TOPIC:

With about a month to go before the first test in Brisbane, a number of spots are still up for grabs in the Australian team.There are 3 sheffield shield fixtures leading up to the ashes so there will be plenty of opportunities for the contenders to push their claims. The major spots to be resolved appear to be number 3, number 6 and the wicket keeper.

So we have IMO
1. Warner
2. Renshaw
3. Khawaja or Sean Marsh. Khawaja for me as he has a great record in Australia
4. Smith
5. Handscomb
6. Maxwell or Head or Cartwright or Mitch Marsh, Stonis or perhaps even Ferguson if he makes a truckload of runs. I would lean towards a specialist batsman to be honest
7. Nevill or Wade, Paine or a long shot Carey from SA
8. Cummins
9. Starc
10. Lyon
11. Hazlewood
Knocking on the door in the bowling department would be Jason Berendorff, Coulter- Nile, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa., Chad Sayers, Kane Richardson and Jackson Bird.

Thoughts?

Mikeh it will be interesting to see who steps up for that 6th spot after 3 shield games....can't pick guys on one day form.....pick that 6th batsman on shield form.....I agree mikeh play a specialist batsman, back your 4 best bowlers to bowl out the opposition.....keeper wise....let just see who out of Wade, Nevill and Carey delivers over the next 3 games..... don't mind trying newbie Carey TBH because Nevill and Wade have done fark all with the bat, pretty used to our keepers of late making no runs....a nervous debutant might do better who knows....

Is Bancroft's keeping up to Test standard as if it is I would be inclined to have him in over Wade, Nevill or Carey as he is a ten times better batsman than the three of them combined!
As for the number 6 position I would be waiting until the Shield is up and running before making any choice based on JLT form...fark bloody Maddinson scored nearly 400 runs in that and we saw how far from Test standard he was last summer ditto Ferguson!

Perhaps Bancroft and Handscomb can share 50 overs each BH...no way both are good/ skilled enough to keep by themselves for 100 overs surely?.... Healy would have a hissy fit if no specialist keeper was picked, especially with Starc and Cummins throwing down 150kms darts.....Lehmann is a radical sort of bloke but surely not that radical!

Their combined keeping couldnt possibly be any worse than Wade's surely?!

Totally agree with you there mate.....Lehmann loves Wade because he is a mouthy little beggar....

Freezin wrote: Totally agree with you there mate.....Lehmann loves Wade because he is a mouthy little beggar....

Usually you have to have a bit of ability to back the sledging up...not sure then why Wade keeps yapping!

I guess when you speak Taswegian not many folk know what Wade is saying anyway....

Kurtis Patterson will bat 6 for Australia, he is batting 6 for NSW this week so he is the logical replacement

anchorman wrote: I see where Langer was angry about the Warriors playing at a ground that is far short of the standard required for players playing for spots in the Aussie 11.

And why the f**k do you play a 1 day final between SA & WA in bloody Tassy?? surely it should have been played at the home venue of the state that finished highest, that would be WA?