Ongoing Test match XI speculation thread.

[JackOutback]

People dismissing guys averaging 35 for their career like we have players actually doing significantly better... We don't.

We need to look at form over the last 2-3 seasons. Who cares about what a 27 year old averaged when he was 21 or 22. Form over a lesser period means almost nothing.

Selectors also need to earn their money and judge whose game will translate to test level. To my eye Marcus Harris will never do so - just my opinion.

Selecting players for the test isn't simple atm. It's unfair to slam the selectors too much. Would've loved their job around 2000. I couldn't think of a more thankless job in cricket these days...

Guys like Jamie Siddons and Martin Love must have wished they had been born 20 years later.

 

[Gough]

Guys like Jamie Siddons and Martin Love must have wished they had been born 20 years later.

James Brayshaw would at least get mentioned in dispatches these days.

 

[hawkman]

I mean he did score 2 centuries in that Ashes series. Problem is that both of them were 18 months ago, which is kind of my point. He's had 9 Tests since then when he's done basically nothing.

And neither of them seemed particularly influential either (Australia were already on top for that ton in the first Test, whereas England had clearly won the Test for the other century), which was sort of my point as well.

Agree he is nearly done, that 1st in the Ashes he did come in at effectively 4/115, there weren't exactly on top

 

[Chaisa]

Agree he is nearly done, that 1st in the Ashes he did come in at effectively 4/115, there weren't exactly on top

Yeah that's true actually, it did feel like "easy runs" but yeah it really wasn't.

 

[Docker82]

Guys like Jamie Siddons and Martin Love must have wished they had been born 20 years later.

Tbh their probably the sorts of guys that I referred to. Did good at shield level but weren't test standard.

We'll never know but they certainly would've had chances.

 

[The hands of stone]

Pucovski and Green not only knocked the door down with mountains of runs but they also had games that could hold up at the next level, or give them the best chance of success .

I wouldn't be picking him in the 11 but I would be looking at getting Renshaw back in the mix asap.
We are devoid of guys who highly value their wicket, and in a thin batting line up you need them.
He does that and seems to have matured with a more versatile game.

Spots are up for grabs for who wants them.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Pucovski and Green not only knocked the door down with mountains of runs but they also had games that could hold up at the next level, or give them the best chance of success .

I wouldn't be picking him in the 11 but I would be looking at getting Renshaw back in the mix asap.
We are devoid of guys who highly value their wicket, and in a thin batting line up you need them.
He does that and seems to have matured with a more versatile game.

Spots are up for grabs for who wants them.

I would also want Renshaw back too in that lineup but the problem is he is out of sorts for the past couple of Sheffield Shields and needs to score runs again more consistently like he did before.

Maybe moving states to South Australia might help him bat at opener again and improve his performance at the top cause QLD have a lot of openers atm with Street, Labuschange, Burns & Khawaja and I can't see a spot for him at this current time.

 

[Voice of the G]

Pucovski and Green not only knocked the door down with mountains of runs but they also had games that could hold up at the next level, or give them the best chance of success .

I wouldn't be picking him in the 11 but I would be looking at getting Renshaw back in the mix asap.
We are devoid of guys who highly value their wicket, and in a thin batting line up you need them.
He does that and seems to have matured with a more versatile game.

Spots are up for grabs for who wants them.

Guys who value their wicket,Bryce Street,Qld.

 

[Gough]

Pucovski and Green not only knocked the door down with mountains of runs but they also had games that could hold up at the next level, or give them the best chance of success .

I wouldn't be picking him in the 11 but I would be looking at getting Renshaw back in the mix asap.
We are devoid of guys who highly value their wicket, and in a thin batting line up you need them.
He does that and seems to have matured with a more versatile game.

Spots are up for grabs for who wants them.

If scuttlebutt is worth anything apparently Renshaw is a well rounded young man who doesn't share the brown nosed dwarf's live and die for the baggy green attitude.

 

[The Passenger]

The problem with the BBL is that it's a glorified grade competion, you go to the IPL and you play and learn from the best in the world. I don't think that's the case here.

I don't watch it but I do check out the scorecards now and the standard of players in the competition over the last few years has been pretty rubbish, relative to the hype, marketing and pay cheques.

I remember when there were numerous internationals - Oz and non Oz - in each team. Obviously covid doesn't help this year, but it's been in decline for a while.

It's only a matter of time till the general public realised they are being fleeced pretty decent money to watch guys they could normally watch for free, simply by adding some fluro uniforms and fireworks.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Guys who value their wicket,Bryce Street,Qld.

I think the problem with Australian Cricket in this generation is that players know full well that they would earn a hell of a lot more in that T20 Circuit (BBL, IPL, PSL) by just smashing a ball over the boundary all the time without any sort of technique anymore compared to having a proper technique and ability to compete at Test Match Cricket.

Players such as Maxwell, Stoinis, Lynn, Maddison, Finch, etc would have been excellent Test Match Cricketers for Australia if it wasn't for the introduction of T20 cricket and the BBL.

While the only best batsman in the Test Match arena would be Smith and in some regards Warner & Labuschange.

Remember when Australia won the Ashes 5-0 in 06/07 look at our lineup then and it shows every Australian batsman was a star compared to the lineup now in which most of our lineup look like hackers with no technique.

The sad reality is though that players will want to earn more each and every day and will just join those T20 competition as a way of doing so instead of representing their country at Test Match Cricket.

That's why it wouldn't surprise me if Test Match Cricket dies in the next 50 years and T20 Cricket is the main format being played and represented at the Olympics and other Competitions around the world given how short the game lasts for audiences and players around the world to play and watch.

It's a sign of the times sadly

 

[eddiesmith]

I really hope Carey keeps in the Ashes

 

[The Passenger]

Guys who value their wicket,Bryce Street,Qld.

