Australian International Summer 2024/25

[another grub]

Agree lots of wanna be experts on here with NFI.

cant beat experience

[dedja]

Yep, agree Jim, but it’s like a company that is making great profits today but isn’t planning ahead for changes in the market.

The Board is happy, the CEO is achieving KPIs so have bonuses coming out of their arse, same with the rest of the executive management team, but there’s a brick wall ahead that no-one has noticed.

[dedja]

Actually, to be fair, they did promote the work experience kid who started last week to a General Manager role.

don’t beat me up, just joking …

[Brodlach]

You forgot Carey (whufc) and Konstas (everyone but whufc)

[another grub]

Total over reaction by you all.

[whufc]

You forgot Carey (whufc) and Konstas (everyone but whufc)

And Smith (everyone but whufc for the first 5 years of his test career)

[mal]

There was a poster who posted at the start of Steve Smiths Test cricket career that he would not make it at Test level
That poster repeated his thoughts on several occasions
That poster has NFI
That poster was me

[whufc]

There was a poster who posted at the start of Steve Smiths Test cricket career that he would not make it at Test level
That poster repeated his thoughts on several occasions
That poster has NFI
That poster was me

This place would be boring if we didn’t all have opinions or make predictions. If I just wanted score we could all do that from the billion other sources available.

We get some right
We get some wrong
Some people agree
Some people don’t
We all see the world a bit differently.

[Armchair expert]

Expecting Australia to win the series 3-1 with a washout somewhere along the lines. Predictions of a wet summer have been around for a while now.

Tomorrows lotto numbers please

[jackpot jim]

There was a poster who posted at the start of Steve Smiths Test cricket career that he would not make it at Test level
That poster repeated his thoughts on several occasions
That poster has NFI
That poster was me

I was with you all the way on that one

In fact i'm still not convinced and think that his average of 56 might just be an aberration

But to be fair to both of us we were both RIGHT to a certain extent as he was selected mainly for his Leg Spin
and that went by the wayside long long ago !

[jackpot jim]

Not sure what Lords will dish up, however the South African quicks are a worry.

I dont think the South African Quicks will bother Australia much.
They look threatening on their own usual lively pitches but when the pitch is flat like it is in this 2nd Test against Pakistan they look pretty lame.
Yeajh they did run through Pakistan in the 1st Innings but that was because they were stuffed after spending 2 days in the field.
2nd dig they're 0143 and the SA fast bowlers are starting to lose their S**T
Umpire Dharmasena has had to step in to break the tension after Mulder tries to throw the stumps down on his follow through but misses the target by a metre and hits Babar on the leg then gives him a mouthful WAP
Australia will flog them in the Final at Lords even with Konstas thowing his wicket away in both innings if he hasn't thrown away his spot by then

[whufc]

Expecting Australia to win the series 3-1 with a washout somewhere along the lines. Predictions of a wet summer have been around for a while now.

Tomorrows lotto numbers please

Whats the saying..................if you throw enough darts......

[Lightning McQueen]

January 5th, not even halfway through summer and that’s the end of Australian games in Australia

Disgraceful

Not happy with an Australian tour to Sri Lanka in January/February MT?

I recall South Africa getting the shits on with us as they like to host series around Christmas time and we never go there, they always have to come here over that period.

We've flogged this horse before though, while BBL is successful the rest of the competitions will suffer, we fitted five tests in and in the old days the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup would start around now to keep us entertained of an evening................I must say that I was lucky enough to grow up in the best times for cricket, the test team was virtually the ODI side apart from bringing in a Simon O'Donnell like player, or Gilly and Junior would go up the order and open up.

It was always a buzz and a guessing game when they returned from the news break to see what sort of start the 2nd team had made at about the 6-8 over mark. (as Channel 9 only had one channel).

[Lightning McQueen]

What potential changes for the next contract updates?

2 current Test players not on the list (unless I’ve missed any updates, or can’t count, happy to be corrected).

Cricket Australia contracted men’s players 2024-25:

Sean Abbott (NSW/Parramatta District Cricket Club)
Xavier Bartlett (QLD/Gold Coast Cricket Club)
Scott Boland (VIC/Frankston Peninsula Cricket Club)
Alex Carey (SA/Glenelg Cricket Club)
Pat Cummins (NSW/Penrith Cricket Club)
Nathan Ellis ((TAS/Lindisfarne Cricket Club)
Cameron Green (WA/Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club)
Aaron Hardie (WA/Willetton Cricket Club)
Josh Hazlewood (NSW/St George Cricket Club)
Travis Head (SA/Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club)
Josh Inglis (WA/Joondalup Cricket Club)
Usman Khawaja (QLD/Valley District Cricket Club)
Marnus Labuschagne (QLD/Redlands Cricket Club)
Nathan Lyon (NSW/Northern District Cricket Club)
Mitchell Marsh (WA/Fremantle Cricket Club)
Glenn Maxwell (VIC/Fitzroy Doncaster Cricket Club)
Lance Morris (WA/Scarborough Cricket Club)
Todd Murphy (VIC/St Kilda Cricket Club)
Jhye Richardson (WA/Fremantle Cricket Club)
Matt Short ((VIC/Northcote Cricket Club)
Steve Smith (NSW/Sutherland Cricket Club)
Mitchell Starc (NSW/Manly Warringah Cricket Club)
Adam Zampa (NSW/Sutherland Cricket Club)

I think it's a load of frog shit anyway, how many players end up representing Australia that aren't on the list?

