titan_uranus

Should have been the Phantom! Seriously, he took 5 wickets and changed the face of the game. Only period where ball dominated bat. And he increased his batting average, with a fantastic score of 3 not out!

Katich and Bollinger aren't fit for the Sheffield Shield match vs Victoria, so they've only got the game next week to prove their fitness before Brisbane. Hopefully they can get up. On Saturday the 15-man squad for the first Test will be announced. This is how I'd do it: Watson Katich Ponting Clarke White North Haddin Johnson Hilfenhaus Bollinger Siddle _________ Doherty Khawaja/Ferguson Hughes George/McKay/Starc I play White instead of Hussey with Hussey not even making the squad. His form is just not good enough and we need to make the change before he costs us a Test or two. North gets in on the back of scoring a century in his last Test and Sheffield Shield game. Of course he could fail miserably in any other game he plays before Brisbane but I think he'll get the nod. Khawaja is the batsman who gets in the squad as back up should North misfire. Lineball call between him and Ferguson. Hughes is another reserve bat, largely because of Katich's fitness. I'd prefer to see Doherty instead of Hauritz, or worse, Smith, but we'll have to see how he and Hauritz go in the Shield between now and then. I think Doherty is better but he didn't make the Australia A side so I don't think he'll be in the mix and I expect Hauritz to be there instead. I'd start with four pacemen at the Gabba, the ODI the other day, and the Shield game last week, showed that the pitch is undoubtedly made for seamers. I'd start with Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Bollinger, but with Bollinger's fitness a query, another pacemen will have to be in the squad. Should be the best performer of George, McKay and Starc (I don't know if SA play anything before Saturday, which doesn't help George). Right now I'd pick Starc for some freshness. He looks really good.

I know! Epic bowling from the Phantom! Pity VVS decided to put in another second innings rearguard vigil. Now 6/82. But at least all three results are still possible.

20 year old left armer from NSW (surprise). He's quite impressive. Bowls a good line and length, got some good bounce out of the pitch too (but it is a good seamer's wicket). Meanwhile Kyle Williamson makes a century on debut in India. What a boring game. 850+ runs in 4 days with only 16 wickets falling. Don't forget one of the teams is NZ. Boredom to the max. But well done to Vettori for getting 4000 runs to go with his 300 wickets. Brilliant.

I like the move to drop Hauritz for Doherty. The claim was that Hauritz needed to get out there and bowl before the Ashes. That clearly pales in importance to playing a decent spinner. Doherty's taken a back seat though, it's the McKay and Starc show. Starc looks OK actually. Bowls a good line, gets bounce and seam movement, and is only 20.

Something to lighten the mood: England's struggling badly against WA. 6/116. It's their full Test line up as well. At least we're losing to international sides!

That's what most would say, but given he made a century in his last Test, and a century in his last Shield match I would say he'll stay. Not what I'd do, but these selectors are predictable. If it was me I'd drop at least one of North and Hussey, probably Hussey, for Cameron White, and I'd consider dropping the other for Usman Khawaja. In terms of bowling I'd play Doherty in the next ODI, hope he takes some more wickets, then play him in Brisbane instead of Hauritz. Even if Hauritz starts in Brisbane I'm tipping by Sydney Doherty will be in the side. I also wonder if Johnson will survive the entire series. He is really struggling, across all formats, for line and length.

I honestly don't believe this: Doherty's been dropped for Hauritz. Selectors aren't doing themselves any favours.

No more full tours from South Africa to Australia (and vice versa) until 2021: http://www.cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/current/story/485443.html They want to host Tests on Boxing Day and the first week of January just like us. We said we wouldn't tour them at those times, because that would mean no Boxing Day or New Year's Test here, so in retaliation they said they won't tour here. Means that we will play them once a year or so, but it won't ever be a full tour. So they might come here for some Tests, but no ODIs, or we might go there for some ODIs, etc.. Changes the landscape a bit here too. I mean, we can't have England and India every second year playing the Boxing Day and New Year's Tests. We'll be seeing more of Sri Lanka (a good thing if you ask me), Pakistan, NZ, and the Windies (that isn't such a good thing the way those three sides are going).

