Pietersen is the Pommy version of Micheal Clarke. He won't be dropped.

Aus A (Off the top of my head, Bias Included)
Hughes
Rogers
Kinger
Khawaja
Dussey
Bailey
Paine (Assuming Haddin returns)
Smith
Siddle
Harris
George

Would challenge most International sides methinks.

completley forgot about Harris... been a top state cricket for awhile and had a really good stint with the team... think A should be for future devlopment so don't think Rogers or David Hussey should be in the team tbh

But yeah, fair point. Would drop Klinger too then, he's 30. In that case, Replace Klinger with Aaron Finch, Dussey with White, and Rogers...I'm not sure...

...shaun marsh in for rogers!? i don't know! can that cooper guy from south australia open?

also no love for starc, hazlewood or james pattinson in that line-up?

when was the last time an australia a team played again?

Earlier this year I think?

The ICC has approved the creation of a league-style Test Championship and redrawn the lines of one-day cricket as part of an extensive restructuring of the international game that also includes a reduced 50-over World Cup and an enlarged World Twenty20 event. The proposals - laid out by the ICC's chief executive committee last month - were approved by the board at its meeting in Dubai on Wednesday.

The Future Tours Programme (FTP) will now comprise a Test league running over four years with the top four teams at the end of each period qualifying for a play-off event. The first play-off is scheduled for 2013, the same year England are due to host the Ashes, and Lord's is the favoured venue for the final.

A one-day cricket league - mirroring the existing team rankings - will also be part of the FTP, starting in April 2011 and running over four years to culminate in the crowning of the first ODI league champion in April 2014.

The league will run separately from the World Cup, the ICC's flagship event, which has been reduced to 10 teams for the 2015 tournament. The 2011 World Cup, to be held in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, will include 14 countries and run from February 19 to April 2. The lengthy tournament is itself a smaller version than the 2007 event, which was widely criticised for including 16 sides and taking too long.

A 10-team tournament effectively makes it much harder for any of the Associate countries to qualify (the 2011 event has four Associate teams), and the ICC has asked its governing council to examine the issue of qualification for ICC global events, as well as opportunities for Associate members to play ODIs, and make recommendations to the board.

The World Twenty20 event will be expanded to 16 teams from the 2012 tournament, due to be staged in Sri Lanka. The success of smaller nations like Netherlands and Afghanistan in Twenty20 cricket prompted the expansion of the tournament, which will continue to have the women's event played alongside it

"Restructuring international cricket is a significant strategic challenge and one that must be dealt with," Haroon Lorgat, ICC chief executive, said. "We have now agreed in principle to exciting and far reaching proposals to tackle this important issue."

The West End Redbacks have lost their first Weet-Bix Sheffield Shield match to the New South Wales RTA Speedblitz Blues by 10 wickets today.

The Redbacks second innings total of 279 was not enough as the Blues easily chased down the six runs before the lunch break.

Aiden Blizzard's 96 was one of the highlights for the Redbacks.
It could have been much worse for the Redbacks if not for the efforts of Chris Duval and Aaron O’Brien.

Duval registered his highest first-class score, falling to Usman Khawaja for 87 while O’Brien overturned the Redbacks deficit but ran out of partners, stranded on 57 not out.

Redbacks captain Michael Klinger said he definitely would have liked to start the season better, adding that the team will look to rebound when the Redbacks host West Australia Retravision Warriors on 29 October.

“We were hoping to do a lot better than we did but unfortunately that’s the way it goes,” Klinger said. The Redbacks’ first innings of 255 was not enough as New South Wales, led by Khawaja’s man of the match innings of 214, enforced the follow-on after declaring at 6/529.

Klinger said the team will now look to bounce back in when they host the Warriors.

Shakib Stars in Historic Series Win

Scorecard

A dominant all-round performance from Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh secure a historic series win in Mirpur, their first against a top-flight opposition. Shakib's fifth ODI century rescued the home team from the depths of 44 for 3 and lifted them to a formidable 241, a target that proved nine runs too many for New Zealand, who now trail 0-3 in the series, with one game to go. Shakib then struck with the ball and, despite a valiant maiden hundred from Kane Williamson who battled through injury during the latter part of his innings, slammed the door on the visitors with three wickets to lead Bangladesh to a famous victory.

New Zealand's top order had not fired as a unit so far in the tour, and their performance in today's must-win encounter was no different. BJ Watling was trapped in front for 6 by Abdur Razzak and Brendon McCullum soon followed him to the dressing room, despite having looked good for a characteristically frenetic knock with a couple of early boundaries down the ground. Ross Taylor, who had been the pick of New Zealand's batsmen in the series, then compounded matters for his team by picking out the deep square-leg fielder in a style of dismissal that has become an all too familiar sight for his fans back home.

