Hooper
ICC Board Member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2006
- Location
- West Australia
- Online Cricket Games Owned
- Don Bradman Cricket 14 - Steam PC
Not that you care....So, we finally won an ODI! We did out level best to blow it though!
MICHAEL OWEN!
Not that you care....So, we finally won an ODI! We did out level best to blow it though!
A lot of people are confident that Bracken is a part of Australia's best XI, but I think with his current form it's reasonably contentious. For his overs, Peter Siddle was more economical and on a lively pitch, you'd have to favour him getting stuck into batsmen. It would have been interesting to see what either would have done today, but you can't play everyone all at once.
Perhaps it would be easier to include Callum Ferguson in Australia's best XI. He certainly couldn't have been dropped for form, instead on account of experience. The existence of a hundred beside the names of other players in the squad also means a lot, though few would argue he can't possibly make one of those either.
Many would have dropped Mike Hussey, but he has produced some fair knocks, including more than a quarter of the runs today; Ferguson for Hussey probably wouldn't have been the difference, but on a slightly longer term projection, it might prove to be so. Clarke has been a slow scorer, but his consistent runs have continued to be of great importance.
Watson had a poor series with the bat, but a quality one with the ball. It's this that suggests Australia's best side could come at the expense of James Hopes. Bowling variety is valuable, but from the stoic temperance of Clarke to the frenetic strokeplay of Ferguson, something can be said of batting variety being able to get you through a scrape. However, for such a side to truly be effective, they need to be able to count on tidy overs from the part-timers such as Clarke and White. An attack of just 5 bowlers has nowhere to turn when someone is not on their best day. Any captain is better off being at liberty to chose who bowls rather than being forced to make bad decisions.
All this taken into account, Australia's woes going into next week are limited. Although different opposition will test them differently, they are a much more settled side than they were at the start of the year.
Friggin Clarke, wasted so many balls.: