Some very interesting Test matches currently going on overseas at the moment.
NZ are playing India in India and rolled them for a paltry 46 which is the Curry’s lowest score ever at home, and then for good measure the Kiwis replied with 402, young left handed bat Ravindra from NZ hit a brilliant 134. India about to start their second innings but need 356 to at least make NZ bat again!
Meanwhile in Pakistan the Pakis have levelled their series 1 - 1 after giving the Poms a 152 run hiding after the 1st Test embarrassment of scoring 556 in their first innings and still losing by an innings after the Poms smashed 800+ in their only dig!
not sure what to make of the India v NZ Test - on one hand it confirms that anything green sees India seriously struggle with the sideways movement at pace , but this will be a wake up call and that’s what we didn’t want before they get here mate.
England did an England and threw it away - strange playing two tests in row on the same pitch , very strange !
Gee what a horribly out of form batting line up we have to come up against the likes of Bumrah, Siraj etc.
The Bancroft fanclub seems to have disappeared, I have always said he wasnt a Test standard opener and stand by that call, currently averaging 2.5 so far this summer.
Harris is no good either, ditto Renshaw, it might be a touch too early to throw Konstas in to face a world class attack but there are not a lot of better options going around atm.
What about Inglis to come in as a batsman, he is in as good a form as anyone with the bat currently, whilst Webster must be a smoky to replace Green (injured) & M.Marsh (out of form with the bat and not bowling) for the number 6 all rounder position?
Remembering India have won the last 2 Test Series out here and the last time was without Bumrah and a host of their regulars.
[quote=“Southerner post=238508 userid=1210”]Australia will have some monstrous batting issues very very soon because you’re right there’s nothing from beneath left or anywhere near good enough
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With Green injured and likely to be replaced with one of either Harris or Bancroft (knowing that selection dopey duo of McDonald & Bailey) we will have a Test team of all players being 30yo or older.
I used to laugh at those Pommy teams of the 80s & 90s with their Dads Army collection of veterans like Gooch, Gatting, Gower, Botham, Larkins, Taylor, Willis, Underwood, Boycott etc but we have taken it to another level with our current lot of oldies sheesh!!!
NZ once again are outplaying the Currys and over in the pressure cooker of India as well.
I bet Australia dont put the Currys under this much pressure this summer especially our limp as a lettuce leaf batting line up!
Yep agree BH…let’s bring life into that 30 something Capt Mainwaring Aust test XI , with a soon to be 31 year old Beau Webster …it’s kinda Ronald and George- esque like…replacing 30 somethings with even more 30 somethings, surely it’s like running on the spot…pointless.
Sadly if the naysayers are right and Aust are going to fall off that batting cliff very soon…why not really pin the ears back, and go all in, by picking the likes of Konstas, Connolly, McInerney, et al and really breathe some life back into that aging limp lettuce like Aut top 6. No half measures I say. Not saying it will be immediately on the money, but at least a step in the right direction.
Speaking of lettuce limp top 6’s, good to see spinning guns Santner and Phillips keeping India’s top 6 honest…Mitch farking Santner says it all…if Mitch had taken 7 for v Aust in a test match, pretty sure a couple of fella’s on here, would be donning their kicking boots big time.
Webster at 30 should be a shoe in then to be selected!
Mind you that is a baby compared to the rest of the Australian XI.
Do you have an alternative batting all rounder to come in at 6 and provide anywhere between 6-12 overs an innings of decent quality seam/spin Freeze?
As for Santner he only ever plays for NZ against Australia in Tests in either of the 2 aforementioned countries not on these Indian (or Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh for that matter) spin friendly decks. If he did he would probably take 8 or 9 for against our clueless batting line ups in the sub continent!
Depends how true you want to be your mantra BH…folk like you bang on about Aust test XI being a Dads Army of collectible 30 somethings, yet want a 30 something to come on board when a spot opens up.
I agree Webster deserves a crack, but considering youth is the best foot forward for Aust, Hardie or Connolly for me for that all-rounder spot…both may not be ready like Webster, but sticking to my mantra for youth, either will suffice for me, despite the obvious short term pain they will offer.
Kudos to Santner for his one and only decent test match in his career…but one swallow doesn’t make a summer, thus reality will bite again for Mitch in the future…interesting no comment about India’s lettuce limp top 6 so fat in this series…Sharma, Rahul and Kohli suddenly look old and the others look very green and young…though talented for sure.
[quote=“Freezin post=238597 userid=945”]Depends how true you want to be your mantra BH…folk like you bang on about Aust test XI being a Dads Army of collectible 30 somethings, yet want a 30 something to come on board when a spot opens up.
I agree Webster deserves a crack, but considering youth is the best foot forward for Aust, Hardie or Connolly for me for that all-rounder spot.…both may not be ready like Webster, but sticking to my mantra for youth, either will suffice for me, despite the obvious short term pain they will offer.
