The team I'd pick and The team they'll pick

[Rik E Boy]

The team I'd pick

HAYDEN
KATICH
PONTING
M HUSSEY
CLARKE
SYMONDS
GILCHRIST
LEE
HOGG
CLARK
TAIT

The team they'll pick

HAYDEN
JAQUES
PONTING
M HUSSEY
CLARKE
SYMONDS
GILCHRIST
LEE
JOHNSON
CLARK
MACGILL

regards,

REB

[brod]

If Tait bowls well against Tasmania I think Johnson will be pushing to get a call up, didnt do anything vs NSW (granted they were playing on a runway) but Tait is just that X factor we want.

[brod]

Brad Hogg is doing all that HE can to be looked at
3/21
58*
4/54

will it do him any good??? probably not

[locky801]

Think Tait will get a spot, his explosive pace and unpredicability will have the Lankans running all over the shop, think Jaques will get the other openers spot, Hogg may well be a darkhorse as he adds a bit more with his batting in the lower order

[rogernumber10]

The team I'd pick

HAYDEN
KATICH
PONTING
M HUSSEY
CLARKE
SYMONDS
GILCHRIST
LEE
HOGG
CLARK
TAIT

The team they'll pick

HAYDEN
JAQUES
PONTING
M HUSSEY
CLARKE
SYMONDS
GILCHRIST
LEE
JOHNSON
CLARK
MACGILL

regards,

REB

I'd pick Warne, Bradman, Keith Miller and Lillee without thinking too long about it, but all of them are retired and a couple are dead.

Macgill worries me against good sub-continent spin players. Would always pick him against Windies, Poms, Kiwis etc but still unsure on Lankans and Indians. I hope they go flat out pace with Lee, Tait, Clark and then MacGill as the variety.

[blink]

REB, your team is a good one and the one that they should be going with. Gets my vote!
Hogg to bat above Lee though.

I also wouldn't mind seeing four pace bowlers suit up - Lee, Clark, Tait & Johnson, but would love to see Georgey Hogg get another shot, always had a soft spot for him.

If they do go with the quartet, Symonds & Clark to bowl spin when required.

[rod_rooster]

I'm for REB's team although i'd replace Hogg with Johnson. The Lankans are good players of spin bowling and if we don't have anyone who is in good enough form to be the specialist spinner then why bother. Symonds and Clarke (i reckon Clarke's bowling is very underated) can do a job if required and the Lankans won't like having the 4 quicks to contend with.

[Killa]

I think they need to play a young spinner not replacing players with older players. So the squad I would pick and this for the future.
1 Hayden
2 M Hussey
3 Ponting
4 D Hussey (Been in great form so far witch you can not forget)
5 Clarke
6 Symonds
7 Gilchrist
8 Lee
9 McGain (Young spinner reminds me of a younger Warne but MacGill probably be picked)
10 Clark
11 Tait
12 Johnson

Players for possible selection are:
Jaques- struggles against quick bowlers like TAIT
Haddin- 100 for NSW maybe not to far away
Hilfenhaus
Hogg
Katich- boring to watch

[LBT]

9 McGain (Young spinner reminds me of a younger Warne but MacGill probably be picked)

Is that the Vic spinner?? if so he is well into his 30's. A late bloomer i suppose.

[blink]

9 McGain (Young spinner reminds me of a younger Warne but MacGill probably be picked)

Is that the Vic spinner?? if so he is well into his 30's. A late bloomer i suppose.

That's what I thought too LBT, but I didn't know enough to query it! So I checked it out for myself:

According to cricinfo.org McGain is nearly 36!

[Killa]

So do you play white and have 8 batsman. He needs to bowl more than he will inprove.

[Rik E Boy]

So do you play white and have 8 batsman. He needs to bowl more than he will inprove.

Hello boys we may have a Victorian in our midst

BATTING

KATICH 356 @ 178.00> D HUSSEY 255 @ 62.50
KATICH 356 @ 178.00>> WHITE 170 @ 42.50

KATICH 30 fours 9 sixes. Boring cnut!

