Australia v India - pre series discussion

[Whiskers]

The clear player to open is Head.

We don’t have a good opener available, we are just hoping with McSweeney. Green is out so really we need a middle order player which we have many more choices of.

Move Head to open as he hasn’t been going well for a couple of years at 5 anyway. Play Inglis or whoever you choose from around the country to the middle order instead.

As we have not made that most obvious move, Khawaja is close to retirement, Green comes back. What on earth do we do from there?

Pick another opener we don’t have? Or hope someone comes good?

Quite simply you give McSweeney more time to get used to opening at shield level and buy others time to win the spot as the Khawaja replacement.

Let’s say McSweeney fails as opener, Khawaja retires. What in God’s name are we to do than? Hope 2 openers magically appear?

 

[LukeParkerno1]

I am hoping Goodwin and Olly Davies kick on this year in the shield

Davies technique is putrid agree on Goodwin. Connolly looks very composed too, really rate Willie still too so young

 

[Pure_Ownage]

It is not political... Bancroft has a clear and obvious technical flaw that has constantly been exposed at the highest level. He is not cut out for that level.

They also probably were not planning to pick mcsweeney, they just hoped we would have an opener in the Country step up... None have.

I hear you on Bancroft but I disagree.
But regardless of the reason if he isn't being picked.

Then it was obvious 12months ago about the lack of quality around the country re openers. So a decent set of selectors would have had mcsweeney opening then in case he was needed. Where were they asleep at the wheel?

 

[Mostyn]

It is not political... Bancroft has a clear and obvious technical flaw that has constantly been exposed at the highest level. He is not cut out for that level.

They also probably were not planning to pick mcsweeney, they just hoped we would have an opener in the Country step up... None have.

They were hoping Renshaw would take his opportunities.

 

[RookiePick]

really worried about the lack of batting from the top six coming into this series

Usman made some 50sss.... going okay not great
Mcsweeney.....in form but unknown as an opener
Marnus.......made one 50 in months
Smudge....looks better but still no big tons
Head....played very little first class...30 odd for sa but thats it
Marsh....a 90 and still has not bowled
Carey......killing it with the bat ....the only one in form


after watching us today at Optus ...i have some worry come the 21...looking at the long term forecast think there is a bit of rain about....could be a spicy deck...

If we get sent in and the pitch is lively it will be super ugly.

On the plus side the outfield should be significantly quicker for the test. It was surprising how slow it was yesterday in the ODI. A fair number of reasonable shots pulling up short of the boundary.

Maybe we can edge our way to a total?

 

[Cainozz]

The clear player to open is Head.

We don’t have a good opener available, we are just hoping with McSweeney. Green is out so really we need a middle order player which we have many more choices of.

Move Head to open as he hasn’t been going well for a couple of years at 5 anyway. Play Inglis or whoever you choose from around the country to the middle order instead.

As we have not made that most obvious move, Khawaja is close to retirement, Green comes back. What on earth do we do from there?

Pick another opener we don’t have? Or hope someone comes good?

Quite simply you give McSweeney more time to get used to opening at shield level and buy others time to win the spot as the Khawaja replacement.

Let’s say McSweeney fails as opener, Khawaja retires. What in God’s name are we to do than? Hope 2 openers magically appear?

If we were to open with Head, that might not pay off either and then we are still stuck with the same problem.

It’s worth a gamble with McSweeney up top. It means that if it works out, we have a long term opening option. If it doesn’t, then we can simply swap him for Head in Sri Lanka. Green could then also slot into the middle order again.

I feel like Head opening against Bumrah with the new ball isn’t using him to full effect than him coming in at no.5 against an older ball when the bowlers are in their 3rd/4th spells. He’s a world beater on his day and can be the difference in a game, especially on Australian pitches.

 

[Iceman!]

I hear you on Bancroft but I disagree.
But regardless of the reason if he isn't being picked.

Then it was obvious 12months ago about the lack of quality around the country re openers. So a decent set of selectors would have had mcsweeney opening then in case he was needed. Where were they asleep at the wheel?

I guess they were hoping one of the 'small 3' would finally stand up or one of the others that have been flagged of players of the future would have finally progressed.

I love to bash the selectors and have done many times over the years, i just am not sure we can blame them for this situation. We could have moved Mcsweeney to open at shield level but like i say i am not sure he was our ideal replacement. Smith will need replacing soon and Marnus will at some point if he can not find form. Perhaps we were hoping he would be around to fill one of those two spots.

 

[cricketnut14]

I hear you on Bancroft but I disagree.
But regardless of the reason if he isn't being picked.

Then it was obvious 12months ago about the lack of quality around the country re openers. So a decent set of selectors would have had mcsweeney opening then in case he was needed. Where were they asleep at the wheel?

nah they were sold on it being smith's last chapter to his career.

 

[cricketnut14]

end of the day, the selectors must have known who was going to open prior to cam green's injury as mcdonald had stated that smudge would bat at 4 and the same 6 bats would play.

does that mean they had green pencilled in to open and shit has hit the fan with his injury?

we were blessed with the likes of hayden/langer with similar age and the best part of a decade together , compared to the warner era and his dozen partners he had (mind you it didn't help with hughes' death and pucovski's issues).

 

[74561347]

Mitch marsh is the worst top 6 bat in Australian history

 

[cricketnut14]

Mitch marsh is the worst top 6 bat in Australian history

to be fair he was up until 2019.

 

[74561347]

to be fair he was up until 2019.

I'm not interested in fairness

This is my hill and I'm going to die on it

 

[Cleavy]

Mitch marsh is the worst top 6 bat in Australian history

did you get possessed by the spirit of Grand Uncle Horace ( )???

