07-12-2015, 10:44 AM
Time to get Siddle in after the Harris retirement. Siddle probably would not have expected to play a test but you know what you get with him.
If he can deliver from close to the stumps and bowl stump to stump with a little bit of cut he will be a marked improvement from what we've had. Not express but certainly 135kph which Broad was for most of the match. Not being as tall he won't get the bounce but not many did and Mark Wood is shorter than Siddle but hits the pitch hard and in the right areas.
A siddle combination with Lyon and Hazelwood will at least build pressure.
As for Shane Watson it's now a mere formality that his place is now Mitchell Marsh's for good. Australia might do well to think about whether Watson has any further use in the test setup and if not probably swap him out for someone from the Australia A tour. His body language was poor and his pace was only slightly more than David Warners medium pace and I'd rather Mitchell Johnson having a go as batsman right now - we'd lose nothing.
If he can deliver from close to the stumps and bowl stump to stump with a little bit of cut he will be a marked improvement from what we've had. Not express but certainly 135kph which Broad was for most of the match. Not being as tall he won't get the bounce but not many did and Mark Wood is shorter than Siddle but hits the pitch hard and in the right areas.
A siddle combination with Lyon and Hazelwood will at least build pressure.
As for Shane Watson it's now a mere formality that his place is now Mitchell Marsh's for good. Australia might do well to think about whether Watson has any further use in the test setup and if not probably swap him out for someone from the Australia A tour. His body language was poor and his pace was only slightly more than David Warners medium pace and I'd rather Mitchell Johnson having a go as batsman right now - we'd lose nothing.