1. Breathe easy the 16 man Ashes squad announced today has some pluses...no Mitchell Johnson. No Glenn 'The Goose' Maxwell (should he ever have played?). No more 'doorknobs' Xavier Career. No fairweather Steve Smith or the world's best debutant and nothing since, Moises Henriques. All good.
2. Brad Haddin as vice captain...the best news is that Matthew Wade is effectively dumped, but will he stay in the side? Suddenly we could have a team with TWO wicketkeepers, TWO vice captains and FIVE - YES FIVE openers - Warner, Cowan, Hughes, Watson..and now Chris (one Test) Rogers from Victoria via WA. He was absolutely terrible on a seaming deck at Stadium Australia in the T20 so God knows why he has been selected.
In fact I know why..he captained the Sydney Thunder (where Clarke played in name only late season)...another 'mate' looked after by Clarke.
Middle order bats? Only Clarke and Khawaja (if he does his homework)
3. It must be said, that only Khawaja and Ryan Harris are from QLD who won the T20, domestic ODI and made the Shield Final. Lehmann will be in the press soon enough. Hartley? Linn? Not even in the Australia A Team either. How long do you give Ryan Harris before yet another injury?
FIVE from NSW (Warner*, Watson*, Clarke*, Starc*, Haddin*), FOUR from VIC (Rogers*, Siddle, Wade, Pattinson), THREE from TAS (Cowan*, Faulkner, Bird*), TWO from SA (Hughes*, Lyon*) and TWO from QLD (Khawaja*, Harris).
(* = NSW affiliation)
4. We are thin in the batting department and strong in keepers and bowling not so bad. Faulkner is a good selection. A competitor and can bat. Is it bad to say that some of our bowlers are better batsmen than the top order? Faulkner can bat, so can Siddle - back to back fifties last Test and Starc (99)...I'm more worried about Hughes, Cowan and Watson.
5. Australia 'A' - the advance party: Brad Haddin NSW (c), Steve Smith NSW (vc), Ashton Agar (WA), Jackson Bird (TAS), Alex Doolan (TAS), Ryan Harris (QLD), Moises Henriques (NSW), Usman Khawaja (QLD), Nathan Lyon (SA), Nic Maddinson (NSW), James Pattinson (VIC), Chadd Sayers (SA), Peter Siddle (VIC), Jordan Silk (TAS).
The loading of middle order bats here - Doolan, Maddinson and yet another opener in Silk (ex Penrith boy who went to Tassie...sound familiar) is interesting. Agar is a fighter and Chadd Sayers was the leading Shield wicket taker this year. He can play and should have been the bolter in the Ashes squad for mine. He should stay fit with the fragile Starc, Harris, Bird and Pattinson there.
6. Nearly fell over when I read that Nathan Lyon will be playing for NSW this year. Signed today. He knows how to keep that team song duty...be mates with Clarke or perish. What would Michael Hussey think?
More to the point, Steve O'Keefe must have been badly put out by this. He is the one who is missing from these teams. Look for him to move states after relinquishing the NSW relieving captaincy late last season.
7. Did anyone see that Gayle ton over night in the IPL...off 30 balls. Brutal. Ended on 175!!!
8. *Now for homework...How can the whole squad (11/16 only at present) become New South Welshmen or ex New South Welshmen? Discuss.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment