Your Team for Adelaide

[smithy]

I would think bollinger no chance he is playing in a shield game that finishes wednesday in perth. They would have pulled him out by now if he was a chance.
Hilditch is a joke. Maybe we have to start burning effiges of him to make him get the hint. Seems to work in india and pakistan.

Bollinger has been withdrawn from the shield side and replaced by Cameron, who I'd like to see be given a go as well.

Doug will play in front of INK Johnson..........I'm calling it now

[Rik E Boy]

I'm not sure Harris AND Bollinger are necessarially going to be the answer. I'd put Bollinger in ahead of Harris but I think it to make two changes to the bowlers based on the Brisbane game where the pitch turned into a road could be dangerous. When it wasn't a road we bowled them out for 250. We could be jumping at shadows. There's every chance Australia could have got 1-400 on that pitch if they had more time.

I think I'd back Johnson in at least one more time in such a crucial game rather than putting our faith in an attack of:

Siddle - 17 tests
Bollinger - 11 tests
Harris - 2 tests (age 31)

Siddle had his own question marks before the first test and one test later he would be leading the attack. So I'd go current team LESS Hilf PLUS Bollinger. 2 changes also smells of panic and England would get a boost knowing that the selectors have turned over 50% of the bowlers after one game.

I think if thye have backed North in for the first test they have to give him at least more than one innings especially given the lack of a standout alternative.

I believe we should make two changes to the attack just to freshen up Hilf and Johnson. I reckon that having the same attack back up so shortly after getting spanked for two days is a recipe for disaster. Adelaide isn't exactly a minefield for batsmen, let's bring in a couple of fresh bowlers to fire at the poms and the blokes I'd leave out would be Johnson (who hasn't got anything except that lame sucker ball that everyone in world cricket has learnt to left alone) and Hilf. So in Harris and Douggie.

regards,

REB

[Lightning McQueen]

Smithy it would be close to his last chance this test (North)

They let Hussey go for long dry spells and the occasional 100 so why not North? Plus North offers the second spinning option we may need.

I personally would prefer someone else but I can understand why he's still there. Like I said before if we make 3 changes on the back of a draw England will be laughing at us and walking tall at Adelaide thinking they have us rattled!

Hussey has the ability to save a match or win a match off his own bat, North simply doesn't.

[carey]

1.blewett
2.hayden
3.ponting
4.hussey
5.lehmann
6.symonds
7.hadden
8.warne
9.dougy
10.dizzy
11.mcgarth

12th brayshaw

[Pidge]

Katich
Watson
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
North
Haddin
Hopes
Bollinger
Hilfenhaus
Siddle

[Pidge]

Smithy it would be close to his last chance this test (North)

They let Hussey go for long dry spells and the occasional 100 so why not North? Plus North offers the second spinning option we may need.

I personally would prefer someone else but I can understand why he's still there. Like I said before if we make 3 changes on the back of a draw England will be laughing at us and walking tall at Adelaide thinking they have us rattled!

Hussey has the ability to save a match or win a match off his own bat, North simply doesn't.

He can win a match with the ball though

[gossipgirl]

bring back warnie ... need to get him off talking on TV some how

[Killa]

What people thoughts on mitch marsh

[whufc]

My team

1. S.Katich
2. P.Hughes
3. S.Watson
4. R.Ponting
5. M.Hussey
6. B.Haddin
7. S.O'Keefe
8. X.Doherty/S.Smith
9. R.Harris
10. P.Siddle
11. D.Bollinger

I dont believe Michael Clarke is anywhere near 100% fit, North and Johnson have to go while i think Hilfenhaus may struggle in Adelaide.

We cant win the Ashes without taking 20 wickets so lets get an attack in there which has the chance to get 20 wickets, the batting lineup may be abit thin but the Adelaide wicket is generally flatish and extra bowling is needed,

no good making 500+ first innings runs if you cant bowl a side out twice.

[Drop Bear]

One thing should be a certainty....bye bye Johnson.

[Hondo]

We cant win the Ashes without taking 20 wickets so lets get an attack in there which has the chance to get 20 wickets, the batting lineup may be abit thin but the Adelaide wicket is generally flatish and extra bowling is needed,

no good making 500+ first innings runs if you cant bowl a side out twice.

One extra bowler doesn't necessarially = extra wickets especially if that extra bowler is O'Keefe. You've got 5 bowlers plus Watson. There's not enough overs in the day to give them all a decent bowl so you may as well keep 6 specialist batsman.

Like others, you are placing a lot of faith in Harris and Bollinger as the silver bullets. I'm not convinced they make up an attack that's a big leap ahead from where we are. Without McGrath and Warnie I think we are shuffling a bunch of next tier bowlers without real standouts. But we'll see. Maybe I am being pessimestic.

[Lightning McQueen]

Hussey has the ability to save a match or win a match off his own bat, North simply doesn't.

He can win a match with the ball though

Refer to carey's comments LOL.

[valleys07]

Katich
Watson
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Ferguson
Haddin
Siddle
Doherty
Hilfenhaus
Bollinger

[whufc]

We cant win the Ashes without taking 20 wickets so lets get an attack in there which has the chance to get 20 wickets, the batting lineup may be abit thin but the Adelaide wicket is generally flatish and extra bowling is needed,

no good making 500+ first innings runs if you cant bowl a side out twice.

