Clarke's last innings at 5?

With the current batting order, half the team's specialist bats are already gone before Pup gets to face a ball, he never has been much chop batting with the tail and his regular partner in crime Hussey won't last for ever (most likely).

If he moved up to no 3 it would leave much more margin for error. Going in at 1-10 instead of 3-40 and copping a jaffa, at least there would be more batsmen to come in behind him.

If Warner gets the RM Williams Medal for Adelaide, which seems a distinct possibility, Quiney might open with Cowan leaving the no 3 spot vacant. It's time, Pup....

Thought it was time last year. Warner may get another test. It will all depend on whether they are prepared to play Watson solely as a batsman because it looks unlikely he will be fit to bowl in Adelaide.

There's no way he will bat higher than 5 because every time he has, he's looked like a scared little girl who would rather do anything than be out in the middle facing the big bad fast bowlers.

As I said in the test thread, wtf would you move a guy from 5 where he is averaging over 100 for the last 12 months. His form at 5 means that we can carry some guys at the top of the order while they find their feet in tests. Cowan's innings suggest this might be working.

Cowan has the advantage of being a smart bloke who doesn't play much T20. He works hard at his game and sees test cricket as the be-all and end-all.

For some of the other inexperienced Aus batsmen, no matter what they say publicly, they'll always know deep down that if test cricket goes tits-up for them, they can fall back on making millions playing the IPL.

No, no, it's more fundamental than that.


Hughes
Warner
Quiney
North
Ponting
Clarke
Haddin
McGain
Johnson
Bird
Tait

is the way to go. You have a balanced attack there too.

With Moo's ton, the pressure now will firmly shift to Warner to perform. If he continues to struggle against Stain and Tonic gets a few, then he could find himself back in Shield toot sweet, with someone like Uzzie, or Doolan given a go.

I think moving up the order would make the batting line up look a lot more secure than it does now. However if he's scoring for fun at no5 and its working, why fix it?

Watson should eventually find himself at 6, so he can concentrate at being a good all-rounder and it's really about finding that next long-term batsman to take Punter's spot.

Or Watson should take his bowling back to Kallis extents (fall-back or partnership breaker).

PeterCS wrote:Or Watson should take his bowling back to Kallis extents (fall-back or partnership breaker).

He barely gets through more than 13 overs an innings. Which is most Kallis-like already.

With Clarke averaging 20 at #4 after 28 digs it is hard to see him moving up any time soon. The other statistical anomaly with him is the disparity between his home and away averages.

So he can't bat any higher than five without his average crashing down into the 20s and he cashes in hugely on home pitches, whilst being merely 'ok' anywhere else in the World. The words "comfort zone" come to mind. Good player, but can't be considered great yet.

Brass Monkey wrote:

PeterCS wrote:Or Watson should take his bowling back to Kallis extents (fall-back or partnership breaker).

He barely gets through more than 13 overs an innings. Which is most Kallis-like already.

And stil gets recurrently crocked? The weak wozzack! The musclebound molly! The soft stevedore!

PeterCS wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:

PeterCS wrote:Or Watson should take his bowling back to Kallis extents (fall-back or partnership breaker).

He barely gets through more than 13 overs an innings. Which is most Kallis-like already.

And stil gets recurrently crocked? The weak wozzack! The musclebound molly! The soft stevedore!

Did he even injure himself bowling this time? Wasn't he just setting off for a quick single in practice?

Maybe he was just drinking a neat demi-tasse of chamomile tea.

He's probably done Oz a service this time though.

When he comes back, if the selectors have half a brain, he'll be opening with Cowan. And Warner can go back to the circus with his apprentice clown Hughes.

PeterCS wrote:Maybe he was just drinking a neat demi-tasse of chamomile tea.

Maybe he got cramp from sitting in the hairdresser's chair too long, getting his highlights touched up.

And that was probably not the only thing, matron.

No wonder his face spasms up so often.