Problem is there's no ramifications for substandard performances. Khawaja has clearly been on the slide for ages, Marsh is just s**t, the rest are very risky conveyances. Far too conservative with selection.
Unfortunately true: there never seems to be much turnover and form players just ... waste away. [1] Starc - if he isn't 100%, which seems reasonable, he should push himself tomorrow and then have a rest for the final test. He can come back when he is really fit. I'd be replacing him with Spencer Johnson, another lefty with real pace. [2] Marsh must go, fit or not: Marsh hasn't done anything with bat or ball, although he has taken some really nice catches. Get someone else in; Beau Webster is a better batsman than bowler and did OK in the trial match, Sean Abbot is a good bowler who can bat adequately, Tanveer Sangha is a spinner who the Indians haven't seen much of. He might not be the all-rounder we're after, but he could offer something on a crappy Sydney pitch. [3] Sydney pitch: I hope see a pitch that doesn't spin so much, but I would consider another spinner if the groundsmen in Sydney are idiots. After all, the Indian doctor their pitches for every game they play when they're at home. Tanveer Sangha is a good, young leggie. There are a couple of others as well that should be looked at. [4] Khawaja: alas, he is past it. Pity. I'd love to replace him, but we might not heading into Sydney: he has played well there in the past and it was his original home ground. I'd still be looking at someone else.
Quality player albeit a bit 1-dimensional, but having heard a few insiders talk about her, I'd say you don't cut out a cancer just to invite it back in.
Ive been told the whole club was happy to see the back of her. Utterly full of herself.
Certainly she put herself above the club and team success. Unfortunately, she left a huge hole in our forward line that we're still dealing with. And with Melbourne having already traded out their 1st round pick, we were always getting not much in return. I had high hopes for her, but the recent attempt to get to a 4th club basically says it all: not a team player!
I'm really disappointed that our batters played the way they did on the last day: granted that they were after quick runs, but they basically committed suicide. Not only did it inflate the Indian bowlers' figures and deflate our averages, but it gave the Indians some confidence when we really needed to knock it out of them.
Both openers needed runs and neither had a chance to get any. Smith and Labuschagne were not dissimilar, as they haven't been in the runs in recent times.
Our bowling: losing Hazelwood as we did showed the issues with having 'the Bison' as an allrounder. He is a hundred or a duck man, (with scores usually closer to the duck) and he doesn't bowl enough. Granted, he is probably playing because Cameron Green isn't, but the issue remains. Green probably wasn't bowling as often as he should have been and his batting is still a work in progress (it was progressing nicely). I would like to have had Michael Neser available to bowl, as he is a top bowler (and a decent tail ender - not quite an allrounder, but closer than most). However, he is also injured at the moment. The only thing with Boland is his age: he should have been playing international cricket a long time ago. He has his limitations, but he is a good workhorse. Of the 'allrounders' going around, Beau Webster is probably the one that stands out. His bowling has come on a lot on recent years. He still bowls in the 120's, not the 140's, but it isn't crap and he did get wickets against the Indians earlier in the series. His batting is probably more reliable than most as well. I'd still play Neser in front of him, but ...
I think we've done a decent job of addressing our weaknesses. We have an experienced forward in Tara Bohanna, a mid-forward in Sophie McKay and 2 defenders with athleticism in Scholz & Field.
Our ruck division is still an issue; Breann Moody isn't getting a lot of ruck time and isn't producing like she used to, Jess Good isn't a big possession getter, although she is probably our best tap ruck at the moment and Celine Moody hasn't done much yet. We need to work out what is happening with our rucks, as it is no longer the strength it once was.
Small forwards - Sophie McKay will help in this area, but she is going to spend some time in the midfield. Then there are the Irish girls - will one or more of them play small forward?
It will be interesting to see how we line up in 2025.
