Aus Ashes team: Brisbane Test

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by John

Four bowlers only? With Gilchrist you have six batsmen anyway, Warne and Lee can hold a bat whats the need for Clarke? Watson as allrounder.

What does Watson's bowling add to a seam attack of Mcgrath, Lee and Clarke / some kid? Not a lot! The specialists will still be asked to bowl as many overs as they can possibly manage (as will Flintoff and Hoggard for England) for the simple reason that no one in their right mind takes the ball away from the bowler most likely to get results!

I can see sense in playing Watson if both Warne AND MacGill play.... but let's face it... Warne would bowl 35 out of every 80 overs (and come on at first change) no matter WHO plays... and with McGrath and Lee almost certain to manage 35-40 overs / ball between them... there's hardly enough scope for a third seamer yet alone for a fourth!!!

[greg]

Originally Posted by Rachael

with McGrath and Lee almost certain to manage 35-40 overs / ball between them... there's hardly enough scope for a third seamer yet alone for a fourth!!!

Are they though?

I have stated elsewhere that McGrath is yet to bowl more than 10 overs in a day since his comeback.They may want the 4th seamer/2nd spinner to ease his workload.Similar to what England are planning with Flintoff.

[John]

The only reason Australia had a chance in 2005 is because Warne superhuman efforts. So they need someone who can bowl a few overs. Spread the work load. McGrath cannot bowl 20/25 quality overs a day anymore. So they need someone to turn to for a few overs. Watson is the best they have got he can bat and his bowling isn't going to be hit all over the place. He is not in part timer category.

And also Watson is at the top of his game, he now has experience of International cricket. He is not the ideal solution but he might be able to fulfil a role at this stage.

[Rachael]

In 1995 McGrath only bowled 18 overs in his first innings (the only innings for which he was fully fit)... because England were all out in 48 overs, depriving him of a further opportunity. The pattern was repeated in the second innings (well, England managed 58 overs). That was 35 for the match. In the third Test, carrying an injury, he bowled 25 overs in the first innings. The second innings only lasted 61.5 overs... but he even managed 20 of those. In the 5th Test he bowled 27 overs in the first innings and 26 in the second... a more typical workload.

After being deprived of batsmen to bowl at in the first match... and despite England crumbling just before the new ball was taken in the first innings at Edgbaston, and inside 53 overs in their second innings at that ground.. Lee averaged 20 overs per innings... bowling 27 in the first innings at Old Trafford and 32 in the first innings at Trent Bridge.

Now.. I really don't see Lee easing up... and I think we can guarantee he'll be looking to shoulder a huge workload as a senior bowler: four brief spells on each day seem highly likely. McGrath tends to be used differently, getting a lot of overs in whilst the ball is hard and then just chipping in the odd 4/5-over spell in subsequent sessions (with the timing adjusted in order to ensure he's fresh enough for an effort with the second new ball as and when it comes around).

Expecting 35-38 overs a day from this pair (between them) is NOT excessive... and it's not as if that workload would go down if they had Watson around: they are likely to bowl that much come what may! Allow Warne 33 per day... and that's 68-71 of a possible 90 - and that's before factoring in the odd over from an occasional bowler before lunch or tea!

Watson alongside three seamers might make some sense if the Aussies had somelike Batty as their frontline spinner.. or if their senior seamers were seriously unreliable... but that's not the case!

[John]

McGrath 18 overs, Lee 18, Johnson 18, Warne 26, Watson 10.
Good balanced spread, keep the bowlers fresh.