Australian Touring Squad for India

[JackOutback]

On turning pitches, Khawaja has to be at 6. Doesn't matter if he makes the pitch look like a minefield there, he's only going to scare the tail-enders. Having him at 3 make it look far worse than it is will not help the middle-order.

We don't play on huge turners that often, but after the openers, all those guys can bat in different positions. Would give us some flexibility if SMarsh and Khawaja swapped positions when necessary, especially given Marsh seems to thrive on pitches that pose problems for Khawaja and His flaws are more likely to be exposed in Oz, where Khawaja does quite well. Or you pick someone like Handscomb for the turners.

 

[to1994]

We don't play on huge turners that often, but after the openers, all those guys can bat in different positions. Would give us some flexibility if SMarsh and Khawaja swapped positions when necessary, especially given Marsh seems to thrive on pitches that pose problems for Khawaja and His flaws are more likely to be exposed in Oz, where Khawaja does quite well. Or you pick someone like Handscomb for the turners.

Don't mind moving the batting order around to accommodate the conditions but bringing in a spin specialist won't really work overseas because it's much different then facing spin at home. It'll take time for these guys to learn due to relevant preparation clearly not being possible given the majority of Asian tours in the last few years. If the selectors think Khawaja can be up to it after a few tours, then they stick with him, if they don't think he ever will then I don't think there's much point having him play as I think most of our top contenders would do well playing on our roads at home regardless of the opposition.

 

[The_Reaper]

Don't mind moving the batting order around to accommodate the conditions but bringing in a spin specialist won't really work overseas because it's much different then facing spin at home. It'll take time for these guys to learn due to relevant preparation clearly not being possible given the majority of Asian tours in the last few years. If the selectors think Khawaja can be up to it after a few tours, then they stick with him, if they don't think he ever will then I don't think there's much point having him play as I think most of our top contenders would do well playing on our roads at home regardless of the opposition.

This. Having a home series/easy run specialist is ridiculous.

Can you imagine being the batsmen who gets sent out to all the tours of India and dropped for the easy runs and fame and sponsorships at offer at home?

 

[to1994]

This. Having a home series/easy run specialist is ridiculous.

Can you imagine being the batsmen who gets sent out to all the tours of India and dropped for the easy runs and fame and sponsorships at offer at home?

It's also highly unlikely that someone could go through the hurdles of succeeding in England/Asia yet struggle to make runs on our flat decks. They're just face saving comments from team management who know there's no short term fix for this and we'll probably have many more tours like this one before anything can be fixed at ground level.

 

[strewthcobber]

It's also highly unlikely that someone could go through the hurdles of succeeding in England/Asia yet struggle to make runs on our flat decks. They're just face saving comments from team management who know there's no short term fix for this and we'll probably have many more tours like this one before anything can be fixed at ground level.

Lots of our opponents play just fine in England/Asia and come here and fail on our "flat pitches"

We have no problem selecting bowlers to suit the conditions.

Pick your best team for each pitch/country. Having one team no matter what is what got us into this trouble in the first place.

 

[The Passenger]

We can throw our arms up about squad selection all we want, but ultimately if the guys we have in the Australian team and those on the brink of selection knuckle down over the summer and improve the way they play spin bowling, there is sweet **** all the selectors can do to make this tour successful.

 

[to1994]

Lots of our opponents play just fine in England/Asia and come here and fail on our "flat pitches"

We have no problem selecting bowlers to suit the conditions.

Pick your best team for each pitch/country. Having one team no matter what is what got us into this trouble in the first place.

You can't use the same logic on batsman as you use for bowlers. We picked Siddle in England because the conditions suited his bowling, he's not up to it here anymore because he lacks the pace necessary when you don't have the conditions to suit.

What sort of batsman is going to come through our system, make it to Shield level, perform well enough to get a chance to play and learn in Asia but not be good enough to smack around bowling at home on roads. It's a completely unrealistic situation and I have no doubt if someone is good enough to make it overseas in India, he'll do just fine against most bowling attacks at home. As has been pointed out already, succeeding against spin at home is far different to doing it in India anyway.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I suggest we start up a gofundme page and send over a Bigfooty touring party.
Might actually do better.

Van_Dyke better get us off to a good start though. No Warneresque 1-5 dismissals

 

[Van_Dyke]

I suggest we start up a gofundme page and send over a Bigfooty touring party.
Might actually do better.

Van_Dyke better get us off to a good start though. No Warneresque 1-5 dismissals

Mate, I'll take the number 6 spot thanks. My medium pacers and Boycott like batting will fit in well me thinks.

 

[The_Reaper]

I think this is the batting lineup we need to work towards over the summer.

1. Warner
2. Bancroft
3. Smith
4. S.Marsh
5. Handscomb

 

[red+black]

Australian season finishes on Feb 22, I believe the squad will fly to India a few days later. Hope dates get announced soon.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Australian season finishes on Feb 22, I believe the squad will fly to India a few days later. Hope dates get announced soon.

Did I read somewhere that we're playing at a heap of weird venues rarely used for international cricket?

 

[red+black]

My guess is the 1st Test will start on March 1, 2 or 3.

