Boxing Day Test Teams?

[Cobretti]

There are still 4 days of cricket left! We are now bowling in the same sort of conditions england were bowling to us in and already we have 2 wickets! If we can roll them for say 250, and then get favourable batting conditions like england got yesterday arvo then anything is possible. As for the team we need to stick with people, we can't just keep chopping and changing and as australians we should stand behind our team instead of bagging them all the time!
Have to give the england bowlers full credit, 45overs of bowling and they bowled one short ball, seeing their pitch map this morning they basically bowled every ball in that same corridor where McGrath always bowled and look what happened!

I agree. But need to start looking at 1-2years from now. How to make the team batting stronger. They did loose in India as well so it isn't just this series.

Hence why I personally think a reshuffle of the order could work to cater for age of Ponting (lets face it he still can bat and bring experience to the team just needs a softer ball that doesn't move too much, after all you do not become the second most run scorer ever by fluke) and to try to get Watson to bowl more overs. Because he use to be a great partnership breaker when he was more of an all rounder. He has lost that edge opening.

 

[Wockrog]

I think the problem is that over the last two decades we have been spoilt by natural champions (Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist...and so on) now retired, I remember when Chappell, Marsh and Lillee all retired at the same time Australia was in dissarray..and boy did the public sook (sound familiar) as Matty said whoever is picked support them. But Please selectors put some thought into it

 

[Warney]

I still think Watson shouldn't open.

Put him at Number 6 and make him an all rounder. Yes he gets good scores but most have been in the 50s. Only like 2 hundreds.

Then put in two real openers to start. drop Ponting from being Captain and put him batting in 4th (like Tendulkar that helped him in his old age has what 7centuries this season? This allows him to enjoy batting with no pressure as captain and with a softer ball).

Put Usman Khwaja in 3rd.

1. & 2. Katich or Hughes or Cosgrove.

3. Kwaja
4. Ponting
5. M Hussey
6. Watson
7. Hadden or Paine (when Hadden is ready to retire or out of form)

then bowlers. we really need to find a genuine spinner. Krajzia was our best option at the time but he has lost form after being dropped from AUS team. So mentally he is like Shaun Tait who quit for a while.

Cosgrove's fitness is terrible, and will never play test match cricket.

 

[Wockrog]

Cosgrove's fitness is terrible, and will never play test match cricket.

terrible case of hypocrisy you say he will never play a test, but your avatar says "Anything's Possible"

 

[theflyinggerco]

Cosgrove's fitness is terrible, and will never play test match cricket.

I agree; he's wasted 8 years of first class cricket, both in Oz and England, being unfit and lazy and now after half a good season for a new state people are discussing him as a possible Test player (not just people on OzCard either).

Madness.

 

[Wockrog]

He he he just imagining Cosgrove playing a 5 day Test match at the Gabba now I have a craving for Bacon

 

[Cobretti]

LOL don't be too quick to judge. Warne use to get bags of chips during drinks breaks. They told him to get fitter. It worked for him.

So a motivation wouldn't hurt.

Also he did bat well for SA before he come to TAS. But yer not my first option but still an option atm I guess.

 

[Matty76]

On an unrelated matter, if the match referee has any sense of responsibility, we will need a new captain for the Sydney test.

I love Punter, but jesus mate, you cannot do what you did today after the Pietersen not-out and escape punishment. That was just not good enough for a captain.

 

[theflyinggerco]

On an unrelated matter, if the match referee has any sense of responsibility, we will need a new captain for the Sydney test.

I love Punter, but jesus mate, you cannot do what you did today after the Pietersen not-out and escape punishment. That was just not good enough for a captain.

I think Siddle might be joining him in the match referee's office for a spray after the match too.

 

[Mamboblue72]

Better showing today, but the damage was done yesterday! Good seats in the members, front row top deck, behind the bowlers arm! Back tomorrow too!

 

[theflyinggerco]

Gotta love the class of the English supporters; Jonathan Trott gets a round of applause when he leaves after his big ton earlier today and Ponting gets booed as he comes to the wicket. Ponting got booed as he came to the wicket on Boxing Day too.

I also have to add this: Does Shane Watson hate his opening partners? He keeps hitting the ball straight to fielders and then calling singles!

 

[kingjack]

Man Hughes was looking dominate to. 23 from 30 then Watson runs him out!!

 

[Warney]

i don't know if Watson ran him out mate, he hesitated a stack, if he didn't he would of made it JUST.

 

[kingjack]

There was never a run there he it straight to Trott and called yes.

 

[theflyinggerco]

i don't know if Watson ran him out mate, he hesitated a stack, if he didn't he would of made it JUST.

Don't really know if they needed to be taking runs like that when they are 400 in the hole; maybe in a ODI when you need 10 runs off 5 balls.

Especially after Watson has already run out Katich in essentially the same way in Adelaide (hitting the ball straight to Trott, calling a run).

 

[Warney]

There was never a run there he it straight to Trott and called yes.

he hit it wide and in front of Trott and called yes

He obviously middled it when he just wanted to drop it but hesitation from Hughes increased the chance of being run-out...

 

[kingjack]

he hit it wide and in front of Trott and called yes

He obviously middled it when he just wanted to drop it but hesitation from Hughes increased the chance of being run-out...

Mate 1m to Trott's left is not wide of Trott. There was never a run there and Hughes looked good I see why you like him walshy.

 

[walshy]

Yea mate, when he gets going it is sick. Bloody Watson, run yourself out for once - and go back to QL while your at it!

 

[theflyinggerco]

Awful decision by Watson to leave that ball, deserved to be out. Waste of a referral

 

[Matty76]

It is why I despise the Decision Review System - it is basically a tool for top-4 batsmen. Take Chris Gayle as an example last season. You would struggle to find more "out" LBW's in either the first or second innings of the Gabba test, yet he reviewed them both and his team lost a review straight away.