TOPIC:

Ben Stokes is the best all rounder in world cricket at the minute by the length of the Flemington straight and would be a massive loss for the Poms if he was disciplined and not on the Ashes tour...over to you Andrew Strauss!

Jason Berendorff may also be in the reckoning too AM, if he stays fit.

Thanks Anchorman, I enjoyed my holiday in Cinque Terre in Italy as well as a driving tour of the Dordogne region in France and a canal boat tour in the South of France. Have come back thoroughly refreshed and keen to get into another cricket season. Plenty to look forward to with the ashes tour and the prospect of the Warriors being extremely competitive in the Shield this season. Unfortunately I missed out on a ticket for the Perth test which I would like to have gone to given it is the last ashes test at the WACA.

There is no way I would bring Stokes out -- I would give him a two year ban. I have questionned his temperament on here before, and with good reason, as events have shown.

anchorman wrote: The Dorf didn't do his chances of a baggy green any harm last night in India.
Dorf, NCN and Stoin the three lead bowlers from WA.Could it be a first?

Also there was Andrew Tye, looked like a Scorchers bowling group at one stage. Fingers crossed Dorf and NCN can stay fit.

WA seem to have a surplus of bowling stocks...allrounders and batsmen from the looks of things. Behrendorf is similar to NZ Boult in terms of speed swing and being a leftie....surely he will get a look in during the Ashes series....Langer could find it hard pleasing all his players....surely WA will be break that shield drought this year.

From a test level not too sure how Stokes can be selected...if he had thrown a punch and moved on maybe...but the video seems to suggest other wise.....Eng do look very vulnerable without him....Aust do need to find a number six though....reckon Head deserves a crack....as for keepers well both Nevill and Wade have had a crack.....no doubt one of them will be there for the first test...can't see a Carey or Paine get a go. Bowling wise would love to see Behrendorf get a go esp in Brisbane....but that would mean Aust going in with 4 fast guys and Lyon missing out....can't see GOAT missing out after the last 12- 18 months he has had.

Warner, Renshaw, Khawaja, Smith, Handscombe, Head, Nevill, Starc Cummins, Hazlewood Lyon/ Behrendorf for Qld first test.

Fereezin -- no problem with that team -- keep trying and you might actually get them to pick Head.

My Angleterre XI would be:

Stoneham
Cook
Root
Bairstow -- minus the gloves
Ballance -- I think is probably the best of their other batsmen
Moen Ali
Foakes -- keeper
Rashid Ali
Woakes, Wood or Finn
Broad
Jimmy

If the top four play well, they could go close to retainning the little urne

freezing, I think your on the money, but Lyon must play. England is stacked with left handers, and really playing 4 quicks has one not doing a lot of work. The spinner needs to tie up and end and allow the quicks to work from the other end. Adelaide under lights would probably be the only place to consider 4 quicks because of the movement they get at night.

I do agree though, berendorf must get a game at some stage, and his ability to move the ball both ways will mean he gets wickets.........

I am not sure NCN's batting is anywhere near good enough to be considered an 'all-rounder'!!
Do you mean Marcus Stoinis?

From a Warriors perspective one weakness I can potentially see in the shield team is a lack of front line batsmen. The only three that are first choice picks are Klinger, Sean Marsh and Bancroft. There is also Bosisto and Jonathon Wells who both played a bit of shield cricket last year and may be called on again,especially if Sean Marsh gets another call up. They will miss the stability that Voges was able to bring.

Then we have a plethora of all rounders which is very handy in the one dayers but they may not all be able to fit in a four day side. So there is Mitch Marsh, Cartwright, Turner ,Stoinis and Short. Agar has the spin bowlers spot pretty much to himself but WA are spoilt for choice for fast bowlers, Berhendorff, Coulter-Nile, Mackin, Moody, Richardson, Tye, Paris, Kelly. Inglis will be the Wicket keeper in Whiteman's absence. For WA to win the shield some of the all rounders will have to have big seasons with the bat.