1st Test - M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore (21 Tests, Australia 2-1 with 2 draws)
2nd Test - Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala (no Tests, 1st ODI/T20I was Jan 2013)
3rd Test - JSCA International Cricket Stadium, Ranchi (no Tests, 1st ODI/T20I was Jan 2013)
4th Test - Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (no Tests, 1st ODI/T20I was Dec 2012)

re 2nd Test:

Stunning. Breathtaking. Awesome. The adjectives roll out as one enters the most beautiful ground in India. The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association [HPCA] Stadium in Dharamsala, with a capacity of 23,000, is as picturesque as the Adelaide Oval and Newlands, if not more. A small and glittering green plate, the ground has a snow-capped background in the form of the Dauladhar hill-range. The mountains add to the serenity of the venue, which lies at an altitude of 1317 metres above sea level.

Another impressive feature is its openness and small-sized stands, which allow for winds to sweep across, giving fast bowlers assistance in the air. The venue is the first in India to use winter rye grass scattered around the outfield, which prevents the grass from dying when temperatures fall below 10 degrees.

Getting to Dharamsala, however, is difficult. The terrain is hilly and the nearest airport is in Chandigarh, 250 kilometres away by road. The harsh winters, during which it rains and snows, are also deterrents to organizing international matches here but it hosted its first ODI in January 2013, between India and England, despite snow falling at the ground in the preceding weeks. The 2010 expansion of the IPL brought Dharamsala wider attention and it has the potential to become one of India's most popular venues.

 

[red+black]

Here is the announcement re new venues:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/1024303.html

And 3 weeks ago, confirmation of inaugura Bangladesh test in India (Feb 8-12):
http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/1041747.html

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

That looks sensational!

Hope we can do it justice

 

[cricketnut14]

Australian season finishes on Feb 22, I believe the squad will fly to India a few days later. Hope dates get announced soon.

i am led to believe the 20/20's v sri lanka will be played as many aussies board the plane for india (eg. smith and warner and a few others may only play the first 20/20)

 

[red+black]

oh wow, good point. I'm sticking with my prediction of the 1st Test beginning on March 1, 2 or 3.

I plan on going through India's recent and upcoming Test schedule to see on what day(s) Tests usually start.

 

[red+black]

Hoping to do Bangalore and Dharamshala, then off to volunteer at an Animal Rescue Centre in Udapuir, Rajasthan.

 

[Hellgood]

Have have been in awe of the aesthetics of the ODI's that they've played in Dharamsala over the last couple of years. So a test should be even more awesome.

 

[gbatman]

It's a shame we can't send our players over to somewhere in the subcontinent to play domestic first class cricket for a while. Our batsmen really need to work hard on getting on the right foot and that's something a lot of Australian batsmen have lost due to our conditions. When we play back in Australia it's generally defensively but we need to be able to play back and play aggressively over there as well as come forward at the right time.

Charging up the wicket is not the answer, our guys get done by the turn and misjudge the length too often. Khawaja is a batsman badly stuck on the front foot. Warner is ok but not in form at all. Only back foot shots are the cut really. The rest are all the same. Smith's gets on the back foot at the right times but technique is iffy.

Need to pick a leg spinner. Ahmed is a no brainer selection for mine. I'd even be tempted to go without all rounders, perhaps pick a batsman who can bowl a bit of spin, I know it's been done before but perhaps Maxwell. Maybe Agar.

We need to be aggressive but smart. We need to score runs, play our shots and really focus on getting on the right foot. Not expecting much from Lyon in India as he is an overspin bowler who relies too much on bounce and pace off the wicket rather than being a big turner of the ball and offering variation. In fact if Lyon performed poorly early I'd nearly drop him for O'Keefe or another one of our young legs pinners who while they have been ordinary in Australia, might go alright in Indian test conditions. Zampa for example.

Our seamers need to be prepared to be accurate and boring. Line and length outside off stump all day sort of thing. Lots of cutters and slower balls.

Warner
S Marsh
Khawaja
Smith
Voges
Maxwell/M Marsh/Agar
Nevill
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood
Ahmed

O'Keefe if fit
Handscome
Zampa


Probably no other option but to back our batsmen in really.

 

[Kram]

Maxwell...

The closest he should be to Test cricket is watching it on TV.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Maxwell...

The closest he should be to Test cricket is watching it on TV.

If they turn up the kind of wickets that the Saffers got last tour, it becomes a crapshoot. Highly entertaining one, but a crapshoot none the less. And Maxwell would be just as likely to score in those conditions as anyone else.

Probably more likely than Burns and Khawaja. Low bar set but still.

 

[Hellgood]

If they turn up the kind of wickets that the Saffers got last tour, it becomes a crapshoot. Highly entertaining one, but a crapshoot none the less. And Maxwell would be just as likely to score in those conditions as anyone else.

Probably more likely than Burns and Khawaja. Low bar set but still.

Didn't we already try that in 2012? And then in the UAE against Pakistan 2014.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Did Burns and Khawaja make runs on a previous Aus A tour to India?

 

[The_Reaper]

Did Burns and Khawaja make runs on a previous Aus A tour to India?

Khawaja did nothing in the first class matches but did well in the List A.

Don't even recall Burns playing