Monday 29 December 2008

Austalian XI 3rd Test...

With the 2nd test heading for a draw (I'll have $100 on it) I thought it might be interesting to get the creative juices flowing in picking a team for the New Years test, also if we can gather all of said creative juices I will mail them to the Selectors who seem to be lacking them.

1. Katich
2. C Rogers (Already nearly 700 runs this season @ 82.62 as an opener)
3. Ponting
4. Hussey
5. Clarke
6. Haddin
7. Watson (Currently the unluckiest player in the country and Symonds should be flogged for the way he got out in the 1st innings).
8. Johnson
9. Siddle
10. Krejza (Have to go with an attacking bowler in Steak and Kidney)
11. D. Nannes (Diggler is a gun, leading the sheild bowling with 28 wickets @ 19)

12. Hilfenhaus (Had a great last up match which makes his seasons stats look better than they really are but deserves his spot)

Have fun,
Ponsford.

5 comments:

  1. Katich- a rock!
    Rodgers- rollin
    Klinger- 900 runs so far this SS season, what do you have to do when a national player is failing?!
    Pomersbach- should have a chance to show he has all formats covered
    M.Clarke- (c)
    Haddin- has proved me wrong
    Symonds- has proved me right!
    Johnson- when you are on a roll... it all works
    Hilfenhaus- should get more through the air in Sydney than Siddle
    Hauritz- working hard, tighter
    Nannes- leading SS comp!

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  2. Great idea Ponsford. I can't believe you've left Hussey down the order in light of your passion for him as an opener - unless you meant to put a 'D' in fron of his name? Stoph - are you for real? Pomersbach! Far out dude; it's not a 20/20 game. That's 5 new faces in the 11!
    My recommendations with (attempted) explanations:

    S. Katich (no explanation needed - perfect proof that going outside CA contracted players can prove intelligent. Plus - bloody bowl him!)

    P. Hughes (yes that's two NSW batsmen and I know what you Vics will be saying but there are three great reasons to put him in. 1) he's hitting a pile of runs almost every time he bats. 2) his home pitch which he faces the new ball on whenever NSW play there. 3) he's YOUNG! get the young blokes in there - if they don't get going quickly enough you always have older blokes to turn to and then the younger fellas have still got yonks to prove themselves.

    R. Ponting (captaincy is being tested and he is failing at the moment. However, I wouldn't change the captain for the last test of a series - and yes I know it's the first leg of a 6 test series in reality. I think selectors, Ponting and Clarke need to sit down and decide on what's best for the team heading to South Africa with an eye to England - but not for Sydney)

    M. Clarke (has showed he can bat according to what is needed and can hang in when he's not hitting the ball too well. To me that's the proof of a great batsman)

    M. Hussey (difficult to leave in but if he can see the ball I reckon he's not far away from a big score. Plenty of batsmen have had longer droughts than him and come back)

    A. Symonds (they're gonna take him to South Africa and England without doubt. As long as someone gets in his ear and tells him if he throws his wicket one more time he's dropped - I'm happy. There may be a concern with injury though......)

    S. Watson (why the hell can't both Watson and Symonds be in the same side? Watson bowls really bloody well so he can take a lot of slack off the strike bowlers. How handy to have him at number 7!)

    B. Haddin (I think he's a shit keeper - some of the easy takes he stuffed up when the ball didn't do anything is a real concern. But - you can't drop him when other players have looked poor in the field and he's made runs. How good is it to have someone who can bat like him at number 8!)

    M. Johnson (no reason needed - he's got a heart bigger than Phar Lap. He looked understandably knackered late yesterday and didn't bowl brilliantly; personally I think he felt the weight of carrying the attack with no Lee available. Sydney will be good for him to get movement off the deck back into right handers - and he's got bugger all wickets this way so far as it is!)

    P. Siddle (he may be a bit hot and cold - not sure yet. Consistency is the key but he obviously has deliveries that would trouble Tendulkar. In any case he's bowled well enough by far to justify his selection)

    B. Hilfenhaus (love this guy. He's disadvantaged because he's Tasmanian which makes me like him even more. Moves the ball well and I think he's good for a few wickets at the SCG)

    Postscript

    What? No spinner! Damn right no spinner. You don't put a hack in just because he bowls spin. No spinner in Australia at the moment would trouble South Africa's top order in Sydney. The disappointing thing is this doesn't look like changing. Did everyone expect that someone would just magically appear after Warne and Macgill retired? Krejza can't get two balls in the same spot - he's not worth buying a wicket with when it costs 100 runs. Hauritz - sorry mate but you don't mix up flight, pace - anything really. Even last Sydney test aside (ie Clarke's effort against India) between Clarke, Katich and Symonds I think you can grab a couple of wickets. And personally, considering they're batsmen predominantly, they'll do as good a job as any of the specialist spinners could.

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  3. i'm for real... if it gets a rise! :)

    and he is playing well enough in the 4 day ss comp.

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  4. you look like you are down a few hunj Ponsford!

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  5. Yeah, but sorry you cant accept a bet after the fact.

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