Almanac Cricket – What’s your team for the First Test?

If the last round of Shield matches before the Christmas break was supposed to help the national selectors finalise their line-up for next week’s First Test, who’d be a selector? Talk about mixed messages!

 

The good news is that Usman Khawaja’s knee seems to be ok, Peter Handscomb looks in pretty good form, the enigmatic Shaun Marsh continues to score good runs and Nathan Lyon is maintaining his GOAT status. The moderately ok news is that Aaron Finch and Marcus Harris each posted one solid knock against Queensland. The bad news is that Mitch Marsh is badly underperforming.

 

We can be pretty sure that, in the Test line-up, numbers 7-11 will be Paine, Cummins, Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood. But what about the top six? Have we ever been so undersupplied, underperformed and underwhelmed? Taking past experience as a guide, here’s our guess at the likely top order: Finch, Harris, Khawaja, Handscomb, S Marsh, M Marsh. Do Indian knees tremble at the prospect?

 

What do you think? Given the squad named, what combination do you think will take the field? And, if you want to, add the team you think should take the field.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. From a northerner’s perspective, the patchy form of Renshaw is a worry as his first incarnation promised so much. He has age on his side. Joe Burns can’t be too far out of the reckoning. Michael Neser lurks. But what about the alternative all-rounders – Stoinis, Henriques? Wade as a batsman? I don’t think so! Let’s see how the Marsh boys fare – why can’t I be excited?

  2. I reckon this might be the side. Although I’d love to see Head play he’s not cemented his place, he’s used out of date Clag.

    No one banging down the door. No one in the same suburb as the door.

    Can’t recall such a discrepancy between our bowlers and our batters.

  3. Harris
    Khawaja
    S Marsh
    Handscomb
    Finch
    Head
    Paine
    Starc
    Cummins
    Lyon
    Haslewood

    This looks as good as it gets.

    Glen!

  4. Peter Warrington says

    I think we have a stellar group of quicks across the shield and this, scheduling and dodgy decks is worth 2-3 runs off the averages.

    not sure where the other 5 have gone

    bizarrely, Lynn and Maxwell are two of a small handful of guys who bat at 40+ in FC. but can’t get past the “white ball specialist” tag, while other lesser batsman – Marshes and Head and Finch – somehow tick somebody’s invisible boxes.

Leave a Comment

*