titan_uranus

Pathetic. But good bowling from England. Took the new ball and it worked, getting Hussey, who played a poor shot, and then Haddin. Our two in-form batsmen. Swann's doing the rest. Our spin woes started when we dropped Krejza after 2 Tests. Since then we have played Hauritz and Doherty, who can't spin it, and Smith, who's 2-3 years away from being any good at Test level. IMO Krejza spins it the most out of all Australian bowlers but I don't see him getting a game any time soon. It's patently clear that we need a decent spin bowler who can break partnerships and help us get 10 wickets an innings but Doherty's not the answer, and frankly, Hauritz and Smith aren't either. Batting woes are still there. North should be gone now. Just can't do it. Katich is injured and won't play, so you'd expect Hughes to get another crack. Watson needs to learn that 50 isn't enough, Ponting needs to find some form badly. 3/238, now 9/297. We continue to lose wickets in clumps and if we ever get into a position of advantage we let it slip. Now we need to win 2 of the last 3 games to win the Ashes back. Can't see that happening with this team. For mine, Hughes comes in for Katich, D. Hussey or White comes in for North (hopefully one of them will tear England's bowlers to shreds in the tour game) and then there'll probably be a change in the pace bowlers, Bollinger was no good so maybe someone will get his spot. Edit: Katich is out for the series. Might be the end for him. Sad, he's been one of our best performers over the last 2.5 years. Dependable with the bat, should have bowled more often too.

Stuart Broad's out for the series. Harsh for him, but that helps us. One less bowler today. I think Bresnan will come in for him as he can bat a bit, like Broad. If they play Tremlett their tail gets really long. First session is crucial. Don't think it will rain until later in the afternoon so North has to tough it out.

Wtf...Clarke was well set on 80, and Pietersen gets him in the last over of the day. Therein lies the difference between us: even when we reach 50 we are still prone to go out. They're not. Too many 50s. Watson has 2. Needs to learn to convert. Rain required tomorrow or it'll be a loss. Big day for North. Possibly his last. Ponting won't get far past the Ashes. This might be it.

5/1000+ over the last two innings. Sadly, what can we do? Drop Doherty after two matches? That's hardly productive. We need to show the spinner we pick some faith. So he should stay. Drop a paceman or two? Siddle's wicketless since Day 1 of Brisbane. Bollinger is leaking just as many runs as Johnson did, and his only wicket was a major blunder from Strauss. Harris is the best and holds his spot but really, we could change the bowling as much as we want, there's no one in the counry who is any more capable than the bowlers we've got in the side. Long term we'll be looking at Mitch Starc and Trent Copeland from NSW but they're for the Ashes 2013, not the Ashes 2010/11.

More insipid bowling and fielding. This test is gone. No swing, no control. No plan at times. And catches dropped again. Batsmen were also poor. No call from Watson, loose from Clarke and North. Anderson did bowl well but I don't rate the batting performance at all. North must be dropped. David Hussey in. Pressure on Clarke too, but I'll back him in to pick up.

Harris in for Hilfenhaus too. Another good call. And we won the toss and are batting.

Johnson out. Good call. I'd go with Siddle, Bollinger and Harris. Harris will be more damaging than Hilfenhaus once the shine wears off the new ball. The problem with Harris is his potentially dodgy knee. Claims that the tail will be lengthened aren't that big of a worry. With six ducks in his last 12 innings, it's not like Johnson has been scoring plenty at 8 anyway. Harris can bat at 8 no worries, so can Doherty. Hilfenhaus has a Test 50 to his name, and Siddle was a part of that big partnership in Sydney with Hussey. So there's a bit of batting there.

Australia's issues, for mine, stem back to the tour of India in 2008. In the first Test there we put 430 on the board in the first innings and then had India at 7/232, but Harbhajan and Zaheer then put on 80 for the 8th wicket. Since then we've seen the Australian team fail numerous times to take 20 wickets (vs South Africa in Perth and Melbourne, vs England at Cardiff, vs West Indies in Adelaide, vs India at Mohali, now vs England at Brisbane). Most of those games we were in winning positions at some point too. I thought the first three days were quite good. Obviously Days 4 and 5, with the extra sun, the pitch became a road and only two wickets fell. But the first few days were a pretty gripping contest, ebbing and flowing. I'd also rather have England's bowlers than Australia's, but maybe not if Bollinger and Harris come in for Johnson and Hilfenhaus.

Its not really a stock delivery because he has no control over it HT. Katich out for 4. Lack of discipline (flirted outside off), diligent bowling and a catch taken. Spot the difference.

Same problems resurfacing. Embarrassingly huge partnership between Cook and Trott. 316. None of the bowlers have looked capable. Our ability to take 20 wickets has always been an issue and its not improving. Hilfy isn't threatening without swing and bowls far too straight too often. Johnson has no stock delivery nor accuracy and should be dropped. Siddle lacks venom at the moment. Doherty is getting attacked too easily. Bollinger for Johnson in Adelaide, and Harris to threaten Hilfenhaus. Should be interesting to see what happens when we bat today.

Our advantage is slowly slipping away. That drop from Johnson will likely prove very costly. I see a big Strauss century coming up, and even though Doherty's getting spin and bounce, to lefties it's not nearly as threatening as to right handers. We need to break the partnership right now, and then Doherty will hopefully hurt their middle order. Hussey and Siddle were probably the two most contentious selections, but they've put us where we are now. Siddle was OK this morning, nearly had Strauss of an inside edge. Johnson and Hilfenhaus are both bowling varying levels of rubbish. At times Johnson looks threatening but then he slides one down the legs or bowls too far outside off. Hilfenhaus doesn't get his line right, and without swing he's much less dangerous. With Bollinger to come back they need to lift their game.

