Who should open with Gilchrist?

[Paoli]

True, Steve Waugh was the only bastard who got to do it under his own accord! Taylor was forced into it, Mark Waugh got the ass, Lehmann so to, Ian Healy as well (pretty much). So yeah, that would be ok!

[Quagmire]

Originally Posted by flanflinger

Quagmire,

Sorry if I upset you.

FF I actually was not aiming that at any single person in particular, there are a lot of good young players in Australia especially on the batting side that they are going to introduce be slowly into international cricket. They have been playing some in the one day team. Players like Cosgrove, Cullen, Johnson plus others still in the ranks that could be given a go. Plus one thing you did say that there was a mistake about not putting Hussey in 5 years ago, who could they have dropped for him?

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Quagmire

Plus one thing you did say that there was a mistake about not putting Hussey in 5 years ago, who could they have dropped for him?

When Mark Waugh was "retired" in 2002 I would have got Hussey in rather than Lehman. I thought at that time it was crazy to drop Mark Waugh and replace him with a guy who was not that much younger and who only a few years (two years in fact) before he would be considered to old.

Someone like Hussey or Hodge would have been a much better pick.

You do have young guys who could get into the Ashes team, my guess is that you are more likely to see Gillespie lining up with McGrath and Lee rather than Tait or Johnson.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cric...ia/6054200.stm

[Milo]

Why exactly was Hodge dropped after five tests anyway? I know he's not exactly a spring chicken, but he did score a double (and a fifty) in the winter. But then they took Martyn to South Africa - who only had one good knock himself.

[Quagmire]

I have been saying that for ever, its so frustrating I was shocked when Hodge was dropped for Martyn.

[Paoli]

They dropped him because he had a crap Boxing Day test and an average Sydney Test.

Martyn was reintroudced as a sign of the selectors saying "We've made a mistake".

Anyway Watson's got the gig to open alongside Gilly. I've always thought his batting is very good, so this should give him a chance to strut his stuff. Good luck Watto.

[darksideofthemoon]

Shouldn't Hussey and Watson swap places in the batting order?

[Quagmire]

I agree Hussey should open with Gilchrist and they should drop Martyn for Cosgrove. I like Martyn but I don't really like him in ODI's I think that Australia have been using the oneday team for experimentation and the pointless ICC Champions Trophy is a perfect test for Cosgrove before the Ashes and the World Cup. If not Hussey then Hayden

[greg]

Don't the selectors see Hussey as the Bevan type finisher of games?

That might explain him being down the order.

[Zainub]

Hussey came in at Number 7 yesterday, yes you'd like to have him in as finisher, but that's a bit too late for my liking.