Oz 17 man Test Squad

The Squad is to be announced today.

I guess there will not be too many surprises.

Soylent and Puck should both make it.

Head and Wade should make the Squad. Pretty pointless having an out of form Burns there. Harris should be a chance if Langer is fair dinkum.

Swepson should make it ahead of Agar as back up for Lyon who happily found some form.

They will probably opt for five quicks - 2nd, Starc, Haze, Neser with the other spot going to Pattinson or Abbott. Pattinson opted not to play Shield and will miss. My best guess is:

Paine (c) wk
Warner
Pucovoski
Harris
Labuschagne
Smith
Wade
Head
Green
Cummins
Hazlewood
Starc
Neser
Abbott
Lyon
Swepson

That is 16. Langer will be shitty at the lack of WA players and I predict S Marsh will make it as the 17th player.

Looks good, h.

They might add another opener, maybe Harris.

Form-wise, I don't think you could pick a better 17.

Test and Aus A squad announced.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/australia-test-squad-selections-india-series-green-pucovski-abbott-burns-tour-games/2020-11-12

Blackadder_ wrote:Test and Aus A squad announced.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/australia-test-squad-selections-india-series-green-pucovski-abbott-burns-tour-games/2020-11-12

One or two surprises. M Marsh selected subject to fitness in Australia A (of course). Shocked Will Sutherland was named but I guess his surname is tell tale. He is promising but not an auto selection in our SS team. Burns is a lucky man.

Other issue is that neither Smith nor Warner will have played red ball cricket before the first test.

Copied from the link:

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Australia A squad: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Jackson Bird, Alex Carey (wk), Harry Conway, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh (subject to fitness), Michael Neser, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Mark Steketee, Will Sutherland, Mitchell Swepson

As h says, Burns very lucky and Harris unlucky in the Test squad.

Excellent reward for Abbott

Of recent Test players and other top performers in the Shield competition, Sean Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Chadd Sayers, Trent Copeland, Scott Boland, and Kurtis Patterson have been unlucky to miss both squads. Conway gets in on the Baggy Green with Baggy Blue rule that has applied to every Dubber Shield player bar Copeland in recent years. How Conway and Sutherland get in ahead of Copeland and Boland is a mystery to me.

I must say say this made me chuckle. Primo form from the bnlg. I particularly enjoyed Hohns' comment late in the piece about how he is consulting with the gcspoc on who should be his partner.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/joe-burns-will-pucovski-opening-battle-first-test-australia-india-justin-langer/2020-11-13https://www.cricket.com.au/news/joe-burns-will-pucovski-opening-battle-first-test-australia-india-justin-langer/2020-11-13

It's difficult to see why Langer is being obstinate. If Burns' form in Tests before the Covid lockdown warranted the Coach's loyalty, then fair enough.

In the 5 home Tests last summer (the last cricket Aus played) v Pak and NZ, Burns made 97, 4, 53, 0, 35, 18, 40 against less than world beating attacks. Hardly stellar stuff. He played no part in the Ashes in England prior to that.

If Burns had a couple of hundreds and a couple of 50s in those 7 innings then perhaps loyalty was warranted. But 247 runs @ 35.29 in Aus conditions is not high class.

Puckovski is belting down the door. Over the same Shield period Burns has failed and remains technically deficient outside off. QED - flick Monty for Puck.

maybe NLWL is being "nice" to Burns and not giving Puke a green light

i have a feeling Puke will be the test opener in T1 but NLWL will assess his attitude (it will be good...for a vomit)

With the runs that Puke has scored Cracka should be asking him who his preferred partner is ....and make the GCS sweat

Damn straight.

In great news Instant Karma sounds like he will be fit to play the four Test series.

Also heard Fleas this morning. He struggled with no great enthusiasm to toe bnlg's pro Burns line.

I know many callers are nuffies but the antipathy to gcspoc was palpable. Got the treatment usually reserved for Mundine.

Will there even be a First Test?

JGK wrote:Will there even be a First Test?

Not in Adelaide. Don't think the Bannies would be keen on a pink ball nighter in Bris. So it will be the G or SCG I guess.