First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

[Twodogs]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

One of the commentators today said that Marsh has been dismissed for 0-9 runs in his test career 41% of the time. Hard to work out how he keeps a spot when over the years Hughes, Khawaja and others have been dropped for years at a time when lean times came. At 41% of 0-9 runs per innings, Marsh is the Governor General of Lean Times. Let's see if he can make a 50 an ekk out a few more tests.

Charlie McCartney of the great Australian cricketers of all time was nicknamed the governer General. We could do with a player like him ATM.

[Axe Man]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Finch has an ordinary record as an opener in Shield cricket and a decent recent record batting in the middle order, so why select him to open in Australia?

I think almost everyone would like to see Renshaw back in the side but his current form is abysmal, Shield scores this year are: 3, 0, 89, 21, 21, 6, 2, 16, 14, 27 (199 runs @ 19.9). I don't think he can come back in until he shows some semblance of form.

[lemmon]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Finch has an ordinary record as an opener in Shield cricket and a decent recent record batting in the middle order, so why select him to open in Australia?

I think almost everyone would like to see Renshaw back in the side but his current form is abysmal, Shield scores this year are: 3, 0, 89, 21, 21, 6, 2, 16, 14, 27 (199 runs @ 19.9). I don't think he can come back in until he shows some semblance of form.

The selectors more or less made a rod for their own back by taking him to Dubai. You can get away with not playing a specialist opener on those wickets but then you almost have to select him for the first few tests here after he did an okay job.

Agree that they can't pick Renshaw on current form (or any other opener, really). The other factor in all this is that Bancroft is back available for selection from December 29...

[Mofra]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Maddinson broken arm in the Shield. He must have been in the discussion.

Finch back to the middle order, he's not even a state level opener let alone test. God the cupboard is bare at the top of the order.

[Twodogs]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Maddinson broken arm in the Shield. He must have been in the discussion.

Finch back to the middle order, he's not even a state level opener let alone test. God the cupboard is bare at the top of the order.

It's not too flash in the middle order either.

But opening is a specialist position and not every team is going to have a Dave Warner. Not every era is going to have a Warner, the guy is a freak in the way he bats and the fact that he opens. Finch is never going to be the player and trying to manufacture him into it is not going to work. He has to go back to the middle order and we have to find a actual opening batsman to open the batting.

Maybe Justin Langer should make a comeback, take over the captaincy and play the role of the good old fashioned footy captain coach? We could do worse.

[Bornadog]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

need 100 to win with only 3 wickets left

[Topdog]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

need 100 to win with only 3 wickets left

Highly likely that we will lose but good fightback

[bulldogtragic]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

71 runs, 2 wickets

[Greystache]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Imagine we had 2 of the best batsmen in the world playing rather than carrying a couple of walking wickets, we'd have won this Test easily.

But hey, at least we're virtuous!

[bulldogtragic]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Imagine we had 2 of the best batsmen in the world playing rather than carrying a couple of walking wickets, we'd have won this Test easily.

But hey, at least we're virtuous!

I hope you're braced for 'Smith & Warner actually cost Australia the test victory here because of their abhorrent behaviour in South Africa'. I bet you that's muttered somewhere by at the latest later tonight.

[Greystache]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

I hope you're braced for 'Smith & Warner actually cost Australia the test victory here because of their abhorrent behaviour in South Africa'. I bet you that's muttered somewhere by at the latest later tonight.

Oh no doubt. It will be a good news story for the Australia media, they can celebrate Australia losing while also condemning senior players (and da teamz kulcha) for costing the country a Test win that they can claim they really wanted. Crash Craddock will be ecstatic!

[bulldogtragic]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Oh no doubt. It will be a good news story for the Australia media, they can celebrate Australia losing while also condemning senior players (and da teamz kulcha) for costing the country a Test win that they can claim they really wanted. Crash Craddock will be ecstatic!

Well this is going to a very long and boring summer with predictable 'insights'. I wonder if there's going to be a national discussion around us having no batting depth across the entire country. That's the real story when you ban the two best batsman. Surely with the state set ups, junior squads and the academy you'd expect something resembling a decent batsman.

[hujsh]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Well this is going to a very long and boring summer with predictable 'insights'. I wonder if there's going to be a national discussion around us having no batting depth across the entire country. That's the real story when you ban the two best batsman. Surely with the state set ups, junior squads and the academy you'd expect something resembling a decent batsman.

That's exactly right. For too long we've depended unhealthily on Smith and his fantastic performances covered up just how awful our batting depth is. That there is seemingly no one with a strong claim for a test spot in astounding to me.

[SlimPickens]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

Imagine we had 2 of the best batsmen in the world playing rather than carrying a couple of walking wickets, we'd have won this Test easily.

But hey, at least we're virtuous!

I'm staggered by the narrative around the test squad, it's like Warner and Smith wont be walk up starts as soon as they're available? Apart from the fact they are the countries best batsmen and both top 10 batsmen in the world, people actually pay to go watch them play!

[Bornadog]

Re: First test - Australia v India, Adelaide

One of our best bats not throwing his wicket away.................. Nathan Lyon