That's an impressive looking NSW side, I think they'd give a number of international teams a tough time of it.

Anyway I've just read through this thread, a few players have been suggested but there's not much of a squad formed yet. Who do people think are the guys that HAVE to be included?

I'd suggest Pomersbach and Cameron White in terms of batting have to be there, bowling wise Siddle and Bollinger look like musts (based on their bowlign averages this year if nothing else).

Excellent analysis, acker.

This doesn't stop us discussing the other eligible players though, and using my previous post on this matter, and editing accordingly:


Personally, I'd be tempted to go for:

Openers: Broad + AN Other
Middle Order: Marsh, Bailey, Pomersbach, White
Keeper: Ronchi + AN Other
Spinners: Casson + AN Other
Seamers: Bollinger, Magoffin, Siddle, Watson

With Cameron White to lead the side.

A star performance in the final, though, could unseat a couple of the players. McDonald could easily unseat Siddle if one had a good and the other had a bad game.

I'll have a crack now too after looking at the stats over lunch.

openers: Broad and Hughes (doesn't seem to be anyone else)
middle order: Pomersbach, White, Voges, Bailey, Marsh
keepers: Ronchi and ??
spinners: Casson and Cullen
seamers: bollinger, siddle, harris, magoffin

Might be a good opportunity to start discussing the merits of the contenders specific to their role in the squad here are the opening batter contenders.

Due to the Australian domestic competition opening poisitions being dominated by elder statesmen this year Langer & Rogers (WA) Elliott & various (SA) Di Venuto & Dighton (Tas) Jewell (Vic) and Jaques (NSW)

I am sorry to say in my eyes there are not many A-Team eligiable players sticking their hand up with exeption to the following 2. So I have added Marsh, Birt, Ferguson and Forrest who have batted 3 at various stages at the bottom of the page.

Player..............M......I.......NO.....Runs.... ..HS......Avge.....100..50
RA Broad...........9.....16......0.......528......107.....33.00.....1.....2
PJ Hughes.........6.....10......3.......437........73.....62.42.....0.....6
CJ Ferguson......8.....16......1.......498.........83....33.20......0.....5
SE Marsh..........8.....15......4.......663.......166*...60.27.....1.....5
TR Birt............10.....20......2.......565........77.....31.38.....0.....4
PJ Forrest.........8.....15......1.......430.......177.....30.71.....1.....1

I'm not convinced that Hughes, with his very limited experience and lack of a first-class hundred is the way to go. I'm happy to go with Broad, based as much on the Queensland vs Victoria game as anything, but at least he's shown he can do the job and succeed. Hughes record gives us very little to go on, and in my opinion should have to wait to see if he can do the same job next season.

We may have to force Marsh up to open; but based on his cricinfo profile, he's an out and out middle order bat...

Broad is a funny one Andy

He had a great start (his first match) and a great finish (last match) and a prolonged lean streak the 7 in the middle.

But a couple of those possibly had some extenuating circumstances, as it has been a very wet summer on the East coast of Australia and I think Queensland's state team copped the worst of rain interupted matches.

But having said that there is a distinct difference between Hughes and Marsh averaging 30 runs more than the others, and I know there was at least one occasion Marsh came in early after Langer fell for 2 runs opening.

I would just find it hard later on possibly having an opener averaging in the low 30's in the squad while the selectors cut a player averaging around 50.

Please discuss.

Marsh should be in the team, but Hughes' average isn't real! He averages 60+, but hasn't scored a century. Plus, we can't see if this season is representative of his skills, because this is his first season. I've nothing against stealing a march and selecting a guy when he's very young, but only when I have no doubts; and at the moment I have doubts that (a) He can sustain that average for any length of time and (b) Whether he can score hundreds.

I think I'd rather have Broad + Marsh than Broad + Hughes.

Treat Hughes' average as 43 if you like. Even if he didn't score a century, he did still score six fifties in only ten innings, which is amazingly consistent (although, as you say, it is his first season). Let's just hope that he manages a cenury in the final, for our peace of mind!

Marsh had a lot of success as an opener in the T20s (leading runscorer across all states) and some briefly as an opener in the FR Cup, but showed plenty of patience as a no. 3 in the Pura Cup, and that quality already exists in one of our openers, Broad. I think there's more balance in the opening pair of Broad and Hughes (the patient right-hander + the aggressive left-hander) than there is in Broad and Marsh (another patient batsman). Plus, I don't like to mix with a successful formula. Marsh did well as a no. 3, and IMO that's where he should stay.

Alternatively, I think Broad's partner Moller had an injury which cut short his season- he averaged 32 in his four games. If we're giving Siddle credit for his injury, we could do the same for Moller maybe?

Regarding the other 'keeper, I nominate Hartley, with Jason Krezja as the other spinner. I saw him at the WACA on Sunday and he hardly bowled a bad ball the entire first hour. Cullen, despite all the hype about him, hasn't been more than a middling State bowler since his first season, which is what I think his entire reputation's based on.

Is there anyone better suited to number 3 than Marsh, if there is perhaps Marsh should be the other opener. However if he's the strongest candidate at three I'd be hesitant to move him up the order. I feel it's better to have the best candidate at each position thna just fitting the best players in where we can.

Would you rather pick a player who hit a triple century in one match and sub 50 scores all through the rest of the season (with a correspondingly low median score).... or a guy who was so consistent that his median score was up above 50 despite no centuries?

I've no idea what Hughes' median score is... but what you've said suggests a figure that even early-career Tresco would have envied (Tresco being a player who sustained an impressive average without routinely converting to three figures for a VERY long time).

Consistency of getting starts is no bad thing in an opener... and I'd take that over big-scoring.... but there IS a proviso: the consistency needs to be of seeing off the new ball and building good starts rather than of cameos - routinely scoring 30-40 quick runs before one's partner as even established himself at the crease is no where near as useful as routinely scoring 20-30 whilst seeing through a session of play and protecting the middle order from the new ball!