Fourth Test team

[Kuuz]

Reading between the lines it looks like this will be the likely top 6

Khawaja
Harris
Marsh
Finch
Head
Labuschagne

Still can't make sense of the Labuschagne selection. It makes a mockery of everything JL said about selection heading into the series. It's as though they have leant nothing after giving Mitch Marsh 31 tests and proving it's a failure.

The selection committee's obsession with having an allrounder at the expense of in-form Shield players is a disgrace.

I remember at the time they conducted the Argus review, the selection committee stated their selections would be based heavily on Shield form and proven results. Swing forward 6-7 years and the lessons learnt have been forgotten for bubble selection policies, favouritism, speculation and bias.

They should be ashamed and I feel sorry for players like Burns, Wade, Patterson, Lehmann who have shown form at the state level and are continually ignored for Cricket Australia's new favourite allrounder of the week.

Labushagne is a talented kid, but he has not shown the form across the seasons to justify selection to the National IX. Instead of picking our best state 6 batsmen, CA are picking 5 batsman who they know and gambling on allrounders that have not shown the form needed to play at the highest level.

We lost the last match because none of our top 6 batsmen could get a half century or more. An allrounder will not fix our batting deficiencies. I'm just so sick of having the same old garbage selection policy instead of rewarding performance.

 

[eth-dog]

I kinda wish there was an Andrew McDonald kicking around right now.

 

[Marstermind]

I keep hearing how hot and dry Sydney is going to be and how it will help the spinners. So, instead of dropping a no-rounder who bowls medium-pace pies and replacing him with a no-rounder who bowls leg-spin pies, why not just pick two decent spinners, rest Starc or Hazlewood, and have someone who can actually bat in at 6? What am I actually missing here?

 

[Hungry Jacks]

You reckon they get Netflix in their dressing sheds? Looks pretty comfy....just saying

 

[Kuuz]

Okay, reading Justin Langer's recent interview, I am pretty confident that he is as deluded as the rest of CA:

"Most of our batters who are knocking on the door are averaging in the 30s and that's probably not... whether it's the system I'm not sure," Langer said. "Whether it's something we've got to change in our psyche, I'm not sure. Specifically about the system you're asking but it would suggest we've got - the art of batting, we've got some work to do on it.

"We've got to be careful not to reward poor performances. But again, trust me, try being a selector at the moment. I'm not - that's part of our job. It's not as if the guys are absolutely banging the door down. Whether it's from second grade cricket to A grade cricket, progression is everything that we want. If you're talking to some A grade or 2nd grade coaches, [they'd say] we're playing kids who probably don't deserve to play A grade or second grade. But it's where we're at at the moment. It's something everyone is looking at. We want to work on getting better."

What crap. They are rewarding poor performances and ignoring the top in-form players at Shield level. His first quote is wrong, as the top Shield players are averaging close to 50 in this current season. Contrast that to many of the inclusions in the current squad who were averaging 30 and below.

Further, people like Wade and Burns are comparatively banging the door down and being ignored.

Langer just stop talking. You do your internal logic no favours.

 

[JackOutback]

Pass mark? That’s extremely generous. They have won 1 test.

He’s made some awful calls too- with Marsh being vice captain the worst. That decision is up there with the WORST decision in our cricket history...a captain who averages 24 with the bat...surely and I mean surely you can realise how stupid that call was!

He’s won a Test against the number one team, fought out a draw in the UAE, all while missing our two best batsmen and having a shiteful list to choose from. This isn’t Steve Waugh’s XI, it’s absolutely a pass.

 

[Alfonz]

For Christ’s sake, what’s with the (mostly Victorian) posters obsession with bagging Langer for problems that extend back practically a decade. He’s been in charge of a truly shite team for five Tests, got one win against the number one team and a draw in the UAE that absolutely no one expected.

And then there are WA posters who will go overboard in their defence of Langer.

I happen to be West Australian and think Langer hasn't really done much to inspire confidence. Sure, he has been handed a mess. But the players being selected are a bad joke. The instructions to the batters seem non-existent apart from "play your natural game". His interview today is full of clueless comments.

 

[gordo2016]

Has anybody actually watched Labuschange much apart from the 2 Tests? Is he really THAT bad? Maybe a left field selection but can't but help there is some exaggeration going on here with all the melts.

He is not that bad but 5 wickets @60 this season is not good enough. It is laughable to think he will pose any threat to the Indian top order batsmen, they will feast on the bowling of a second rate leg spinner. His shows promise as a batsmen but players like Burns, Maxwell and Wade are in far better form and they deserve an opportunity before Labuschange. The selectors made a mistake picking Marsh and a now following it up with an equally poor choice.

 

[Cleavy]

Looks like Finch staying at the top of the order. Incredible.

probably not the move to make when you need to win to draw the series.

 

[PT Bar None]

Okay, reading Justin Langer's recent interview, I am pretty confident that he is as deluded as the rest of CA:



What crap. They are rewarding poor performances and ignoring the top in-form players at Shield level. His first quote is wrong, as the top Shield players are averaging close to 50 in this current season. Contrast that to many of the inclusions in the current squad who were averaging 30 and below.

Further, people like Wade and Burns are comparatively banging the door down and being ignored.

Langer just stop talking. You do your internal logic no favours.

That interview bears more than a passing resemblance to Vince McMahon's "Brass Ring" speech from a view years ago.

 

[JackOutback]

And then there are WA posters who will go overboard in their defence of Langer.

I happen to be West Australian and think Langer hasn't really done much to inspire confidence. Sure, he has been handed a mess. But the players being selected are a bad joke. The instructions to the batters seem non-existent apart from "play your natural game". His interview today is full of clueless comments.

