Second Test: Australia v West Indies- Melbourne

[1910]

Khawaja returns for Boxing Day with a 13 man squad named.
O'Keefe in for Sydney with 14 man squad named.

Khawaja will have two games to get right.

 

[Unbreakable]

At who's expense if you had to predict [MENTION=8272]1910[/MENTION]? Burns or S.Marsh?

 

[Alec]

Burns had a taste, now will likely be dropped and really has to work on his game if he wants to make it as a Test player (extra hard if he wants to be an opener).

 

[Bucking Beads]

Drop Marsh. He has shown he only scores big once per summer. He has scored roughly 1 first class century per year of first class cricket.

 

[1910]

Burns has been bowled his last three digs that worries selectors when you're getting out the same way. Smith is in doubt anyway so might not matter. No Shield cricket for Burns to go back to either so hard to fix things.

 

[Bucking Beads]

It's a shame the Marsh brothers being incompetent doesn't worry the selectors. I've got zero faith in them. Dropping a bloke who averages over 40 after 6 tests is not on.

I wonder if Marsh nicking off to slip worries the selectors? He does that an awful lot. Lets look back at the 3 Burns bowleds. 2 chops on and then he got a fabulous ball from Gabriel. Really worrying isn't it. The selectors are just useless. Dropping Burns for a bloke who shouldn't even be in the ball park of selections is unfathomable.

 

[Battler]

Marsh will score big this series and then proceed to have two-three series (however long it takes for him to get dropped) where he averages under 10. The selectors made their intentions clear when they hid him at five: they want any excuse to keep him in the side.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Yeah I think that is exactly what will happen.

 

[Sproj]

It absolutely will happen. The selectors will privately be leaping for joy that Burns has not gone on the last three innings. Interesting to note that Australia has 12 50+ opening partnerships this year with the next best being 4. Burns has been part of at least three of those himself with the rest being Rogers. He is certainly not going badly by any means. He should be given the last two tests of this summer to have the opportunity to cash in just as Marsh did.

 

[1910]

It absolutely will happen. The selectors will privately be leaping for joy that Burns has not gone on the last three innings. Interesting to note that Australia has 12 50+ opening partnerships this year with the next best being 4. Burns has been part of at least three of those himself with the rest being Rogers. He is certainly not going badly by any means. He should be given the last two tests of this summer to have the opportunity to cash in just as Marsh did.

Averaging 88 and three century stands from four games.

 

[1910]

Marsh opening in Shield average 39.72 and one 100 since 2010 from 11 innings.
Khawaja opening in Shield average 26 from 19 innings.
Burns opening average 41.26 from 47 innings; four centuries and 10 half centuries.

 

[Unbreakable]

Worth noting that Burns is also the youngest of those 3, by a fair margin. I really hope they stick with him, he just needs another big score or two in these next 2 tests and he's golden for the future.

 

[Socnorb]

It wouldn't be unfair for to Usman wait. under the never give a sucker an even break rule.

 

[Bucking Beads]

It wouldn't be unfair to Usman wait. under the never give a sucker an even break rule.

I don't think Usman getting through 1 BBL match to prove his fitness is enough.

 

[Sproj]

As much as I get sick of the unfair chances Sarsh gets continually given, and that certainly clouds my judgement when it comes to the guy, I honestly believe dropping him for UTK is the best outcome. He knows he has done enough to be next in line but the selectors need to show some faith in the guys they originally picked, ESPECIALLY when the guy in the firing line (Burns) scored a century VERY recently. It also tells the batsmen in FC that you have to perform very well, not just ok in order to be considered.

 

[1910]

If Adam Voges scores 78 on Boxing Day, only 12 men in the 140-year history of Test cricket will have reached 1,000 runs in fewer innings.

 

[1910]

No driving (ball not car) is proving great for him; he's shown great discipline not to nibble.

 

[Socnorb]

No driving (ball not car) is proving great for him; he's shown great discipline not to nibble.

Thanks for clarifying that. So it's cutting ( ball not paper) and pulling ( err...)