I’m clutching here but something that might work in our favour could be if India re-jig the team and the batting order to bring in Sharma and Gill.
If indeed they both come back in as I heard Bharat suggest they would if Gill is fit. Sharma is in for sure.
Perhaps that could have some sort of unsettling effect within the team? To go with the change of skipper.
100%. We also have a team of coaches who haven’t managed to fix Marnus’ issues for 2 years and along with CA did a shocking job preparing this team for the Indian series
When I was a kid in the 90s the depth of talent in Australian cricket was incredible. Plenty of batters who would have walked into any other Test side in the world just couldn’t get a look in. Now the cupboard looks desperately bare.
India on the other hand will likely have Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin on hand to come into their XI for the Adelaide Test.
Great to see Kohli back in form. A true champion
At least marnus stinking it up with the bat should take his ego down a couple of notches
Smith’s a No.4 who moved to opener. Are you thinking that McSweeney should replace him at 4 ?
Yeah, nice one. He’s only 47.
It’s helps australia that there is a big gap between this test and the next one.
Gives them plenty of chance to regroup and be ready to go come the second test
Curious about the recent form of Australia’s batters and did a little research…
Last 10 completed Test innings:
Khawaja - 8, 11, 16, 28, 33, 10, 75, 9*, 45, 0. 235 runs @ 26.1
Labuschagne - 3, 2, 6, 90, 2, 1, 5, 3, 1*, 10. 123 runs @ 13.7
Smith - 0, 9, 11, 0, 31, 91*, 6, 11*, 12, 4*. 175 runs @ 25
Head - 11, 18, 21, 29, 1, 0, 0, 119, 10, 0. 209 runs @ 20.9
Those are horrendous numbers, even worse than I thought they’d be.
But the coach said he was not up for change and if not for Green’s injury it’d be the same 11
Marnus needs to be dropped
Head needs to be put on notice - perform more consistently
Uzi/Smith to retire end of series but earlier if they keep up the poor form
If we put it in a footy context, and Brad Scott was coach, all four would expect to be playing at least the next ten tests even if they don’t perform. If Sheedy was coach, 3 of the four would be dropped and one would get another chance.
I am not any type of expert on cricket, but the Australian batsmen drink their own bath water or their technique has been worked out by bowlers, Marcus and Head both had blistering periods, Smith was the best in the world but that is past.
As @Aceman says, there is probably some great young talent around but they never seem to get an early chance at top level. Blokes like Smith, Waugh, Ponting etc got their first game at 20 or so.
Won’t comment on bowlers, but this Aussie team is more overrated than our footy team.
Sharma will open and then KL Rahul will go down the order at 5, which is perfect. Gill is also an upgrade on Paddikal. Don’t forget Shami will be back in town for the pink ball test too and will be taking Rana’s spot.
Marnus’ clowning around and his eccentricities are just pathetic. Just go away you gnome.
Renshaw and Harris both failed in the current shield round. In fairness, the Vic / Qld match appears to be a tough pitch for batsmen. But that’s precisely where you want someone to get tough runs.
Konstas yet to bat with Tassie 4/250 at the SCG. Silk got some runs but he shouldn’t be in anyone’s frame for national selection. Tim Ward also got runs, perhaps he’s of more interest but again, I think we need a legit opener and I’ve no idea if he’s done any at first class level. Only averaging 30-odd at the level any way.
Everyone cross your fingers that Konstas gets a decent knock when NSW get to bat.
I don’t think Hunt is in the mix but he is 71no after SA was 3/1.
I went down for about an hour yesterday and Paris, Richardson and Morris gave him a good workout and the pink ball was hooping around
We could do worse than playing Hunt. At least he’s not a Harris or Bancroft as in someone we have previously tried and proven not to be test stars.
I don’t know much about this guy, but I mentioned him in this thread a week or so ago.
He’s a 27yo specialist opener who’s played almost 50 FC games and he’s averaging 41.6 in the SS with scores of 136, 71*, 62, 30 and 23 (and four failures) in his nine innings. Based on all that, he should be very much in the mix.
I also don’t know much about McSweeney, but shoehorning him into opening the batting against Jasprit Bumrah in those conditions was a bit dumb and a bit cruel, in my opinion.
Just read it’s 10 years today since we lost Phil Hughes.
Still hard to comprehend to this day.
Hunt has been there or thereabouts over the last few years if memory serves me correctly. So if Henry Hunt can kick on later based on that nuggety overnight 71no, then reward that and bring him in I say. We’re not exsctly in a position of doing nothing right now and Marnus is in big trouble with his batting.
Uzzie
Hunt
McSweeney
Smith
Head
Marsh
Carey
And when Khawaja calls it a day, then Sam Konstas is the next in. And when Green returns is might coincide with addressing Smith or Marsh in the top 6. And I’ve not even mentioned our fab 4 bowlers who aren’t getting any younger either btw.
Australia … get real and start the process of our new generation of cricketers now
This current Australian XI in about two years from now is going to look almost unrecognisable.
Warner recently gone and all of Khawaja, Smith, Marsh, and Starc likely finished and replaced. Hazlewood would also be 35 so who knows there.
Marnus could either have gone one of two ways by then. Either gone away and worked out his issues and returned as a valuable test cricketer again or lost completely in his own head and fallen away.
