The big question is what will John Inverarity, his panel, Michael Clarke and Mickey Arthur decide upon as a starting XI?
Inconsistency remains ever present and for our veteran players, like Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, this is their moment to try and have a summer of Test cricket to remember.
Rahul Dravid went through a terrible form slump and came right but it was as extended a run as Punter. Hussey's poor form in his last four Tests has somewhat slipped under the radar due to the fact his limited overs form has remained solid and the Sri Lankan Test series gave him massive momentum after some sensational performances.
Sylvester has been churning out the articles recently here at the Baggy Green Blog regarding these inconsistencies but it is a worrying. Article 1 - Batting Collapses, Article 2 - Michael Hussey's stats in recent times.
Here’s a quick look at the potential options and the value I see in the players. This may also give you an indication of the difficulties the selection panel faces.
The NSP has many “what-if” scenarios to consider.
THE BAGGY GREENS:
The selectors have a very tough job to do for this Test, never mind the actual series!Here’s a quick look at the potential options and the value I see in the players. This may also give you an indication of the difficulties the selection panel faces.
The NSP has many “what-if” scenarios to consider.
Ed Cowan cannot be ignored especially after scoring a century in the 2ndwarm-up game against India. His case is similar to that of Dan Christian where their career Statistics don’t look overwhelming or daunting to the opposition but I am very much of the belief in trusting ones instinct and it’s a special skill to identify an X-factor of a player.
The statistics that matter however will be what these two guys have produced this season!
It proves that current form is a must-have in order to get players of worthy value into the system!
With Phillip Hughes unlikely to be selected and David Warner fresh after a maiden Test century and a Big Bash century (he only scored 2 in the three day warm-up versus India) it does seem as if there is a big chance Ed Cowan could debut and open alongside David Warner.
It will still be a left-left duo which I like and given the talk in the media of the unlikelihood for Shaun Marsh to come right for Boxing Day (a lack of match time too) I reckon it will be a good move.
Heavy tension and nerves for the duo but that is the nature of the game and these calls have to be made. I am also staying confident David "Pitbull" Warner will mould himself into the side this summer. His gritty century in Hobart was a big testament to his selection and I just hope he gives us something extra to cheer about this series.
The reason I speculate about these two is as opening prospects is because there has been no clarity on Shane Watson’s selection status as a batsman.
Where will he bat given that he is unlikely to bowl? Will he be given the responsibility again the top of the order or will he be nestled in the middle order?
Usman Khawaja is walking a line after making many starts but only managing 1 half-century from his opportunities. Given the fact he gets things on the go is a positive but you do get the feeling that come the return of the impressively disciplined Shaun Marsh that Ussie will luck out if he doesn’t get things right with the first two Tests.
Having said this, if Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting don’t find the class that defines them as epic cricketers then Ussie may be retained.
If we wanted to see Cowan, Warner, Watson and Christian in a starting XI it would mean Hussey or Ponting would miss out and I can’t see the selectors being that bold even though many are quite vocal about this move being made.
Therefore there is a huge debate as to whether you will Watson and Christian in the starting XI together unless it is maybe at the expense of Khawaja, while the omission of Marsh may be what gives the inform Cowan his debut opportunity.
Dan Christian is an all-rounder who has stood out with the bat in hand, especially in the Sheffield Shield which is where the form counts for Test cricket.
He has piled on 475 runs at 59.37 with 2 centuries.
He should not be overlooked as an all-rounder with Shane Watson unlikely to bowl, therefore it puts Dan in a strong position of consideration. I will be pumped if he gets the selection.
Heavy tension and nerves for the duo but that is the nature of the game and these calls have to be made. I am also staying confident David "Pitbull" Warner will mould himself into the side this summer. His gritty century in Hobart was a big testament to his selection and I just hope he gives us something extra to cheer about this series.
The reason I speculate about these two is as opening prospects is because there has been no clarity on Shane Watson’s selection status as a batsman.
Where will he bat given that he is unlikely to bowl? Will he be given the responsibility again the top of the order or will he be nestled in the middle order?
Usman Khawaja is walking a line after making many starts but only managing 1 half-century from his opportunities. Given the fact he gets things on the go is a positive but you do get the feeling that come the return of the impressively disciplined Shaun Marsh that Ussie will luck out if he doesn’t get things right with the first two Tests.
