The Quest - Ashes 2013/14

[Dogwatcher]

Where's Cossie!

[CoverKing]

So we pick a vice captain who is not in the side. Well done.

What a joke

C Rodgers

Haddin is the number one keeper again

Not necessarily. Haddin is looking like getting a gig in the middle order for mine with Wade to keep on keeping on. That's how bad our batting stocks are at the moment. We are going to get knocked over for under 250 in at least one innings of each test IMO. Some of the second innings totals are going to make us look like the West Indies.......................of 2007.

regards,

REB

Nah they've said Haddin is the first choice keeper

[Rik E Boy]

Dear oh Dear CK might as well send for Warne, Punter and The Huss while we are at it.

regards,

REB

[westcoastpanther]

Steve Smith would be thinking what he did wrong in India

What a joke hey!

You need a solid technique against a swinging ball...

[Squids]

Haddin is 10x the keeper of Wade.

[Squids]

Usman must make some ripper cordial

[whufc]

Steve Smith would be thinking what he did wrong in India

What a joke hey!

You need a solid technique against a swinging ball...

And not against a spinning ball!!

Many batsmen without brilliant techniques have succeeded in England.

Strange to not pick one of the countries only two form test batsmen

[Gozu]

Ashes squad Michael Clarke (capt), Brad Haddin (vice-capt, wk), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Chris Rogers, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird.

Australia A squad Brad Haddin (capt), Steven Smith (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Ryan Harris, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, James Pattinson, Chadd Sayers, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk.

Good to see Chadd Sayers in the Australia A squad.

Probably the end of Mitchell Johnson's Test career though.

[Dutchy]

Good decision with Haddin, finally the selectors have made the right call and admitted Wade was a mistake.

[RustyCage]

with that bowling line up hopefully we go with Harris, Bird, Pattinson, Starc and Lyon, with Watson bowling a couple of overs seeing as he is back bowling again.

As much as we all like Siddle, but his straight up and down at the same pace over after over isn't what we need over there. We need bowlers who can move the ball around a bit.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Hilfenhaus unlucky. Although don't be surprised if 3-4 bowlers break down between now and the ashes.

[The Sleeping Giant]

No Mitchell Johnson. Yay.

[The Sleeping Giant]

Steve Smith would be thinking what he did wrong in India

What a joke hey!

You need a solid technique against a swinging ball...

And not against a spinning ball!!

Many batsmen without brilliant techniques have succeeded in England.

Strange to not pick one of the countries only two form test batsmen

Well it will give you something to harp on about while the series is on. ;-)

[whufc]

Yep especially when the bradmanesque technique of Hughes is snicking away to 2nd and 3rd slip.

Australian cricket isn't a position we can be dropping form players because of their technique

[westcoastpanther]

Yep especially when the bradmanesque technique of Hughes is snicking away to 2nd and 3rd slip.

Australian cricket isn't a position we can be dropping form players because of their technique

He wasn't that bloody good over there, two scores?

[whufc]

Yep especially when the bradmanesque technique of Hughes is snicking away to 2nd and 3rd slip.

Australian cricket isn't a position we can be dropping form players because of their technique

He wasn't that bloody good over there, two scores?

made two scores more than most of the other aussies batsmen with half the oppurtunites. In both games he top scored out of all the 'recongnised' batsmen.

finished the series with the second best average for the aussies.

lol your defending the undefendable!

[Aerie]

I like the inclusion of Rogers, Harris and Haddin. Some experience was needed.

With hindsight it would have been nice to try a Doolan or Burns in India and Khawaja should have got some game time either in India or against Sri Lanka to see if they are good enough.

So they have made some judgement decisions on the likes of Smith, Maxwell and Henriques. They could have asked anyone from the public about those 3 before they were selected for India. It does seem Smith was unlucky given his couple of good innings in India.

I hope they go with Clarke at 4, Khawaja at 5 and either Watson or Faulkner at 6. I would be leaning towards Rogers starting in the top 3 at the expense of either Warner, Cowan or Hughes also. Too many demons from that Indian tour to leave all of those 3 at the top of the order to start the 1st Test.

[Failed Creation]

Steve Smith would be thinking what he did wrong in India

What a joke hey!

You need a solid technique against a swinging ball...

Just as much as you'd need a solid technique against a turning ball in India... and he did reasonably well there.

Rogers in the squad is a joke. Don't rate him, and I never will. Thank f**k they didn't pick Maxwell, but Henriques could be a little hard done by, as I think he'd be an adequate reserve player at the very least.

[Squids]

So people complain the selectors aren't picking form players in the shield, so when they do its a bad choice. yeah right

He is making a few runs in country cricket at the moment too so he deserves to be in the squad.

How can you not rate someone with nearly 20000 first class runs??????

[whufc]

Serious question what was Rogers stats in the shield this year? I cant seem to find any!

He has a brilliant record in the English County Comp and adds cricket experience to the side (does that count at international level, im unsure). From what i have seen of him, Cowan and him are left and right handed clones of each other. If they open together while they will guts it out they will give the Poms bowling attack a great chance to settle in to a spell with line and length without the worry of scoreboard pressure being mounted.

Im not totally against his selection but to me it seems a very defensive/defeatest attitude selection.