddle/Johnson - Case for leaving any of them out
Beer/Lyon - same here

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Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is a huge test and Australia is fortunate that Malinga isn't playing.

 

[mattymac]

it really is bizarre that lyon and beer are even over there. having said that, lyon is a likely type. hope he gets a game now that he is there.

i don't think siddle will get the same protection under clarke as under ponting. definitely keen to see what this new selection set up comes up with now that captain and coach are responsible too. hope clarke picks copeland. i hope it with venom. be the first step toward breaking up the old stagnant order of things.

surely uzi over marsh?! marsh may have to wait til hussey and/or punter pull up sticks/get tapped on the shoulder and that may be too late for him. should be a lock in the OD side though where there should be no room for either of the husseys. hughes will get an extended run now.

 

[Cleavy]

Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is a huge test and Australia is fortunate that Malinga isn't playing.

latest is the SL board are trying to convince him to play in the series. would be available for the 2nd Test if they get their way.

 

[mattymac]

should be an absolute run fest for our bats with no murali or malinga. no excuses really

 

[BarneyBent]

I had a dream last night that Khawaja came in and dominated. Make of that what you will.

 

[King Elvis]

I had a dream last night that Khawaja came in and dominated. Make of that what you will.

Hope you changed the sheets after

 

[Phone]

it really is bizarre that lyon and beer are even over there. having said that, lyon is a likely type. hope he gets a game now that he is there.

With Hauritz out it was always gonna be a case of two spinners on tour who really ideally wouldn't be there. You've got the 3 experienced spinners in state cricket - Hauritz, Krejza and Doherty, so one injured and two shit, and then the rest who are kids who shouldn't be anywhere near the Australian side. It sucks but better them than Boyce and Holland

 

[Hellgood]

I think Khawaja is exactly what we need at the moment at the top of the order. Has technique, values his wicket and scores runs. Hughes has a lot of talent, but he's not the best man for the job at the moment.

Watson
Khawaja
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Marsh

Looks a better top six, than the one we will inevitably play.

 

[western royboy]

I think Khawaja is exactly what we need at the moment at the top of the order. Has technique, values his wicket and scores runs. Hughes has a lot of talent, but he's not the best man for the job at the moment.

Watson
Khawaja
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Marsh

Looks a better top six, than the one we will inevitably play.

I'll second that

 

[Selective Retention]

The batting order is going to reveal if anything has changed or not.

I read an article where Clarke was talking down Khawaja a bit.

I'm not sure which of Marsh getting picked ahead of Khawaja or Khawaja batting at #6 will be the worse decision. If Khawaja plays he surely has to bat in the top 4.

He'll be next to useless at #6 when Haddin/Johnson are in throw their wicket away mode.

 

[The Passenger]

He'll be next to useless at #6 when Haddin/Johnson are in throw their wicket away mode.

that is true, and i believe someone like hussey or ponting is much better suited to six.

hussey has a great head and would be well suited to batting in that spot. ponting can up the pace if wicket in hand are starting to get a bit thin...

in saying that, is it ideal to have two of our three best bats from the ashes (huss, hads) batting six and seven??

wouldn't put marsh in just yet, but he'd be next in line.

i don't think hughes deserved a shot in the ashes, and he showed how out of form he was, but he is in the incumbent and he didn't finish of the 10/11 first class season strongly and picked up a score in the touring match so i'd give him first crack.

hughes, watson, khawaja, ponting, clarke, hussey, haddin for mine

marsh breathing down hughes, khawaja, ponting and hussey's necks. clarke should be under a lot of pressure too but given he has just ascended to the captaincy he'll hold his spot for at least 12 months.

 

[The Passenger]

also what's the story with the shield schedule this season??

it would be ideal if we had 5 games before the first indian test. there are a number of shield players whom it would be great to see stake their claim for a spot but it would all be a bit moot if they did so after the series was completed.

marsh/khawaja, ferguson, copeland, pattinson, coulter nile, duffield, cutting, lynn, burns, maddinson, paine and wade amongst a handful of others.

 

[frankrizzo]

It would be kinda strange to pick usman in the last we played, pick him for the only warm up game (where he makes a 100) and then dump him.

As others have said though the batting order comes into it, after being bullied and destroyed by every decent quick he's faced for over two years it's unfathomable that ponting basically will still get to pick himself at number 3, it's highly dubious that he even kept his test spot but it certainly should have be down the order.

