Time to give the selectors some credit

[avishka5]

IMO opinion cartwright will struggle to get his place in the side again as an allrounder. He might as well give up on his bowling and make him self into a genuine batsmen. I think he has the capability of becoming a good #5 for Australia one day.

 

[AngryRanga]

Someone who hasn't apparently had lingering shoulder injuries all summer that have now sent him home halfway through the series.
Someone who actually is a third pace option and doesn't bowl **** all overs in two tests.
Someone who can actually grind a score out and doesn't get out the ball before a break.
Someone who has shown they have more aptitude at test level at this stage in their careers.

More to the point, why would you select M.Marsh as a third pace option? There's nothing. I actually think he's going to be a long-term player but for this series it's ridiculous and this point should outweigh the good selections made in discussions of the selectors - it's mind-boggling and nothing short of not being able to accept past incorrect selections.

What is your point? This 'someone' doesn't exist. You can scream outrage all you want, without providing an alternate option of a 3rd seamer. Moises Henriques? Stoinis? Cartwright? I'd argue that Moises is the closest to deserving Marsh's spot, but let's be honest, he's not amassing many runs in India either. Marsh is the best option we have for a bonus seam bowling option, even if he isn't test standard.

We clearly consider a 3rd pace bowling option as fairly mandatory in our XIs. You select him because his bowling is tidy, even if situations didn't need him, and because he has shown capability as a bat in ODI's. I like how you are criticising him for getting an Ishant roller that hit him on the foot, like that was a lack of grit.

The only valid argument is one you mentioned, that he's barely being used as a bowler, and therefore we should play a batting option at 6. I'd argue that going in with just 2 seamers, one of which often breaks down, is a massive risk, and the selectors seem to see it the same way.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

IMO opinion cartwright will struggle to get his place in the side again as an allrounder. He might as well give up on his bowling and make him self into a genuine batsmen. I think he has the capability of becoming a good #5 for Australia one day.

His bowling is acceptable for a batsman and as he's doing well enough with the bat he might as well keep it up. The selectors really love a handy bowling batsmen.

 

[Scotland]

Cartwright has 17 wickets @ 43 in 21 FC matches, and on average bowls around 6 overs per innings. Mitch Marsh bowls about 10 and has a much better record (114 wickets @ 29 from 70 matches).

Assuming he could carry his FC form through to test level I'd take Cartwright's 45 with the bat and 43 with the ball at test level over Marsh's 22 and 37, or even his 29 & 29 FC averages. Having a #6 who averages 30 with the ball is wonderful, but having a #6 who averages 20 with the bat is just not acceptable. In fact if there was any batsman in the Shield who was going to average 45 at test level at #6 I'd pick him if he bowls or not. The selectors are just desperate to find another Shane Watson despite the fact that the first one wasn't that good. He was certainly capable of averaging 50 with the bat or 30 with the ball but he did neither outside short periods.

It's bloody Freddie Flintoff's fault for tormenting us in the 2005 Ashes, and even he scored nearly half his runs in a two year period and split his career between 6 and 7 anyway. He also took most of his wickets in the same period he was batting at his peak, so our selectors got a major hard on for finding a guy who would average 40-50+ with the bat and 25 with the ball, despite the fact that over his career Flintoff was a 32 & 33 prospect.

Also Andrew Symonds was never really viewed as a successful test cricketer but finished up averaging 40 with the bat and 37 with the ball. We'd take that right now.

 

[Cold Sober]

Mitch Marsh selection is still baffling. He can't bat and is not being bowled bugger all. We should of gone with another batter

psychic [march 5]