Is it time to rest the Australian selectors?

Brent says:

12:59pm | 07/01/13

ODI’s are still the most watched form of cricket in the country, they get the highest ratings… but the team is terrible, even if you are going for actually winning the game or setting the team up for the future they haven’t done that. They picked a mixture of test prospects and cricketers who think 5-6 overs is an innings. It’s a disaster

Clint says:

02:21pm | 07/01/13

I agree with Bear. Do we even need 20/20 cricket? Its so boring and pointless.

Gregnor says:

02:32pm | 07/01/13

More than rest them, it’s high time to retire some, if not all of them.

DJ says:

02:58pm | 07/01/13

@Penbo - watch some state cricket aand you will realise they have picked some great young talent. Warner needs a rest after 6 tests, Hussey was going to miss these ODI’s to get ready for India and England, now he is retiring may as well blood someone new.

Finch should be all the excitement you need this series, good to see him getting a go. Out of the test team Clarke is injured Watson is injured, Wade needs a break, Cowan is not an ODI player.

To those complaining aboput Quinney if he had made more than 9 runs in 3 digs he might still be there. Ferguson was close but blew his knee out and hasn’t done a lot since despite batting on the easiest pitch in the country.

Ted says:

02:58pm | 07/01/13

I thought there was a review of CA and those so called experts who use the armchairs and drink the whiskey, amazing how quiet its been.  They charge like wounded bulls to get into the ground and expect us to watch second rate players - what a bloody joke and very much in keeping with the direction of the game at the moment.  The game needs some contemporary thinking in the form of Lehmann and co. and it desperately needs to rid itself of the oh so obvious parochial approach by certain TV and sporting identities.

Female Cricket Lover says:

03:49pm | 07/01/13

The subject of “resting"bowlers is an interesting one. This year’s calendar is so full it’s rather absurd and the toll on fast bowlers especially is going to be immense. However, when a quick bowler is in form, greats such as D.K Lillee believe that continuing to play is the best method to avoid breakdown or injury because the muscles used in their run-up and action are kept at peak performance. Resting, often at the behest of sports scientists or physios allow those muscles to lose condition and therefore he believes making injury more likely when the return to the pitch. It makes sense, to me and he should know.

As for ODIs, they mostly are the least inspiring form of the game. I will watch 20/20 for entertainment, however it isn’t cricket.That is a Test Match. Get rid of ODIs but keep the shortest form for those who enjoy slogging - next year though, cos I’m going to be in Edgebaston to cheer us on against the Poms in June!

PS. Dunno Penbo. Loved the animated crowd in Sydney re Mr Cricket (Hussey)but as for the most ever? I recall the MCG crowd I was in going similarly nuts when Warney played his last match.

Michael says:

03:55pm | 07/01/13

It’s a bit disingenuous to say that only 3 of the Test team have been selected, when 4 of the team are considered specialist Test players (or only just made it into the side through rotation).  Of the remaining 7, one is battling a hamstring injury and two others are considered so vital to the upcoming India and England series that they have been given a rest for a week.

I agree that Hussey could have, and probably should have, been included.  Apart from the sentiment surrounding his retirement, he will not be needing a rest for upcoming series and he also provides a good deal of experience to a ‘new look’ side.  Perhaps the selectors are thinking that bringing in Brad Haddin will provide some experience (though I’m doubtful of the value his ‘experience’ will provide, if his recent efforts at digging the Sixers into a hole and letting the rest of the batting order try to clean up the mess is any indication).

Perhaps the selectors are thinking that Aaron Finch’s 309 runs at a strike rate of 128 in the Big Bash will provide some entertainment.  Or that people will want to see Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja, who are set to be long-term members of the Test side, making their ODI debuts (both being in good recent form).  Or that David Hussey will have some interest, prior to the India squad being named.  Or Mitchell Starc, who has been raved about all summer - he’s suddenly not worth watching?

I find it amusing that formats are now not worthwhile unless they have Test players involved.  I guess this backs up what I’ve been saying about Twenty20 for a while, though.

Jeff says:

05:14pm | 07/01/13

It’s only for the first 2 games. The rest of the series will be back to full strength. A little bit of an over-reaction methinks. And who knows? Maybe we’ll see some new blood that will outperform and rocket into our everyday vocabulary, the same way Warner did.

stephen says:

05:24pm | 07/01/13

Shane Warne’s behaviour during the latest Twenty/20 should announce its death-knell, once and for all.
And it is that stupid game which is killing One/dayers, which is still exciting - especially the day/nighters - because it still has a semblance of proper cricketing technique.
Twenty/20 is like tennis without the net, boxing without the count, and cycling with finish lines that are closer for the weaker riders.

43 degrees Celsius says:

05:35pm | 07/01/13

Australia’s One Day team and Twenty 20 Teams will easily defeat Sri Lanka and West Indies regardless of who is in the team.

Anna says:

05:37pm | 07/01/13

Not picking both of these players is an absolute travesty. Hussey is in amazing form and people would have flocked to games as a chance to farewell him and pay tribute to his career. Warner is a crowd puller in all forms. This move by the selectors is senseless.

43 degrees celsius says:

05:44pm | 07/01/13

the Australian women’s cricket team would defeat West Indies and Sr Lanka !!

Those two international teams, West Indies and Sri Lanka , are not even up to Sheffield Shield level !

waynevan says:

06:04pm | 07/01/13

Have they really, as people have been saying, ended Hussey’s career? Isn’t the team they’ve picked only for the 1st 2 ODI’s against SL? There’s 3 more to come and 5 against the Windies he’ll be picked for.

Paul says:

06:22pm | 07/01/13

20/20 Cricket ... staged for those who can’t concentrate on the game of cricket for more than 3 hours.
What a FARCE of a game it is!!

jack gilbert says:

09:36am | 08/01/13

the game is stale, no one cares anymore the crowds are down in test cricket just boring, the big bash also has had small crowds, they are all overpaid and not one of them including the presenters have done a hard days work in there lives
and for channel nine to promote slatts to the football show is a disgrace

Harquebus says:

11:46am | 08/01/13

We should rest spectator sport period. It’s only useful purpose is to provide emotional stimulation to brain dead morons.

M.G says:

01:34pm | 08/01/13

Oh Harquebus, Im so glad you’ve taken the time out of your precious day to tell all of us mere philistines and ‘brain dead morons’ that our interest in sport is shamefully misguided. What does thou suggest we devote our time to instead good sir? We, the working class and uneducated, desperately need your superior intellect and cultural knowledge to guide us out of these dark times…...Help us!!!! .......I was going to mention the fact that you yourself are reading an article about australian test cricket selection (and so obviously have an interest in ‘spectator sport’) but I wont, because that would be facetious…..