How will the ODI line-up look by the end of summer?

[Gunnar Longshanks]

With the existing rotation policy, different batsmen will bat in different spots over the next 5 months, but come the final of this summer's triangular series, how do people expect our best ODI side to look?

1. Gilchrist
2. Clarke
3. Ponting
4. Martyn
5. Symonds
6. Hussey
7. Watson
8. Hogg/White
9. Lee
10. Bracken
11. McGrath

Super-sub: James Hopes

I've dropped Katich.

It's tough on Katich, but I don't think we should be playing 7 batsman and Watson. Watson has clearly been earmarked, so one of Katich and Martyn will miss out. Martyn might retire soon.

I could be persuaded to go the other way on Brad Hogg. He's getting on and is no guarantee to be there for the WC. I wish Warnie would just come back so we could ink him in.

I still reckon the side needs a genuine spinner more than greater batting depth. We really don't need to bat to No. 8, especially with Brett Lee bordering on bowling all-rounder status.

Of course, there's always a chance that some young gun will emerge in domestic cricket and demand a spot by the end of summer.

 

[Bentleigh]

2007 WC

1. Gilchrist
2. Clarke
3. Ponting
4. Watson
5. Symonds
6. Hussey
7. White
8. Lee
9. Bracken
10. Tait
11. McGrath

 

[Ricketts]

1. Gilchrist
2. Clarke
3. Ponting
4. Martyn
5. Hussey
6. Symonds
7. Watson
8. Hogg/White
9. Lee
10. Bracken
11. McGrath

I'd have Symonds ahead of Hussey, and White gets the spot instead of Hogg.

 

[YOTC]

It's tough on Katich

Not really, avg of 32 in ODI cricket, s/r of 75. Not exactly good. Hussey has an avg of 123.5 in ODI cricket, s/r of 95.

Gilly
Clarke
Ponting
Watson
Symonds
Hussey
White
Lee/Cullen/Casson
Bracken/Cullen/Casson
Tait
McGrath

Super Sub - Ronchi

With 5 bowlers and 2 part timers in the team, i don't think they would need Hopes. Ronchi is a great timer of the ball, got like 65 off 28 balls against that Great Victorian bowling line up that consited of Warne, White and Lewis.

Cullen or Casson to be the spinner.

 

[Bentleigh]

Not really, avg of 32 in ODI cricket, s/r of 75. Not exactly good. Hussey has an avg of 123.5 in ODI cricket, s/r of 95.

Gilly
Clarke
Ponting
Watson
Symonds
Hussey
White
Lee
Bracken
Tait
McGrath

Super Sub - Ronchi

I like.

Great minds...

 

[YOTC]

I like.

Great minds...

Realised i only had White and Symonds as my "spinners"

Cullen or Casson should be well set by 2007, and if Lee or Bracken or even Tait aren't coping, one of them should come in the side.

 

[Bentleigh]

Realised i only had White and Symonds as my "spinners"

Cullen or Casson should be well set by 2007, and if Lee or Bracken or even Tait aren't coping, one of them should come in the side.

Unless you have a bloke in the class of a Murli or Vetori you dont need a true spinner I dont reckon.

White & Symonds are are suffice.

 

[Sunny]

1. Gilchrist
2. Clarke
3. Ponting
4. Martyn
5. M Hussey
6. Symonds
7. Watson
8. Hogg (Cullen)
9. Lee
10. Bracken
11. McGrath

 

[YOTC]

Unless you have a bloke in the class of a Murli or Vetori you dont need a true spinner I dont reckon.

White & Symonds are are suffice.

Langer called Casson, the next Warne. He is a great bowler, destroyed Victoria in one of his few chances last season.

 

[Bentleigh]

Langer called Casson, the next Warne. He is a great bowler, destroyed Victoria in one of his few chances last season.

If he does mature into that top class of spinner it'd be brillant for Australian cricket.

If so I'd have him in the test side over a Tait or Bracken.

 

[F-U]

Hogg will not be in our team, the guy struggles for a game with W.A yet somehow gets a game with Australia, its a bloody joke.

 

[Stafford678]

Gilly
Katich but id rpefer somone else Jaques most likely
Ponting
Martyn/Clarke - clarke needs to be dropped
Symonds
Hussey
Watson
Lee
Hogg
Bracken/Tait
McGrath

supersub- any one of martyn/clarke/hopes/tait/bracken

 

[YOTC]

Hogg will not be in our team, the guy struggles for a game with W.A yet somehow gets a game with Australia, its a bloody joke.

He averaged 17 with the ball in England, what drugs are you on?

He avgs 24 with the ball over his past 35 matches.

And he always gets a game for WA, he is what is keeping Casson out of the side. He avg about 40 with the bat, and 24 with the ball for WA in the pura cup last season.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

4. Watson

You must be on drugs.

I realise that you have a hard-on for Shane Watson, but this kind of change just won't happen.

Watson will do his time batting 5-7 for the next few years.

Assuming Clarke gets promoted to opener, and Martyn and Katich get dropped, Watson might come in at No. 5 behind Mike Hussey. That's the highest he can expect to bat for a couple of years.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

Gilly
Katich but id rpefer somone else Jaques most likely
Ponting
Martyn/Clarke - clarke needs to be dropped
Symonds
Hussey
Watson

Ye Gods man! What showbag did you get your opinions in?

Katich and Clarke are fighting it out for the other opening spot. I think that's pretty obvious.

Whichever player makes it, the other is likely to slot back into the middle order.

Michael Clarke is not going to get dropped.

 

[Bentleigh]

You must be on drugs.

I realise that you have a hard-on for Shane Watson, but this kind of change just won't happen.

Watson will do his time batting 5-7 for the next few years.

