Australia's world Cup squad

I reckon they'll leave out Mitchell Johnson. He was awful last night, and apart from a fluke at Perth, he's been awful all Summer.

Ponting and Clarke will both go, as will Nathan Hauritz.

Possible Aus squad-

Ponting(c)
Clarke
Watson
M.Hussey
D.Hussey
White
Haddin+
Paine+
Smith
Hauritz
Lee
Tait
Siddle
Pattinson
Starc(if fit)/Bollinger

They can name players who aren't fit and replace them before the tournament.

I reckon they'll leave out Mitchell Johnson. He was awful last night, and apart from a fluke at Perth, he's been awful all Summer

Lack of form has never been a deterrent to our selectors.

Indeed. It's often harder to get dropped from the Australian team than it is to be picked for it.

Surely they would have played Tait last night if he was a genuine chance.

He had a back strain, apparently. If he's fit they'll pick him, but the guy just can't seem to bowl more than 4 overs.

Henry wrote:He had a back heart strain, apparently. If he's fit they'll pick him, but the guy just can't seem to bowl more than 4 overs.

Fixed

I'm not sure Siddle is an ODI bowler. Test bowler - yes. ODI bowler - I don't think so. He's like Merv Hughes in that respect. I think they'll go with Lee and Tait (hoping for reverse swing on Indian pitches) and Mitchell Johnson on the basis that he did OK in India last time he played the ODI format there. It's a risky strategy, choosing bowlers who are all very expensive and inconsistnet, but they don't have a Nathan Bracken any more. Peter George might be a good bet, if he's fit. So I suspect that Johnson, George, and Copeland might replace Siddle, Pattinson, and Bollinger/Starc on your list, Henry.

Spin? They'll probably just send D Hussey, Clarke, White, and Steve Smith ... all of whom (especially Smith) are likely to be murdered on Indian pitches. I doubt they'll send Hauritz ... I mean they'd have to admit they were wrong to exclude him earlier in the summer. I think they'll send Doherty, who is much better suited to ODIs than Tests ... but maybe they'll send O'Keefe, who is a Dubber, remember!

Haddin and Paine will both go. The may as well play them both in each game ... they're two of our best bats at the moment. Watson, M Hussey, Ponting, and Clarke are all certainties ... not that Clarke should be anywhere near the side ... I'd prefer to see Shaun MArsh in there somewhere. Maybe he'll be in instead of the final pace bowler ... the Starc/Bollinger/Copeland spot.

I'm already more interested in who might go to Sri Lanka. I doubt Haddin will make the trip.

I'm already more interested in who might go to Sri Lanka. I doubt Haddin will make the trip.

Why are the selectors suddenly against Haddin? He's was Australia's second best player in the ashes after Hussey.

True ... but not in his primary role. Paine can bat as well, and keep better (and he's younger, and a potential future leader).

As a keeper during the Ashes, Haddin was shown up by Prior, in a major way. Can Haddin improve his keeping at this stage? Nah. Bye bye BH, after the Gilly.

Is Hauritz a cert? It would be the triple whammy by the NSP if he's ommitted.

Following on from the Oval 2009 & Ashes 10/11 ommissions...

I don't think they'll send him. Why would they be playing Doherty now if they were planning to send Hauritz to the Gilly?

lardbucket wrote:True ... but not in his primary role. Paine can bat as well, and keep better (and he's younger, and a potential future leader).

As a keeper during the Ashes, Haddin was shown up by Prior, in a major way. Can Haddin improve his keeping at this stage? Nah. Bye bye BH, after the Gilly.

Paine is useful in the shorter formats but he only has one first class hundred in over four years of first class cricket now. It would be a mistake if aus picked him for the test team based on his jamodi and T20 performances.

I guess I shouldn't persist with this discussion of Haddin's possible exclusion from our next Test squad tour, in this thread, but I will ...

His FC record may be moderate, but Paine's done well in his Test innings so far, and his batting technique is excellent. He won't be far behind Haddin as a batsman at Test level; and his keeping is already better than Haddin's ever was.

In fact with Wade and Hartley also 'in the wings' we have three fairly equivalent players perfectly able to slot seamlessly into Haddin's place ... any of the three will be a more than capable replacement. None of them is a Gilchrist, of course. Paine is best placed to slot in at the moment, and I hope he gets the chance, but either of the other players would do well, and one of them will probably get the chance to play some ODI or 20-20 International cricket if Paine takes Haddin's place in the Test team ... most probably Wade.

Yeah, I can see your point. Before the ashes, I was wondering is Aus would stick with Paine based on what he did in India. But Haddin really did bat well in the first three tests. I don't think at this stage Paine is capable of matching what Haddin did with the bat in those first three tests.

