Australia v India v Sri Lanka

[Cookie Monster]

Day's play ends with Australia 3/116.

Ponting unbeaten on 44 and Clarke on 47.

Ponting is clearly the most in form batsmen at the moment. Impossible to drop....

Him then Hussey and Cowan, Clarke is getting there which is good to see.

[Master Q]

Cowan?

[upthemaidens]

Current batsmen doing great  :)

I'm just worried Patto is going to pick up an injury like Cummins  :'(

They are only 18 and they are playing a ton of cricket...

if aussies win this match, i wouldnt be surprised if they rest patto and bring in harris.
it would be clever to manage these young quicks, especially considering they have 6 tests in 8 weeks.
so if watson comes back, whats gunna happen? marsh out? who bats at 3?

on this game i really hope aussies dont get to much and keep the match on a knife edge, it would be good if the series is still alive going to perth,,,, (from a neutrals point of view)

[ossie85]

If Marsh fails in the second inning, they'll bring back Khawaja (he's only an innings away)

And Watson will replace Warner/Cowan...

[Master Q]

Current batsmen doing great  :)

I'm just worried Patto is going to pick up an injury like Cummins  :'(

They are only 18 and they are playing a ton of cricket...

if aussies win this match, i wouldnt be surprised if they rest patto and bring in harris.
it would be clever to manage these young quicks, especially considering they have 6 tests in 8 weeks.
so if watson comes back, whats gunna happen? marsh out? who bats at 3?

on this game i really hope aussies dont get to much and keep the match on a knife edge, it would be good if the series is still alive going to perth,,,, (from a neutrals point of view)

I want Aussies to win. We have to prove Cic wrong  :P

[upthemaidens]

If Marsh fails in the second inning, they'll bring back Khawaja (he's only an innings away)

And Watson will replace Warner/Cowan...

i do want to see khawaja back in.
  what if warner and cowan both get a good fifty odd in the second innings,, then it would be hard to drop either.
also on watson im not sure if he will be back for perth by what ive read in the last few days, but at some point he will be and the tough decisions will have to be made.

[c4v3m4n]

If Marsh fails in the second inning, they'll bring back Khawaja (he's only an innings away)

And Watson will replace Warner/Cowan...

I definitely wouldn't be in favour of having two big hitters at the top of the order in Warner and Watson and somehow I don't think the selectors will allow that either. Which would mean Warner would be the unlucky one regardless of form. Unless of course they finally decide to move Watto down the order, but then who do you drop?  :-\

But yeah, when Watto is 100% match-fit, it provides the team with yet another selection dilemma. Will definitely be interesting to see what happens.

[My Chumps]

Marsh out for Watson, Ponting plays at 3, Clarke 4, Hussey 5 and Watto 6.... Simple.

[Cicjose]

Current batsmen doing great  :)

I'm just worried Patto is going to pick up an injury like Cummins  :'(

They are only 18 and they are playing a ton of cricket...

if aussies win this match, i wouldnt be surprised if they rest patto and bring in harris.
it would be clever to manage these young quicks, especially considering they have 6 tests in 8 weeks.
so if watson comes back, whats gunna happen? marsh out? who bats at 3?

on this game i really hope aussies dont get to much and keep the match on a knife edge, it would be good if the series is still alive going to perth,,,, (from a neutrals point of view)

I want Aussies to win. We have to prove Cic wrong  :P

That doesnt change the fact Ponting and Clarke look better when we are in strife than when we do well

[pyronerd]

Current batsmen doing great  :)

I'm just worried Patto is going to pick up an injury like Cummins  :'(

They are only 18 and they are playing a ton of cricket...

if aussies win this match, i wouldnt be surprised if they rest patto and bring in harris.
it would be clever to manage these young quicks, especially considering they have 6 tests in 8 weeks.
so if watson comes back, whats gunna happen? marsh out? who bats at 3?

on this game i really hope aussies dont get to much and keep the match on a knife edge, it would be good if the series is still alive going to perth,,,, (from a neutrals point of view)

I want Aussies to win. We have to prove Cic wrong  :P

That doesnt change the fact Ponting and Clarke look better when we are in strife than when we do well

Isn't it better for them to perform when the other players don't?

[Cicjose]

no because it makes them look better than what they actually are

[ossie85]

That doesnt change the fact Ponting and Clarke look better when we are in strife than when we do well

Which is a GOOD thing Cij! When the chips are down, you want people to stand and deliver. Or would have preferred Ponting and Clarke to fail today as well?

It makes them BETTER than everybody else...

[TheMailman]

the point ossie makes is right theres no way around it.

Great batsman are the ones who perform when nobody else is.

Your point doesntg make sense Cic. They look good because they are good. its not as if australia will lose its other 8 wickets for 20 runs

[Cicjose]

if for example Cowan had got 100 in this test match Ponting and Clarke would have been guaranteed to be out cheaply when they come out to bat,

if players score runs before Ponting and Clarke come to the crease they would have been walking back to the pavilion pretty quickly that has been the pattern over the last 2 years and i wouldn't have expected that to change.

[TheMailman]

So you want us to change to a team that either gets 400 or gets 100 every match?

We already have NZ doing that for us