TOPIC:

Freeze I'm not sure you can just point the finger at Cummins. 
The tactical planning is done by the Manager. 

somebody made the call to cancel the vital batting regeneration
would have been around 1 to 2 years ago
look at the way they've promoted Renshaw & Harris this tour (read: zero)
all the openers around the country would be worried that they will be retired before the opportunity finally arrives (some have)
youth might revive the Australian have a go spirit that has been 95% absent in England

From what McDonald said in his press conference and subject to fitness tests to Marsh and Starc the XI for the Oval will likely be:
Warner
Khawaja
Labusagne
Smith
Head
Marsh
Carey
Starc
Cummins
Murphy
Hazlewood

If Marsh is ruled out unfit, Green would come in, Starc would probably be replaced by Boland if he failed his test. No place for Neser in this scenario unless the selectors roll the dice and go in with an extra bowler. In this situation, Carey would bat at 6 and Neser 7.

Mikey i think they need to play a new set of bowlers - Neser probably needs to play (Boland has not been successful in the UK) and maybe they need to draft into the squad someone like Abbott a game - or play green as one of three bowlers?

A spinner must play but i think there are risks playing Starc and Hazlewood right now. The bowlers are cooked and could not bowl one side of the wicket - why risk them getting smashed again, play a couple of players that are fresh - who knows what enthusiasm can bring.

Gtr, I have said along Cummins tactics are a collective generated decision, not his alone. Whoever this collective are, surely it needs to be revisited. 

I agree with PH, fresh faces with the ball are needed for The Oval. Sadly Cummins can't be rested, because he is the skipper, but this is his 6 test on the trot. Hazlewood will play again, because he was rested at Headingley. Starc is on his 4th test I think, so he needs to be next in line for a rest. No way Boland comes in, he has been cannon fodder each time he plays. 

Neser in for Starc, Murphy for Green...Green for Marsh, if Bison is injured. But like what mikeh has said....the BBB cartel of Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc will be rolled out again....well done or over well done regardless... 

Warner has trebled his batting average from the last  UK Ashes series, no way he is getting dropped....not McDonald's  fault, that JL set the bar so low for Warner last series......

Freeze you have this fascination with Langer and keep bringing him up from the past and him (alone apparently) keeping Warner in the side in 2019 (4 years ago) but if your mate the clown Ronald McDonald was this "coaching genius" as you seem to believe he is and his own man not a puppet whose only role is to drive the team bus to the ground on time (as many believe his role actually is) then surely he along with his fellow selectors on tour would make the call for Warner to go based on form in England over 4 series now???
Anyways the players got their man as coach, someone who ruffles no feathers or asks no hard questions of these multi-millionaires......god forbid you would put some heat on some of these guys earning $5million+ a year and not performing!!! 

BH, pretty sure I have made it clear Voges is my preference for coach....but on simple win loss stats....how can McDonald be sacked? If a hard arse like JL couldn't/wouldn't move  Warner on.. .why do you  think a soft arse like McDonald can/should?

I am interested in how all you boys know what goes on in the Aussie dressing room inner sanctum.....any chance you can sneak me an invite?

Freeze the Australian Test team's record since McDonald assumed bus driving duties is hardly earth shattering....
Won 1-0 vs Pakistan away, against a pretty ordinary Paki side and took up until the last half hour of Day 5 Test 3 to get that.
Drew 1-1 with Sri Lanka away, once again against their b team with so many out with covid and the Sri Lankans are nowhere near the side they were
Beat the WI 2-0 at home, I mean sadly all WACA grade sides could beat them up at present
Beat South Africa 2-0 at home, once again SA due to a number of retirements are nowhere near what they were
Lost to India away 2-1, in reality we should have been walloped 4-0 so reasonable result there
Currently lead 2-1 in England, in reality should be 4-0 or at least 3-1 to the Poms on balance of play but due to some silly declarations 1st Test when Root was humming and another 100 runs beckoned and or no declaration in that last Test, strange non selections in the first 2 Tests (Wood & Woakes), dropped catches, missed stumpings from the Poms not too mention Manchester rain, we somehow have retained the Ashes, interesting to see if we can actually win the Series and not just draw it....but I guess we should be grateful McDonald has got the team to the ground on time at least so far!!!!...... 

So from what you are telling me BH, McDonald has driven the team bus to more series victories than series losses....and that's why he won't get the flick till his contract ends......you are beginning to sound like Baz n Ben mate....apparently its not about the end result, it's apparently all about  how good the  journey was or looked....very Kumbyah if you ask me.




 

The 3rd and 4th tests show Ronald McDonald, Cricket Smarts.
Small boundrys, slow pitches with tennis ball bounce.So easy to pull accross the line at chest height. No men in catching positions. Easy for the new batsman to get settled at the wicket. No spinner or just don't bowl him.
Rain saved us from a thrashing at Manchester.That momentum would of followed through to the Oval..