There's obviously two players to be added, do they have a limit to how many can be on it?

[whufc]

The first Sri Lankan test starts on the 29th Jan.

Would the first test team be fairly obvious......

Khawaja
Konstas
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Webster
Carey
Starc
Lyon
Hazelwood
Murphy

Presuming Cummins will be out with the birth of his child.

I want Boland to play but Ronny and the selectors seem pretty loyal to the old guard.

Can't say I've seen heaps of either Webster or Konstas against spin but presume they will get first opportunity.

Not really expecting Khawaja to retire between now and then and think his recent performances on the sub-continent will get him picked despite being out of form.

Green in the mix?? Not sure a sub-continent series would be the ideal situation for him to come back into it and it couldn't be for Webster.

Obviously, the media are running with stories of Head potentially opening, Handscombe being in the mix but hard to believe any of that is correct.

[Lightning McQueen]

Is Trav winning the AB Medal? Does he win all 3 format awards?

Tests: Solar Panel Pat would be the only one to rival him.
ODI'S: Steve Smith may challenge him as he played twice as many matches.
T20's: Adam Zampa would be the only player to come close.

[whufc]

January 5th, not even halfway through summer and that’s the end of Australian games in Australia

Disgraceful

Not happy with an Australian tour to Sri Lanka in January/February MT?

I recall South Africa getting the shits on with us as they like to host series around Christmas time and we never go there, they always have to come here over that period.

We've flogged this horse before though, while BBL is successful the rest of the competitions will suffer, we fitted five tests in and in the old days the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup would start around now to keep us entertained of an evening................I must say that I was lucky enough to grow up in the best times for cricket, the test team was virtually the ODI side apart from bringing in a Simon O'Donnell like player, or Gilly and Junior would go up the order and open up.

It was always a buzz and a guessing game when they returned from the news break to see what sort of start the 2nd team had made at about the 6-8 over mark. (as Channel 9 only had one channel).

There was always something 'magical' about it wasn't there.

Don't know if it was the fact there was a 'ladder' and finals, so games had a bit more meaning.

Not sure if it was because i was a teenager so those times always feel more special.

I'm not sure the cricket was necessarily any more entertaining, i mean teams would only score around 200-250, all followed the same template until the Sri Lankans changed ODI cricket.

Whatever it was the ODI's don't feel the same anymore, can't remember the last one i watched from start to finish.

[Lightning McQueen]

The first Sri Lankan test starts on the 29th Jan.

Would the first test team be fairly obvious......

Khawaja
Konstas
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Webster
Carey
Starc
Lyon
Hazelwood
Murphy

Presuming Cummins will be out with the birth of his child.

I want Boland to play but Ronny and the selectors seem pretty loyal to the old guard.

Can't say I've seen heaps of either Webster or Konstas against spin but presume they will get first opportunity.

Not really expecting Khawaja to retire between now and then and think his recent performances on the sub-continent will get him picked despite being out of form.

Green in the mix?? Not sure a sub-continent series would be the ideal situation for him to come back into it and it couldn't be for Webster.

Obviously, the media are running with stories of Head potentially opening, Handscombe being in the mix but hard to believe any of that is correct.

It's a Monty as far as Hosie's publication is concerned, straight from the dressing room!!!

Green averages 49.25 on the sub-continent and I feel as though they will start grooming him for a possible opening role?

I'd go Kuhnemann over Harry Potter, they may go both if they played Webster and Green at the expense of a Starc or Hazelwood.

I'm not sure that Boland's areas would suit the sub-continent plus they may aswell declare before he goes out to bat so they can save 3 minutes, he can't score runs over there, he needs the ball coming on to the bat.

Usman excels on the sub-continent, all this talk of Head opening baffles me, as much as I would like to see change I don't think this is the tour to omit him.

Having said all of that, I'd say they'll go with your XI

[mighty_tiger_79]

January 5th, not even halfway through summer and that’s the end of Australian games in Australia

Disgraceful

Not happy with an Australian tour to Sri Lanka in January/February MT?

Since SL are in NZ. Invite them here for 2 tests before going over there.

[Lightning McQueen]

January 5th, not even halfway through summer and that’s the end of Australian games in Australia

Disgraceful

Not happy with an Australian tour to Sri Lanka in January/February MT?

Since SL are in NZ. Invite them here for 2 tests before going over there.

Please don't swear on here.