 

[Phone]

i love how currently there's a case of a player making his australia debut/first steps at the same sorta age as ricky ponting did and like ponting is a top order batsmen, and the 36yo ricky ponting is just "yeah I don't like it down there at 6. have fun kid". To compare, Katich is gonna spend all of this season just floating around the NSW order.

 

[frankrizzo]

Luckily for ricky ponting he had steve waugh who was able to basically demand he was the number 3 from the 2001 ashes on.

Took some guts to push for him considering ricky had flopped in India at 6, i just can't see clarke sticking his neck out to get usman in at 3.

Ponting will more than likely bat at 3 until he retires or is dropped from the team.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Luckily for ricky ponting he had steve waugh who was able to basically demand he was the number 3 from the 2001 ashes on.

Took some guts to push for him considering ricky had flopped in India at 6, i just can't see clarke sticking his neck out to get usman in at 3.

Ponting will more than likely bat at 3 until he retires or is dropped from the team.

I know. It made me laugh how Punter has been giving it with the 'I'm there for the team' stuff but made it very obvious that he still expects to bat at 3. He better be in ton scoring mode for the next year as a top order that can't get to three figures makes us look like the West Indies in disguise.

 

[courtjester]

I'll keep saying it!

Khawaja needs to open or bat at 3. He deserves a test spot much more than Marsh. It's obvious what the line up should look like to me:

U. Khawaja
P. Hughes
S. Watson/ R. Ponting
R. Ponting/ S. Watson
M. Clarke
M. Hussey

Khawaja is a top order bat. Why not make him and Hughes the openers and suddenly we have a pair that'll bat there for us for the next ten years? They compliment each other as well, with different styles.

Watson and Ponting both like the ball coming on, so it makes sense for them to bat at 3/4. Either way.

Clarke and Hussey are excellent players of spin, so it makes sense for them to bat at 5/6.

What's so ****ing complicated about that?

 

[Hellgood]

Watson, no matter what any of us say on Bigfooty is always going to be an opener. I want to see Khawaja opening with him because that is exactly where Khawaja is suited to bat. I would leave Hughes out for the time being, he may have played well towards the end of the Shield season, but he averaged 12 or something when he was picked in the Ashes and throughout the Ashes he averaged 16. Marcus North averaged 20 odd during his career and was blasted by everyone until he was dropped. It's time for Marsh to come into the test side at number 6, not in place of Khawaja though. Hussey can't go on for much longer surely and after the first three tests where he was basically our only batsman he's struggled a bit in the two tests and numerous ODI's since.

 

[courtjester]

Hughes has done a truckload more to earn a test spot than Marsh has, and I fail to see why captain Clarke can't say to Watson "you're batting at three so we can play our best six batsmen in the team in spots that suit them". Same goes for Ponting if he needs to move.

 

[BarneyBent]

I actually think Hughes is most suited to batting down the order, personally. He's vulnerable to early pace, he's good against spin, and he can both blast it and eek out runs, depending on the situation. I'd love to see Hughes at 6, with Khawaja opening with Watson. There's no way that will happen though.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

I'll keep saying it!

Khawaja needs to open or bat at 3. He deserves a test spot much more than Marsh. It's obvious what the line up should look like to me:

U. Khawaja
P. Hughes
S. Watson/ R. Ponting
R. Ponting/ S. Watson
M. Clarke
M. Hussey

Khawaja is a top order bat. Why not make him and Hughes the openers and suddenly we have a pair that'll bat there for us for the next ten years? They compliment each other as well, with different styles.

Watson and Ponting both like the ball coming on, so it makes sense for them to bat at 3/4. Either way.

Clarke and Hussey are excellent players of spin, so it makes sense for them to bat at 5/6.

What's so ****ing complicated about that?

I want Khawaja and Hughes opening together as well. I fail to see how keeping Watson - who can't score tons unless he gets largesse from fielders - at the top of the order is a good long-term strategy. You need openers who can cash in once they are in. Not someone that we are waiting to watch get out once he gets to 50. Having said that, I'm still not convinced by Hughes but that is probably because I so hate watching him bat. So fugly.

 

[holybishop]

If Ponting fails at 3 with the bat in this Test series then he will retire/be pushed out. I cant see Ponting playing out his career batting at 6. He has too much pride for that.

 

[FRUMPY]

i actually think the new player (khawaja) should bat at 6 for 5-6 tests at least. Punter started off at number 6 and got protection from the top order to settle into the team. Got no doubt if khawaja makes a go of it he will end up being a perfect no.3 or 4 and will be promoted when the time is right.

 

[Tassieboy]

There's some rather brazen ideas in this thread.