Having said this, if Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting don’t find the class that defines them as epic cricketers then Ussie may be retained.
If we wanted to see Cowan, Warner, Watson and Christian in a starting XI it would mean Hussey or Ponting would miss out and I can’t see the selectors being that bold even though many are quite vocal about this move being made.
Therefore there is a huge debate as to whether you will Watson and Christian in the starting XI together unless it is maybe at the expense of Khawaja, while the omission of Marsh may be what gives the inform Cowan his debut opportunity.
Dan Christian is an all-rounder who has stood out with the bat in hand, especially in the Sheffield Shield which is where the form counts for Test cricket.
He has piled on 475 runs at 59.37 with 2 centuries.
He should not be overlooked as an all-rounder with Shane Watson unlikely to bowl, therefore it puts Dan in a strong position of consideration. I will be pumped if he gets the selection.
The statistics for a given season provide a strong foundation for him which is a similar reason why Ed Cowan should be overlooked by the selectors.
With Patrick Cummins still set to sit out and Ryan Harris expected to be in the Big Bash pool for a bit, the bowling prospects seem obvious.
Ben Cutting is unlikely to be selected and Mitchell Johnson is going to be out a while.
For this reason I have a feeling Mitchell Starc will be retained as neither Peter George nor Doug Bollinger have impressed enough in the warm-up.
I expect Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc to be named as the pace bowlers with Nathan Lyon rightly so to be retained as our frontline spinner!
I can’t wait to see Nathan aka “Wheelhouse” in action.
Peter Siddle will be at his favorutie hunting ground, the MCG, so expect the most vicious leadership attitude from him yet and don’t be surprised if he gets a 5fer!
James Pattinson stepped in excellently and continued where Patty Cummins started so we have two dangerous young guns with the ball in hand. He will be on his home ground as well with Pedro. Lethal!
I don’t see Starc getting a game at this point but he will be fine if he can just bowl in a fuller, consistent line and length. Brush aside the nerves and just get in there!
I am confident about the bowling prosects and good discipline will see them right.
I expect Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc to be named as the pace bowlers with Nathan Lyon rightly so to be retained as our frontline spinner!
I can’t wait to see Nathan aka “Wheelhouse” in action.
Peter Siddle will be at his favorutie hunting ground, the MCG, so expect the most vicious leadership attitude from him yet and don’t be surprised if he gets a 5fer!
James Pattinson stepped in excellently and continued where Patty Cummins started so we have two dangerous young guns with the ball in hand. He will be on his home ground as well with Pedro. Lethal!
I don’t see Starc getting a game at this point but he will be fine if he can just bowl in a fuller, consistent line and length. Brush aside the nerves and just get in there!
I am confident about the bowling prosects and good discipline will see them right.
THE INDIAN TEAM:
The batsmen, whoever selected, will have a mighty tough task.
Whilst I see the Indian bowling attack a their weakest point with their daunting batting line-up, I still feel they have just enough to offer even if Zaheer Khan doesn’t play purely due to his fitness, even though he is currently playing the warm-up game.
Whilst I see the Indian bowling attack a their weakest point with their daunting batting line-up, I still feel they have just enough to offer even if Zaheer Khan doesn’t play purely due to his fitness, even though he is currently playing the warm-up game.
I think the media has built Ishant Sharma up a lot in order to maybe intimidate him but Umesh Yadav is one to watch out for!
He is one of the few genuine Indian pace bowlers to slip through the system and if he can find the ability to swing the new ball with a swing maestro like Zaheer it could prove to be another insane challenge for our struggling batsmen. Throw in the height of Sharma and the potential spin options of Ojha and Ashwin (fresh into his Test career like Nathan Lyon) and they have a reasonably effective bowling attack. I still don’t see it as their strong point though.
He is one of the few genuine Indian pace bowlers to slip through the system and if he can find the ability to swing the new ball with a swing maestro like Zaheer it could prove to be another insane challenge for our struggling batsmen. Throw in the height of Sharma and the potential spin options of Ojha and Ashwin (fresh into his Test career like Nathan Lyon) and they have a reasonably effective bowling attack. I still don’t see it as their strong point though.