Peter Siddle. What a legend. Deserved his spot over Bollinger based on fitness. I wasn't impressed with Hilfenhaus yesterday. He's in there for swing, but Watson swings it more. Bollinger is better than him, so he needs wickets or I'd drop him. Johnson was crap too but I rate him as a match winner more so than Hilfenhaus. Plus we get the biggest tail since the dinosaurs if we drop Johnson for Bolly. Watson and Katich doing well at the moment. I don't rate Anderson or Finn outside of England and playing against the crappier teams, but Broad looks good and Swann is superb so the danger is still there. A good Test so far, shows why Test cricket is still the best form of the game.

I'd guess that Manou and Hartley are ahead of him in the pecking order given Manou played a Test last Ashes and Hartley filled in in one of the tour matches. But Wade should be up there, and he has the advantage of youth on his side (what is he, 21, 22?). I'm sure he'll play for Australia one day.

Not sure about this game, but either way the injury could have happened in many other ways.

Good to see Khawaja get added to the squad. Hopefully Clarke is fit, but if he's not then Khawaja is the best alternative. What's that word you love? Hyperbole? Paine could have sustained that injury in any nets session for Tasmania, Australia A, whoever. He chose to play that game.

Oh brilliant. Clarke's back injury seems to be worse than first thought and he's no certainty to play on Thursday. Who's the only other batsman in the squad? Steven Smith. We cannot win with Smith in the side. He can't bat. He is a talent, sure, but that talent isn't enough to have him in the squad. If Clarke can't play, one of Ferguson or Khawaja should. Yes, they failed for Aus A, but their first-class records trump Smith's.

In other news, Victoria is now second-bottom on the Shield table, with just one win from our four starts, including two losses at home after not losing at home for 3 years. The only team below us, SA, has played one less game. No Rogers, Hodge, White (mostly), and various removals of McKay, Siddle, Hastings and Hussey have hurt us. Replacements such as Hill, Finch and Sheridan aren't cutting it, and Wright seems to be struggling.

Good article from Peter English: http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2010-11/content/current/story/488002.html "Smith is the only other one of the group who remains in favour, but he is not yet good enough as a batsman to be in the top six, as displayed by his first-ball dismissal to Chris Tremlett in Hobart today, when he left an offcutter heading for his stumps. He is not ready as a specialist bowler either. A gifted player, he could develop into an all-round genius, but at the moment his selection as a bits-and-pieces man for such an important series is strange." Also questions our selection policy (i.e. why did we play Hauritz in India, then after limited chances in Australia, drop him for the Ashes?).

After his golden duck? No thanks. Clearly he's thinking from an English perspective. Smith is crap. Can't bowl, can't really bat either. Doesn't deserve to still be in the squad.

The squad has been trimmed to 17. And the big news: Hauritz has been dropped for Doherty!!! YAHOO! Let's just hope Doherty takes some wickets to vindicate his selection. In other, less exciting news, Steven Smith retained his spot. Hauritz, Khawaja, Ferguson and Harris (still injured) were the four that were dropped from the 17. Hopefully Smith is 13th man and one of Siddle and Bollinger will be 12th. Squad: Watson, Katich, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, North, Haddin, Johnson, Doherty, Siddle, Hilfenhaus, Bollinger, Smith

Whilst Khawaja and Ferguson did nothing to advance their chances, Hussey's timing is impeccable. Literally left it to the last chance. I reckon he did the same by scoring a century in the 5th Test of last year's Ashes. He also got one in the second-last Test of the home summer. Always waits till the end.

Well that's it then. We can safely say that the top 6 for Brisbane is done and dusted now. Hussey's hit his century and is still going. At the same time, Khawaja's added a golden duck to his 13, and Ferguson added 10 to his 7. Not exactly banging the door down. Hughes is in the 40s but he's not in the squad. Poor Andrew McDonald. Misses out on the Australia squad despite everyone else making it, misses out on Australia A, then breaks his hand. Only question now is which three bowlers will join Johnson. Surely Hilfenhaus (assuming fitness) starts, but we've no extra information on the last pace bowler. Harris is still a bit sore so I'm not sure about him, Siddle isn't playing (which might be a good sign in that they're resting him for Brisbane) and Bollinger was tonked around vs Tasmania in the second innings. Then there's Hauritz vs Doherty. I'll pick Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Hauritz to start with, but I'd prefer Hilfenhaus, Bollinger and Doherty.

I do, because I'm utterly unconvinced that this century (well he's 98* at tea) will translate into improved form at Test level. But I am convinced that this century will give the selectors their opening and they'll pick him, unless Khawaja or Ferguson makes 200.

Hussey's 58* 84*. Not good. Perfect for the selectors though.

The NSW/Tas game was a joke. When both sides are bowled out on the opening day you know that the pitch is a bit of a doozy. That was meant to be the bowl-off between Doherty and Hauritz. Hauritz bowled 1 over. Doherty took 2 wickets and kept things tight which would have pleased Ponting I'm sure, but I still reckon they'll stick with Hauritz. There is a big problem brewing at the MCG: Hussey's making runs. Currently 33*. Some would say that's a good thing. But really it's just prolonging the inevitable. It's his absolute last chance and it looks like he's taking it. The selectors will then pick him citing this innings, and he'll then waste a spot in our middle order through the Ashes. Johnson's form is nice. 121* and then a five-for. About time, and let's hope it continues into next week. Time for Australia A to bat again as well. Khawaja and Ferguson need to score big runs. O'Keefe has outplayed Smith so far in this match (more runs and more wickets), but Smith is the one in the squad and continues to get talked about. His bowling is terrible.