What Will Be The XI For The Aussies For The 2018/19 Series vs India?

Who Wins The Test Series?


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Daniel McL

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May 21, 2014
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Just watching this final Test vs South Africa, with the failures in the first innings of Renshaw, Burns & Handscomb (though Renshaw & Burns scoring 20-30+ would’ve been a miracle considering how they’ve been brought into the side).

Also assuming Warner, Smith & Bancroft won’t be available (Bancroft at least the first few Tests).

If you had to predict it now, who would be your XI in the 1st Test for the Aussies against India in Australia?
 

Daniel McL

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If I had to predict the XI now, I reckon I’d go with:

- Renshaw
- Weatherald
- Maxwell
- Head
- Cartwright
- M. Marsh
- Paine
- Cummins
- Starc
- Hazlewood
- Lyon

Edit: Also wouldn’t be surprised if we gave Jake Doran a go if Cartwright or Head didn’t start the Shield season that well next season.

2nd Edit:

Now going Renshaw, Burns, Cartwright, Head, Maxwell, M. Marsh, Paine, Cummins, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood.
 
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Matt Renshaw
Travis Head
Usman Khawaja
Glenn Maxwell
Shaun Marsh
Mitch Marsh
Tim Paine (+)
Pat Cummins
Mitchell Starc
Nathan Lyon
Josh Hazlewood

I know Head plays primarily middle order (well, full time in the whites) but he'd be an interesting Warner-replacement to be paired with a defensively minded bloke like Renshaw. I think we would like a dasher up top if possible.
 
Jan 6, 2004
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Handscomb seems the least likely to survive but the rest will likely at least start the summer, we just lost half our top six so there isn't going to be some great purge as the talent just isn't there to replace them.

It's going to be a real struggle no matter who we pick, Smith and Warner have scored 40 percent of our runs and the bulk of the tons in recent years and we can't just replace that.
 
May 20, 2014
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Renhaw
Burns
Khawaja
SMarsh
Maxwell
Mmarsh
Paine
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
H'wood

They royally screwed themselves over selecting Handscomb instead of Maxwell as the reserve bat, couldn't call 3 bats from Australia and not play Handscomb. But yeah I reckon that will be the 6 they go with despite the effort over night.

I would throw Head in for a look as need to blood a bat that is future captaincy material and the weakened batting line up gives them a chance to make a "on potential" pick.

The one left field and completely unpopular suggestion would be Wade as a batsman. Add some grit to the middle order at least. Had a shield season that mirrored Renshaw really, slow start and came home like a freight train.
 
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May 30, 2006
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This far out, I have no idea. I don't think changes can be made based on one game, where the team is obviously detabilised, two of the batsmen flew in on short notice and the other has been on the tour with practically zero match time (lack of tour games really hurts proper Test series of 3 games or longer).

County and early season Shield form is going to have to count for a lot, and the off-season hosting of Bangladesh if it goes ahead.
It can be safely assumed no Tests will be played on the Zimbabwe tour, it can't be safely assumed there will be a Zimbabwe tour.
 
Feb 6, 2013
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Hawthorn
Renhaw
Burns
Khawaja
SMarsh
Maxwell
Mmarsh
Paine
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
H'wood
This would be the side I'd go with. Not confident in them beating India if we roll out what seems to be the customary highways though. That top 3 is very capable of getting themselves out regardless of the conditions, which will be a killer on roads.
 
Jul 28, 2012
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Australian cricket is about to enter a similar era that has eaten away West Indies Cricket for 20 years. This scandal will take years for Australia to get over and recover. The team is at its lowest ebb in the history of the game and this final TEST is a joke, it's quite obvious the players do not want to be there and are playing under sufferance. Smith should appeal and aim for a reduction of 4 months making him available for the 3rd Test against India. Currently the Boxing Day Test may record the lowest attendance in its history...Who the hell is going to go? Australian cricket just hit the crossroads!
 