Assuming Clarke gets promoted to opener, and Martyn and Katich get dropped, Watson might come in at No. 5 behind Mike Hussey. That's the highest he can expect to bat for a couple of years.

Watson at 7 is a waste. He isnt a slogger. Watson at 4 an inprovment in the Beven/Martyn steadier role.

Symonds playing his natural game at 5.

Hussey at 6 where he can either slog or steady, White at 7.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

I'd have Symonds ahead of Hussey, and White gets the spot instead of Hogg.

I reckon Hussey should be pushed as high up the order as possible. He hasn't put a foot wrong and is one of the form ODI players in the world right now.

Hussey is the real deal and can moderate his batting depending on the situation. This guy has been a revelation and should be given every opportunity between now and the WC.

Symonds only has one gear and is good for hard-hitting cameos. If you're going to give one of them the opportunity to build a score through the middle stages of an innings, the nod would have to go to Hussey.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

Watson at 7 is a waste. He isnt a slogger. Watson at 4 an inprovment in the Beven/Martyn steadier role.

Symonds playing his natural game at 5.

Hussey at 6 where he can either slog or steady, White at 7.

Just think about what you're suggesting for a second.

Think about the way the Australian sides have been managed over the last 10 years, and the way incremental changes have been made.

Now I agree that Watson has a great deal of promise. But to cut someone like Damien Martyn, who I'm not a huge fan of, and replace him with a 24 y.o. all-rounder would be an enormous break from the pattern.

That would completely restructure the entire fabric of Australia's middle-order.

It would also place an enormous amount of pressure on a young player who, prior to today, really hadn't shown much with the bat at the highest level.

Watson will do his time at 5-7 for the next couple of years. You can talk him up as a fantastic No. 4, but any decision to play him there would completely overlook the superior achievements of the more-seasoned players already cemented in the middle order.

You mention Watson in comparison to Michael Bevan. I would suggest that Michael Hussey is a better match. Hussey is the player the Australian middle-order has been crying out for since the premature axing of Bevan.

Hussey has performed time and time again, and has shown a unique ability to consolidate an innings before accelerating in the latter overs. In other words, he has shown himself to be a composed and versatile ODI batsman. By comparison, Watson has played one good innings.

Assuming Martyn goes in the next 6 months, Hussey will be the man that gets promoted. There's no doubt about that.

Watson will be encouraged to concentrate on his bowling while batting between 5-7.

 

[eddiesmith]

Gilchrist
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Symonds
Hussey
Watson
White
Lee
Tait
McGrath

3 genuine quick bowlers, 3 all rounders, 3 part timers. Bats down to 9

Those whingeing about Watson, get over it, he has to pay his dues down the order like those you want him to replace did

 

[ablettjnr]

Gilchrist
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Symonds
Hussey
Watson
White
Lee
Tait
McGrath

3 genuine quick bowlers, 3 all rounders, 3 part timers. Bats down to 9

Those whingeing about Watson, get over it, he has to pay his dues down the order like those you want him to replace did

I like this alot ed.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

Gilchrist
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Symonds
Hussey
Watson
White
Lee
Tait
McGrath

3 genuine quick bowlers, 3 all rounders, 3 part timers. Bats down to 9

Those whingeing about Watson, get over it, he has to pay his dues down the order like those you want him to replace did

I agree in principle.

I think Katich is batting for his career in the next 6 months. He needs to demonstrate that he will be one of the players that can step up and fill the void when the ageing champions retire.

As yet, he remains a 50/50 proposition in both forms of the game.

If Katich fails, Clarke should be the automatic selection to open the batting with Gilchrist.

Martyn is in an equally tenuous position. He's been a solid player, but hasn't played many memorable ODI innings since the WC.

What's the incentive to keep playing Martyn at No.4 when Michael Hussey is demanding greater opportunities?

Hussey at No. 4 could be the X-factor that wins Australia a WC. He's that good.

I think that Martyn and Katich need to turn it on this summer. One of them will probably be gone by March, possibly both.

In the re-structuring of the batting line-up in preparation for the WC, I'd like to see Clarke installed as an opening batsman, and Hussey promoted to No. 4 if Martyn gets the chop.

 

[eddiesmith]

I disagree with Hussey being moved up the order, he seems better suited to coming in later and saving the innings.

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

I disagree with Hussey being moved up the order, he seems better suited to coming in later and saving the innings.

That's only because it's the only role he's been allowed to play so far. This guy is world-class and has shown his versatility.

Are you suggesting that because he's "suited to coming in later and saving the innings", he'd somehow drop his basket completely if he came in 10 overs earlier.

I reckon he'd end up making 30 more runs at a run a ball.

What role is Damien Martyn suited to?

Pretty dumb comment from you.

When a guy's in form, he should be given as much time at the crease as possible without completely disrupting the side.

 

[eddiesmith]

No, its more that if he does fail, there is no one else down there to save the innings

Every side needs a batsman at no6 or so like a Hussey or Bevan

 

[Gunnar Longshanks]

No, its more that if he does fail, there is no one else down there to save the innings

Every side needs a batsman at no6 or so like a Hussey or Bevan

Michael Bevan made 2265 runs at 59.61 from 53 innings when batting at No. 4, including 3 centuries.

He made 3006 at 56.72 from 87 innings when batting at No. 6, including 1 century.

Bevan's average at No. 6 is inflated by the fact that he had 34 N.O.s in that spot, compared to 15 N.O.s at No. 4.

These statistics suggest that Bevan played his best cricket when elevated to No. 4 and given time to actually build a decent innings. I reckon the same will be true of Hussey if he's given that opportunity.

When a batsman is in form, he should be given as much time at the crease as possible. It's that simple.