I’m neither here nor there or Langer but he has a good coaching record, has inherited a colossal mess and is five ****ing Tests in. People are raging like he’s responsible for this mess and not the one brought in to fix it. He needs an actual amount of time to see what he can do.

As for selections, as I’ve said, treatment of guys like Maxwell and Burns predate him, he doesn’t have carte blanche over the team (as much as we’d like our cricket boss to be the boss); some of his rationales sound iffy but we don’t know if he’s explaining away decisions he can’t control.

 

[TommyD13]

Haven’t seen Burns named. The only one named has been Laubashgne

Just confused why he is the fourth shortest odds to score the most runs in first innings Sydney. Better odds than Mitch, Paine, Finch, Head and Labuschange... Everyone else on the market is in the squad

Edit: Like I know he hasn't been officially named in the squad but there has got to be something behind this.

 

[toml]

SS this year his av is 19 at 44 sr.

Look I don't think it's a 'problem' and the team could do with someone like that (as long as they can rotate strike still enough) I just find people get all overexcited on him because he bats old school pace.

The 5 games where he has been out of form is a small sample of the rest of his 2018 games though. When he was killing it at the start of the tear he was making his runs at 65-70

 

[LukeParkerno1]

He’s won a Test against the number one team, fought out a draw in the UAE, all while missing our two best batsmen and having a shiteful list to choose from. This isn’t Steve Waugh’s XI, it’s absolutely a pass.

Yes he drew a test against a side that NZ whalloped over there. Yet the selectors leave out Maxwell who was one of the few available that had a ton in those spinning conditions...

Poor list or not doesn’t mean you give a glorified spud the vice captaincy. Even Hazelwood is debatable. Lyon was and still is the obvious candidate

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Just confused why he is the fourth shortest odds to score the most runs in first innings Sydney. Better odds than Mitch, Paine, Finch, Head and Labuschange... Everyone else on the market is in the squad

Edit: Like I know he hasn't been officially named in the squad but there has got to be something behind this.

Give ya a quick tip bookies are there to make money!

 

[Richard Pryor]

Has anybody actually watched Labuschange much apart from the 2 Tests? Is he really THAT bad? Maybe a left field selection but can't but help there is some exaggeration going on here with all the melts.

I think the problem is more with the perceived reasoning than the selection itself. Plenty of people have argued for ignoring form and throwing some youth in at the deep end and seeing if they sink or swim, but it feels more like Labuschagne has been selected on the assumption his non-frontline bowling will cover for his batting struggles like with Mitch Marsh.

I don't actually know if that's why he's been selected, but given the SCG is seen as a spinners pitch I can see why some might feel that way.

 

[swanssince2002]

Langer's interview does not inspire confidence at all. Almost ragequit when I read those comments. Welcome back to being the laughingstock of cricket. Took 25 years but here we are. Its as if the board is stuck in the glory days. Now the cupboard is bare and they still play favourites.

 

[DanT7]

If I were selector...
1. Burns
2. Harris
3. Khawaja
4. Head
5. Maxwell
6. Finch
7. Paine
8. Cummins
9. Starc
10. Lyon
11. Hazelwood


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Head, Maxwell and Finch at 4-6...dear lord! What could possibly go wrong..

 

[eddiesmith]

Head, Maxwell and Finch at 4-6...dear lord! What could possibly go wrong..

A lot less than will with Marsh, Head, Labushagne/Marsh

 

[LukeParkerno1]

A lot less than will with Marsh, Head, Labushagne/Marsh

Not really. Only Head is likely to get some runs regardless

 

[Gavin Excell]

I’m neither here nor there or Langer but he has a good coaching record, has inherited a colossal mess and is five ******* Tests in. People are raging like he’s responsible for this mess and not the one brought in to fix it. He needs an actual amount of time to see what he can do.

As for selections, as I’ve said, treatment of guys like Maxwell and Burns predate him, he doesn’t have carte blanche over the team (as much as we’d like our cricket boss to be the boss); some of his rationales sound iffy but we don’t know if he’s explaining away decisions he can’t control.

That is possible. He is what one of 4 selectors?

 

[The 4th Horseman]

In: Maxwell
Out: MMarsh

Won't happen but should happen.

Finch down to 4.

Harris
Khawaja
S Marsh
Finch
Head
Maxwell
Paine
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood

 

[toml]

It would be Finch out for Burns and MMarsh out for Kurtis Patterson if it were up to me. Remember 2yrs ago when we had the opportunity to pick Kurtis Patterson but the selectors ****ing picked Maddinson? Facepalm

 

[Richard Pryor]

Justin Langer: "We don't want to reward poor performance"
Also Justin Langer:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/25651150/aaron-finch-likely-stay-top-sydney-test

Struggling opener Aaron Finch appears likely to stay at the top of the Australian batting order for the final Test of the series against India at the SCG through a lack of other options in the squad. Coach Justin Langer insisted the white-ball captain would "be better" for learning how to juggle three formats after the fashion of Steven Smith and David Warner.

"Something we're talking about obviously," Langer said of Finch's position. "He's having a bit of a lean run of it although he's got a couple of 50s. Got a 100 run partnership one Test match ago and that set up the whole Test match for us. Finch is a really good player, we know that, he's great in the team, he's working harder probably than he's ever worked and as I've said to him for some time he's in this uncharted territory where he's the only guy playing all three forms of the game.

Do agree it would be better for Finch to be able to bat in all three formats, unfortunately it is not better for the side, and the time for him to learn would have been five years ago. He should also learn how to juggle the formats at a lower level, not the pinnacle of the sport, unfortunately I guess nobody is "banging the door down".