What a comeback! I left home at 8/107, I return to read they won the game. Unbelievable. All else aside, Xavier Doherty showed he's a better bowler than Hauritz. Yes, it's a ODI, not a Test. But he turned the ball. Actually turned it. Bowled Sangakkara, one of the world's best, with a ball he ripped from outside off to hit leg. Hauritz just can't turn it. Let's hope the selectors do the right thing and keep Doherty in the ODI side over Hauritz, and hopefully he keeps turning it and taking wickets.

Sheffield Shield: Hussey makes a golden duck, North makes 10. Meanwhile Khawaja makes 60 and Ferguson makes a fluent century.

First outright loss at the MCG in three years. Pretty disappointing all round. Quiney batted well though. Edit: Hussey, North and Johnson all playing for WA. That's a quarter of our Test line up. I wonder how they'll go? Also, another observation: Doherty > Hauritz. Well, maybe not, but he's at least as good as him, and is probably the second best spinner in the country at the moment.

Yeah, Pattinson turned the game a bit. But getting 280-odd runs on this fourth day pitch will be a challenge, especially with no White. We are blessed with talent nonetheless though. I mean, McKay and Hastings aren't in the side atm. Who makes way for them? Siddle bowled brilliantly yesterday, Pattinson keeps taking wickets, and Wright is the golden arm. Personally I'd drop McGain and bowl Hussey more (and White too when he comes back), allowing for the luxury of four pacemen.

Vics in a spot of bother now. We've conceded first innings points already, now we're 253 runs behind and Tasmania still has 4 wickets in hand. Still, we're missing White, McKay and Hastings, and Rogers isn't fully fit either. News today that Bollinger is struggling to be fit for Brisbane. Meanwhile Siddle's current figures are 14-7-24-3. Given that I highly doubt Peter George will hold his spot, I can see us starting with Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Siddle, and IMO that's a very strong line up. Edit: Ryan Harris is another possibility but IMO Siddle is much, much better than Harris and his work in last year's Ashes should get him the spot.

Vics not going so well at the moment. 4/136 after Tasmania's 326. After we had them at 3/20 this hasn't been the way things looked like going.

I said it before, it's mind-boggling to consider the riches of talent we have in the wicket keeping department. Paine has proven himself at both Test and ODI level, and we know Haddin is the incumbent. After that we have Ronchi, Manou, Wade and Hartley, all who are capable with the bat, and all of whom who have National experience (though Hartley's was just on a Tour game in England). I highly doubt any other country has wicketkeeping talent hiding away in its Domestic competition like we do. IMO Haddin starts the Ashes, but if he doesn't perform Paine is there to relieve him.

It's odd how Hussey struggles so much in Test cricket yet when he pulls the colours on he dominates. He really does inspire confidence when he's at the ODI crease, like he used to in Test cricket. I can't quite work out how he's fallen so far away in Test cricket yet can still be the best ODI batsman going around. Oh no, what a disaster. Maybe you will have to watch some Test cricket instead?

On the flipside, all we have between now and the Brisbane Test is some ODIs and a T20 against India and Sri Lanka. Hardly the ideal preparation over the next six weeks. England have three warm up games (vs WA, SA and Australia A). Hence the idea of getting them all to play one Shield game as warm up.

Pretty fair summary. Hauritz is the no. 1 spinner but shouldn't be a certainty for Brisbane. How utterly embarrassing. 4-0 in a 5 game series. Bangladesh is now no longer the worst ODI side...they're the equal worst side, with the Windies!

I read in one of the papers that every Test player will be required to play at least one Sheffield Shield match before the Brisbane Test, so that should give us an indication of how Haddin's going. Moreover, it means Ponting might line up for Tasmania. I wonder when the last time that was?

