TOPIC:

Grassy wrote: Not this Comp,Freeze.

Can't be important enough if Free to Air Networks can't be bothered.

Maybe but Aussie just love beating the poms at anything anywhere grass man

I would have Jonathon Marsh well ahead of Andrew Stokes at this stage of their careers!

gtr: I see the South Africans bottlled it again. Do you think De Villiers has everything the wrong way around playing only one day cricket? Maybe he should have stuck to test cricket instead?

yep, I agree Australia had England under the pump earlly on in their innings. Morgan should have been out, but, alas, Australia needs to find a keeper. Morgan has played really well in this tournament.

Ark Morgans also a good captain.Would like to see him play tests.
DeVilliers $$$$$ not Enough in the longer form of the game.

Beasley Hutton wrote: I would have Jonathon Marsh well ahead of Andrew Stokes at this stage of their careers!

Pretty sure Ash Stokes father would be a tad pissed off reading this comment BH....tho I guess since this is a Footy forum every WAFL current or ex player is fair game for some ridicule......touch wood it is well received by all those concerned....wouldnt want some folk getting the hump and complaining behind folks backs.....

Where do you start with the Australian's performance in this tournament? Some factors were out of their control, there seemed to be a dark cloud following them around everywhere (usually with water in it). All three of their games were affected by rain, 2 no results and even one of their warm up games was washed out. This didn't allow the team to get into any rhythm at all.
However there were plenty of self infllcted wounds, namely
1. Batting Moises Henriques at number 4 with a ODI batting average of 6.25, surely the lowest ever for a person at that position along with his medium paced wobblers which wouldnt threaten his grandma to be honest. They missed a perfect opportunity to blood Chris Lynn in the team and promote Head to number 4.
2. A bowling attack that was the same in nature, pace and spin, very little variety with slower balls ( something that Faulkner would have offered if he had been in the squad) Cummins particularly is a one trick pony in ODI's in that he bowls very fast but if the batsman get on top of him as Stokes did, he has no plan B.
3. Smiths captaincy baffled me at times, particularly his use (or non use) of Zampa. In the England game, Maxwell and Head who are at best adequate part time bowlers were used in front of Zampa for reasons best known to Smith. I don't buy the theory that Smith was holding him back till the left handers got out because front line bowlers should be able to bowl at anyone.
4. Soft dismissals by batsmen like Finch, Smith and Maxwell when they got starts in the England game cost Australia the chance of a 300+ score which may have challenged England a bit more.
5. Finally Matthew Wade really has had his day as a ODI keeper. Handscomb is just as good a keeper as he is and a much better batsman. Wades dropped catch off Morgan was the final nail in the coffin for the campaign.
Despite Lehmann's denials I honestly think that the ongoing pay dispute must have had some impact on the performance of the Australians in this tournament.

gtr Yep, I would bring Morgan out as a spare batsman for the Ashes. My side would be:

Cook
Habeeb
Root
Bairstow
Stokes
Ali
Buttler
Rashid
Broad
Wood
Anderson.