BOWLING

HOGG 8 wkts @ 10.37 > WHITE 3 wkts @ 29.33
HOGG 8 wkts @ 10.37 >>> MCGAIN 5 wkts @ 45.00

BOWLERS BATTING AVERAGE

HOGG 58 @ 58.00 > WHITE 170 @ 42.50

NEWSFLASH:

1. White can't bowl for 5hit. He's bowled plenty of overs for the Vics and still gets carted at Internation level.
2. Hussey can bat but others are better.
3. **** who? Fair dinkum!
4. HOGG got his figures against Victoria.
5. The Bushrangers have had the benefit of the bye (i.e. the Redbacks)

Time to round up this Bushranger! No frontrunners in the Baggy Green please.

regards,

REB

[rsemmler]

A young spinner for the future is definitely Aaron Heal from WA.

Really impressing over there

[Pup]

So do you play white and have 8 batsman. He needs to bowl more than he will inprove.

White is a batting all rounder who bowls very little. When he does bowl he bowls rubbish. His batting is no where near good enough to get him a spot purely as a batsmen. McGain is too old and not good enough. Heal is impressive but still has to do more at state level.

If the selectors want to play a spinner it will be between MacGill and Hogg because these two are the only decent spinners able to take the next step at the moment. IMO i would not play any spinner in Brisbane, Pup and Symonds can fill the gaps and the Sri Lankans play spin very well. I like REBs side but i think they will play Jaques instead of Katich, Which is right IMO.

[Killa]

I agree have 4 fast bowlers for the first test. I still think Hussey would be better opening with hadden or the hussey can fill that role in the middle order.

[Rik E Boy]

So do you play white and have 8 batsman. He needs to bowl more than he will inprove.

White is a batting all rounder who bowls very little. When he does bowl he bowls rubbish. His batting is no where near good enough to get him a spot purely as a batsmen. McGain is too old and not good enough. Heal is impressive but still has to do more at state level.

If the selectors want to play a spinner it will be between MacGill and Hogg because these two are the only decent spinners able to take the next step at the moment. IMO i would not play any spinner in Brisbane, Pup and Symonds can fill the gaps and the Sri Lankans play spin very well. I like REBs side but i think they will play Jaques instead of Katich, Which is right IMO.

So you are saying that the Sri Lankans play spin well in one breath and saying that you should throw the ball to Pup or Roy on the other?? Nope. We have to go the whole Hogg. Lankans or not, he bowls some balls that are very tough to read. If Hogg or McGill can't take wickets I wouldn't be relying on Pup who is rank..and this is coming from a Blues man.

regards,

REB

[Pup]

Symonds and Pup to break up the innings a little bit, didnt mean to say they were going to get wickets.

If we were to pick a spinner i would go with Hogg instead of MacGill but i think we should go with a 4 man pace attack for the first test.

Clark, Johnson, Tait and Lee.

Pup, Symonds

Does this leave us too short in the bowling? Do you think Hogg will make a dent in the Sri Lankan batting attack.?

[brod]

I think that Heal is a good enough player to be in the Warrior side and will keep immense pressure on Brad Hogg simply to keep a spot in the Pura Cup side for WA, let alone fight to make the test side. Heal is a solid batsman also

Well noted rsemmler

[rod_rooster]

I wouldn't be relying on Pup who is rank..and this is coming from a Blues man.

regards,

REB

I strongly disagree with this. I think he has some work to do but the potential is there for him to be a very handy bowler.

If a specialist spinner is to be picked it has to be MacGill IMHO.

[Rik E Boy]

Yeah, I noticed you gave Pup a wrap earlier rod. Not that impressed at this stage. Maybe at Moo Moo level but not convinced at the higher level. That bag he got was on a real bunsen burner. I take your point too there Pup and I rate Hoggy quite highly. I reckon he could do a job at the Gabriella.

A lot of posters have been quick to point out that the Lankans are 'good at playing spin' but it's not India we are playing here. Hogg caused the Lankans problems during recent one dayers and can do so again in the creams in my view. I reckon a lot of these Lankans actually play the faster bowling reasonably well (unlike India and Pakistan especially) so to go in with four quicks might be a mistake.

regards,

REB