Australia A v South Africa at the SCG, November 2-4

Now that I'm living 10 mins walk from the SCG, I'm definitely going to wander down and catch some of this.


*Cue rain*

I am thinking of going in on the Sunday.

Any news of the Aus A team? I'm guessing it would be something like-

Hughes
Davis
Khawaja
Burns
Ferguson
Paine(c)+
Henriques
O'Keefe
Johnson
Cutting
Cummins

Not a bad side. Batting looks dicey, of course.

I'd doubt Cummins will play. And no point playing Midge either.

Bird would surely be close.

Possibly Mitch Marsh or Andrew Mcdonald?

And poor Forrest.

Poor Forrest? The man can't buy a run so far this season. Mitch Marsh clearly has off-field issues that are proving a distraction and are likely to hold him back in the immediate future. Either Bird or McDermott Jnr might play. Considering Holland is injured, there's no other vaguely decent spinner I can think of apart from O'Keefe. Unless they throw Hauritz a lifeline.

Doolan would have to be the smokey.

What about Faulkner? The strong possibility of Reeks being selected makes me ill.

Definitely. He looks a good player. Statistically your man Butterworth should be there but it seems the Aus selectors have decided he's a 125kph trundler.

I see that Lehmann and Berry were talking up Ferguson's test chances after one innings yesterday. Not so long ago, a first class average of 36 would mean a guy was lucky to get picked for his State team, let alone Australia.

Henry wrote:I see that Lehmann and Berry were talking up Ferguson's test chances after one innings yesterday. Not so long ago, a first class average of 36 would mean a guy was lucky to get picked for his State team, let alone Australia.

Just shows how bare the batting cupboard is, Trev.

Henry wrote:Poor Forrest? The man can't buy a run so far this season.

No run, Forrest, no run?

Brass Monkey wrote:

Henry wrote:Poor Forrest? The man can't buy a run so far this season.

No run, Forrest, no run?

Nice

Brass Monkey wrote:

Henry wrote:Poor Forrest? The man can't buy a run so far this season.

No run, Forrest, no run?

Coat?

I reckon that was more "Peaks of Coatness".

Cummins has been earmarked for the Perth test.

I'm not a fan of rotating players. If your best players are available, pick them. Cummins could be "rested" from the Brisbane and Adelaide tests, but still pick up an injury in a Shield game in the meantime.

Pidg would be rolling his eyes at the whole rotation thingy.

skully wrote:What about Faulkner? The strong possibility of Reeks being selected makes me ill.

Keep telling you Moises is going to be the saviour of Aus Cricket, get on the bandwagon while you can..

Lordy, that will be an even harder bandwagon for me to climb onto than Watto's, and that took some doing.

Henry wrote:Poor Forrest? The man can't buy a run so far this season. Mitch Marsh clearly has off-field issues that are proving a distraction and are likely to hold him back in the immediate future. Either Bird or McDermott Jnr might play. Considering Holland is injured, there's no other vaguely decent spinner I can think of apart from O'Keefe. Unless they throw Hauritz a lifeline.

What problems for MM?

Henry wrote:I'm not a fan of rotating players. If your best players are available, pick them. Cummins could be "rested" from the Brisbane and Adelaide tests, but still pick up an injury in a Shield game in the meantime.

Last summer we could barely keep our fast men on the field. I'm happy for there to be a rotation if it means we get more out of these guys later on rather than have them all on crutches by 25 and our bowling stocks back to ****** all.

baggygreen wrote:

Henry wrote:Poor Forrest? The man can't buy a run so far this season. Mitch Marsh clearly has off-field issues that are proving a distraction and are likely to hold him back in the immediate future. Either Bird or McDermott Jnr might play. Considering Holland is injured, there's no other vaguely decent spinner I can think of apart from O'Keefe. Unless they throw Hauritz a lifeline.

What problems for MM?

Henry wrote:I'm not a fan of rotating players. If your best players are available, pick them. Cummins could be "rested" from the Brisbane and Adelaide tests, but still pick up an injury in a Shield game in the meantime.

Last summer we could barely keep our fast men on the field. I'm happy for there to be a rotation if it means we get more out of these guys later on rather than have them all on crutches by 25 and our bowling stocks back to ****** all.

Haven't been following the news much? Marsh was kicked out of the Aus Centre of Excellence for showing up to a training session badly hungover, and was the other day dropped from the Perth Scorchers team in South Africa for excessive partying.

And when a whole crop of your fast bowlers are constantly breaking down, the coaching methods and physio treatments need to be examined, not their work-loads.

Mitch Marsh got sent home from the CoE in the winter for drinking

He and Shaun got left out of the final Scorchers CLT20 game for celebrating Mitch;s 21st a bit too well...they played up before the second last game which they played (when the Scorchers were still a chance for the semis) and left out of the final game (which was a dead rubber) ...

Seems that a bit of a party culture has taken hold at WA.

Henry wrote:

baggygreen wrote:

Henry wrote:Poor Forrest? The man can't buy a run so far this season. Mitch Marsh clearly has off-field issues that are proving a distraction and are likely to hold him back in the immediate future. Either Bird or McDermott Jnr might play. Considering Holland is injured, there's no other vaguely decent spinner I can think of apart from O'Keefe. Unless they throw Hauritz a lifeline.

What problems for MM?

Henry wrote:I'm not a fan of rotating players. If your best players are available, pick them. Cummins could be "rested" from the Brisbane and Adelaide tests, but still pick up an injury in a Shield game in the meantime.

Last summer we could barely keep our fast men on the field. I'm happy for there to be a rotation if it means we get more out of these guys later on rather than have them all on crutches by 25 and our bowling stocks back to ****** all.

Haven't been following the news much? Marsh was kicked out of the Aus Centre of Excellence for showing up to a training session badly hungover, and was the other day dropped from the Perth Scorchers team in South Africa for excessive partying.

And when a whole crop of your fast bowlers are constantly breaking down, the coaching methods and physio treatments need to be examined, not their work-loads.

Ah thanks, yeah rarely follow the gnus these days and haven't followed anything on the plinky-plonky in South Africa then what is posted on here. Too long hanging arounds Pomers I guess.

You would hope those methods and practices are being examined too, whether its made public or not, however I don't think its unreasonable to suggest that this crop of youngsters just happen to be injury-prone or not properly up to the rigours of a demanding calendar and as such, need to be treated in Watson's Cotton Wool Supplies. I would rather the erring on the side of caution then grinding them down until they're completely broken.

Henry wrote:Seems that a bit of a party culture has taken hold at WA.

More like that there's fark all to do here so the bogans just drink and fark.

Henry wrote:Seems that a bit of a party culture has taken hold at WA.

Just ask Ben Cousins

The party attitude was first in place to deal with Woody's draconian but hugely unsuccessful rule, and it's been celebratory partying ever since.