CRICKET Australia v India Summer

54 wickets at 18 for Boland now. Starc should never play the 5th test or an SCG test again, surely that's sunk in by now. Boland plays the MCG and SCG at the absolute minimum in the Ashes.
wickets in australia are at like 12 as well.
 
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@Sproj not sure I've seen a future team list from you that includes Beau and Green after that great debut?

I'm wondering if Ussie retires after Ashes next year do you move Marnus up to open?

I'm not sure what's going on with him, but he's not really been the steady anchor that he was at 3 in those peak years.

He now hasn't scored a century since Manchester in 2023 (25 innings) and prior to that one his previous one was December 2022... that is an insanely dry spell for a guy that is meant to be our second best bat.

I'm not sure he'd be that great as an opener as he's struggling against pace as it is, but if his only thought is to just bat time then he could at least see off the new ball and protect the middle order until they find an actual opener in the shield.

I wouldn't really want to move Smudge up to 3 as he looks vulnerable to the new ball at the moment (assuming he continues on after the ashes), but Green is the likely long term 4, so moving him up to 3 seems counterintuitive.

When Smudge retires and with Marnus opening that opens up a spot at 3/4 (pending where Green lands in the order), which probably has more options from players coming through compared to openers, which looks barren at the moment.

Can then squeeze Webster into 6 and keep Head at 5... Webster looked very assured with his batting, and knowing that he has extra gears, he could be a very dangerous weapon down at 6.
 
@Sproj not sure I've seen a future team list from you that includes Beau and Green after that great debut?

I'm wondering if Ussie retires after Ashes next year do you move Marnus up to open?

I'm not sure what's going on with him, but he's not really been the steady anchor that he was at 3 in those peak years.

He now hasn't scored a century since Manchester in 2023 (25 innings) and prior to that one his previous one was December 2022... that is an insanely dry spell for a guy that is meant to be our second best bat.

I'm not sure he'd be that great as an opener as he's struggling against pace as it is, but if his only thought is to just bat time then he could at least see off the new ball and protect the middle order until they find an actual opener in the shield.

I wouldn't really want to move Smudge up to 3 as he looks vulnerable to the new ball at the moment (assuming he continues on after the ashes), but Green is the likely long term 4, so moving him up to 3 seems counterintuitive.

When Smudge retires and with Marnus opening that opens up a spot at 3/4 (pending where Green lands in the order), which probably has more options from players coming through compared to openers, which looks barren at the moment.

Can then squeeze Webster into 6 and keep Head at 5... Webster looked very assured with his batting, and knowing that he has extra gears, he could be a very dangerous weapon down at 6.

I think the obvious glaring issue is opener. I'm not sure Konstas will stay there from here on out, he will be inconsistent and no doubt dropped from time to time. I'm really not sure what you do with Khawaja's spot. I think Webster is the ideal 6, Head the ideal 5 and Green the ideal 4. I would strongly consider taking a punt on Inglis like they did with McSweeney. Of course, fast forward 12 months, maybe Dixon finally gets a shot and does a Konstas. Maybe Weibgen does. Maybe Kellaway, Goodwin or Davies super impress. Then...you've got Connolly who honestly, has the technique to bat anywhere.

So let's assume you need to replace Khawaja, Smith, Carey, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood and maybe even Cummins, I'd be looking at:

1. Konstas
2. Connolly/Labushagne
3. McSweeney
4. Green
5. Head (c)
6. Webster
7. Inglis
8. Richardson
9. O'Neill
10. Bartlett
11. Murphy

Keeping a close eye on Goodwin, Weibgen, Edwards, Hardie, Dixon, Clayton, Kellaway, Salzmann, Sangha, Vidler, Morris and so on. Curtis is one to watch as a batsman-keeper. Some of these blokes nowhere near it of course.
 
I think there is a happy medium between which one of you is right. I think that’s poor behaviour but at the end of the day he is 19 and in the Australian men’s cricket team. You take the game on like Konstas you don’t get to complain when it comes back at you.

I do however think giving a send off to the non-striker in that manner is really poor from India however.
Fair summation, I've just always been told if you're prepared to dish it, then be prepared to cop it.
 
If Usman is playing in the Ashes next year expect us to be in for a world of hurt. THe odds of an opening bat his age to contribute meaningfully are as close to zero as it gets.
 
I think the obvious glaring issue is opener. I'm not sure Konstas will stay there from here on out, he will be inconsistent and no doubt dropped from time to time. I'm really not sure what you do with Khawaja's spot. I think Webster is the ideal 6, Head the ideal 5 and Green the ideal 4. I would strongly consider taking a punt on Inglis like they did with McSweeney. Of course, fast forward 12 months, maybe Dixon finally gets a shot and does a Konstas. Maybe Weibgen does. Maybe Kellaway, Goodwin or Davies super impress. Then...you've got Connolly who honestly, has the technique to bat anywhere.

