Australia Vs South Africa Test Series Discussion Thread

[pyronerd]

Watson will not go back to 6. He's a batting All-Rounder now, not a genuine AR. If he's not in the top 6 batters he shouldn't be playing me thinks.

batting at 6 is still a top 6 batsmen :P

also he is a good enough bowler to warrant playing him even if he isn't top 6 bat

[Mailman the 2nd]

He can bat and bowl. I could see him being a powerhouse like Gilchrist and number 6 If the Australian batting lineup gets consistent scores

[AFEV]

Watson will not go back to 6. He's a batting All-Rounder now, not a genuine AR. If he's not in the top 6 batters he shouldn't be playing me thinks.

batting at 6 is still a top 6 batsmen :P

also he is a good enough bowler to warrant playing him even if he isn't top 6 bat

But the problem is he doesn't bowl enough overs to get dropped down that low. I daresay he'd have the same/similar workload @ 6 as he would opening/first drop. :-X

[PowerBug]

Watson will not go back to 6. He's a batting All-Rounder now, not a genuine AR. If he's not in the top 6 batters he shouldn't be playing me thinks.

batting at 6 is still a top 6 batsmen :P

also he is a good enough bowler to warrant playing him even if he isn't top 6 bat

But the problem is he doesn't bowl enough overs to get dropped down that low. I daresay he'd have the same/similar workload @ 6 as he would opening/first drop. :-X

@pyronerd: If Watson is dropped down to No. 6 it means that he's batting alone isn't getting him in the side.

And as Sid said he doesn't bowl enough. (9 overs in the 2nd innings)

[JBs-Hawks]

I reckon Watson would be better against an older softer ball especially with warner opening. Personally I'd only ever have one of Watson/Warner in my top 3.

[BB67th]

Well a 90 odd run stand at the end there was pretty good. Fun to watch Starcy hit the ball around in the second fastest test half century by an Australian! Hopefully Sids and the Hilf can come back for the next test with Starc to stay in the team, not Johnson for Bellreive.

[tbagrocks]

I'm liking Starc more and more, and what a great innings!

[PowerBug]

I'm liking Starc more and more, and what a great innings!

Well a 90 odd run stand at the end there was pretty good. Fun to watch Starcy hit the ball around in the second fastest test half century by an Australian! Hopefully Sids and the Hilf can come back for the next test with Starc to stay in the team, not Johnson for Bellreive.

I'm not saying that either of you are being sucked in here, but don't say Starc should play because he can bat.... ;) Because if he took his wickets earlier, that 68 wouldn't have been necessary. ;)

Siddle, Hilfy, Starc, Lyon should be the lineup for Hobart in 10 days.

[BB67th]

I'm liking Starc more and more, and what a great innings!

Well a 90 odd run stand at the end there was pretty good. Fun to watch Starcy hit the ball around in the second fastest test half century by an Australian! Hopefully Sids and the Hilf can come back for the next test with Starc to stay in the team, not Johnson for Bellreive.

I'm not saying that either of you are being sucked in here, but don't say Starc should play because he can bat.... ;) Because if he took his wickets earlier, that 68 wouldn't have been necessary. ;)

Siddle, Hilfy, Starc, Lyon should be the lineup for Hobart in 10 days.

Definitely not saying he should play solely based on his batting. He was impressive with the 6 wickets he took in the second innings, and with some work and improvement on his consistency, he can become a very good bowler who is handy with the bat.

[+1King]

I'm liking Starc more and more, and what a great innings!

+1

[Tominator]

What about Mitchy? We could just keep him as the permanent 12th man cos boy oh boy can he field... Leave one of our batsmen off so they don't get injured hahah

[BB67th]

What about Mitchy? We could just keep him as the permanent 12th man cos boy oh boy can he field... Leave one of our batsmen off so they don't get injured hahah

If you want a permanent fielder, then put Steve Smith as the 12th man. He can't really bat or bowl, but boy can he field.

[Maca24]

Someone tell me how Mitch Johnson deserves to be dropped for Hobart?
In my books he is a certainty to play.

[Tominator]

I think Hilfenhaus is under a lot of pressure, its down to him, Johnson and Starc for the last two bowling spots with Siddle a certainty and Pattinson and Cummins injured... Hastings probably won't get another crack for the next series at least but him, Hazlewood, Ryan Harris and even Putland could get opportunities in the near future

Also, with life after Ponting, what about Ferguson or Klinger? The former averages 46 at ODI for Australia while the latter has been a dominant Shield player for a long time... They could be potential options if Khawaja and Hughes are kept waiting

[Cicjose]

Ferguson is more suited as a middle order batsman at 5 or 6