Cricket Part III

It’s a good squad, what it should have been all summer.

Only question mark for me is Pucovski over someone like Wade/Handscomb/Maxwell, but considering Pete has bombed and the other two are on the out. Likely that they’ve included Will in the squad because they want to give him some encouragement and he clearly is a talent and a rarity in terms of temperament. He is still young though and there have been a few guys who have started off as he has before fading away, Jordan Silk was on the cusp for a baggy green in his early 20s.

Renshaw, Burns, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Pucovski, Harris are all top order batsmen, leaving Head as the only middle order batsmen, so it’ll be interesting how they all fit in to the squad.

Labuschagne and Harris are the ones that’d be better suited to the middle order imo, although, considering Harris’ relative success at the top, I’d be surprised if he was forced down the order. Pucovski if he gets his debut would likely be shielded a bit and played at 5/6.

It’ll come down to the CA XI match to decide who misses out but at the moment it’s looking a very Maroon batting lineup

Renshaw
Burns
Khawaja
Labuschagne
Harris
Head
Paine
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood

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what position does harris bat in the SS?

Opens for Victoria.

just that i’ve seen a few people say he should bat middle order and was a little confused. more confused than normally anyway…

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It’s probably a byproduct of lack of middle order batsmen at the moment. Most of the more highly fancied batsmen on the cusp all seem to be top order batsmen.

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Yet they overlook Matthew Wade. His papers are stamped…

And Maxwell. And decide to open with Finch.

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Not too fussed about Wade or Maxwell.

Just so pleased the Marsh experience is done with for now…

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Yeah. Look again…

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Labuchagne would be the French original. Pity Maxwell doesn’t have a French name.

The treatment of Maxwell really ■■■■■■ me off. We had a rare talent there, and instead of nurturing it, and training it to grow to it’s capabilities, our national selectors have spent years ■■■■■■■ on it, and finally they throw it away. Just breathtaking incompetence.

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Overlooking Maxwell has to be due to a personality issue with Langer.

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To be fair, early on, he really didn’t help himself.

I agree he has been given a very unfair run of late, but when he was given ample opportunities early days, he kind of just ■■■■■■ them away.

Edit: I should note, I want Maxwell back in the test team.

Run those by me.

“Ample opportunity” = 7 games, spread over 4 series, all in Asia or the UAE.

MMarsh has had 31.
Thirty
One

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Who knows what we could have had, had he been given the same opportunity that David Warner received, let alone the caravan of spuds that the selectors have given ample opportunities to in the same time.

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I seem to recall a period where Maxwell was scorned for not valuing his wicket in the ODI team, but was repeatedly selected. I get it’s not test cricket, so it’s a harsh comparison, but it’s a good entry point to the team for an attacking batsman.

I honestly thought he’d played more than 7 tests, I thought it was in double digits. I have over estimated the ample. But 8 of his 16 test innings are under 15, and only one over 50 (granted, it was a brilliant 100 in tough conditions).

I think he deserves another go as well, and given how the team is currently playing, some sporadic brilliance is worth it’s weight in gold.

In shorter forms, especially ODIs, he has always been selected and played as the middle-late overs accelerator, and when the top order failed and he then got himself out playing his ‘natural game’, which he was selected to play, he would always cop the brunt of the criticism.

Take his T20 performances, he has opened the batting twice and has scored 145* and 66 at a strike rate over 220, being MotM in both games and yet we force him to play down the order without giving him a prolonged shot at being the opener. Personally, I’ve always seen him as a natural opener, much like Gilly, where he can play his naturally aggressive game without fear of ‘letting the team down’.

And coming into this summer, where we were lacking match-winning talent, what did we have to lose?

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Hohns has been there for ever — or so it seems — and yet he’s a worse selector than he was a leggie, and that’s saying something.

There’s no need to say anything more about G. Chappell. HAP’s analysis (above) of GC’s career since he played for Australia says it all. Get rid of him.

Langer was a tough little bugger as an opening bat and has apparently carried that mental toughness over into his coaching career. He hasn’t been in his present job long enough to make any call on his abilities, other than to say that if that tweet of Maxwell’s quoted above by redbull is responsible for Maxwell’s being ignored then Langer too ought to be sacked — for being reckless.

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I’m sure their was an Age article from last week that mentioned if a consistently overlooked batsmen (alluding to Maxwell) is not picked for the Sri Lankan series he will consider talking to the media, be interesting to see if anything comes of it

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