The Aus top 7 - a bleak future?

The post-Drunky era

"Much will depend on who the selectors choose to replace him - Hughes, Khawaja, Quiney, Alex Doolan or a bolter - and where that person is used to batting. "

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Dear God in Heaven, things look bleak for the back-to-back Ashes and beyond, if they are next 4 best batsmen we have to pick from.

Khawaja looks good quality to me. Stick with the kid and I think he'll come good. Ease him in at six.

Clarke and Hussey have to stop hiding themselves in the relatively easy five and six slots (Ian Bell country), man up and act like the senior players they're supposed to be.

Warner
Cowan
Hussey
Clarke
Watson
Khwaja

That'll do a job.

I think you are right, D. It's time to stick with those with potential as we did back in 1987 when the side was rebuilt around Alan Border. Ricky Ponting, for all his foibles, was a once-in-a-generation cricketer that cannot be replaced.

doubt Watson as a long or short term proposition ...play hastings at 8 as the bowling allrounder

Clarke
6 random others
Tail

Think that's roughly the strategy for the next few years. No doubt they will unearth another world-beater or two before long but nice to see so much mediocrity in the Aussie batting line-up for now!

yep we will have a side akin to compton, bairstow, bell, trott et al

horace wrote:yep we will have a side akin to compton, bairstow, bell, trott et al

At least we've got 3 batsmen, you might want to try recruiting a Yarpie or two as well!

so Chef is a saffie too?

horace wrote:so Chef is a saffie too?

Well, he will get honorary status as one if he keeps scoring runs like this...

beamer wrote:

horace wrote:yep we will have a side akin to compton, bairstow, bell, trott et al

At least we've got 3 batsmen, you might want to try recruiting a Yarpie or two as well!

hmmn...we tried that once before...now we have tens of thousands of saffie expats in perth (poms too, but they're never any good at cricket)...but sadly they will come under the coaching influence of the bnlg and have their talent ruined

Warner
Paine
Watson (occasional bowler)
Clarke
Bailey
Doolan
Wade
Butterworth (batting all-rounder)
Faulkner
Lyon
Bird

hmmn...only 8 with a toxic background?

Not entirely serious, h, however:

I do think Watson should be batting near the top of the order, with his technique, and that he should forget bowling (because it costs him too many Tests).

Paine also has a great technique and would not be out of place in the top order.

Bailey could yet play a role for 2-3 years, as an experienced and tough middle order player.

Doolan could be anything, yet. He certainly has pedigree, technique, and an appetite for runs.

lardbucket wrote:Not entirely serious, h, however:

I do think Watson should be batting near the top of the order, with his technique, and that he should forget bowling (because it costs him too many Tests).

Paine also has a great technique and would not be out of place in the top order.

Bailey could yet play a role for 2-3 years, as an experienced and tough middle order player.

Doolan could be anything, yet. He certainly has pedigree, technique, and an appetite for runs.

Watson's technique is susso...all those lbw's when beaten by straight ones...he needs to bowl overs to keep his place and he is not a top order player... re Paine he does not make big scores or even medium scores on a regular basis...peter neville is a better bet...ditto Bailey...Doolan looks the pea tho

horace wrote:doubt Watson as a long or short term proposition ...play hastings at 8 as the bowling allrounder

Really?

Perhaps he'll make runs in the second dig. Otherwise, a forgettable Test for John H.

lardbucket wrote:Perhaps he'll make runs in the second dig. Otherwise, a forgettable Test for John H.

he'll be McKay'ed and picked as a short form bowler.

lardbucket wrote:Perhaps he'll make runs in the second dig. Otherwise, a forgettable Test for John H.

and yet, given he is victorian, he still exceeded expectations

It's easier to find good batsmen than it is to find good bowlers. I remember in 2000 thinking how sh*t England's batting was, with only Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe averaging anywhere near 40, then Vaughan and Trescothick magically transformed themselves from County underachievers into world class players, KP fell into our laps, Bell briefly grew gonads, Colly emerged from a mining pit with a cricket bat in his hand, and test tube baby Alastair Cook grew out of the ECB 'Future England Captain' science laboratory, trimmed his eyebrows, and joined Essex. Suddenly things were looking up.

But there's no denying step one- Make Australia more disenchanted South African friendly. Isn't there thousands of them in Perth? I can't believe some young de Bruyn de Villiers Morkel isn't making a name for himself in Western Australia.

lardbucket wrote:Perhaps he'll make runs in the second dig. Otherwise, a forgettable Test for John H.

...by far the best bowler in the first dig..bowling into the breeze...Moo dropped a sitter and he beat the bat regularly

...plus he made some useful runs with the tail...as someone said - he outcored punter's series contribution and tonic/schoolgirl

horace wrote:

lardbucket wrote:Perhaps he'll make runs in the second dig. Otherwise, a forgettable Test for John H.

...by far the best bowler in the first dig..bowling into the breeze...Moo dropped a sitter and he beat the bat regularly

...plus he made some useful runs with the tail...as someone said - he outcored punter's series contribution and tonic/schoolgirl

On the other hand, he was struggling to reach 125kph in the second innings, as he frequently served up long hops to some grateful South African batsmen. Had "out of his depth" written all over it.

Henry wrote:

horace wrote:

lardbucket wrote:Perhaps he'll make runs in the second dig. Otherwise, a forgettable Test for John H.

...by far the best bowler in the first dig..bowling into the breeze...Moo dropped a sitter and he beat the bat regularly

...plus he made some useful runs with the tail...as someone said - he outcored punter's series contribution and tonic/schoolgirl

On the other hand, he was struggling to reach 125kph in the second innings, as he frequently served up long hops to some grateful South African batsmen. Had "out of his depth" written all over it.

I don't know how anyone expected anything different. He has looked very unimpressive in Limited Overs games for Australia.

Henry wrote:

horace wrote:

lardbucket wrote:Perhaps he'll make runs in the second dig. Otherwise, a forgettable Test for John H.

...by far the best bowler in the first dig..bowling into the breeze...Moo dropped a sitter and he beat the bat regularly

...plus he made some useful runs with the tail...as someone said - he outcored punter's series contribution and tonic/schoolgirl

On the other hand, he was struggling to reach 125kph in the second innings, as he frequently served up long hops to some grateful South African batsmen. Had "out of his depth" written all over it.

Have to agree. He's no Ryan Harris.

if he was Rhino...he would have been crocked after the first dig

Rhino, a 250 Test wicket bowling career cut short by a dodgy knee.