Dropping Haddin from the test team is unlikely to be Hilditch's decision. Greg Chappell is likely to be appointed as Australia's chairman of selectors after the World Cup. That will be really interesting considering he's the kind of guy who favours youth every time. Almost certain to spell the end of Ponting's career, you would have thought.

More Test squad 'piffle' ... sorry ODI fans

I think it's more likely to spell an extension to Ponting's career and captaincy for 2-3 years BUT only if he accepts a drop in the batting order to 4 or even 5.

Katich, Hussey, and Ponting have to be eased out in the next 2-3 years. I think they will go in that order, perhaps with Katcih and Hussey going in 12-18 months, and Ponting lasting a little longer ... the departures in that order for reasons of age if nothing else. It's all a bit strange because in some ways Katich is the player we need the most right now ... there's just no opener on the horizon to replace him at the moment (let alone two openers if you follow the logic of those who want Watson to move down the order). For this reason, and because he did so well in Sri Lanka last time, I think Katich will go to Sri Lanka later this year, while prayers are more or less continually offered up that a suitable successor will be found soon. Maybe Rogers will return from injury refreshed and ready. Maybe Shaun Marsh will have a cracking WC and evolve into the Test opener he has sometimes promised to be. Maybe Phil Jaques will regain his mojo. Maybe Khawaja will step up to open ... but none of these things have happened yet, so I hope Katich goes to Sri Lanka, where we really need to win with our best team, not experiment.

The easing out of these 3 senior players in the next few years makes the consequences of Clarke's recent tribulations and technical flaws even more serious. If he's going to fall by the wayside, as it seems, then we're really looking down the barrel of completely repopulating the team (around Watson and Paine) inside three years, because Smith hasn't been remotely convincing either. I actually think Phil Hughes might be part of the answer ... at number 6.

This is how I think things may evolve, if Clarke regains some of his earlier resolve and Khawaja is more than a flash in the pan:

2011 2012 2013

Watson Watson Watson
Katich Marsh Marsh
Khawaja Khawaja Khawaja
Ponting Ponting Clarke/Ferguson
Clarke Clarke Ponting
Hussey M Hussey M Hughes/White/Ferguson/Lynn
Paine Paine Paine

The bowling stocks are even more of a curate's egg, and I'm not going to touch them ...

Getting this thread back on topic. (A rarity for FB, I know...)

JKLever wrote:Is Hauritz a cert? It would be the triple whammy by the NSP if he's ommitted.

Following on from the Oval 2009 & Ashes 10/11 ommissions...

lardbucket wrote:I don't think they'll send him. Why would they be playing Doherty now if they were planning to send Hauritz to the Gilly?

I wouldn't be surprised if the NSP sent both of them. I would be equally as unsurprised if the NSP sent neither of them.

Hussey is in serious doubt with a hamstring tear. They usually take between 5-7 weeks to fully heal. Aus could do what (I think) they did with Bevan in 2003- Pick him for the squad half fit, with the hope that he recovers in time for the Super 8's stage.

I wouldn't take that chance on anyone over 30 years old following a hammy. The problem with hamstring injuries once you get to that age is that even when you think they're fully healed, there's a big chance it'll go again at the most inconvenient moment.

Hussey is such a key player for Aus in the middle order, though. He's the type of player who makes the opposition feel they've never won the game until he's out, as was proven in the T20 world cup against Pakistan.

I don't know what the rules are in regards to squad selection. I think Aus are trying to find out if they can select an injured player in the 15, but then replace him if it turns out he wont come up in time.

Zat wrote:I wouldn't take that chance on anyone over 30 years old following a hammy. The problem with hamstring injuries once you get to that age is that even when you think they're fully healed, there's a big chance it'll go again at the most inconvenient moment.

That could be the end of Hussey's international career then - an undeserved end if that were to be the case.

Henry wrote:Hussey is such a key player for Aus in the middle order, though. He's the type of player who makes the opposition feel they've never won the game until he's out, as was proven in the T20 world cup against Pakistan.

I don't know what the rules are in regards to squad selection. I think Aus are trying to find out if they can select an injured player in the 15, but then replace him if it turns out he wont come up in time.

Yes, they can. Ponting is in that boat as well. IIRC players can be replaced due to injury up until the tournament starts.

Basil wrote:

Zat wrote:I wouldn't take that chance on anyone over 30 years old following a hammy. The problem with hamstring injuries once you get to that age is that even when you think they're fully healed, there's a big chance it'll go again at the most inconvenient moment.

That could be the end of Hussey's international career then - an undeserved end if that were to be the case.

Unfortch, wouldn't be the first. And probably wouldn't be the last. I suspect they'll take him and hope the hammy doesn't go 'ping!' but it's a 50-50 proprosition.

I'm pretty sure Hussey will be back again if fit. This is the first injury I can remember him picking up in his whole career.

When's the squad announced?

PeterCS wrote:When's the squad announced?

In a couple of hours.