So let's assume you need to replace Khawaja, Smith, Carey, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood and maybe even Cummins, I'd be looking at:

1. Konstas
2. Connolly/Labushagne
3. McSweeney
4. Green
5. Head (c)
6. Webster
7. Inglis
8. Richardson
9. O'Neill
10. Bartlett
11. Murphy

Keeping a close eye on Goodwin, Weibgen, Edwards, Hardie, Dixon, Clayton, Kellaway, Salzmann, Sangha, Vidler, Morris and so on. Curtis is one to watch as a batsman-keeper. Some of these blokes nowhere near it of course.
I'm not sure Cummins or Lyon will retire end of next year, and I'm hoping Smudge plays on a bit longer (just because he's a legend and I want to see him playing as long as possible... I'm hoping his form this series on difficult pitches is a bit of a resurgence for his career as he's only 35 and could go for a few more years if in form).

Cummins is 31 at the moment though, so I'd say he's got a few years left yet.

Lyon is getting on (38 next year), but he keeps talking about making the 2027 Ashes or something... so he might need to be pushed rather than retiring. For the next spinner I recall reading either here or Reddit about having a spinner that can bat a bit so they can contribute even on pitches that are pace friendly and I think that's a reasonable call just to have some safeguard batting at 8. Imagine Cummins at 9 and Jhye at 10, would be a deep batting lineup.

Hazlewood is 34 in a few days, so he could end up calling it or go for at least one more year as well. I'd say he should get rotated a bit more, but if he's happy with his fitness and is performing then there's no real reason to not select him when he's available. Maybe stop him from playing ODI's though... keep him fresh for tests only.

Starc looks a definite candidate for retirement by this time next year though... he's 35 in a couple weeks, so 36 by this time next year. He deserves to get a fair bit of respect put on his name when it's all said and done for him... he's only behind Warne, McGrath and Lyon for Australia's leading wicket takers.

I think Ussie has basically confirmed he's retiring next summer hasn't he?

Can't see Carey retiring, but I can see where you're coming from to fit Inglis in. I would feel more confident with Inglis coming in to bat than Carey.

The team you've got has a lot of youth/inexperience in it and we've only got Sri Lanka and then the WTC before the Ashes next summer... so 3 tests this year before the next Aus summer series.

Unsure what the series will be straight after the Ashes, as I'm guessing we have to wait for the next WTC calendar to be released, but they could sneak an NZ series in or end up doing West Indies or something in the winter.

I think Cricket Australia needs to schedule in some soft series though, because there will be a lot of turnover happening over the next 24 months and you don't want to be scheduling in an India tour or something crazy to destroy these guys before they can even get going.
 
I'm not sure Cummins or Lyon will retire end of next year, and I'm hoping Smudge plays on a bit longer (just because he's a legend and I want to see him playing as long as possible... I'm hoping his form this series on difficult pitches is a bit of a resurgence for his career as he's only 35 and could go for a few more years if in form).

Cummins is 31 at the moment though, so I'd say he's got a few years left yet.

Lyon is getting on (38 next year), but he keeps talking about making the 2027 Ashes or something... so he might need to be pushed rather than retiring. For the next spinner I recall reading either here or Reddit about having a spinner that can bat a bit so they can contribute even on pitches that are pace friendly and I think that's a reasonable call just to have some safeguard batting at 8. Imagine Cummins at 9 and Jhye at 10, would be a deep batting lineup.

Hazlewood is 34 in a few days, so he could end up calling it or go for at least one more year as well. I'd say he should get rotated a bit more, but if he's happy with his fitness and is performing then there's no real reason to not select him when he's available. Maybe stop him from playing ODI's though... keep him fresh for tests only.

Starc looks a definite candidate for retirement by this time next year though... he's 35 in a couple weeks, so 36 by this time next year. He deserves to get a fair bit of respect put on his name when it's all said and done for him... he's only behind Warne, McGrath and Lyon for Australia's leading wicket takers.

I think Ussie has basically confirmed he's retiring next summer hasn't he?

Can't see Carey retiring, but I can see where you're coming from to fit Inglis in. I would feel more confident with Inglis coming in to bat than Carey.

The team you've got has a lot of youth in it and we've only got Sri Lanka and then the WTC before the Ashes next summer... so 3 tests this year before the next Aus summer series and we're moving into

Unsure what the series will be straight after the Ashes, as I'm guessing we have to wait for the next WTC calendar to be released, but they could sneak an NZ series in or end up doing West Indies or something in the winter.

I think Cricket Australia needs to schedule in some soft series though, because there will be a lot of turnover happening over the next 24 months and you don't want to be scheduling in an India tour or something crazy to destroy these guys before they can even get going.

Going to the WI for three Tests in June/July. Six Tests before the Ashes start.

Two in SL, Three in WI and WTC.
 
Going to the WI for three Tests in June/July. Six Tests before the Ashes start.