Kudos to Santner for his one and only decent test match in his career…but one swallow doesn’t make a summer, thus reality will bite again for Mitch in the future…interesting no comment about India’s lettuce limp top 6 so fat in this series…Sharma, Rahul and Kohli suddenly look old and the others look very green and young…though talented for sure.
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Whilst I am a fan of both young WA players im not sure you have been watching any of the games so far this year Freeze?
Hardie missed the first couple of games and looked very rusty in the last Shield game vs TAS.
Connolly hasnt even taken a first class wicket as yet and you are picking him for the all rounder spot in the Test side??!!
McSweeney looks like he’s won a spot mate
and bit sad to say that Harris will be the opener
there is simply nothing else in the cupboard
you would be right in thinking that with such a massive opportunity on offer that at least one of the pack might have stuck his nose down and bore out runs
but unfortunately
I’d be going with McSweeney for this summer and looking to bring Konstas in over the period to replace Uzzie - which has to be at the end of the Aussie summer.
From there it then needs to be time up for Smith and Marsh next (If Marsh’s body can hold together that long)
Whats probably just as scary is most of the good bowlers around the country are old too - there is no young players that look like they can play for years without injury
On another note have any of you watched the series on Foxtel - A brief history of cricket down under - 11 episodes about cricket in Australia in the 80’s You will love it
BH, as I said in my post, if I was sticking to my mantra on picking youth…Connolly and Hardie are young and capable…but I ain’t as fussed like you and others are, on Aust current Dads Army set up, so Webster is fine by me as well…
[quote=“Beasley Hutton post=238566 userid=847”]NZ once again are outplaying the Currys and over in the pressure cooker of India as well.
I bet Australia dont put the Currys under this much pressure this summer especially our limp as a lettuce leaf batting line up!
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after today the door must be permanently shut on Bancroft ever getting an opener’s role - this player should be dropped from the WA team his form is that piss poor & inept
How in hell did he get selected on such shitty output ?
Mind you Harris wasn’t much better and young Konstas got found out big time too
Lots of issues confronting the coach and his selectors now
That Bancroft cheersquad have gone awfully quiet Southy, although in fairness he did get a stinker yesterday, but still in red ball cricket this summer with the bat he has made a total of 10 runs from 5 completed innings at an average of 2.00…yes you read that correctly!
Harris dropped on 8 before out for a very streaky 17 whilst young hope Konstas got a 3rd ball globe.
If we think the 1984-87 and 2008-2012 eras were bad with a plethora of retirements of all time greats wait until the likes of Smith, Khawaja, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood, Cummins etc all retire in the next couple of years with the pitiful batting options we have coming through this one could be worse than those 2 previous eras combined!!!
BH, be ironic if Bangers got picked on his current form…as he couldn’t get a look in when he was making runs. I think the SA skipper is a shoe in for a test debut at Optus later this month. Though these “A” games are a tad meaningless, as Renshaw filled his boots v the NZ A team from memory.
[quote=“Beasley Hutton post=238687 userid=847”]That Bancroft cheersquad have gone awfully quiet Southy, although in fairness he did get a stinker yesterday, but still in red ball cricket this summer with the bat he has made a total of 10 runs from 5 completed innings at an average of 2.00…yes you read that correctly!
Harris dropped on 8 before out for a very streaky 17 whilst young hope Konstas got a 3rd ball globe.
If we think the 1984-87 and 2008-2012 eras were bad with a plethora of retirements of all time greats wait until the likes of Smith, Khawaja, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood, Cummins etc all retire in the next couple of years with the pitiful batting options we have coming through this one could be worse than those 2 previous eras combined!!!
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the stinker only existed because Bancroft is in such shit form he can’t lay timber on ball - that was a near half tracker that should have been caned to the ropes
but it just got a limp attempt at a leg glance
seriously Bancroft needs time in the pennant comp
a long time in pennant comp mate something like permanently hey
a seriously flawed technique that has been totally sussed out and duly massacred
A few Take outs from the Australia A vs India A game just completed.
McSweeney & Webster definitely worthy of a Test spot, McSweeney’s patience & ability to bat time is something I havent seen from an Australian batsman for a while since the overload of T20 buckethead stuff, whilst Webster has to play batting at 6/7 and offering a fifth option with the ball either medium pace or off spin (ala Colin Miller & Andrew Symonds of years past) if Marsh cant bowl.
Bancroft & Harris well nothing has changed, both not decent Test standard batsman.
The bcci will no doubt threaten to abandon the upcoming Test series vs Australia if anything is done about what just happened in the A game in Mackay!!!
yeah looks like the ball was inspected after play and then during - deliberate scuffing detected and that is so sweat can be put into it for reverse swing
given our batting questions it might be good if India get upset and don’t arrive mate
long long time since any hopeful put the runs on before a season of tests and for Australia it’s rare - since the 1980’s Border rebuild era
