Cricket Thread: Indian Summer

[Cromulant]

Is Hazelwood still injured? Or is this a horses for courses thing?

Believe hes still injured, or re-injured.

 

[Cromulant]

Given they’ve been told they need to start regenerating you can’t be that upset with the squad they’ve chosen the only real contradictory actions is they’ve not selected Maxwell & Handscomb as they’re looking to the future yet have found a way to take Sean Abbott a long for the trip who’s an absolute dud at International level & averages near 40 with the ball in ODI’s & over 30 at first-class level & who’s 128-132 km/h dibbley-drobblers are totally unsuited to conditions. (Apparently he’s been taken as a specialist fielder )

Also selecting Smith to captain is totally short sighted given the doubts surrounding his future in 12 months time, Head obviously has told them he doesn’t want the job but what’s to say next year sometime if Cummins needs to miss another Test what are they gong to do then?

I reckon theyve picked Smith because there isnt a standout candidate, if indeed Head has told them he's not interested which has been the rumour.

Carey is probably the next cab off the rank if he wants it, or Green.

 

[Firewalker]

Surely a different pitch on the same square

Otherwise go 3 spinners, 0 quicks, a keeper and 7 batters

Will be a different pitch for each Test but the pitches will be like late day 4 on the morning of day 1, Starc will play & probably bowl 4-5 overs to start, Webster 1 or 2 then it will be a rotation of Lyon, Murphy & Kuhnemann for the rest of the sessions.

If anyone saw the New Zealand Tests from late last year it’s hard to gauge as they at least made the 1st test pitch pretty flat and the 2nd test gambled on winning the toss and batting which they did and made a huge score before the pitches turned into their usual Galle minefield on day 3, doubt they will be that flat this time round as they usually save their most extreme for when Australia visit, lucky us!

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Why are they playing at only one venue?

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

WA youngster Connolly bolts into Test squad for Sri Lanka tour | cricket.com.au

McSweeney and Kuhnemann also recalled in 16-man squad to be led by Steve Smith

www.cricket.com.au

Happy to See McSweeney back

Smith Captain as we expected ?

Good squad except Abbott imo.

 

[spenze]

Surely a different pitch on the same square

Otherwise go 3 spinners, 0 quicks, a keeper and 7 batters

Wasn't in Pakistan, same pitch.

 

[Firewalker]

Why are they playing at only one venue?

Usual Sri Lanka stuff; security, local politics, qualifying as a Test standard facility and most likely members of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board probably having their fingers in the pie in that particular stadiums management/profits.

 

[Firewalker]

Good squad except Abbott imo.

I honestly believe they’ve taken him because they are apparently randomly playing a one off ODI at the end of the series and have some f**ked up obsession with picking him in ODI cricket despite him averaging 40 and being absolutely pumped at about 10 an over in the recent ODI’s against England & Pakistan.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I honestly believe they’ve taken him because they are apparently randomly playing a one off ODI at the end of the series and have some f**ked up obsession with picking him in ODI cricket despite him averaging 40 and being absolutely pumped at about 10 an over in the recent ODI’s against England & Pakistan.

Abbott has been good in Shield cricket the last few seasons but I don't know why we're bothering

He's 32 years old, first class average of 30.

Xavier Bartlett for instance is 26 years old with a career average of 26. Taller and quicker than Abbott, plus swings them. If he was a New South Welshman the selectors would be fawning over him

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I honestly believe they’ve taken him because they are apparently randomly playing a one off ODI at the end of the series and have some f**ked up obsession with picking him in ODI cricket despite him averaging 40 and being absolutely pumped at about 10 an over in the recent ODI’s against England & Pakistan.

If we get an injury to a fast bowlers, we may as well play the extra spinner.

Will be a disgrace if he plays a test.

 

[skam85]

If we get an injury to a fast bowlers, we may as well play the extra spinner.

Will be a disgrace if he plays a test.

I don't understand why he's selected ahead of Richardson let alone about 5 other quicks in Australia.

 

[skam85]

Why? Mightn’t be able to coach at BBL level but nothing he’s says here is too outrageous, you can challenge him on is his thoughts on Maxwell but if they needed to win this series to make the WTC final Maxwell & Handscomb would’ve definitely been in the squad.

And after his last tour it’s hard to not see how Head wouldn’t be better suited to opening but it looks like they’re only going to keep Konstas in though to avoid some backlash and it could well backfire on Head in the middle order and Richardson definitely should’ve been seen as the backup option on those pitches ahead of Boland & Abbott.

Suspect the 1st Test team will look something like this now;

Konstas
Khawaja
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Webster
Carey
Starc
Murphy
Lyon
Kuhnemann

But if Konstas & Head fail in the 1st test fully expect to see them totally backtrack and Head to be opening by the 2nd.

Don't mind it but I doubt we play 3 specialist spinners + Head who is a good spinner in his own right. Smith can also chip in which makes 5 spinners.

I reckon we go Boland over Kuhnemann but the rest is bang on.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

I don't understand why he's selected ahead of Richardson let alone about 5 other quicks in Australia.

Richardson or Bartlett.

Abbott is a white ball bowler.

Selectors continue to confuse white & red ball cricket like they did with Marsh.

 

[GreyCrow]

Don't mind it but I doubt we play 3 specialist spinners + Head who is a good spinner in his own right. Smith can also chip in which makes 5 spinners.

I reckon we go Boland over Kuhnemann but the rest is bang on.

And Marnus

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Don't mind it but I doubt we play 3 specialist spinners + Head who is a good spinner in his own right. Smith can also chip in which makes 5 spinners.

I reckon we go Boland over Kuhnemann but the rest is bang on.

I would open with Head to take advantage of the new ball, which allow McSweeney to play at #5 & be another part time spin option.

 

[GreyCrow]

Personally I would have hoped this was treated as an Australia A squad

With us now playing the WTC Final some rest and some future looking might be the best thing

 

[Firewalker]

Don't mind it but I doubt we play 3 specialist spinners + Head who is a good spinner in his own right. Smith can also chip in which makes 5 spinners.

I reckon we go Boland over Kuhnemann but the rest is bang on.

Kuhnemann over Boland all day long in those conditions, suspect Starc at most would bowl 10-13 overs and Webster 2-4 overs seam up out of the 90 in a day so that’s only around 15 overs of non-spin being bowled in a day.

Suspect Lyon will come on after 5 overs with either Murphy or Kuhnemann on after 10 depending on left-hand/right-hand combinations. Kuhnemann will be very important with 5 of Sri Lanka’s top 7 bats right-handers.

I doubt we’ll see Smith ever bowl again, Head, Webster & Labuschagne would all bowl part-time spin before him, also not a bad coincidence that Connolly and McSweeney are part-time finger spinners as well.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Wow, Cummins may miss the champion trophy with ankle issues.

Depend on scan.

Edited - should be ok for icc world championship

 

[Cromulant]

Wow, Cummins may miss the ICC championship with ankle issues.

Depend on scan.

Hazelwood comes back in you'd think.

Not a terrible replacement from a bowling perspective, but i can't see Josh making handy lower order runs against a pretty good South African attack

 

[Vader]

Wow, Cummins may miss the ICC championship with ankle issues.

Depend on scan.

Champions Trophy, not the World Test Championship.

On SM-A5360 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Champions Trophy, not the World Test Championship.

On SM-A5360 using BigFooty.com mobile app

Thanks... that makes more sense.