So what do you guys reckon about the selections? I would have preferred to see Maxwell at six and for Siddle to be rested. He has had a heavy workload this summer and playing him in one of the deadest rubbers in recent memory seems a bit silly especially after they rested Starc in the last test.

Maxwell is a handy player I reckon and giving him a run against a depleted Sri Lankan side would have been good for him. I know the public would have seen a 50 or a 100 against them as a small achievement but it would mean a lot to him and give him some extra confidence when or if he faces India or England later this year. Despite Mitchell Johnson's 92* last match I still don't think he is an all-rounder. He might be against Sri Lanka's B side but not against India in India or England.

As for today's play the Aussie bowlers are doing okay I guess. Hussey dropped a regulation catch that would have seen Jayawardene fail yet again. A couple of wickets before lunch would be handy.

Test cricket rulez btw.

I'm off to Big Bash tonight Spook. May even go to a game in Melbourne next week while I'm down there.

Good session so far, fairly even I think.

Different team Spook. Malinga plays for the Renegades, Warney plays for the Stars

No Malinga plays for the Stars.

edit: :P

Facey finally gets everyone be wants to retire, then starts slagging off at the new guys that step in

paveway the reason we dont have a solid batting line-up is because weve wasted 2 years watching two old horses grazing in the paddock when some hot young bucks should have been sowing their wild oats.

Is facey trying to talk about cricket again?

How cute!

props to the camera man for the box shot just now
5/5

haha, warney on fire in the field last nite!

loved that catch where he didnt move and just stood there watching.

was mentally still motorboating liz im guessing.

seriously needs to sort his shit out and stop being lazy

he completely mucked around the fisrt run then it was too late when he turned around

and he needs to stop fucking around with this gloves at the non-striker end

Ok, just saw the replay - he did go light on that first run for sure, so yes, somewhat lazy.

I dislike Hughes but he was making use of the strike pretty well. It's only shit when a player takes all the strike but doesn't tick the scoreboard over.

70 off 120 is good. You'd take that in test cricket any day of the week. It was just a matter of time before Warner holed out again in the deep so I could create a little made up scenario as well where he holed out in the 25th over instead of the 35th if the strike was rotated more often.

As I said, hogging the strike is only bad if you are doing nothing with it. There isn't a batsmen in the world who would be unhappy spending a bit of time at the non-striker's end watching the other guy score consistent runs if they have the team first in mind. Sitting at the non-striker's end and watching the other guy block pies all day is a different story and that wasn't happening.

When the fuck did Australia forget how to run between wickets?

(trog, I think you should reverse your new pic, so that youre cooly looking at the wisdom posted, not away)

I know one crease he isnt scared of taking middle with.

Lol ur a clown. Yes 70/120 is good 9/10 times. But not when u arrive at the crease and the guy at the other end is on 60/50 and u only give him 1 ball in every 7. Sometimes not even letting him face a ball for several overs. That is not team play at all. I give u that Warner may have holed out earlier but he may also have totally taken them apart. This individual play is the reason Australia r shot atm. Clarke may be averaging 100+ but he captains like a donk

that bird fella did a good job on day 1
i found it an odd decision to win the toss but send SL in to bat
i guess we were just tired of the opposing team blocking for the last day and a half?

Bird definitely looks the good, but we can only have 3 or 4 quicks per test; we have Cummins and Patterson, Siddle, Stark, Bird, Johnson (lol, good 1 in every 10 tests), Hilfy, Ryan Harris.... so I don't know how you'll fit them all in when everyone is 'fit' (lols)

but yeah our bowling looks more secure then the batting - so much experience lost in the batting side :/

It will also be interesting how they structure the top and middle order going into the upcoming big series. Khawaja seems like the batsman in waiting for Hussey's spot. But he bats at 3 for Qld, and you already have a top 4 full of openers (if you consider that Watson has had most of his success at the top). So even though this could apply to a number of guys coming in, if it is Khawaja, do you slot him in at 6? Move Watson down to 6 to give him more of a break and put Khawaja in the top order? If Warner or Cowan slump in the short term do you move Hughes back up and put Khawaja in at 3?

I think he'd go straight in at 6... but Hussey leaving a vacant spot in the middle order isn't something I'd really considered for the India tour and the Ashes...

I think watson's bowling career is done and dusted

It sounds like you are right, although Pup did say last week if he wants to be the all rounder, he has to bowl. He had the potential to be our Jacque Kallis - such a shame.

I think he has retired? He is involved in one of the Big Bash franchises in some capacity from what I understand, but not sure if it is in a playing role.

McGrath has never bowled in a Big Bash game.

pretty sure pave meant career wise there matey, and not bowling order in the big bash.

harris is an incredible bowler. hes not that tall, and hes certainly not the traditional size of a fast bowler, but hes hella quick.

no doubt thats why he has so many injuries. its a shame, he could have had a great career if he could have stayed fit.

fast bowling puts such an enormous strain on the body. no wonder malinga retired from tests, i cringe watching every delivery he bowls.

4 overs a day sounds about right for him.

hmmmm, sri lankans off to a good start.

It's all good.

was there ever doubt against Sri Lanka?

Pave - it's real

Squad: George Bailey (capt), Ben Cutting, Xavier Doherty, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Phil Hughes, David Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.

yeah pretty fucking stupid.

Cricket Australia have lost the plot!!

no warner in that squad either?

lul

Pave - it's real

Squad: George Bailey (capt), Ben Cutting, Xavier Doherty, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin, Phil Hughes, David Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.

I am only judging on what I have seen in the T20 big bash but this looks like a fucking GUN team!

That has to be the T20 squad because Clarke is still captain of the ODI team.

I actually support the dropping of Hussey. It is time to start thinking towards the 2015 World Cup and Hussey has declared he does not want to concentrate on cricket and wants to focus on family life. This shows that the selectors are willing to make hard decisions and not make selections based on sentimentality which is a good thing.

What I don't agree with is resting Warner, Bailey as backup captain and Haddin as the second keeper. Warner has to the potential to be a good ODI player but just needs to find was rhythm. He has struggled to find that happy medium between T20 and test style. To be honest I reckon he should just play like he does in tests and maybe convert to his natural T20 game if quick runs are required. Bailey is just a big ball of mediocre and I don't really see his skill level justifying an Australian selection in even the T20 side, let alone captain.

Haddin is the one that makes the least sense to me. If the selectors are looking to the future why aren't they picking Paine instead? A 28 year old who has played tests and ODIs would be my pick over 35 year old Haddin any day of the week. Maybe this is a case of the selectors knowing something that we don't.

I can't wait to see Maxwell play some more games at international level. I like the direction of his forward turn sail.

I can't wait to see Maxwell play some more games at international level. I like the direction of his forward turn sail.

This guy is tops to watch in the T20 !!!

Note that ODI squad is only for the first two ODI's - so the team will likely change....

also the selectors have said they still view Haddin as a test player if something happens to Wade. Haddin is playing well in the Big Bash, but I agree with you fpot - get Paine in there!!

Wade is also struggling at 'basic' keeping, he should be focusing on his keeping not his batting, the keeping is why is he in the team to start with. He's cost us at least 4 or 5 wickets in this series alone!!

Paine is a handy batter as well if that's what they are going for.

yer, i agree with heardy, wade needs to improve on his glovework. scoring runs is a bonus, but he needs to take the ball, make the stumpings, take the catches.