Makes you wonder why the gave him a contract. Hodge is clearly better than White and his bowling is just as handy.
I think White was picked possibly as much for team togetherness as anything. Whitey has been in the squad WAY more than Hodge recently, not that he deserved it, but it's a fact. Given he's only going to arrive an hour before the Windies game, he probably isn't going to get a game for the first round anyway as he de-jetlags. It's more just filling out the squad with a familiar face. Well that's the best reason I can come up with
. But there are others: White has a good career T20 record too and most (all!) of his success has come in England, so it does make a little bit of sense. White is also an out and out basher which the side needs, they don't need more accumulators like Hodge, as Clarke and M.Hussey can already fill that role. Ponting is also locked in at #3 which is Hodge's best spot. The other thing White does is give them a guy who can bat #7, and allow them to play 4 quicks below him. Then the other overs are filled by White, D.Hussey and Clarke. Wouldn't be my favourite team, but I think it's a team the selectors have in the back of their minds.
But anyway Aussie fans, we are about 9 hours out from kickoff, lets talk selection. In my mind there are 8 locks for the XI tonight:
5 in the top 7:
Watson, Ponting, Clarke, M.Hussey, Haddin
3 bowlers:
Lee, Bracken, Johnson
Argue all you want about the merits of Clarke and Lee being there, but I would be shocked if they weren't both there. Clarke is in good form after the warm ups and Pakistan series, he's the vice-captain and he's very handy in the field. With Symonds gone there is no chance of Clarke missing out. Lee has done well since coming back in the IPL and his experience, lower order batting and good outfielding will be important.
So we need 2 more for the top 7 and it's between:
Warner vs D.Hussey vs Hopes vs White
In theory, 3 of these guys could play with the 5 already locked in - leaving Hopes at #8, but it's (hopefully :upray) unlikely. And it's possible that only 1 of them could play if Mitch Johnson were selected at #7, but that is a big risk given that Mitch hasn't shown much batting prowess in the shorter forms the game thus far. So it's likely to be 2 of the above 4 guys filling the top 7.
White surely won't play tonight as he'll just have walked from the airport, so it's really a battle of 3 for those 2 spots. D.Hussey would seem the most likely to play since he offers a bit of X-factor in the middle order and bowls handy offies. The pick between Hopes and Warner could be dependent on Watson's bowling. If they aren't confident in Watson's ability to bowl at good speed for 2-4 overs, then Hopes and D.Hussey may be the 2 to play, with Hopes at #7 as those 2 bring the most bowling depth.
The confidence in the opening partnership is the other factor. If Warner plays, surely he opens - probably with Watson with Haddin sliding down to #7. But if the Aussies like Haddin/Watson as a combo it could be Hopes getting the nod. I would probably go this way tonight. Generally I don't fancy Hopes for T20, but he could fit well in tonight's lineup at #7. It would give Ricky as many bowling options as possible as we gauge where Watson is at and see how the opening partnership holds up. And Hopes is quite decent with bat, certainly more reliable than Mitch Johnson.
Now the bowling lineup. One more guy is needed to add to Lee, Bracken and Mitch. It could be Hopes, but I think that would be a bad call. IMHO he doesn't have the ability to play as a specialist T20 bowler. ODI specialist bowler? Yes I think so, but he struggles in the shortest form unless he's bowling in good circumstances when the batsmen won't attack him. So for me it comes down to Hilfenhaus vs Siddle vs Hauritz for the last spot. It was a surprise that Hilfy didn't get a run in the warmups as he has a good T20 record and would fancy English conditions. Maybe they just wanted to see Siddle bowl after his long lay off.
Either way, I think Hauritz should be the pick, just to bring some variety into the attack. But it all depends if Ricky will have the gumption to actually bowl him. Going from past experience, he's probably just as likely to rely on Dave Hussey to bowl than try a specialist spinner. But that's for Ricky to answer and we'll probably see by the selection tonight if they go for 4 quicks or for Hauritz. If not Hauritz, I'd prefer Hilfenhaus over Siddle. He has a bit more experience, a better record and conditions should suit him.
That leaves an XI of:
Watson
Haddin
Ponting
Clarke
D.Hussey
M.Hussey
Hopes
Johnson
Lee
Hauritz
Bracken
Chances: Warner, Hilfenhaus
Should miss out: White, Siddle