Alright then HT, my side for Brisbane: Watson Katich Ponting Clarke Khawaja Hussey Haddin Johnson Siddle Hilfenhaus Bollinger Time for new blood. Instead of waiting for us to lose the first one or two Tests we need to be brave and make the call now. One of North or Hussey has to go. We can't carry both, and we need to get someone new in there. I've gone with Hussey as I think moving him down to 6 might work for him. That's where he bats in ODIs, and I know they're vastly different but I see him working well with the tail and hopefully doing better against the older ball. I've also gone with four pacemen, as I reckon Brisbane warrants that. Hauritz did OK there last year but that was the Windies. Furthermore I reckon we need Siddle in the side and hopefully if he gets his chance in Brisbane he takes some wickets and holds his spot for Adelaide and beyond. He did really well in last year's Ashes and does a lot of the bullocking, into the wind bowling that really no one else can do. It would be even easier to drop Hauritz if North played, but with Katich and Clarke, and Watson for back up, I'm not too fussed. Another option would be to drop Hussey for someone like David Hussey or Cameron White, who provide back up spin (D. Hussey's is better than White's). Haddin plays over Paine by virtue of experience and surer batting, but he will know he has to perform. Paine is a goer and will be the permanent keeper within 18 months I reckon.

Talked about here: http://www.cricinfo.com/rsavaus2009/content/story/396407.html Doesn't actually say he could bat in the top six, but I definitely remember reading it. Probably some knee-jerk reaction from a HUN journalist. Or WYL. Either way, he's fallen a long way away from where he was back then.

Harsh on Hilfy who at times looked the only bowler likely of taking a wicket. Time some heat was put on Johnson IMO. Far too erratic, sprays it too wide too often. Relies on his angle and pace, doesn't have a lot of variation (e.g. in/out cutters, slower balls, swing). Isn't taking the wickets we need him to. Wastes the new ball. Edit: And his batting has gone nowhere. There was all this (premature) talk about him batting in the top 6 after the South Africa tour. But he's hardly scored a run since then. Not that he's there to bat, but it isn't helping. Yes but there's a big, big difference between Hussey/North and Clarke. Clarke has been in superb form for most of the last 18 months. Through the Ashes he was our leading run-scorer, and through the home summer he was in command of WI and Pakistan (not the highest quality opposition, but North struggled against them). He scored back to back 160+ scores earlier this year. Whether it's the move to 4, the Indian conditions, the upcoming Ashes or something else, I have a lot more confidence in Clarke making runs this summer than North or Hussey. Hussey is living on past credits, credits which he is rapidly running out of. According to the FTP, we have a series against Bangladesh in April/May next year. I seriously doubt Hussey will be there, and Hauritz and North might not be either. Interestingly, the ICC has approved a Test Championship, whereby after a 4 year period the top four teams qualify for the 'finals'. Currently we wouldn't make the finals as we are 5th. Who'd have believed you if you'd told them that 2 years ago?

You've gotta go with Warne on this one. I struggle to believe that Nathan Hauritz is so highly respected by Punter that he gets to set his own field. Furthermore, I struggle to believe that Ponting couldn't change the field if he wanted to. The problem, though, isn't the field (though our field placements aren't helping. We needed tigher fields and a stump-to-stump line from our pacemen, and needed to attack more on Day 5). It's the bowler. Look at every other Test playing nation. They all have at least one spinner who's better than Hauritz: Swann, Harbhajan/Ohja, Ajmal/Kaneria, Vettori, Murali/Mendis/Herath/Randiv, Harris (debatable), even Shakib al Hasan from Bangladesh is better. And what's worse is that there's no real stand outs in the Shield. Steven Smith is next but he's way off, and can't yet be selected as an all rounder either. It actually proved a lot. Proved that Hauritz is terrible. Proved that our pacemen need to lift. Proved that North is just as bad as he has always been. Proved that India are a much better side.

The numbers I put up were the averages for matches played in 2010.