The Ashes: (England tour of Australia)

[Markkkkk]

Honestly can’t believe that Paine got picked

 

[Umair7]

Shaun Marsh is inconsistent

Jake Weatherald was somebody who scored runs this Shield games, and I thought he would get a go. But then again you would want experience so Marsh for ideal.

Marsh is a quality cricketer, don't know why everybody hates to see him. Always gets injured when he was performing well, and making a comeback was rocky.

 

[Umair7]

Likely it was Marsh vs Jake Lehmann, who was unfortunate to miss out playing despite a string of good scores in domestic. Don't quite understand what's going on with Shaun Marsh. The whole problem of selecting him is mind boggling. He plays in India, then he gets dropped, and then comes back again. Considering he's 34, Australia should have gone for a young batsman like Jake. Australia will surely miss the presence of an all-rounder, having someone to bowl a few overs and bats well is a must in this team. This may prove the difference between England and Australia as Aus have no all-rounder. It doesn't make much sense for Shaun Marsh to bat as low as 6. He should bat higher in my opinion.

Smith will hopefully bowl (If Needed)

 

[Ahmad94]

Smith will hopefully bowl (If Needed)

Extremely unlikely. He hasn't bowled professionally in the best part of a year and with little to no practice, he is highly unlikely to bring it out in the Ashes or the ODI's after.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Have not watched too many Ashes games but just because of Ashes Cricket I am intrigued and will be watching this Ashes. England had the disadvantage seeing Stokes was out but I think Australia have made up to England's disadvantage with the squad they announced. But hey Marsh, Paine both are experienced players and have performed good for their county, they can really step up. Also Paine in place of Wade is ok as Wade was not performing so if Paine fails there wont be much pain

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Extremely unlikely. He hasn't bowled professionally in the best part of a year and with little to no practice, he is highly unlikely to bring it out in the Ashes or the ODI's after.

Well, it's not that complicated. I've played cricket at a decent level and like Smith I was a middle order batsman, captain and part timer. I also started out as a spinner. Difference is he went on to play for his country. LOL

He'll be just fine. Bowling is about rhythm. You could bowl 3 months in the nets and still feel a hiccup while running up to bowl. At other times, you could be bowling a year later and be bowling rippers.

 

[Ahmad94]

Well, it's not that complicated. I've played cricket at a decent level and like Smith I was a middle order batsman, captain and part timer. I also started out as a spinner. Difference is he went on to play for his country. LOL

He'll be just fine. Bowling is about rhythm. You could bowl 3 months in the nets and still feel a hiccup while running up to bowl. At other times, you could be bowling a year later and be bowling rippers.

I'm sure your situation is extremely relatable to Steve Smith.

More to the point, it's unlikely he can become a solid fifth/sixth bowling option for Australia and is definitely nowhere near comparable to the option of Moeen Ali for England. This sort of pushes the question about giving Maxwell a go, especially since he has a half-decent FC record recently and he did just score a solid 104 against India.

 

[Velocity]

I'm sure your situation is extremely relatable to Steve Smith.

More to the point, it's unlikely he can become a solid fifth/sixth bowling option for Australia and is definitely nowhere near comparable to the option of Moeen Ali for England. This sort of pushes the question about giving Maxwell a go, especially since he has a half-decent FC record recently and he did just score a solid 104 against India.

But again, Maxwell is barely used as a bowler ever since Smith became captain. Michael Clarke always turned to him for breakthroughs and a couple of overs to bowl tight. But now Maxwell is purely used as a batsman in the side. In my mind, this has not helped his game a lot, he is an all-rounder. Period. Now that he is mainly a batsman, I don't think that would've made a lot of difference in that case. Smith may bowl an over or two to give his bowlers a break, but that's about it.[DOUBLEPOST=1511216321][/DOUBLEPOST]

I've played cricket at a decent level and like Smith I was a middle order batsman, captain and part timer. I also started out as a spinner. Difference is he went on to play for his country. LOL

And what level did you play up to?

 

[Ahmad94]

But again, Maxwell is barely used as a bowler ever since Smith became captain. Michael Clarke always turned to him for breakthroughs and a couple of overs to bowl tight. But now Maxwell is purely used as a batsman in the side. In my mind, this has not helped his game a lot, he is an all-rounder. Period. Now that he is mainly a batsman, I don't think that would've made a lot of difference in that case. Smith may bowl an over or two to give his bowlers a break, but that's about it.

Agreed. He is clearly not a mug with the ball. 45 ODI wickets alongside over 50 First Class wickets means that he can definitely handle the ball, especially at times when it would be advisable to rest the front liners (i.e. just before the new ball is due).

 

[asprin]

I would be very surprised if Smith decides to bowl even one over, let alone a couple of them. I can't even remember the last time I saw him bowl in Tests.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

But again, Maxwell is barely used as a bowler ever since Smith became captain. Michael Clarke always turned to him for breakthroughs and a couple of overs to bowl tight. But now Maxwell is purely used as a batsman in the side. In my mind, this has not helped his game a lot, he is an all-rounder. Period. Now that he is mainly a batsman, I don't think that would've made a lot of difference in that case. Smith may bowl an over or two to give his bowlers a break, but that's about it.[DOUBLEPOST=1511216321][/DOUBLEPOST]
And what level did you play up to?

Club, district. I was simply not good enough and focussed/committed enough to progress.

I'm sure your situation is extremely relatable to Steve Smith.

More to the point, it's unlikely he can become a solid fifth/sixth bowling option for Australia and is definitely nowhere near comparable to the option of Moeen Ali for England. This sort of pushes the question about giving Maxwell a go, especially since he has a half-decent FC record recently and he did just score a solid 104 against India.

LOL

I agree with your selection of Maxwell but I don't agree about your assessment of Smith as a bowling option. He debuted as a bowler, did fine if you ask anyone. It's all about the mind and what you think is possible.

 

[El Loco]

Nail-biting end to the final Women's T20I fixture!

 

[Umair7]

Extremely unlikely. He hasn't bowled professionally in the best part of a year and with little to no practice, he is highly unlikely to bring it out in the Ashes or the ODI's after.

I would be very surprised if Smith decides to bowl even one over, let alone a couple of them. I can't even remember the last time I saw him bowl in Tests.

Well I said if needed he should !! His Captaincy is way too one dimensional plus he is a Leg Spinner so that also helps!

 

[Velocity]

Club, district. I was simply not good enough and focussed/committed enough to progress.



LOL

I agree with your selection of Maxwell but I don't agree about your assessment of Smith as a bowling option. He debuted as a bowler, did fine if you ask anyone. It's all about the mind and what you think is possible.

When did he start his test career? 2010! He was a decent spin bowler but now that he switched trades and became a pure batsman he would focus less and less on his spin bowling and just because he started out as a spin bowler, that still doesn't warrant he can be the fifth bowler. He may be out of practice and will bowl the odd over or two. But after a long break of not bowling, it is very unlikely he would be the fifth bowler and considering he hasn't bowled in a long while, he shouldn't be the fifth bowler. He is a pure batsman and should stay as is.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

If anyone ever wanted to know why the neutrals don't have strong liking towards Aussie cricketers, you can take a look at Nathan Lyon's recent comments. Matt Prior is a retired ex cricketer, and has nothing to do with this series or the mind games. I have a lot of respect for Lyon as a cricketer and feel he's the best off spinner in the world. But there's no need to be a jerk in life. I much prefer the calm, serene and classy Root's response.

Someone needs to remind Australia that Johnson is retired and that series is the only thing Australia has won in the last 10 years against England.