The real 1st test poll

[bunsen burner]

Pick 5 of the above to play in 1st test. IIRC the first test is at the Gabba and their will be little turn. Hauritz doesn't play. I'd play an extra bat.

Watson
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
North
Khawaja
Ferguson
Paine
Johnson
Hilfy
Bollinger

 

[CAS79]

Didn't want to pick a spinner at all but your selection gave me no choice in the matter.

 

[bunsen burner]

Hard to get the poll right. They most likely will go without a spinner in Brisbane but on the other hand i want to see if people prefer Smith or Hauritz.

I'd go Smith in front of Hauritz for the rest of the series. Pierson will go after him but Smith's got a bit of resolve around him.

 

[bunsen burner]

I'm changing my mind. Paine in, haddin out.

 

[eddiesmith]

Where is the White option?

 

[mattymac]

kat, fergs, kwaj, paine, smith

 

[bunsen burner]

Where is the White option?

Not good enough to play test cricket.

Clarke has no business being in the T20 side. White should be captain of that. But he's not good enough to play Test.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Where is the White option?

Where it should be, not there FFS.

 

[Bomber Bears]

Thought the poll was who will get picked, so picked Katich, Hauritz, North, Haddin Ferguson

 

[mattymac]

so its unanimous... kat stays, smith in for haury, fergs and kwaj in for huss and north, haddin and paine to sort it out in the carpark

 

[bunsen burner]

Thought the poll was who will get picked, so picked Katich, Hauritz, North, Haddin Ferguson

it was "who would you pick" but i should have been clearer.

Can't see hauritz getting picked. I think Ferguson or an extra quick will play.

 

[krusden]

Where is the White option?

in a poll yet to be made about ODI's and T20, not in a bloody test poll!

just like white himself, it has no business in a test.

I went: smith, hussey, paine, hughes, ferguson.

I think what will happen is:

ie. nothing. zip. nada. sweet fa.

 

[Badesumofu]

Something along the lines of:

Hughes
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Ferguson
Khawaja
Watson
Paine
Johnson
Hilfenhaus
Bolinger

Might have to consider putting Smith in instead of Hughes, and leaving Watto at the top of the order. I don't buy the claim that Watson's batting has been good only because he's opening. He's just sorted out his technique and confidence. Hughes is a really good bat, and a genuine opener. We need to manage Watson's workload a bit better, and you want him bowling 10 - 20 overs per innings, expecting him to do that and then open the batting is a bit much. I feel we would get more out of him if he was batting around 5 - 7.

I like Smith, but his bowling is not good enough to hold down a pure bowling spot yet. His batting is very handy, and I expect him to get picked on that basis soon. So he might slot in instead of Khawaja, into the middle order. Either way, we'll be relying on Bollinger, Hifenhaus and Johnson for the bulk of the 20 wickets - given that, I've tried to pick a side that is capable of reliably scoring runs. Haddin is problematic because he tends to do alright when we don't really need it, but when we've collapsed, you can almost rely on him to continue the collapse by stupidly throwing his wicket away when we need someone sensible, like Tim Paine, to come out and do a job with the tail.