Pick Best 11 In Test Team Please

[Aetna]

The selectors do not pick the best 11 Test cricketers in the Australian team anymore. If you are the best in your position in the lineup it should not matter if your 38 or 18 years of age.

 

[The Eagle]

I dare say the fat merkin from nsw is a better player than Haddin, or they are even atleast,i think fatboy can catch to boot

 

[Chip and Chase]

Did you have someone in mind Aetna, or is it just a general feeling you get ? Given current injuries and availbility then I don't see any glaring ommissions from current Test side.

If it was me I would have brought Katich back to replace Watson, but that's just me. Haddin is probably lucky Paine is on long term injured list. Apart from that, Marsh/Khuwaja is open to debate and (as has been the case since Warney retired) the spinners spot doesn't seem fully settled.

 

[Fro]

Are you talking about Smith Shane??

He doesnt even keep in the state side anymore, which shows what people who have at least some idea think.

You may be right in Haddin being prety ordinary, but at least come up with an option who is actually doing the job for his State...

As C&C mentioned Haddin is lucky Paine is out, and Wade is the next best and isn't up to it (yet).

 

[The Eagle]

Are you talking about Smith Shane??

He doesnt even keep in the state side anymore, which shows what people who have at least some idea think.

You may be right in Haddin being prety ordinary, but at least come up with an option who is actually doing the job for his State...

As C&C mentioned Haddin is lucky Paine is out, and Wade is the next best and isn't up to it (yet).

I was, however I was taking the piss, whats the bet Haddin takes a catch,a stumping and hits a 60 just before Paine is back so we get another 6 months of iron gloves/lowest test average as australian test keeper

And no, not the new nsw keeper either, he is just as **** as Haddin and Smith (i know you like him but face it, since Gilly left we have only had a placeholder with gloves on, to old to debut, I'm 30 in april should I be picked to open the bowling for australia? God no I shouldn't, apart from fast balls of a cracking 116 I'm to old to debut for my country as I'd have no longevity)

Btw why is fat boy Smith still playing? In bbl he has an average of like 2 and isn't even keeping! He should go back to shires cricket

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Wade would be my choice, give him a sniff of what his future could be

Cummins is my case in point re:age

 

[Fro]

Nah I'm no Dan smith fan, Nevill is a far better keeper.

as for why he is playing for the thunder, they spent all their money on Gayle, Warner and Hughes, Gayle has been a success, but Warner threw a spanner in their plans by making the test team and only played 1 game for a ton. Hughes threw the toys out of the cot and walked out 5 minutes before it started.

And now Fidel Edwards is on his way back to the windies test squad and Doug Bollinger is injured, thunder are on the slide big time.

So thats why Smith is playing, and when he gets going he can hit a long ball, but he hasnt done that for a while, since a sunday at North Sydney earlier in the season. That and the fact that he is the assistant coach

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

Jesus where do you start with that ?

Do you seriously believe that Haddin has the lowest average of an aussie keeper ?

Who gives a **** how old you are either ? If you are the best in your position, you are the best in your position, who cares if you are 30 or 22. Have seen how well this they must debut when they are young theory is when you look at the test careers of Hughes, Smith, Khawaja and others who have been the next best thing and thrown in.
You would never have picked Mike Hussey for Australia on your theory

And I am not even in the country and know that Smith hit 185 for NSW not so long ago

 

[The Eagle]

So you don't believe continuity breeds success? Look at the records pre mass retirement

Even manly has had alot of continuity between the last 2 premierships

If everyone didn't retire from cricket at the same time we may have never lost to bloody nz

Btw I thought that merkin Watson was vice captain

 

[Chip and Chase]

If Bradman, Miller, Lillee, Gilchrist and Warne were still playing we wouldn't be losing to anyone, let alone NZ

And yes, Watson is VC when fit.

 

[The Eagle]

I was referring to Gilly and whoever else went at the same time

 

[Cameron]

Rhonci was talked up a while back but has faded. Chris Hartley from the bulls is a gutsy little player. Great behind the stumps and is a determined batsman like Healy was. I think Haddin is there by default I feel for him like McGill he was at his best while gilly was still playing just like McGill was when warney was around.

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Overall I like the new setup

McDermott is doing wonders with the quicks

Inveraitey is very open and transparent about selections

Never been a Clarke fan but he's winning me over and was before he blasted 300

I'm not convinced on Arthur as coach I would of perferrd lehman.

 

[Fro]

Is Hartley still Keeping for Qld Cam, I wasnt sure, I kow Dunk was doing it for the 50 over stuff (hes playing T20 in Sydney) but wasnt sure about the Sheffield Shield.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

So you don't believe continuity breeds success? Look at the records pre mass retirement

Even manly has had alot of continuity between the last 2 premierships

If everyone didn't retire from cricket at the same time we may have never lost to bloody nz

Btw I thought that merkin Watson was vice captain

You put your best side out there, regardless of age

If a guy debuts at 30, he knows his game pretty well, and still has a good 5-6 years left in him, which is plenty of time.

1 thing I have noticed, is that the young guns I have heard plenty about over the past 4-5 years, not many of them have really kicked on at all like people talking them up said they would. Does that mean the quality of Australian First Class cricket has gone backwards.

The names I am thinking are Smith, Hughes, Khawaja, Henriques, Ferguson etc. All touted for big things, but all looked pretty average at the next level up.

 

[Chip and Chase]

Does that mean the quality of Australian First Class cricket has gone backwards.

In one word, I believe the answer is yes.

I just don't think you get the standard of Shield cricket these days as you did in the past. This may be because the established test players very rarely turn out for their state anymore because they are full time with international games and training. Therefore younger guys don't get to test themselves against the best the country has to offer. I also think that these days careers are extended for so long that old test players very rarely go back to Shield level and give something back to the game. They milk their Australian duties for as long as they can and then retire to IPL / Big Bash / media careers. There are no old hard heads in the state system that can teach the up and comers. You can add to that the increased popularity of the T20 format and the conflict that provides with encouraging test match standard performances. I also think that the current generation are just generally soft. In the old days you'd be facing Thommo and Pascoe with the new ball when you played Bankstown let alone NSW. These days all the quicks are either in camp for Australia or wrapped in cotton wool with a stress fracture to some part of their anatomy.

Same can be said for the Australian club rugby scene. If you are a contracted Wallaby, by the time you finish Super rugby and international games you don't ever set foot in your club rugby dressing room. I'd be surprised if George Gregan turned out more than half a dozen times for Randwick during his career. The standard of contest has to deteriorate once you take out the best players.