He certainly values his wicket. But he'd put even the oldest of old school cricketing purists to sleep. FC strike rate of 31.

Can bat and is adept at seeing off the new ball so he'd be towards the front end of the openers queue.

I do worry he'll get seen as someone who puts his opening partner under too much pressure by his slow scoring, and whilst he has shown he has the ability to withstand that pressure himself at FC, the level of pressure international bowlers will put him under is a good bit higher.

 

[Blackhawk42]

No idea what today or this series does for Matty Wade if i'm honest.

cons:
Thrown his wicket away horribly 3 times this series.
Age.
Only averages 30 at test level over 36 matches.
No idea when Australias next test match is going to be (Considering Covid)

Pros:
5th highest run scorer of the series. 3rd highest for Australia.
Has now made contributions in his career at 1, 5, 6 and 7 so can essentially be called on to play anywhere.
We haven't lost a test series since he returned to the side in 2019.
Who else is banging the door down to replace him?

 

[Voice of the G]

He certainly values his wicket. But he'd put even the oldest of old school cricketing purists to sleep. FC strike rate of 31.

Can bat and is adept at seeing off the new ball so he'd be towards the front end of the openers queue.

I do worry he'll get seen as someone who puts his opening partner under too much pressure by his slow scoring, and whilst he has shown he has the ability to withstand that pressure himself at FC, the level of pressure international bowlers will put him under is a good bit higher.

You would need a Warner type batsman at the other end and message to him make an effort to get your partner on strike.I think last last year or year before he got some really big scores in premier cricket in Brisbane.300 plus but stand to be corrected.As for T20 cricket a definate no way.

 

[The Passenger]

You would need a Warner type batsman at the other end and message to him make an effort to get your partner on strike.I think last last year or year before he got some really big scores in premier cricket in Brisbane.300 plus but stand to be corrected.As for T20 cricket a definate no way.

Definitely got a triple century a couple of years back. Not sure what comp. Either grade or Second XI I'm pretty sure.

 

[eth-dog]

Definitely got a triple century a couple of years back. Not sure what comp. Either grade or Second XI I'm pretty sure.

Second XI against Victoria. We had a gash attack in.

 

[Voice of the G]

Definitely got a triple century a couple of years back. Not sure what comp. Either grade or Second XI I'm pretty sure.

Yes it was 2nd 11 for QLD.

 

[Hamingja]

No idea what today or this series does for Matty Wade if i'm honest.

cons:
Thrown his wicket away horribly 3 times this series.
Age.
Only averages 30 at test level over 36 matches.
No idea when Australias next test match is going to be (Considering Covid)

Pros:
5th highest run scorer of the series. 3rd highest for Australia.
Has now made contributions in his career at 1, 5, 6 and 7 so can essentially be called on to play anywhere.
We haven't lost a test series since he returned to the side in 2019.
Who else is banging the door down to replace him?

There is no one else banging the door down. It's a coinflip between Wade and Head. The other pro for Wade, as far as squad selection goes (not so much the XI itself), is that he can keep if Paine was to get injured on a tour. Doesn't hurt being mates with Paine and Smith either.

 

[footyfan1978]

Pucovski and Green not only knocked the door down with mountains of runs but they also had games that could hold up at the next level, or give them the best chance of success .

I wouldn't be picking him in the 11 but I would be looking at getting Renshaw back in the mix asap.
We are devoid of guys who highly value their wicket, and in a thin batting line up you need them.
He does that and seems to have matured with a more versatile game.

Spots are up for grabs for who wants them.

Yes, some of these guys like Jack Edwards need to really aim to replicate what Pucoski and Green have done as there been plenty of batting spots to be taken for someone that shows they can score big runs more than once or twice. I not seen an Australian batting scene domestically where the cupboard so bare. We were bad in mid 80's but had half an excuse as we lost half the options to Rebel tours of South Africa... Haysman actually never came back

 

[eddiesmith]

If the SA tour goes ahead, the Shield will basically become the Futures League for a couple of weeks so an ideal chance for players to put their names up, especially against some very poor bowling attacks.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Yep

Renshaw you suck

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

No idea what today or this series does for Matty Wade if i'm honest.

cons:
Thrown his wicket away horribly 3 times this series.
Age.
Only averages 30 at test level over 36 matches.
No idea when Australias next test match is going to be (Considering Covid)

Pros:
5th highest run scorer of the series. 3rd highest for Australia.
Has now made contributions in his career at 1, 5, 6 and 7 so can essentially be called on to play anywhere.
We haven't lost a test series since he returned to the side in 2019.
Who else is banging the door down to replace him?

Age is irrelevant, but basically he stays in by default I think. There is nobody really deserving of the spot, practically no Shield to be played before the team has to be in South Africa or in the pre-tour bubble if necessary. Yes, he does some horrid thing, but so does Head and Wade has looked slightly more likely to get a score if he stops being stupid. Even playing out of position for some games, there is no way he is an opener - especially not alongside Warner, not exactly the most level-headed batsman himself.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

If the SA tour goes ahead, the Shield will basically become the Futures League for a couple of weeks so an ideal chance for players to put their names up, especially against some very poor bowling attacks.

Especially with the NZ white ball tour going on simultaneously. Those weeks are going to be a very poor guide to anything one would expect.

 

[eddiesmith]

Especially with the NZ white ball tour going on simultaneously. Those weeks are going to be a very poor guide to anything one would expect.

Exactly, with injuries you’re probably looking at the top 40 players missing, but then it’s a real good chance for someone who doesn’t get a chance to make some runs and get themselves more games in the backend of the comp.

Guys like Harvey and JFM for Victoria