One extra bowler doesn't necessarially = extra wickets especially if that extra bowler is O'Keefe. You've got 5 bowlers plus Watson. There's not enough overs in the day to give them all a decent bowl so you may as well keep 6 specialist batsman.

Like others, you are placing a lot of faith in Harris and Bollinger as the silver bullets. I'm not convinced they make up an attack that's a big leap ahead from where we are. Without McGrath and Warnie I think we are shuffling a bunch of next tier bowlers without real standouts. But we'll see. Maybe I am being pessimestic.

totally agree with you but imho we dont have the overall class of bowlers to bowl England out twice on the Adelaide Oval wicket.

i think Ponting needs alot of variety in his attack and have the extra bowler so he can bowl them in shorter spurts, i would rather him try giving bowlers 5-8 over spells at 200% and then switch it up, Siddle, Harris, and even a Mitchell Johnson would profit from this type of spell. While your Watson and Bollinger could bowl the longer type spells.

With North currently in the team O'Keefe almost adds more with the bat and then does give you another bowling option.

Runs arent and wont be the Australians problem at Adelaide Oval.

[Gingernuts]

Without McGrath and Warnie I think we are shuffling a bunch of next tier bowlers without real standouts. But we'll see. Maybe I am being pessimestic.

I agree Hondo.

Harris, a 31 yr old injury prone bowler, is the answer to our problems? He might be in reasonable form at the moment, but if he was any type of player he would have cemented his place in the Australian lineup 5 years ago.

In some ways I'd rather a 22-24 yr old with a handful of solid first class games got picked. It may not win us the Ashes, but I doubt there's a bowler in the country that could do that at the moment. Might as well give some exposure to a 10 year player IMO.

[whufc]

Without McGrath and Warnie I think we are shuffling a bunch of next tier bowlers without real standouts. But we'll see. Maybe I am being pessimestic.

I agree Hondo.

Harris, a 31 yr old injury prone bowler, is the answer to our problems? He might be in reasonable form at the moment, but if he was any type of player he would have cemented his place in the Australian lineup 5 years ago.

In some ways I'd rather a 22-24 yr old with a handful of solid first class games got picked. It may not win us the Ashes, but I doubt there's a bowler in the country that could do that at the moment. Might as well give some exposure to a 10 year player IMO.

Totally agree with you last paragraph, personally i would rather see some younger players get a crack even at the expense of this series

BUT

that is clearly the not in the ideas of the selectors.

[Rik E Boy]

Like others, you are placing a lot of faith in Harris and Bollinger as the silver bullets. I'm not convinced they make up an attack that's a big leap ahead from where we are.

Who's talking silver bullets? I'm talking just the regular kind that haven't spent a zillion overs for no wickets a mere four days ago. If we go in with the same attack we are screwed. If our bowlers are on the same level then all the more reason to rotate them a bit and keep them fresh.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

Without McGrath and Warnie I think we are shuffling a bunch of next tier bowlers without real standouts. But we'll see. Maybe I am being pessimestic.

I agree Hondo.

Harris, a 31 yr old injury prone bowler, is the answer to our problems? He might be in reasonable form at the moment, but if he was any type of player he would have cemented his place in the Australian lineup 5 years ago.

In some ways I'd rather a 22-24 yr old with a handful of solid first class games got picked. It may not win us the Ashes, but I doubt there's a bowler in the country that could do that at the moment. Might as well give some exposure to a 10 year player IMO.

5 years ago we had Warne, Lee and McGrath. Harris is in form and as such should be given a go when we are fresh from a 1/517 flogging. He should know the deck well and deserves a shot. Cameron or CoverKing's boy Copeland might be an example of the second but as we have seen repeatedly in recent months the current selection panel is borrowing methods of the England selectors in the 80's and 90's......hmmm, let's go with Lewis and DeFreitas!

regards,

REB

[Hondo]

Who's talking silver bullets? I'm talking just the regular kind that haven't spent a zillion overs for no wickets a mere four days ago. If we go in with the same attack we are screwed. If our bowlers are on the same level then all the more reason to rotate them a bit and keep them fresh.

I hear you REB. Your call for Harris and Bollinger is based on rotating the pace bowlers after long bowling stints in Brisbane. England's bowlers had a fair work out in Brisbane too so will they be freshening up as well? I'd hope these guys are fit enough these days to back up alright.

I think the others calling for Harris and Bolllinger aren't doing it to give Johnson and Hilf a rest. I think they think Harris and Bollinger are better options regardless.

As said before, I would make the one change (Bollinger in for Hilfenhaus) so we aren't that far apart in our views except that it's Bollinger's firepower I am after rather than giving Hilf a rest.

[Jimmy]

is hilfy injured or not 100% fit? i like his bowling but feel he needs to do more with it but still looks like taking wickets more so than johnson.

katich
watson
ponting
clarke
hussey
north
haddin
harris
doherty
siddle
bollinger

harris in for hilf if he is injured too