Two in SL, Three in WI and WTC.
I thought I heard that, but it wasn't in the CricInfo scheduling for Australian tests... why wouldn't it be on there?

They already have the WTC scheduled in there and that was only confirmed after today's result.

1736061357323
 
Going to the WI for three Tests in June/July. Six Tests before the Ashes start.

Two in SL, Three in WI and WTC.
So smith is going to get his 10k run in front of no one in the WI getting off the mark… that’s an anticlimax
 
I'm not sure Cummins or Lyon will retire end of next year, and I'm hoping Smudge plays on a bit longer (just because he's a legend and I want to see him playing as long as possible... I'm hoping his form this series on difficult pitches is a bit of a resurgence for his career as he's only 35 and could go for a few more years if in form).

Cummins is 31 at the moment though, so I'd say he's got a few years left yet.

Lyon is getting on (38 next year), but he keeps talking about making the 2027 Ashes or something... so he might need to be pushed rather than retiring. For the next spinner I recall reading either here or Reddit about having a spinner that can bat a bit so they can contribute even on pitches that are pace friendly and I think that's a reasonable call just to have some safeguard batting at 8. Imagine Cummins at 9 and Jhye at 10, would be a deep batting lineup.

Hazlewood is 34 in a few days, so he could end up calling it or go for at least one more year as well. I'd say he should get rotated a bit more, but if he's happy with his fitness and is performing then there's no real reason to not select him when he's available. Maybe stop him from playing ODI's though... keep him fresh for tests only.

Starc looks a definite candidate for retirement by this time next year though... he's 35 in a couple weeks, so 36 by this time next year. He deserves to get a fair bit of respect put on his name when it's all said and done for him... he's only behind Warne, McGrath and Lyon for Australia's leading wicket takers.

I think Ussie has basically confirmed he's retiring next summer hasn't he?

Can't see Carey retiring, but I can see where you're coming from to fit Inglis in. I would feel more confident with Inglis coming in to bat than Carey.

The team you've got has a lot of youth/inexperience in it and we've only got Sri Lanka and then the WTC before the Ashes next summer... so 3 tests this year before the next Aus summer series.

Unsure what the series will be straight after the Ashes, as I'm guessing we have to wait for the next WTC calendar to be released, but they could sneak an NZ series in or end up doing West Indies or something in the winter.

I think Cricket Australia needs to schedule in some soft series though, because there will be a lot of turnover happening over the next 24 months and you don't want to be scheduling in an India tour or something crazy to destroy these guys before they can even get going.

Yeah that team is a mishmash and it would probably change multiple times if I was asked over the next 12 months. I think the fact that Aus has now qualified for the WTC final, that stamps the ticket of this side through until at least then. And if that's the case, this side +Green / - someone will go through to the Ashes.

I also don't think Cummins will ned to retire but I wonder whether he might decide to when the vast majority of this side also call it a day. He will be 33/34 after the next Ashes. I think Lyon will be pushed like Jimmy Anderson was even if he wants to continue IF and I stress IF Murphy or someone else is banging down the door.

As good as Hazlewood is, there is no doubt in my mind that with his injury history, Boland has gone past him and Australia has a lot of bowling depth. If anything, Webster has shown that the FC comp in Aus continues to be a good proving ground for the next level down and while there aren't many bats you'd feel comfortable calling on, there are plenty of pacemen and even spinners.

My hope is that Dixon gets a debut at some point late season because to me (and it is a very, very small sample size), he looked the comfortably better prospect in that u19 team compared to Konstas. That under 19 side had a number of kids who hopefully will come on but they won't be ready for a few years.

As I've mentioned repeatedly though, the four guys outside the current team I'd be keen to get some games into are Connolly, Inglis, O'Neill and Bartlett. McSweeney will also get more chances, he is classy, just needs to not face Bumrah with a new ball.

In terms of the spinner you mentioned, is it this guy? Nivethan Radhakrishnan. He opens the batting and bowls with both hands interestingly, one of very few cricketers with that ability.
 
It was all doom and gloom after a cpl of days of India on top in Perth. Aussies arrogant and too comfortable. Needed drilling hard .Didn't play enough in the lead up to the series . Played the long game it turns out .
Where's our man Micheal Vaughn this evening?
Bloody good entertainment the to and fro of the past few weeks . Webster did himself proud.
Bumrah was outstanding. Cummins wasn't too far behind he bowled multiple unplayable balls at crucial times .
 
It was all doom and gloom after a cpl of days of India on top in Perth. Aussies arrogant and too comfortable. Needed drilling hard .Didn't play enough in the lead up to the series . Played the long game it turns out .
Where's our man Micheal Vaughn this evening?
Bloody good entertainment the to and fro of the past few weeks . Webster did himself proud.
Bumrah was outstanding. Cummins wasn't too far behind he bowled multiple unplayable balls at crucial times .

I'd argue Boland was just as good as Bumrah, he was just as unplayable.
 

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