Who Plays in The Ashes

[Gough]

Didn't see the show but if Lalor says what you say he said, and that Australia are looking to the future later, then this side regardless of who is in it should be given at least 2 Tests. The chopping and changing, horses for courses policy needs to be ditched.

I'm pretty sure this is the side for the first two Tests, Sayers is picked with Adelaide in mind I'm guessing.

 

[royeca]

The stats on Marsh don't tell the whole story. Everyone is dragging out the 'eighth chance' but several of those were due to injury and being an injury replacement. It's not like he has been dropped seven times for poor form.

Likewise, his number of innings under 10 is heavily influenced by one series six odd years ago. He's not nearly as bad as people want to make out. The hyperbole on SMarsh is over the top.

Regardless of this surely after his disgraceful performance in India he should never have been recalled.

Maxwell has done nothing wrong to justify Marsh taking his spot in the squad.

 

[Kram]

Regardless of this surely after his disgraceful performance in India he should never have been recalled.

Only goes down as 53 in the all important BF stat book but he batted for most of a day with Handscomb to save a Test when the series was live. Here's your textbook example of fan hyperbole.

 

[The_Reaper]

Regardless of this surely after his disgraceful performance in India he should never have been recalled.

Maxwell has done nothing wrong to justify Marsh taking his spot in the squad.

I'm going to assume that for some odd reason Maxwell was selected on his bowling in Asia - because gentle off spin is going to devastate the Indians - and thus was seen as a temporary Asian specialist rather than an incumbent.

 

[a mayes ing]

Ben Stokes cleared of any charges in England from his assault so he will be available second Test onwards according to Fox Sports analyst Brendon Julian.

If true, then England are gutless. He really should have been suspended more than 1 test lol. If one of the their guys punches another guy, watch England suspend him for 3/4 tests against a lesser important series

 

[bird_man]

India in 2011-12...six innings, three ducks, two more under 10, highest score of 11.

Well he also scored 5 in his latest series. There’s obviously a problem there, you can’t just ignore that.

 

[Taylor]

Well he also scored 5 in his latest series. There’s obviously a problem there, you can’t just ignore that.

He averages 62 at home from his last 5 innings in Australia at test level, that does include a massive score against the West Indies though. Perhaps the 130 he scored in Sri Lanka pigeon holed him into a subcontinent player when I've always thought he was better on the faster wickets at home.

 

[Hamingja]

Didn't see the show but if Lalor says what you say he said, and that Australia are looking to the future later, then this side regardless of who is in it should be given at least 2 Tests. The chopping and changing, horses for courses policy needs to be ditched.

Since they corrected their * up of selecting Ferguson and Mennie after one test and brought in Renshaw and Handscomb I think the selectors have actually been pretty good save for completely messing up the #6 slot.

It was the right call taking the risk on Renshaw initially off a very good but short shield career and I think it is the right call now to give him a short spell to work out of his form rut and give the man in form in Bancroft a go.

Khawaja horses for courses is a 100 million % the right decision.

My personal opinion was they should have stuck with Nevill instead of recalling Wade. Nevill was adequate as keeper and while disappointing with the bat at test level he had shown over his career at FC level with the bat he was better than that and I think they could have given him longer to work through it. Recalling Wade was meh, Nevill hasn't really proven the selectors wrong since his dumping though, then replacing Wade with Paine is meh. Meh, meh, meh. Shuffling deck chairs on the titanic and everyone can whinge about the selectors but it is all just white noise to me when all the options suck.

#6 is the spot they have really messed up. Stuck with M Marsh for too long, then went with Cartwright for that Sydney test, then favoured Maxwell for sub continent (which I don't have that big a problem with either tbh) but iirc Cartwright went from the test side to not making the squad with Stoinis somehow leap frogging him. Now we have S Marsh for Maxwell. It is just confusing. If they had stuck with either Cartwright or Maxwell I would say fair enough but it is like a different member of the selection panel gets their way on #6 every series.

 

[Rich]

Totally agree and I think that's why there is confusion in these selection decisions. I mean what's a 71no really worth in a 2nd dig combined with 1st innings failure?

That's just my read on Paines selection , I think post Haddin he has always been preferred but injury and other factors have stopped it

Can't remember the exact time, but when Paine had just established himself in the test side he was featured in one of the wanky sponsors ads that had all the marketable types from the team in it (think it was a phone company). I recall thinking "someone's got a hard on for this bloke for him to be in this so soon". Seemed a bit forced, a bit off. Here we are years down the track and he's back in the team from nowhere. Someone has his back.

 

[Hellgood]

Can't remember the exact time, but when Paine had just established himself in the test side he was featured in one of the wanky sponsors ads that had all the marketable types from the team in it (think it was a phone company). I recall thinking "someone's got a hard on for this bloke for him to be in this so soon". Seemed a bit forced, a bit off. Here we are years down the track and he's back in the team from nowhere. Someone has his back.

