Australia v England, 5th Test, Hobart, 14-18 January, 2022

Changes needed in both teams.

Harris out, Head back in. Starc might be 'rested' and Richardson brought back in for pink ball.

Haseeb out, obviously, and Buttler likely out as well.  Pope and Lawrence back in.

lardbucket wrote:Changes needed in both teams.

Harris out, Head back in. Starc might be 'rested' and Richardson brought back in for pink ball.

Haseeb out, obviously, and Buttler likely out as well.  Pope and Lawrence back in.

Who would open in that case? Could ask Malan to do it but his form’s dried up a bit so might be unfair, even if he does keep coming in at sod all for 1 anyway. Only other plausible alternative is the captain himself.

Billings will surely play having done a Proclaimers to get there (well, driving rather than walking as per the Scottish twins…) and become cap number 700. Questions over Stokes and Bairstow’s fitness as well, so might be a case of last men standing get a game.

Starts on the 14th, by the way…

can't change it

Koo looked cooked yesty. He'll be rested for JRich.

And Ooze shirley has to take the other opening spot from Harris.

England's injury status will make for interesting team sheet reading.

skully wrote:Koo looked cooked yesty. He'll be rested for JRich.

And Ooze shirley has to take the other opening spot from Harris.

England's injury status will make for interesting team sheet reading.

Richo is made of glass. I would play Neser in front of Starc, who turned in another Bung like performance.

Harris can go, but I would shuffle the order up and open with Marnus. Head returns.

Lyon failed yet again in the 4th Innings when it counts. He can be 'rested' and replaced by Swepson.

horace wrote:

skully wrote:Koo looked cooked yesty. He'll be rested for JRich.

And Ooze shirley has to take the other opening spot from Harris.

England's injury status will make for interesting team sheet reading.

Richo is made of glass. I would play Neser in front of Starc, who turned in another Bung like performance.

Harris can go, but I would shuffle the order up and open with Marnus. Head returns.

Lyon failed yet again in the 4th Innings when it counts. He can be 'rested' and replaced by Swepson.

Again ...we give thanks to Warne ....that horrie is not a selector

Boland is in doubt anyway, so maybe Neser will play?

horace wrote:

skully wrote:Koo looked cooked yesty. He'll be rested for JRich.

And Ooze shirley has to take the other opening spot from Harris.

England's injury status will make for interesting team sheet reading.

Richo is made of glass. I would play Neser in front of Starc, who turned in another Bung like performance.

Harris can go, but I would shuffle the order up and open with Marnus. Head returns.

Lyon failed yet again in the 4th Innings when it counts. He can be 'rested' and replaced by Swepson.

thought you (horrie) would be saying Harris and Khawaja to open instead of Warner

Nath wrote:

horace wrote:

skully wrote:Koo looked cooked yesty. He'll be rested for JRich.

And Ooze shirley has to take the other opening spot from Harris.

England's injury status will make for interesting team sheet reading.

Richo is made of glass. I would play Neser in front of Starc, who turned in another Bung like performance.

Harris can go, but I would shuffle the order up and open with Marnus. Head returns.

Lyon failed yet again in the 4th Innings when it counts. He can be 'rested' and replaced by Swepson.

thought you (horrie) would be saying Harris and Khawaja to open instead of Warner

Nup. Harris is struggling to build on solid starts and does not deserve to remain. Unhappily Uzi will be asked to open and I do not think that will go too well. I would prefer Marnus to open and show he can rise to the challenge.

On the GCS, he will inevitably be picked for our tours and sure as eggs will fail again. Rinse and repeat. As next summer approaches he will score some runs in some meaningless white ball comp, the KFC ads will roll and the goldfish public will expect redemptive scores. No doubt he will get some streaky scores and maybe get to kiss the badge.

horace wrote:

Lyon failed yet again in the 4th Innings when it counts. He can be 'rested' and replaced by Swepson.

Yeah and I also hear Scott Pendelbury played a lot of basketball when he was at high school....

Marnie (It's a gas) isn't exactly in the form of his life either just recently....in fact since Christmas, unless I'm very much Murray Walker the bloke whose position he's being fitted out for has outscored him in each corresponding innings after Addledville.

Although as the long term prospect and potential future head honcho, establishing himself as Warner's next partner (or replacement) would be a great result for the team, and not quite managing to do that mightn't be a complete disaster in the medium term either, it might fix his burgeoning ego issues, and give him something to remember for when he IS Akela and HIS meant-to-be-leading batsman is feeling the pinch. Uzi's urgers have been marketing him as the peg for any hole - right now the hole is at the very top of the batting order.

