TOPIC:

Squad just announced

Australia squad for first Test against Sri Lanka: Tim Paine (c/wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

So ins are Burns, Pucovski and Renshaw. Out goes Mitch and Sean Marsh, Handscomb and Tremain ( who was unlucky IMO)

Hard to know whether the selectors are genuinely changing the direction of the team in this series and particularly have they finally drawn a line through Sean Marsh's name or if they are just using the series to try out a few candidates for the ashes.

Gutted for MO his two faves make way for Pucovski, Renshaw and Burns.....but no harm in having a look at what else is in the batting coffers.....sadly the Marsh boys have had their chances and failed to grasp them.....would of thought Jye Richardson or Tremain would of been a better choice as back up to the big 3, then old man Siddle....but hey it's a start.....disappointing tho to see no Richardson in the CA side.....

Harris Renshaw Burns, Uzzie, Head, Pucovski Paine Cummins Starc Hazlewood Lyon.....not an Ashes winning formula....but add Smith and Warner and hopefully the team can be competitive....

Obviously they have something against Bancroft --He is a better player than Burns, Renshaw and Head -- I will repeat what I said the other day, Head has been unable to make a century in FC cricket this season.

ArkRoyal wrote: Obviously they have something against Bancroft --He is a better player than Burns, Renshaw and Head -- I will repeat what I said the other day, Head has been unable to make a century in FC cricket this season.

Bancroft just hasnt played enough cricket to justify selection at this stage AR. I think his card will be marked depending on how he bats in the 2nd half of the Sheffield Shield season. A couple of tons and I reckon he will be picked for the ashes tour. Renshaw has made very few runs for Queensland this year but he does have some reasonable past performances as a solid opener in tests. Head has gritted it out a few times in the India series but he does frustrate me with his capacity to get to 30 and then invent new ways of getting out. Burns has a solid shield season behind him and deserves his chance. The big question is whether this might be the end for Shaun Marsh. Not according to Hohns

CA 11. 3/27 at drinks.....be interesting to see what happens in neither Burns or Renshaw score any runs....also if Labuschagne fails twice too.....christ I hope Pucovski scores some runs ...if not.......not to sure what the selectors logic or game plan will be......

Freezin wrote: CA 11. 3/27 at drinks.....be interesting to see what happens in neither Burns or Renshaw score any runs....also if Labuschagne fails twice too.....christ I hope Pucovski scores some runs ...if not.......not to sure what the selectors logic or game plan will be......

You could be forgiven if you thought they had neither.

Sobering performance and an indication that Sri Lanka may not be the easy beats that we may have assumed they will be. The reality is that New Zealand are a much better test and ODI team than we are at the moment and we certainly won't be flogging SL like they did. Ironically the only player who has scored a 50 today is one who has not been picked for the test team ( Patterson)

Mikeh let's just wait till SL bat mate....if the likes of Boult and Southee can roll them over I have hopes Starc ,Hazlewood and Cummins can too....plus there are no Pujaras or Kohlis in the SL team......true Aust don't have a Williamson....but if Latham and Nicholls can score hundreds one can only hope Uzzie or even Harris can replicate that feat...

Well the law of averages says that one of the Australian batsmen will get a hundred this series - note I said law of averages and not current batting averages or current form.

Eureka! Finally an Australian batsman scores a ton against a touring team. Get that man Patterson in the test squad ASAP!