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Mitch marsh is the worst top 6 bat in Australian history

Up there for sure even his purple patch he's averaged bang on his career over the year, Ideally it's a Green for Marsh swap soon, with Head shifting down to 6. Green at 4/5.

 

[74561347]

did you get possessed by the spirit of Grand Uncle Horace ( )???

The guy made his test debut 10 years ago and averages 30 with the bat and 40 with the ball. A couple of decent series with the bat doesn't excuse a decade of absolute mediocrity.

Since he came back into the side he's taken 6 wickets at 50 so I don't know on what planet he would be considered an all rounder

 

[LukeParkerno1]

The guy made his test debut 10 years ago and averages 30 with the bat and 40 with the ball. A couple of decent series with the bat doesn't excuse a decade of absolute mediocrity.

Since he came back into the side he's taken 6 wickets at 50 so I don't know on what planet he would be considered an all rounder

This is the one thing we will really miss this summer, it's been ages since Marsh was a genuine bowling option, he rarely bowls, his body is shot. Why do I feel we will use Lab's mediums more and that's not a good thing. Green is a significantly better bowler.

Everyone thinks Marsh has had some purple patch, he's literally lifted his average about 2 or so, it's nothing. Got 80 in the last test, but what did he do the other innings, seems to go decent 1 in 4. Luckily we actually have Carey batting half decently this time round it will help us if we get the usual Marsh output

 

[Cleavy]

This is the one thing we will really miss this summer, it's been ages since Marsh was a genuine bowling option, he rarely bowls, his body is shot. Why do I feel we will use Lab's mediums more and that's not a good thing. Green is a significantly better bowler.

Marnus thinks it is...

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Marnus thinks it is...

Winx odds to blow all our reviews in an over

 

[Rookie]

The guy made his test debut 10 years ago and averages 30 with the bat and 40 with the ball. A couple of decent series with the bat doesn't excuse a decade of absolute mediocrity.

Since he came back into the side he's taken 6 wickets at 50 so I don't know on what planet he would be considered an all rounder

Screw this approach. Don't we want guys who fail at international level to go away, work on their game, demonstrate improvement and perform when they come back in?

Marsh has done exactly that, and scored valuable runs in tough circumstances since his return.

I want a team that can perform and win the test championship now. It doesn't matter whether Marsh was gifted too many games back whenever, he's ready to go and has been performing in the here and now.

He's earnt his keep as a batsman for now, and wouldn't be the first dropped to make way for a guy like Webster if we need more with the ball.

 

[74561347]

Screw this approach. Don't we want guys who fail at international level to go away, work on their game, demonstrate improvement and perform when they come back in?

Absolutely, that is a great approach and one I can fully get on board with

Except that after Mitch was dropped in 2018, he then played the grand total of 6 first class games in 5 years before returning to the test side in 2023. The guy batted 11 times at first class level in 5 years. He didn't demonstrate shit

 

[big_e]

Absolutely, that is a great approach and one I can fully get on board with

Except that after Mitch was dropped in 2018, he then played the grand total of 6 first class games in 5 years before returning to the test side in 2023. The guy batted 11 times at first class level in 5 years. He didn't demonstrate shit

The selectors at the time said he provided "valuable depth and flexibility" to the squad. Plus, being a good guy on the tour bus probably helps a lot on a long tour. His form in white-ball cricket at international level early in 2023 was excellent, which would have been on the selectors' mind, too.

I think we need to get past thinking that only red-ball cricket is relevant for test selection. In his last matches before the Ashes squad was announced, Mitch Marsh was player of the series in an ODI series in India, scoring 81, 66* and 47. No offence to the guys I'm about to name, but he could have made 1,000 runs vs the likes of Lawrence Neil-Smith, Ben Manenti and Gurinder Sandhu and it wouldn't have been as important to selectors as runs against high-quality opposition in front of big, hostile crowds.

And of course, the proof is in the pudding, as he's averaged 47 at test level since coming back into the team. They cop a lot of flak, but the selectors got this one right.

 

[74561347]

The selectors at the time said he provided "valuable depth and flexibility" to the squad. Plus, being a good guy on the tour bus probably helps a lot on a long tour. His form in white-ball cricket at international level early in 2023 was excellent, which would have been on the selectors' mind, too.

I think we need to get past thinking that only red-ball cricket is relevant for test selection. In his last matches before the Ashes squad was announced, Mitch Marsh was player of the series in an ODI series in India, scoring 81, 66* and 47. No offence to the guys I'm about to name, but he could have made 1,000 runs vs the likes of Lawrence Neil-Smith, Ben Manenti and Gurinder Sandhu and it wouldn't have been as important to selectors as runs against high-quality opposition in front of big, hostile crowds.

And of course, the proof is in the pudding, as he's averaged 47 at test level since coming back into the team. They cop a lot of flak, but the selectors got this one right.

There's red ball cricket isn't relevant to test selection and I've only worn whites 6 times in five years.

See my post where I said im not interested in fairness. Or facts. Or reality. I don't like Mitch marsh no matter how much fun he is on a bus.

 

[Golumless]

end of the day, the selectors must have known who was going to open prior to cam green's injury as mcdonald had stated that smudge would bat at 4 and the same 6 bats would play.

does that mean they had green pencilled in to open and shit has hit the fan with his injury?

we were blessed with the likes of hayden/langer with similar age and the best part of a decade together , compared to the warner era and his dozen partners he had (mind you it didn't help with hughes' death and pucovski's issues).

That, or Head or Marsh get promoted to open as a bit of a dasher early.

 

[Great8]

The clear player to open is Head.

Except he doesn’t want to do it

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Except he doesn’t want to do it

Plus he’s one of the few in any semblance of form in our top 6!