SL Board XI v Australia at Colombo Aug 25-27 2011

[BunniesMan]

Personally I can't believe Marsh is even being talked about in the same sentence as Khawaja. Khawaja has got to be given an uninterrupted run, he's got the goods.

 

[beads6]

Gee Hughes could be something special. He's been in great form since the Ashes. World class potential. He'll be our opener for the next 10 years.

I hope you are right, Australian cricket is crying out for some of our young guys to stand up and perform.

 

[yappy]

The future of Australia's top order on display. Uzi brings up his 50, Hughes 62, 0/116.

 

[BunniesMan]

I hope you are right, Australian cricket is crying out for some of our young guys to stand up and perform.

He's been treated hopelessly by our selectors to date. Being dropped when he should have been picked and picked when he should have been dropped.

Dropped in England 3 tests after being the youngest player ever to score 2 centuries in 1 test. Then he was picked in the most recent ashes while being out of form for NSW. 3 poor tests there but since then he's scored lots of runs for NSW and Australia A, I think he's finally figuring things out and turning potential into consistency.

 

[yappy]

Personally I can't believe Marsh is even being talked about in the same sentence as Khawaja. Khawaja has got to be given an uninterrupted run, he's got the goods.

qft.

It's like oh I saw Marsh bat ok in a couple of one dayers - lets make him a test opener! His Shield record shows he'd be more useful as a can opener. Same dopes who bagged Copeland and blow wind up Siddle or Notch. Hey I saw them bowl well once one day - they have to be the first bowler's picked. Never seen Copeland play for Australia so he must be no good.

There is a lot of bagging of the Shield and the quality on show. Well here's a radical solution - give the guys who do best at Shield level a baggy green when a vacancy come up, not some hack who has made a couple of runs or taken a couple of wickets in a one dayer.

 

[Twizzle]

The future of Australia's top order on display. Uzi brings up his 50, Hughes 62, 0/116.

new selectors should make a big difference

if Hildud had has way, we'd probably still be opening with Hayden

we should see alot more youngsters get a run now

 

[DragonPunk]

qft.

It's like oh I saw Marsh bat ok in a couple of one dayers - lets make him a test opener! His Shield record shows he'd be more useful as a can opener. Same dopes who bagged Copeland and blow wind up Siddle or Notch. Hey I saw them bowl well once one day - they have to be the first bowler's picked. Never seen Copeland play for Australia so he must be no good.

There is a lot of bagging of the Shield and the quality on show. Well here's a radical solution - give the guys who do best at Shield level a baggy green when a vacancy come up, not some hack who has made a couple of runs or taken a couple of wickets in a one dayer.

Such a radical idea, hopefully our selectors are thinking like this!

Good to see Copeland taking wickets and Khawaja/Hughes making runs.

 

[yappy]

Yep it is good to see, but hardly surprising to anyone who pays any attention to the Shield. They have demonstrated that they are a class above that level. It might take them a while to completely settle in at Test level, but they will. They're far too good not to.

 

[aussies1st]

Hopefully big knocks from both openers as our team is crying out for that atm.

 

[yappy]

The best thing about Uzi making runs at opener (and fingers crossed he can at least bat out another session) is that it should make the selector's rethink the idea of Clarke at 4 and Huss at 5 at least in the longer term. Uzi is a genuine top order bat who should be looked at as Punter's replacement at 3 if not now at least when he retires. That should mean he can slip straight in at 4. The side would be much stronger with Pup and Huss dropping back one spot each. Clarke should have to foresight and balls to do it from the 1st Test.

 

[yappy]

Phillip Hughes 5000 First Class runs! Well done. 57 matches at 52.08

 

[DragonPunk]

Very nice, he would have to be up there, with the quickest to do so?

 

[yappy]

Very nice, he would have to be up there, with the quickest to do so?

It would have to be pretty high up there. For 5000 test runs Bradman obviously was No.1 (56 innings FFS), Followed by Hayden (55 tests, and Sobers 56 tests). So probably a few faster to 5000 FC, but not too many I'd reckon.

 

[jargan83]

Personally I can't believe Marsh is even being talked about in the same sentence as Khawaja. Khawaja has got to be given an uninterrupted run, he's got the goods.

It's like oh I saw Marsh bat ok in a couple of one dayers - lets make him a test opener!

You blokes are lucky

Living here in WA I have to put up with the locals constant harping on about Shaun Marsh despite an very ordinary Shield record. It is not like he is new to Shield Cricket either - 10 years for six 100's @ 37ish.

I had a conversation this morning with someone who didn't want Khawaja picked because he thinks there aren't enough West Aussies in the side

He is a very good limited overs bat but should be no where near the Test side

 

[yappy]

I had a conversation this morning with someone who didn't want Khawaja picked because he thinks there aren't enough West Aussies in the side

Did you tell him there is an opening for the newly created National Selector position. With his obvious genius at selection policy he should be a shoe in FFS :crazy:

 

[jargan83]

Did you tell him there is an opening for the newly created National Selector position. With his obvious genius at selection policy he should be a shoe in FFS :crazy:

This morning I wanted to punch him in the face for being such a dumbshit

Throughout the Ashes series I had to cop cries of "Pick Mitch Marsh" in the Test team from the same bloke

 

[yappy]

Hughes gone for 76. Interesting that Mussey is in rather than Marsh. No faith in the chosen one being able to handle an attack just smacked for a 150 run opening stand?

 

[aussies1st]

Guess we can lock in Khawaja for the 6 spot.

 

[Timbo]

To be fair to the people who have suddenly gone cold on Khawaja, he has been out of sorts lately.

I've been over in England for much of the winter and saw him playing a bit for Derbyshire... He looked atrocious. A couple of good knocks here and there but by and large nothing special. He then didn't do much in Zimbabwe.

I agree he's a thousand times better than Marsh but I see where the detractors are getting their ammunition from.

 

[yappy]

To be fair to the people who have suddenly gone cold on Khawaja, he has been out of sorts lately.

I've been over in England for much of the winter and saw him playing a bit for Derbyshire... He looked atrocious. A couple of good knocks here and there but by and large nothing special. He then didn't do much in Zimbabwe.

I agree he's a thousand times better than Marsh but I see where the detractors are getting their ammunition from.

Yeah I can agree he's been out of sorts, but a guy of his class, when you bring him into the side you give him a fair dinkum chance to settle in rather than dumping him first chance you get. Thankfully this innings should put paid to any talk of dumping him. You can't do much more than get put in it as an opener for the first time in FC and score a 90 odd with possibly more to come.

We'll certainly go into the Test with some rookies in good form. Just need the old hands to perform too.