Well Paine did not keep in all the games, through out the season they switched between Paine, Clingeleffer and another keeper so his dismissals per match do look very poor but by the end of the season he was the preferred keeper. Most of the keepers are not good enough batsman excluding Haddin (NSW) and Dietz (SA) who are older than this group that is eligible. I was very impressed by Paine’s glove work when I watched him, especially in the Prime Ministers XI vs. England match where he took a legside stumping to get Mahmood out off a Cameron White 130k/ph+ fast ball. He looks like a good prospect but he did find it hard opening the batting apart from his 215 against Western Australia. 2006/07 was his first full season at First Class level so I think he will be a very good player of the future. I like to have a mix of batting and keeping, Darren Berry was named the best keeper in the world but his batting put him behind Healy and Gilchrist, which caused him to miss an Australia position.


In today’s game a keeper need to be good enough to be seen as a batsman as well as a keeper because it adds so much to the side which Gilchrist has done for a long time.

Here is my top three

1. Luke Ronchi
2. Tim Paine
3. Chris Hartley

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Bill Ponsford - The only one who could play in Bradman’s company and make it a duet.

Ah. Well that explains things somewhat; though maybe 2006/7 is a year too early for Paine. His batting average at the moment is inflated by that 215 you mentioned, but at least this shows him to be capable of scoring a double-hundred.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quagmire In today’s game a keeper need to be good enough to be seen as a batsman as well as a keeper because it adds so much to the side which Gilchrist has done for a long time.

I would tend to agree with what you've said there. You won't get in a test team these days unless you can average 30+ at test level, and even then your position will be in jeopardy unless you are knocking on the forties.

Ronchi seems to offer the best combination of batting and keeping from the available options, and I think he's probably the man to opt for out of those candidates.

Well this is now my opinion since Bracken, Hussey and Haddin are so close to the age of 30.

Chirs Jaques
Phil Rogers
Dominic Thornely
Marcus North
Adam Voges
Shane Watson
Cameron White (c)
Luke Ronchi (wk)

Mitchell Johnson
Shaun Tait
Ben Hilfenhaus

12th Man: Andrew McDonald

With Shane Watson in the side along with a part time legspinner I think that we should go with an extra batsman.

The bowling line up would look something like this

Shaun Tait
Mitchell Johnson
Ben Hilfenhaus
Shane Watson
Cameron White
Marcus North

Please continue to add switch and swap ideas so we can get closer to getting this side together.

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Bill Ponsford - The only one who could play in Bradman’s company and make it a duet.

I think we are very close Quaggy, I just want to have a think about not neccesarily vote against the 3 I have highlited and underlined above.
I definitely think your on the right track with Ronchi.

This is just my opinion but this was McDonald first good season in First class cricket.

How about we have a vote.

I vote against McDonald, and I want him in as 12th man. I'm assuming you are voting for him to be in the side so at the moment it is 1-1. Best out of Five sound good?

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Bill Ponsford - The only one who could play in Bradman’s company and make it a duet.

Personally, I'd have McDonald over Watson in the side. I just find it difficult to include Watson when he's won the World Cup and played over 60 ODIs! Surely he'd be far from impressed to be included in the WAT A side when he's pretty much a senior player. If it hadn't been for his injury over the Summer, he'd have played more than the five tests as well.

Don't get me wrong, it makes the side stronger with him in there, I just find it difficult to class him as not being a First XI player already!!

Watson looks set at one day level, but he still has the huge frame of Symonds in front of him in the test arena and I dont the Aussies will play him and Symonds in the same team.

Quaggy the only one I have slight reservation's about in your line up is Dominic Thornley reasons being age and I would like you to have a look at him compared to an earlier one of mine Luke Butterworth.
No doubt Thornley has shaded him batting this season. But Butterworth's impressive average of 19 allthough he has only had 5 outings may come into account and he is 5 years younger than Thornley.
Having said all that I think the 2 of them are fighting for the 12th man spot.
I think McDonald should go into the 11.

McDonald (currently) 2-1

McDonald is not a good enough bowler to take a bowlers spot and not a good enough batsman to take a batsman spot. Who should we drop Watson or White, depending on the result of the vote

Butterworth has only played 5 FC matches. Yes he played a great Pura Cup Final but after only 5 FC matches he cant been seen as even an option.

Maybe Butterworth will make it next season but for me he shouldnt be in the side. Unless we here more support from other members.

LUKE BUTTERWORTH - 5 Matches - Has he or has he not played enough to get into the side?

Batting
FC - 5 matches - 276 runs at 34.50, hs 106, 1x100, 1x50,
List A - 26 matches - 283 runs at 15.72, hs 44,

Bowling
FC - 5 matches - 23 wickets at 19.56, bb 4/18, Econ 2.99, 4x4wi,
List A - 26 matches - 29 wickets at 31.58, bb 3/32, Econ 5.00,

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Bill Ponsford - The only one who could play in Bradman’s company and make it a duet.

Quaggy:

I agree I go with the team as you have it.