He does average nearly 100 in Tests as opener. Let him rip.

But PLEASE fark Harris off.

Nothing official yet, but Harris dropped the whitewash and must go.

lardbucket wrote:Nothing official yet, but Harris dropped the whitewash and must go.

Great saying!

WideWally wrote:

lardbucket wrote:Nothing official yet, but Harris dropped the whitewash and must go.

Great saying!

Cummins dropped it in the first innings.

Ooze to open - Harris gone

"Before a ball was bowled this summer, Travis Head and Usman Khawaja were vying for one position in the middle-order.

Now both men will finish the Ashes in the same XI, after Khawaja made the most of Head’s Covid-enforced absence to start the new year in Sydney by scoring twin centuries.

Selectors have not wasted any time recalling Head - the 28-year-old South Australia, who scored a career defining century at the Gabba to kick-start the home side’s Ashes campaign - back to the side.

His return has finally forced the selectors’ hand, with opener Marcus Harris dropped after failing to make the most of four Tests at the top of the order.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins confirmed Harris’ axing on Thursday afternoon, with a fitness test to determine whether Scott Boland plays in Hobart.

“I think he knew it was coming,” Cummins told reporters. "

------------------------------------

TFFT. All the bulltwang from selectors about how good Harris's 70 was in Melbourne had me worried they were gonna do sumpent stoopid.

back to Shield cricket Harry

England perhaps need to follow this example and not feel they are tied to those who open regularly in domestic cricket. Especially given the fact that it’s practically impossible to develop a Test-ready game batting first in a County Championship played in Darren Stevens Season.

Anyway, one match still remaining to shape the narrative, but starting to get the feeling that all/most involved are going to get off scot-free thanks to scraping a draw with 9 wickets down and one ball away from another triple-figure defeat in Sydney.

Root’s given Silverwood his backing, while the KoS perhaps lacks the moral authority to sack his own appointment and would be undermining his own position if he did. Candidates aren’t really queuing up for the various roles, and there’s a tour of the West Indies starting in February (which they’re seemingly going to wait until the absolute last minute to name a squad for).

Time for a new broom for England. A root-and-branch reform is overdue.

Silverwood? Dead wood. Out he goes.


We need some fresh plantation. Hearts of oak. And like the English (actually, mainly Welsh) archers at Crécy & Azincourt, those who know how to bend the yew, as well as swing the willow.

And let's be innovative. All the openers England have tried have pretty much flopped since Cook's golden years.

Let's recruit a couple of all-rounders to take the shine off the ball for 4/5 overs at least, instead of the current 4/5 balls.

So, let's go for it. A couple of slow left arm bowlers to open - that's the style! Why stick in the mud?

1. Liam Trevashkis (Durham) - 2021 first-class batting average: 67.50*
2. Willow Beer (Sussex) - 2021: 42.0*
3. Tom mApell (Soms) - C
4. Joe Root (Yorks) can stay, combined with a new #5. But not as skipper.
5. Ben Brownch (Sussex) - VC
6. Benst Oaks (Durham)
7. Benf Oaks (Surrey) - +
8. Luke Wood (Lancs)
9. Chris Wood (Hants)
10. Mark Wood (Durham) - can take the new cherry.
11.  Matthyew Parkinson (Lancs)

Backups. Matthyew Critchley (Derbys), Chrisw Oaks (Warks), Lumberjack Leaning (Kent), Lumberjack Brooks (Soms)


Brain, non-playing captain: Mike Briarley

Motivational coach: Dominic Cork (unattached) - AND NOT: Ashley Giles.

*Look, don't tell me Beer only played two innings and Trevaskis four. WHERE'S YOUR BELEAF? Take the positives. Pining fir big improvements here .... The situation is desperate, we've deciduously got to think outside the ... box.

Or am I barking up the wrong gumtree here?

Jofra Archer
Ollie Robinhood

Looks like start will be delayed for rain - bowl first maybe?

I'm pretty confident England will win this.

Pitch is green as fark. Defo a bowl first decision at the toss.

Unfortch rain is expected in the evening tonight. Tomorrow looks dodgy as well, but after that weather looks OK.

Neph wins the toss and bowls - as 2nd would have.

Ooze thinks "thanks God - qunt".