Their batting line-up is the boasting point.
The veterans of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid immediately get you thinking.
There’s the experienced duo of Sehwag and Gambhir and I have paid close attention to the young guns Virat Kohli (who I think will become the next Indian Skipper) and Rohit Sharma.
Our bowlers are more than capable of knocking these blokes over but then there’s still the Skipper MS Dhoni who has been out of touch with the bat for some time now but he’s certainly got the goods of sticking it out in any circumstance.
There’s the experienced duo of Sehwag and Gambhir and I have paid close attention to the young guns Virat Kohli (who I think will become the next Indian Skipper) and Rohit Sharma.
Our bowlers are more than capable of knocking these blokes over but then there’s still the Skipper MS Dhoni who has been out of touch with the bat for some time now but he’s certainly got the goods of sticking it out in any circumstance.
Put this on paper with their bowling and I think there’s little debate as to where we need to capitalise!
THE SUMMARY:
It’s going to be an exciting series when looking at the opposition.Their probable “weakness” is their bowling unit which our inconsistent batting unit (our weakness) will need to dominate in order for our bowlers to have the best possible platform to work from.
Our bowlers have been bailing us out for far too long and if they are expected to repeatedly combat the Indian batsmen it will be bloody hard work.
If our batting does come right though I am confident the Baggy Greens will get back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The only players in the current side from 2007/08 are Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke. There have been massive changes since so it’s a whole new battle of who has faced who and there’s little history to gamble upon from that controversial series.
New history to be written for a highly anticipated Test series!
India have a strong chance at the WACA and the Adelaide Oval given the track conditions but the Baggy Greens will need to seal the deal for the MCG and SCG in order to get the momentum, the confidence and the killer instinct to counter-attack the Indian side.
It’s going to be a cracking series and I cannot wait especially seeing Michael Clarke leading the side as the Skipper in his first Test series against India as our Captain.
The Squad announcement tomorrow will start to paint a picture for the starting XI and what we can expect.
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2 comments:
The squad was announced early!
Batsmen:
Cowan
Warner
Marsh (injury permitting)
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Christian
Bowlers:
Pattinson
Hilfenhaus
Siddle
Starc
Lyon
Haddin to keep.
It raises some interesting points. First, I'm really sad about Khawaja being dropped as I think he's an incredible player, only lacking aggression. Hughes is, expectedly, dropped. Again, I think it's a shame, but at least he knows what he needs to get right.
Ponting, Hussey, Haddin have all been given more lives. I'm not convinced it's the best idea, particularly as Paine is ruled out for the season I think it's the perfect time to blood Wade, but with the inexperienced bowling attack, new openers and (potentially) Christian in the middle order the experience he has probably counts for extra. Hopefully it's been made quite clear to him that he needs to keep his damn head...
The openers are set, Cowan will make a debut and Warner has earned the right to continue. The bowling is almost set, Pattinson, Siddle and Lyon are certainly going to play.
It'll be interesting whether Starc or Hilfenhaus gets the third seamer position. I think it will likely be Hilfenhaus as Starc failed to penetrate the NZ batting line up except for the first day of Brisbane, but similarly, Hilfenhaus failed to penetrate the English batsmen during the Ashes. I think Hilfenhaus is a little tidier and if Christian doesn't play, that should swing things his way.
The questionable places are where Ponting, Clarke & Hussey will play. I think these are dependent on whether Marsh is fit. If Marsh is fit, he plays at 3, end of story. If Marsh isn't, it's quite likely that Ponting, Clarke & Hussey will play 3, 4, 5 with Christian at #6.
I don't think there are any real surprises in this selection, Ponting, Hussey & Haddin were never going to be dropped, Hughes was always going to go and Khawaja was expected (even if I think he should stay). Watson and Harris are injured.
The interesting point comes if we lose the first test or two badly and Ponting, Hussey & Haddin continue their 2011 average of under 30...
New selectors same rubbish. We really are keeping Punter and even Hussey in the side at the expense of youth and our future. Happy to see Hilf given another run although I though Bollinger would be a good replacement for Starc. Great to see Cowan get a gig, he well and truly deserves it. Also the Marsh inclusion is pretty poor IMO. He hasn't played in a month and hasn't got through a match at all.
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