Australian Cricket - Crisis, What Crisis ??

[malo]

Whats the Ashes team look like?

1. Warner
2. Renshaw
3. Smith
4. Khawaja
5. Handscomb
6. Maxwell / Turner
7. Wade (wk)
8. Starc
9. Cummins
10. Lyon
11. Hazlewood

Reserves - O'Keefe, Pattinson, Bird, Maxwell / Turner, Stoinis.

I'd only make one change to that line up...Stoinis in at number 6...his mediums are more useful than Maxwells bowling.....which wasn't considered at all useful by Smith obviously.  But, yes, at this stage Maxwell has earned his place.  And I'd really like Patto in there for the first Test somehow....it's fitting him in that's the problem. I think he'll be better than Cummins. (or Starc for that matter)

[sydneybluesfan]

I'd only make one change to that line up...Stoinis in at number 6...his mediums are more useful than Maxwells bowling.....which wasn't considered at all useful by Smith obviously.  But, yes, at this stage Maxwell has earned his place.  And I'd really like Patto in there for the first Test somehow....it's fitting him in that's the problem. I think he'll be better than Cummins. (or Starc for that matter)

But the question remains - why pick an 'all rounder and compromise the batting strength if the captain refuses to bowl them?? Smith clearly doesn't like to bowl the all rounders, so therefore you are better playing the best batsman at 6. The question is whether that is Head, Henriques, Cartwright, Turner, Maxy, Lynn, Stoinis or someone else.

So the selectors and Smith need to be aligned on the strategy first, which clearly they haven't been for a number of tests now. The fact that this escapes any media scrutiny is baffling to me.

We need to shore up the batting more than the bowling - this has been the root cause of our problems, not our ability to take 20 wickets.

[JonHenry]

But the question remains - why pick an 'all rounder and compromise the batting strength if the captain refuses to bowl them?? Smith clearly doesn't like to bowl the all rounders, so therefore you are better playing the best batsman at 6. The question is whether that is Head, Henriques, Cartwright, Turner, Maxy, Lynn, Stoinis or someone else.

So the selectors and Smith need to be aligned on the strategy first, which clearly they haven't been for a number of tests now. The fact that this escapes any media scrutiny is baffling to me.

We need to shore up the batting more than the bowling - this has been the root cause of our problems, not our ability to take 20 wickets.

At the start of this Indian tour we had 4 capable batsmen in the top 6.
Warner and M Marsh didn't look like spending any meaningful time in the middle.
Maxwell showed plenty of ability and patience but MUST build on this tour.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Warner just wants to play the shorter forms of the game and spend more time at home IMO....looks very stale with test cricket, will do better on the harder quicker tracks in Aus but he looks like his hunger for the game is down IMO....lost his cheeky lip too which sort of tells me he cant be bothered too much...
Rather sit at home with his kids and watch his OLED TV and count his money....

[malo]

Warner just wants to play the shorter forms of the game and spend more time at home IMO....looks very stale with test cricket, will do better on the harder quicker tracks in Aus but he looks like his hunger for the game is down IMO....lost his cheeky lip too which sort of tells me he cant be bothered too much...
Rather sit at home with his kids and watch his OLED TV and count his money....

He may retire from tests after the Ashes, unless he wants to go to England one more time for unfinished business......but, I think you're right, his days are numbered.  Question is, does Khawaja get the gig as the next opener (given he's been treated pretty poorly by the selectors so far)?  .....or is it someone else?  Burns, looks too much of a hard wicket player, Marcus Harris has gone OK, Ed Cowan has the best record.....again, but I fear will not get another shot.....although the same thinking doesn't seen to affect Shaun Marsh's chances.

Anyway, Warner will need to snap out of his slump quick smart, or he might not get to make the decision himself.

[laj]

Whats the Ashes team look like?

1. Warner
2. Renshaw
3. Smith
4. Khawaja
5. Handscomb
6. Maxwell / Turner
7. Wade (wk)
8. Starc
9. Cummins
10. Lyon
11. Hazlewood

Reserves - O'Keefe, Pattinson, Bird, Maxwell / Turner, Stoinis.

1. Warner
2. Renshaw
3. Smith
4. Khawaja
5. Handscomb
6. Maxwell
7. Wade (wk)
8. Starc
9. Cummins
10. Lyon/Pattinson
11. Hazlewood

Barring whether you want Lyon or a 4th quick in the line up then side picks itself.

[laj]

Kohli........ensuring he'll get a nice warm welcome form the Aus crowds next time he's here.

Honestly, what a prat.

The old "Hadlee's a wanker" chant might come out, obviously substituting "Hadlee" for "Kohli". He'd be one bloke that would really hate that.

[laj]

At the start of this Indian tour we had 4 capable batsmen in the top 6.
Warner and M Marsh didn't look like spending any meaningful time in the middle.
Maxwell showed plenty of ability and patience but MUST build on this tour.

Warner got starts in quick time then went out. India's certainly not his favourite spot. He gets too many starts overseas without going on. He has score of 50+ 19 times overseas compared to 23 at home. The issue being he doesn't convert them overseas (4 centuries overseas compared to 14 at home) as a case in point. In India it was worse, get to 15-20 in double quick time then get out.

Yes, Maxwell deserves first go and must build on what he's produced in India. He's fires and we have a pretty powerful team come the Ashes.

[LP]

1. Warner
2. Renshaw
3. Smith
4. Khawaja
5. Handscomb
6. Maxwell
7. Wade (wk)
8. Starc
9. Cummins
10. Lyon/Pattinson
11. Hazlewood

Barring whether you want Lyon or a 4th quick in the line up then side picks itself.

That's a good squad, I'd go to watch that bowling line up regardless of who gets the 12th man role(Hopefully not Maxwell).

I think the batting order is wrong, I think Pattinson should probably bat above Starc.

Maybe there is one too many LHB in that side, it needs a bit more RHB/LHB balance to keep the opposition bowlers unsettled on a line. Perhaps that can be resolved with an order shuffle, I'd consider promoting Handscomb up the order at home, leaving Khawaja and Maxwell as a pretty dynamic middle order. Maxwell is hard to bowl to left or right hand!

[laj]

That's a good squad, I'd go to watch that bowling line up regardless of who gets the 12th man role(Hopefully not Maxwell).

I think the batting order is wrong, I think Pattinson should probably bat above Starc.

Maybe there is one too many LHB in that side, it needs a bit more RHB/LHB balance to keep the opposition bowlers unsettled on a line. Perhaps that can be resolved with an order shuffle, I'd consider promoting Handscomb up the order at home, leaving Khawaja and Maxwell as a pretty dynamic middle order. Maxwell is hard to bowl to left or right hand!

You could go either way with the batting line-up. Starc, Pattinson and Cummins can all bat. Only reason I had Pattinson down there is I had Lyon/Pattinson, which is Lyons position. Probably wouldn't touch the top order as that's each batsman's best position. Either way, it's a strong line-up.