May 30, 2006
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Australian cricket is about to enter a similar era that has eaten away West Indies Cricket for 20 years. This scandal will take years for Australia to get over and recover. The team is at its lowest ebb in the history of the game and this final TEST is a joke, it's quite obvious the players do not want to be there and are playing under sufferance. Smith should appeal and aim for a reduction of 4 months making him available for the 3rd Test against India. Currently the Boxing Day Test may record the lowest attendance in its history...Who the hell is going to go? Australian cricket just hit the crossroads!
60k Indians will be there for as many days as it lasts. Boxing Day itself is an "event" as much as a sporting day. It always drops off after that. but with a strong contingent of visiting supporters won't drop like a game against New Zealand or Pakistan to be sub-30k by day four.
Local TV ratings may be a bigger problem, but that series (from CA's point of view) is mostly about the broadcast rights into India.

Offsetting the disgust will be the interest in how a team without its stars and leaders manage to perform. Certainly Nine will be selling a "team redemption" tale.
 
Jul 28, 2012
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It's just been made public that Steve Smith was not privy to "key elements" of the ball-tampering plan – a line of thinking consistent with the Cricket Australia investigation, given Smith's sanctioning included lines regarding "knowledge of a potential (ball-tampering) plan" and a failure to "take steps to seek to prevent the development and implementation of that plan". The s**t is about to hit the fan legally IMO, "Investigators were told Smith did not know how the plan would be carried out until after Bancroft had been exposed on the big screen, as i suspected, Smith has been duped by Warner, "It is believed they found Smith had expressed his dislike of the plan but did not attempt to stop it".
Smith's failure to sanction his Vice Captain has cost him $millions. He has grounds for appeal, he's guilty of not disciplining Warner and dismissing this insane plan as nonsense. It now appears Warner has just gone ahead with it anyway! "There are unconfirmed suggestions someone in the change room uttered a phrase resembling 'just don't be ridiculous'." Other players appear to have known that something was up? We're not going to hear the end of this BS for sometime! Smith must seek legal council.
 
Jun 8, 2014
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The one left field and completely unpopular suggestion would be Wade as a batsman. Add some grit to the middle order at least. Had a shield season that mirrored Renshaw really, slow start and came home like a freight train.
I like this. Once it was clear he would never really make it as a keeper, I thought Wade might be better served ditching the gloves and becoming a nuggety middle order batsman. He might be able to make a fist of it given our current predicament.
 
Jun 8, 2014
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India certainly will be the favorites for this series as it will possibly be their best chance to win a series down under. Hopefully the pressure of being favorites works in our favour.

Since India will have the upper hand in the batting stakes, I wonder if we will reverse the trend of flat roads and instead produce some greener fast tracks. Maybe we can back our bowlers to blast their bats out for less than what their bowlers get ours. Would certainly be more entertaining than last time they toured here.
 
Wouldn’t be surprised if smith plays this series somehow.

Somehow?

CA have at the very least heavily maimed their golden goose, I think they'll wait until the furore dies down and chop down his ban to a neat 6 months so he can start the home summer
 
Feb 6, 2013
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How can CA magically reduce Smith's ban without looking completely incompetent? They have taken the hard stance and they will lose even more credibility if they change mid suspension. I want Smith to play too but just can't see it happening.
Let the players union fight on Smiths behalf in a few months. Feed a bunch of stories about Smith being severely depressed, can't even get off his couch, to the media at the same time and public opinion will fall into line. Big bonus to the cause if the side really struggles without him.
 
If I had to predict the XI now, I reckon I’d go with:

- Renshaw
- Weatherald
- Maxwell
- Head
- Cartwright
- M. Marsh
- Paine
- Cummins
- Starc
- Hazlewood
- Lyon

Edit: Also wouldn’t be surprised if we gave Jake Doran a go if Cartwright or Head didn’t start the Shield season that well next season.
Like the look of your side, but I doubt CA will make that many changes.

Renshaw
Khawaja
Maxwell
Head
S Marsh
M Marsh
 
How can CA magically reduce Smith's ban without looking completely incompetent? They have taken the hard stance and they will lose even more credibility if they change mid suspension. I want Smith to play too but just can't see it happening.

$$$$
 
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