Ashes Tour

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Kiwi Eagle

Moderator
Staff member
I see Faulkner is making his debut tonight with Starc coming back also so Khawaja and Bird are dropped

17 players used over 5 tests, that shows a fair bit of the problem at the moment. Batting is a struggle area so drop a batsman and bring in a bowling all rounder to bat 7 ? Interesting

Not a massive Starc fan but must be hard to get a test career going when you go through a 5 match series being dropped for the 2nd and 4th tests, no continuity at all

Big trend now with your side to bat the keeper at 6, both Wade and Haddin have done it while Henriques, Maxwell and Faulkner have batted 7. Dangerous move

Watson back up the order to 3 though, he did say he was happy Bresnan isn't playing coz he has had trouble with him lol
 

Clint

.
Tipping Member
Kiwi Eagle said:
I see Faulkner is making his debut tonight

I assume this means that Watson is not going to bowl.
If they bowl Watson, the selectors have totally lost the plot imo. (which I think they have anyway) I still cannot fathom that Hughes got the flick after his innings in the first test.
 

Kiwi Eagle

Moderator
Staff member
No Clarke said Watson will still be playing as an allrounder Clint. I don't get it

Phil Hughes to 3 should have happened if a batsman was being dropped

Can't be an easy environment to play in for the like of Khawaja, Hughes, Lyon, Agar, Starc, Bird etc when you have absolutely no certainty about things

From memory now Watson will have batted at 3,4 and 6 as well as opening in the space of 3 tests
 

Clint

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Tipping Member
That is just ridiculous. Surely a stronger line up is Hughes at 3 Watson at 6, not Haddin at 6 and Faulkner at 7. The bowlers have been doing their job for crying out loud. It's the batters that need the assistance. :mad::mad::mad:
 

Kiwi Eagle

Moderator
Staff member
Faulkner to debut, recall for Starc

Brydon Coverdale at The Oval

Faulkner ready for Test elevation

James Faulkner, the bowling allrounder, will make his Test debut at The Oval on Wednesday and will bat at No.7 as the Australians search desperately for a way to end their failed Ashes campaign on a high. Faulkner and Mitchell Starc have been included for the final Test while Usman Khawaja and Jackson Bird have been dropped, and the batting order will be reshuffled to feature Shane Watson at No.3 and Brad Haddin at No.6.

The inclusion of Starc was expected but the naming of Faulkner was a major surprise given that it is Australia's batting that has been their biggest issue on this tour. Faulkner has scored 111 runs in the tour matches and has been dismissed only once, but there is no question that his bowling is his stronger suit: in 37 first-class matches, he has made eight half-centuries and is yet to register a hundred, but has 132 wickets at 22.87.

Faulkner will become the 17th player used by the Australians in this Ashes series, leaving backup wicketkeeper Matthew Wade as the only squad member not to have played a Test on the trip. He will also be Australia's 435th Test cricketer, and the 18th man to make his debut under the captaincy of Michael Clarke, who took charge only two and a half years ago. Clarke said Faulkner's fighting attitude was as much a reason for his inclusion as his record.

"As we've seen so far in this series, statistics, records, first-class performances haven't meant that much," Clarke said. "It's about finding a way on that day or over those five days to have success. I know James Faulkner has got the strength to do that whether it be with the bat or with the ball.

"Like a lot of our young players, he's a wonderful young talent. But I think he's got the toughness to mix it with any opposition in any form of the game at the highest level. He's a fighter. He's a competitor. He might not look the best all the time but he'll find a way to stay out there and help his partner go on and make a hundred, or make sure he's batting with the tail and find a way to get them through. I think he's got that in him.


"With the ball, he's extremely competitive and will find a way to take wickets, as he's done so far on this tour and in the shorter forms of the game. I think generally the better conditions are for batting, the better bowler James is, because he's at you all the time and he's extremely competitive. I think he's the right character for this team and I think you'll have a good opportunity to see just how much talent he's got in this Test match."

