TOPIC:

Shane Watson reckons Clarke will score a 100 in honour of Hughes, reckon all top 6 batsmen should be aiming for that TBH. Reckon Clarke will be hoping he gets through the game without breaking down, hasnt batted at all since Dubai.....thing is if Aust get done over by India in this test it will all be blamed on all the emotional upheaval of the past fortnight.....not the fact that very few within the team have actually played any game over 50 overs since the Dubai debacle and some players were struggling even then form wise.

Hope we dont see the batting arrogance like we did in Dubai.....where players tried to hit the cover off the ball, very few were disciplined enough to construct an innings in excess of 100 deleveries. Christ even the NZ batsmen embarrassed the Aussie batsmen with ability, desire and technique to bat more than 100 deleveries......Latham, Taylor, Williamson and even McCullum scored 100s. Even the NZ bowlers outshone the Aussie bowlers......should we be getting worried the Kiwi test team is on par the Baggy Green 11?.......farken hope not!

Would love the team to stand up and deliver a fighting performance in Hughes memory, a lot of emotion will be expended at Adelaide Oval over the next week.......but do we really want the likes of Haddin, Lyon, Watson, Siddle and even Clarke to do well?......if they do that means they will play the rest of the series and more than likely in Eng too......Clarke at a push, the rest of them need to be moved on and replacements found so the team can keep on developing and improving.......yeah I want Aust to win......but not with this team though.......wish Hughes was playing TBH!

over and above all the other stuff....Clarke needs to make runs full stop...it's been a bit of a dry spell for him so for the sake of the team more than anything, he needs to make a big score

Aust team: Rogers, Warner, Watson, Clarke, Smith, Marsh, Haddin, Johnson, Harris, Siddle, Lyon 12th man Hazelwood.
Not a big fan of Siddle, workhorse who always looks exhausted. Would have prefered Hazelwood. Watson at 3, if he fails to set the world on fire this series then that's got to be the end. How many chances can he get? 4 centuries in 52 tests, most in the top three positions.
Dhoni is out, that's a big loss for India.
Does anyone know what the pitch is like? Normally a batsman's paradise.

Jimmy Boag wrote: Aust team: Rogers, Warner, Watson, Clarke, Smith, Marsh, Haddin, Johnson, Harris, Siddle, Lyon 12th man Hazelwood.
Not a big fan of Siddle, workhorse who always looks exhausted. Would have prefered Hazelwood. Watson at 3, if he fails to set the world on fire this series then that's got to be the end. How many chances can he get? 4 centuries in 52 tests, most in the top three positions.
Dhoni is out, that's a big loss for India.
Does anyone know what the pitch is like? Normally a batsman's paradise.

Jimmy the pitch will be a highway as it always is. No need to watch for the first 4 days and just tune in for the last session on the final day for a possible result after a couple of declarations.
Concentration for this test might not be total so it is possible a few wickets could fall.
But my suggestion is go watch your grass grow for the first 4 and 1/2 days. lol

Sadly I think Clarke is on his last legs. The loss of Hughes will either make him or break him. It might be the catalyst for him to turn around his form and career and give him the extra lift he so desperately needs.

Without this terrible event occurring, I would have expected he would have struggled to make selection, bad hamstring or not. This is a massive test for Michael!

GWS....I'll be surprised if the Aust batsmen have the temperament to hang around to post a score around the300/350....and that's if they even win the toss and bat first.......

Rogers is the only fella in the top 6 to have batted in a 50 over plus first class game in the last 2 months....touch wood the Indian paceman get all excited about bowling in Aust conditions and bowl short........but like I said there's a part of me hoping a few fellas in that Aust 11 fall short and get shown the door.......but they won't because emotionally they are all drained.......pretty sure most employees only get bereavement leave when a family member passes away........

Freezin wrote: GWS....I'll be surprised if the Aust batsmen have the temperament to hang around to post a score around the300/350....and that's if they even win the toss and bat first.......

Rogers is the only fella in the top 6 to have batted in a 50 over plus first class game in the last 2 months....touch wood the Indian paceman get all excited about bowling in Aust conditions and bowl short........but like I said there's a part of me hoping a few fellas in that Aust 11 fall short and get shown the door.......but they won't because emotionally they are all drained.......pretty sure most employees only get bereavement leave when a family member passes away........

I agree mate and that is why I said it might be possible some wickets fall as opposed to everyone focused and in Adelaide the only way to get out is if you make a mistake.

Freezin wrote: GWS....I'll be surprised if the Aust batsmen have the temperament to hang around to post a score around the300/350....and that's if they even win the toss and bat first.......

Rogers is the only fella in the top 6 to have batted in a 50 over plus first class game in the last 2 months....touch wood the Indian paceman get all excited about bowling in Aust conditions and bowl short........but like I said there's a part of me hoping a few fellas in that Aust 11 fall short and get shown the door.......but they won't because emotionally they are all drained.......pretty sure most employees only get bereavement leave when a family member passes away........

Maxwell isn't there Freezin so there's one less batsman we have to worry about throwing their wicket away, surprisingly one batsman who showed great grit in Dubai was Mitch Marsh I'm hoping he does well against India.

Sentimentally, its a pity Shaun Marsh didn't make the team with his brother. Having said that, Mitch appears to be the pick of the 2. As PN said, thank heavens Maxwell isn't in the team trying to win the game in 20 overs!!

I would get rid of Clarke full stop. He is unfit and he has not played a single first-class innings for the season. Nobody deserves to captain or bat for Australia in those circumstances. Having said that, I wish Clarke and his team, together with the Indians, whom have had a difficult start to their tour through no fault of their own, all the best for the test match.