Might have been the year before the summer of Doug Bollinger appearing prancing around the TV screen throughout every freaking ad break whislt the real thing spudded it up on the pitch.

 

[Dez!]

And 2 60's out of 3 innings before the 45 Not Out......
That an average of over 50 coming into an Ashes series, for a number 6 batsman, who is also an outstanding fielder.

Not enough apparently.....

I'm beginning to think Steve "If you aren't my mate, goodbye" Smith picks the team.

They probably saw the idiotic ways that he goes out in.

 

[Big Bryza]

All players will go in and out of form for their whole career

Renshaw as a 21yr old needs a solid block at shield level to find form. An ashes series is not the place for that.

Bancroft is at the top of his game and deserves first crack at it.

 

[Big Bryza]

Agree with what you say re: Marsh. I would've stuck with Rensaw (with Bancroft at 6) but it's an understandable decision. I was pretty sure Bancroft cemented his spot and it came down to Renshaw v Maxwell with marsh a distant third in the running, but obviously the selectors didn't think that way.

Paine... unless he drops some catches which cost a century (or multiple centuries) which in turn cost us a match then I don't think this decision is going to decide the Ashes. Even if Paine averages 20 with the bat there is nothing to suggest any of the others would definitely do better anyway.

People love to pin stuff on selectors but the reality is all the players in the up-for-grabs positions you'd more or less expect to perform to a similar level.

The far more pressing concerns than decisions over fringe players for the Australian team is the form of the cemented batsmen, which is a little bit iffy (without being dire). Warner and Handscomb both averaging about 30 in the shield warm ups and since the tour of India finished Smith has been a bit less spectacular than we've become accustomed to, even though he is still scoring at a reasonably solid rate.

I think we were expected to see those sort of guys warm up in the shield with mountains of runs and confidence to their names. 18 innings from those 3 has yielded just 1 ton and 4 fifty-plus scores. I'm not sure that is what CA envisioned when they penned in 3 shield games prior to the Ashes.

Guys like Warner and Smith are world class and will rise to the occasion of the ashes.

We need Ussie and Handscomb to make loads of runs as well.

Our bowling line up is very strong and if the wickets offer enough then getting 20 poles each test won't be an issue.

 

[Big Bryza]

They lost their minds sticking with Wade. He simply cannot keep.

You need a good wicket keeper for a test match.

Paine helps our chacnces of winning.

Wade keeps in front of Paine for Tassie.

So your mate Painey can't be going that crash hot with the gloves.

 

[Retzlaff]

Renshaw as a 21yr old needs a solid block

I think he's already got that sorted

 

[JackOutback]

He averages 62 at home from his last 5 innings in Australia at test level, that does include a massive score against the West Indies though. Perhaps the 130 he scored in Sri Lanka pigeon holed him into a subcontinent player when I've always thought he was better on the faster wickets at home.

Marsh's problem is that he has never got an extended run, whether through his own injury woes or being made a scapegoat for poor performances. Prior to the India series, he had played just one Test in five different series. He is a bit of a feast or famine player, looks really uncomfortable until he gets to 20, after which he almost always goes on to a 50 or 100. I think in Australian conditions, in a preferred position, he'll do well and won't be dropped after the second Test.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Renshaw as a 21yr old needs a solid block at shield level to find form. An ashes series is not the place for that.

Bancroft is at the top of his game and deserves first crack at it.

Renshaw also needs to take more singles and rotate the strike.

 

[Carbine Chaos]

So your mate Painey can't be going that crash hot with the gloves.

I think everybody in Australia knows that Paine is a very good glovesman.

 

[frankrizzo]

Might even be a bowler friendly first day at the Gabba, Rained a lot this weekend with more to come before and during the first test.

 

[Gough]

This must be pretty much the first year in his career that dropping Lyon and playing four quicks won't be raised as an option in the lead up to this Test.

 

[largebus]

Might even be a bowler friendly first day at the Gabba, Rained a lot this weekend with more to come before and during the first test.

We harp on about how s**t the weather is in England and every other first Ashes test here is a washout.

 

[Gough]

It's only wet when it rains in Brisbane, it's not f***ing freezing as well.

 

[frankrizzo]

Actually it's cold and wet here today, 20 degrees in mid november is very cold for us, bit like when the poms call it a heatwave if it's over 27 for three days in a row.

 

[a mayes ing]

We harp on about how s**t the weather is in England and every other first Ashes test here is a washout.

Is it though? When was the last washout at the Gabba against England?

 

[largebus]

Is it though? When was the last washout at the Gabba against England?

Now I've gone and looked it was 2010. In between we had a washout in 2012 and significantly-rain-affected Tests in 2011, 2014 and 2015.

Not a great record by any means