Team for the 1st test Australia vs Sri lanka (Hobart)

maxy87

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Kawaja top scored with 65 in the test match we won against South Africa late last year. Technically speaking, he is miles ahead of Hughes. It's all mental for Kawaja - needs to be more assertive at the crease and improve on things like fielding and running between wickets. In this sense, I can see Hughes getting the nod at the moment. As well as he's gone so far this summer I can't get a recurring vision out of my head which is of him being squared up and prodding at a delivery away from his body to be caught in the slips for bugger all. If Hughes plays, he will likely smack around a substandard Lankan pace attack on true pitches which will do wonders for his confidence but will it acquit him for the likes of Anderson et. al in bowler friendly conditions?
 

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I agree with everything you've said about Khawaja but surely he has to be ahead of Quiney.
I think Quiney is ahead purely because they're considering him. That's the thing here, until Usman starts turning the strike over more and being less reliant to score a great percentage of his runs against shocking balls, he's not in consideration. In a way, he has to re-work his game in a larger way than Hughes had to, made all the worse by these being slightly subtle things. Hughes had a massive cheat sheet exposed to him, and every bowler attacked it, and it would get him out. So once bowlers attacked it and it didn't get him out.... Usman's issues don't get him out. But if a bowler successfully attacks them (and Usman's issues can be simplified to basically having little in response to balls that land around off stump, are shorter than a half volley and fuller than a short ball. you know, test match bowling.) he just doesn't go anywhere.

Basically, Usman's right now is making runs...but like Boon's last century, they ain't the runs they want to see. It's problematic for Usman, because he can't help smashing shit bowlers to the fence. But the selectors aren't gonna give him marks for smashing Rainbird and Doherty to the fence.
 

damochandler

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it certainly isn't the same as it was back in the 90s where there use to be probably 10 players a year that would score more than a 1000 runs in a shield season. lack of depth is a problem that isn't going away. is hughes going to be a perminant number 3 i doubt it
 

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it certainly isn't the same as it was back in the 90s where there use to be probably 10 players a year that would score more than a 1000 runs in a shield season. lack of depth is a problem that isn't going away. is hughes going to be a perminant number 3 i doubt it
Don't see why he can't bat at 3. Most openers are capable of batting at 3.
 

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that last post was supposed to mention something about how Usman's awkward position is partly that because these are issues are easy enough to get away with in the shield, but the next level above...
 

maxy87

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It's not all mental for Khawaja. He has problems with pinching singles and rotating the strike.
Because he lacks the confidence to assert himself against good spells of bowling. That's a mental thing. If it were technical, he'd be getting out consistently to good bowling like Hughes vs <insert international bowler>. He isn't
 

frankrizzo

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Still don't see the difference, usman scores at the lower level but his weaknesses will be exposed in tests, hughes scores runs at the lower level and that means his issues at test level are fixed?
 

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The_Reaper

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Because he lacks the confidence to assert himself against good spells of bowling. That's a mental thing. If it were technical, he'd be getting out consistently to good bowling like Hughes vs <insert international bowler>. He isn't
His technical issue is one that restricts his ability to score, not one that gets him out.

There is more to technique than just avoiding getting dismissed.
 

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Because he lacks the confidence to assert himself against good spells of bowling. That's a mental thing. If it were technical, he'd be getting out consistently to good bowling like Hughes vs <insert international bowler>. He isn't
The ability to be able to pick gaps and take singles is most definitely a technical thing. Look at Mike Hussey. He is a master at it. There may be an element of confidence and being able to read the game but I think it's a skill that one could work on and develop, apparently he isn't doing it. Even in his Hobart hundred it was mainly boundaries.
 

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Still don't see the difference, usman scores at the lower level but his weaknesses will be exposed in tests, hughes scores runs at the lower level and that means his issues at test level are fixed?
Basically both of them had technical issues which led to them getting dropped.

Hughes technical flaw was so massive that park bowlers were getting him out for sub 20 using the same method. He sorted that out, went to England where everyone promptly aimed at his weakness and he flourished. He's done the same in shield.

Khawaja's issue was that he gets bogged down by disciplined bowling and is unable to score singles. He hasn't demonstrated that he's fixed this and at shield level he has being able to succeed despite this weakness.
 

maxy87

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The ability to be able to pick gaps and take singles is most definitely a technical thing. Look at Mike Hussey. He is a master at it. There may be an element of confidence and being able to read the game but I think it's a skill that one could work on and develop, apparently he isn't doing it. Even in his Hobart hundred it was mainly boundaries.
All true but Id argue that Kawaja is more than capable of playing scoring shots and perhaps his thought process is "don't get out" when he receives a good ball rather than the veteran in Hussey perhaps thinking "how can I push this into a gap if possible". You simply won't make tons if you are incapable of playing scoring shots effectively
 

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another thing to consider is that Hughes was lucky enough to have a strong spot right next to a weak spot. You either got Hughes out, or you went to the fence. Obviously in the shield, some attacks went to the fence. Usman's weak and strong spot are far away enough for good bowlers to not mix them up too often. Bad bowlers though...Basically, Usman can stick it out against the good bowlers in the attack, and thump the bad bowlers in the attack to the fence. But they don't care for seeing the bad bowlers smacked to the fence. They wanna see Usman do more than stick it out against the good bowlers who are successfully attacking him.
 

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It's interesting Usman has just smacked the SL spinner to the fence a few times. People said he had a a weakness against spin. I'm not sure if he does that much (Hughes is better against spin, mind you) but anyway, I see these problems as mainly a pace problem 'cause pace generally makes up 3/4 or 4/5 of the attack.
 

maxy87

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Ussie has a very wristy batting technique which I reckon comes from his Pakistani heritage and may assist him against spin. I remember when I first watched him live in a Ryobi Cup match I saw a little bit of Saeed Anwar in him but that's just me
 

LukeParkerno1

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It's interesting Usman has just smacked the SL spinner to the fence a few times. People said he had a a weakness against spin. I'm not sure if he does that much (Hughes is better against spin, mind you) but anyway, I see these problems as mainly a pace problem 'cause pace generally makes up 3/4 or 4/5 of the attack.
I actually see him as a competent player against spin. He isn't Clarke against the tweakers but he isn't bad. My issue with Khawaja is that he can block maiden after maiden and he lets go balls he could nudge into the gap for 1 or 2. This is what Ed Cowan has improved.
 

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I would have liked to see another seamer in the squad, you know just in case it's still Round Arm Hilf. That Hilf basically shouldn't be considered, even if injury strikes on the eve of the match
 

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There are a few positives:

1. No Ponting who was useless
2. No Hastings who was worse than Ponting.

Warner
Cowan
Hughes
Watson (vc)
Clarke
Hussey
Wade
Starc
Johnson (I hate it but the selectors love the muppet)
Siddle
Lyon
12th- Hilfy
 
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