Faulkner will provide the Australians with a fifth seam-bowling option at The Oval, while Watson will be available to bowl despite picking up a groin injury during the Chester-le-Street Test. Watson's move to first drop will mean on this Ashes tour he has occupied the opening role, No.4 and No.6, and this year he will have batted in every position in the top six.

"Shane will be able to bowl," Clarke said. "Shane will certainly play that allrounder role once again. But I think it's an extra string to James' bow that he can bowl as many overs as possible. He's fit and strong and he'll play a big part with the ball. He adds that extra option to help us take 20 wickets.

"But I think it's the overall package that James brings: his toughness, his performances of late in whatever form of the game he's played, and the fact that he's not just a bowler, he can certainly make some very handy and crucial runs for us."

Faulkner will be the second debutant used by the Australians in the series after Ashton Agar played in the first two matches at Trent Bridge and Lord's. Agar will not be at The Oval for the final Test, though, as he will be sent home early due to illness.

"Ashton has had a mild viral illness for the past week and needs some time to rest and recuperate," team doctor Peter Brukner said. "It has been a long tour and while he has handled the pressure extremely well, we thought it would be a good idea for him to get home as soon possible to have a short break before preparing for the domestic season."

Australia: 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Steven Smith, 6 Brad Haddin (wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Nathan Lyon
 

Clint

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Tipping Member
Nothing in that article has convinced me they have made the right choice. Hope Faulkner goes on to score a big hundred now & prove me wrong.
 

Fluffy

Journey Man
Watson going well so far.

Looking like another good toss to win, basically win the toss and you are favourites over there
 

Kiwi Eagle

Moderator
Staff member
Brilliant work from the Pommies, let Watson get a score to keep him in the side for another couple of years then work over the front pad in the return series :p

He was smashing that new spinner around before I went to bed
 

Fluffy

Journey Man
Poms up to their old tricks using rain to get out of a loss.

Saturdays forecast doesn't look much better either so hoping tomorrow is clear.
 

Chip and Chase

True Supporter
Staff member
Administrator
Premium Member
Tipping Member
Haven't managed to watch much of this test as have had things on the last two nights.

Had to laugh at Faulkner being touted as an "all-rounder", please !!. He can hold a bat, but from what I've seen that makes Starc, Pattinson and Harris all rounders too. Faulkner is a competitor, but given the choice I'd rather have Starc.

Watson finally gets runs in a dead rubber, as does Smith. Where was this 3 tests ago ?
 

Kiwi Eagle

Moderator
Staff member
What is happening to test cricket when a guy like Smith is getting runs !! :p

Watched the 1st hour of the test and pitch looked like a draw to me so got money on it @$2.70, still happy with that punt
 

Clint

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Tipping Member
Kiwi Eagle said:
Watched the 1st hour of the test and pitch looked like a draw to me so got money on it @$2.70, still happy with that punt

As you should. The draw is now $1.40.
 

Clint

.
Tipping Member
Warnie you are a tosser. Fancy burning bridges like that. Bagging out S Waugh, Langer & co. Just lost a lot of respect from me Warnie. Stay over there where you belong.
 

Kiwi Eagle

Moderator
Staff member
I see Faulkner has come out and had a crack at England over day 3s play

How about you keep your mouth shut until you have actually done something in test cricket James !! Leave those comments to people with a track record behind them to back it up
 

globaleagle

01100111 01100101
Staff member
Premium Member
Tipping Member
So what's your test record like ke?

thought so!

So you shut it too!







lol, I'm just kidding, didn't mean any of that :d
 
Team P W L PD Pts
24 19 5 243 44
24 17 7 186 40
24 16 8 275 38
24 16 8 222 38
24 15 9 89 36
24 14 10 96 34
24 13 10 113 33
24 12 12 -40 30
24 12 12 -127 30
24 11 13 -1 28
24 11 13 -126 28
24 10 14 -70 26
24 9 14 -62 25
24 8 16 -168 22
24 7 17 -155 20
24 7 17 -188 20
24 6 18 -287 18
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