Shakib was quick to have spinners operating at both ends and the ploy paid dividends once more. Aaron Redmond succumbed to a straighter one from Shakib in the 17th over, before Daniel Vettori perished while attempting to increase the run rate, leaving the visitors reeling at 80 for 5.

Williamson and Grant Elliott, however, were on hand to provide some much needed stability to the New Zealand run-chase, and accumulated intelligently through the middle period to give the visitors some hope of reaching their target. Williamson was especially impressive in his approach, as he confidently negotiated the spinners who had wreaked so much havoc on his teammates throughout the series, picking up the singles and twos with relative ease and even hoisting Shakib over midwicket for consecutive sixes. Elliott, too, played his part in the recovery, feeding the strike to the well-set youngster at the other end, but fell during the batting Powerplay in the 37th over. Attempting to sweep Shakib, he managed only to top-edge it to Razzak who took an excellent catch, running backwards from square leg.

Kyle Mills came and went, trying to hit out, further denting New Zealand's hopes of a successful chase, and a hamstring injury that crippled Williamson soon after didn't help matters either. Nathan McCullum arrived at the crease with 70 to get from 10 overs but despite some lusty blows, was not able to get his side close to the asking rate. Williamson reached his hundred in the 48th over, having batted through immense discomfort for a substantial part of his innings, but when Nathan McCullum and Daryl Tuffey fell off successive deliveries chasing an unlikely 20 runs in the last 11 deliveries, New Zealand's hopes fell squarely on Williamson's shoulders. Unfortunately for the visitors, the task proved too much for the young man.

The challenge was before New Zealand when Shakib's expertly crafted 106 off 113 deliveries had set up a competitive total for Bangladesh on a slow, turning pitch. He came to the crease with his team struggling, but combined well with Imrul Kayes to take the hosts out of immediate danger. He then posted half-century stands with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah as Bangladesh recovered well. Shakib scored at around a run a ball throughout his innings, piercing the off-side field with surgical precision early on, but relying more on deft dabs and sweeps as the innings wore on in the energy-sapping Mirpur heat. The New Zealand slow bowlers were unable to cause him any trouble.

Shakib's departure with the score on 216 sparked a lower-order collapse, however, as the New Zealand seamers came back in the batting Powerplay to restrict the hosts, who at one stage threatened a total in excess of 260. Hamish Bennett, the debutant fast bowler, was especially impressive in the late overs, varying his pace and length to pick up a couple of wickets to go with his top order scalp and finish with figures of 3 for 44. Bangladesh were all out in the 49th over, but thanks to an excellent captain's knock they had scored enough to secure a famous win and spark scenes of euphoric celebration from the Mirpur crowd.

http://www.cricinfo.com/bangladesh-v-new-zealand-2010/content/current/story/481617.html

Losing a series to Bangladeshi is quite embarrasing, but it's nice to see Bangladesh beating full-member sides.

Kane Williamson is a gun! Good to have him around for another 15 years. Hamish Bennett is promising too.

Edited by thewestisland: 15/10/2010 02:17:41 PM

Really hope for New Zealands sake these 2 come through. Would be great to see New Zealand challenging the bigger sides again. Always had a soft spot for their players.

If Michael Clarke becomes Australian captain if Ricky is going to retire after the SCG test i will be that annoyed.

Pontings ego means he will have to be pushed, which is good because the longer that Clarke isn't captain of Australia the better.

Tim Southee looks good. What you guys really need is Jesse Ryder to snap his head into gear and act like a adult for once. He has bundles of talent that are going to waste.

Agreed. Ryder is the epitomy of the phrase 'fat shit'. Apparently he rebuffed the national selectors for ages before he started playing for NZ because at first he just couldn't be assed playing international cricket. Martin Guptill is another good young player coming through as well. I just hope we stop messing around with Michael Mason and Mathew Sinclair as our fringe players because they're awesome in domestic but clearly not good enough for international stuff.

Interestingly, have a look at this. I was at that game in Whangarei :lol:

More trivia, Martin Guptill only has two toes on his left foot because of an accident when he was young.


Edited by thewestisland: 15/10/2010 03:58:20 PM

My cousin actually hit his first century for the Western Warriors (WA Cricket team) against Victoria this week

Especially if England win. Would be fantastic though. Ponting being booted after being the first captain to lose the Ashes in aus since 1986.

Actually, has any Captain lost 3 Ashes series in his time? Would be interesting to find out. Deffinitely an Accolade Ponting would deserve.

Great Batsmen, average captain, although this recent bullshit i don't think wasn't his fault, like if your bowlers aren't doing the job what can you do really? I don't think he'll go, i still think he's driven to win in England

TBH, I don't mind Ponting. I think he has drawn the short straw in terms of our bowling attack and that this has heaped pressure on him.

As a batsman he is solid, as a captain he is the best option we've had since Steve Waugh retired.

as a captain he is the best option we've had since Steve Waugh retired.

The biggest mistake we have made is not making Warne captain after Waugh retired.