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Let's face it the era we just had was unbelievable that Australian team was one of the most dominant ever seen we have been spoilt, that sort of freakish talent is something that may not happen in our life time again,Warne, McGrath, Gilly, Ponting and the Waugh twins to name a few similar to what the Windies had in the eighties, and as Freezin mentioned not much knocking down the door in the Sheffield Shield atm.

Leather Stops wrote:

Freezin wrote: Just looking around at those Sheffield Shield scores makes me depressed......Qld 130 odd and 2nd innings looking just as bad.....Jon Holland in the wickets.....seriously FFS.....Tassie 98 and 4/30 odd.....Sayers in the wickets.......WA trailing by 60 odd......not too sure who Lehmann would go for....

..touch wood whatever score SA put up Aust could chase or defend with SA being one bowler down.....heads down......but no, we will try and chase down 400 in 40 overs as usual......

not too sure who else glove wise Lehmann could go to replace Nevill mikeh?.......

Knowing the "institute" it wont be a Tasmanian, Victorian or South Australian to KEEP or BAT.

Keeper's- Matthew Wade (Vic), Tim Paine (Tas), Graham Manou (SA) & currently Peter Nevill (moved to NSW from Vic due to Wade's presence who had moved from Tas himself due to Paine) have all had a go tho it could be argued Wade was probably a bit unlucky as a far better batsman then Nevill at Test level.
And then you have batsmen- Bailey (Tas), Doolan (Tas), White (Vic), Maxwell (Vic), Quiney (Vic), McDonald (Vic) et al have all had a crack and were just not up to Test standard at the end of the day plus Ed Cowan was playing for (Tas) when chosen as an opener and Chris Rogers (Vic) the same although he was by far the only one up to the level!

we have not had a really top keeper since Grout. I know he failled in Ceylon, but I would have Burns in the team. Given all the batsmen they have tried in recent times, I am amazed Ferguson has not played test cricket.

ArkRoyal wrote: we have not had a really top keeper since Grout. I know he failled in Ceylon, but I would have Burns in the team. Given all the batsmen they have tried in recent times, I am amazed Ferguson has not played test cricket.

Really Rod Marsh, Healy and to a lesser extent Gilly as a matter of fact I would take Gilly over those mentioned and Grout every day of the week.

Wally Grout 180 dismissals in fifty tests and a batting average of 15 Christ you're easily pleased AR.

Pn: Since Grout, I would go for Healy, as he was the best keeping to Warne; the leg spinner himself used to rattle on about Berry. I am talking keeping not batting.

ArkRoyal wrote: Pn: Since Grout, I would go for Healy, as he was the best keeping to Warne; the leg spinner himself used to rattle on about Berry.

Meh I'd still take Gilly , did more than a good job keeping to Warne averaged almost 50 with 17 centuries with the bat second to Boucher with dismissals and was a match winner , the others only had one string to their beau although Healy could bat a little bit.

PN- point well made; I am not quetioning Gilchrist as a keeper batsman.

He has only one peer in the game: Les Ames:

averaged 40 on uncovered pitches

100 first-class hundreds in career -- the only wicket-keeper to have done so in his career

scored a test hundred in a session 123 runs in the pre-lunch play -- still a record for the pre-lunch session today

1000 runs and 100 dismissals in three seasons; this feat has only been achieved one other time in the history of first class cricket

scorred a century against every County he batted against

fist wicket-keeper to score a test hundred batting at number 7

record partnership for the 8th wicket 246 with Gubby Allen; only beaten recentlly by Trott and Broad.

If I had Ames and Gilchrist in my side, I would play Ames as the keeper and Gilchrist as a batsman. Gilchrist was not a great keeper.

Forgot one other thing about Ames, he made test centuries batting at number five, something Gilchrist never did in test cricket. He batted at number 7 behind a good top order.

I was really hoping Sam Whiteman was gonna stick his hand up.....accomplished keeper from all accounts just hasnt moved forward with his batting.....WA is falling apart v NSW.....I guess the "institute" is doing what it does best winning games....both in the shorter and longer formats.......Nevill keeping is tidy....struggled withe bat considering his 1st class average is or was in the 40's prior to his test debut......doesnt help when your number 6 is averaging only 23.....time to bring in Head and play 6 specialist batsmen.....more so because our bowlers have been bowling practically non stop since the test began......might have to pick Bird and Sayers/Mennie for Hobart.....Siddle and Starc are gonna struggle to back up TBH....