45HG

I suppose we see things differently. I believe that moving out country's best bat into the top four is the only real way to strengthen it. Dreading the Ashes!

How long until Clarke moves up the order?

45's Best XI Player Nation Age Tests Keiran Powell (WI) (22) 13 3 centuries and 2 50s at 32.66 including an average of 83 this summer. A very classy young player who has an obviously promising future (as was underscored by his performances in the one dayers for W.I. Also has 8 catches. Highest score 134. 51 in the world. Ed Cowan (Aus) (30) 14 1 century and 5 50s at 32.65, averaged 45.6 against the world's best S.A. lineup (including a century). Values his wicket and is tough to remove, often seeing off the new ball. Also a handy close-in fielder. (Plays for Tassie!) Highest sore 136. 44 in the world. Kumar Sangakarra (SL) (35) 115 All class. 30 centuries and 41 50s and a batting average of 55.8. 11 times he's reached over 190, second only to the Don. 8 double centuries! Wicket-keeping, captaining legend of the game. Highest score 287. 5th in world rankings. Kevin Pietersen (Eng) (32) 92 22 centuries at 49.42. Dislike him immensely, but his batting talents cannot be denied. Shame to say he's the Colin Sylvia of my team! Has an average over 44.5 against all test-playing nations except Pakistan. Highest score 227. 8th in world rankings. Azhar Ali (Pak) (28) 27 4 centuries and 14 50s at 42.26. Another up and coming player, solid technique and suffered a few dodgy dismissals against SA recently (including his teammate running him out!) Highest score of 157 and another who really values his wicket. 11th in world rankings. Kane Williamson (NZ) (22) 20 3 centuries and 5 50s at 30.27. Very young, raw but extremely talented bat. Already has some match-winning knocks to his name. Highest score 135. Also a handy spinner, taking 8 wickets at 53 (averaging 38.5 last year). 38 in the world. Tim Southee (NZ) (24) 21 Has 65 wickets, 3 5 wicket hauls, at 35.04 with a best bowling of 7/64 (in India!). His bowling average last year was 22.64! Also very handy with the bat. Has 2 50s, highest score of 77*. Along with Williamson, Southee is a young-gun who is helping to form a bright future for the Kiwis.18.74/35.04 (22.64 last year). 22 in the world. Vernon Philander (SA) (27) 16 Gun. 89 wickets in 16 matches (Very close to a record). His bowling average is a world-beating 17.13!!! 9 5 wicket hauls, 2 10 wicket matches, best bowling of 6/44, strike rate of 36.8! Another very handy bat, 2 50s at 22.75 with a high score of 74. 4th best all-rounder in the world. Number 2 bowler in the world. Pragyan Ojha (Ind) (26) 20 Staggered he wasn't selected for the first test. Has 95 wickets at 31.62 (very good for a spinner). 5 5 wickets innings and a best bowling of 6/47. Has averaged 14.5 over the past two years. 8th in the world. Tino Best (WI) (31) 18 Fiery W.I. quick coming back into the fold. Bowling average of 26 but averaged 16.27 last year. Best bowling of 6/40. 39 in the world. Ben Hilfenhaus (Aus) (29) 27 Very handy Tasmanian quick. Great bowling average of 28.5 and over the past two seasons he has averaged 22.06. Best bowling 5/75 and could be vital in the Ashes. Number 10 in the world. Between selecting my team on the fly whilst travelling abroad, beginning my prep-teaching career and now enduring some kind of indoor-soccer et. 4 year olds plague I can't be bothered defending the team (as if it needs it). It's been a haphazard arrangement on my behalf. I think the bats have a good mix of experience and I really rate my young guys. Cowan is iffy and my drunken selection of Tino Best has hurt the balance of my side I think. Mind you, Southee, Philander with Hilfenhaus and Best to back them up with Ojha and Williamson with the spin is a pretty threatening attack and I'd back Kumar, Pietersen and an improved Powell, Williamson and Ali to chase down any target that bowling lineup restricts opposition to.

A massive choke.

Great practice. If you can play sport, we'll fast track your citizenship. If you're not, you can rot in Nauru etc.

When you're forced to follow-on, the last thing you want is to lose a wicket first ball of the innings!

Consternation. Watching one of your key bowlers bowl one of your own batsmen...

And to think that you could've had Cale Morton!

Bang! Strikes again. A lot of luck (to say the least!!!) but still a good ball. Bizarre dismissal, really.

Brilliant!

If I were you, I'd pick Henriques...

If you can't spell his name, you shouldn't get to keep him...

Cop that, Rogue!

I feel a bit bad about it but I'd like to choose Powell and I suppose he'd have been there all being equal. Sorry Django.

Is it too narcissistic to think you did that just to spite me? Jacques Rudolph (SA)

Bah! Rage against Django!

Just quietly.

Yeah - in between some NAB cup, domestic cricket an A-League. A decent Sunday!

Lucky he came back - his 3 from 17 wasn't sparkling at the top before he did!

Um, yeah, I suppose...

Cowan (?)

Oh god - sorry lads I totally forgot. I just need an amazingly good batsman who, indeed, can open. Will have a think today.

Thanks mate, reckon you'd have enjoyed my rant about not playing a reverse sweep when the opposition has a short 3rd woman in place.

Decent bowling by the Windies has made it tough for the Aussies to get easy runs by finding the gaps, forcing them to try and go over the top - this has resulted in a few catches to the Windies. Aussies now 6-192 off 40 overs. 250 would be good from here. Quintyne really turned the momentum: 10-1-27-3 Aussies lost 3-15 off the 5 over powerplay. Sometimes the powerplay can play with batspeople's brains and get them to do things they really shouldn't.

Aussie women have started very well in the Final. 0-36 from 6 overs thus far.