even if they get a poor 250 odd in the first innings we would be in with a slim chance (and probably would have batted better due to a more realistic target)

Our bats should be hanging their heads. Cummins showing them up for their inadequacy on this wicket.

Cant be too many more overs for these two to negotiate. Lyon doing a good support job too.

It is definitely an interesting strategy having your best bats in the tail. Bold move Langer

8-253 is more than enough for a 2nd innings

filthy about those dropped catches

filthy about that 1st oz innings

cummins proving this is a batting paradise even on day 4

batting by oz was awful

Those last two drives are as good as anyone has played in this game. Folks Australia has a new all rounder.

can cummins be motm if we lose/draw?

Yeh he is doing us proud.  He has put us in a position where we just may be able to draw this as rain is predicted tomorrow.  So we go to Sydney still locked together.

If I had to chose a batsman from the Australian team to bat for my life, Cummins would get the gig ahead of a lot of the top 6.

cummins now top scorer

Read what I typed. Long term. He has to start converting much more, work on his dodgy technique before he can be considered a test batsman. I would make a like for like swap for Sri Lanka with Kurtis Patterson who has a classical technique. Time he was given a chance.

Hazlewood has a very good FC record. Bell are you kidding.  Tremain replaces Starc. I still can not accept that Josh will be dropped. If he is then I want Richardson to take his place. 

Umps are playing an extra half hour.

I'd be happy with that team but keeping starc for now and having a squad rotation

oz attack bowled in a heat wave and if not for some awful catching would have kept them to 350 on a batting paradise

hard to criticize the attack this game

So you will drop Head when he outscores everyone, including Khawaja. I'll go with you on Handscomb but not to give someone with talent a fair go is unbelievable. Head is here to stay until they sort out the other real problem areas.
Openers simple, Unfortunately Warner has to come back as much as I hate to admit it. Burns has to come back, no one else has his record. The selectors have to suck it up and admit they made a mistake, It took time for Khawaja to produce in Asia, time Burns was never given.
Smith replaces S Marsh simple
Maxwell replaces M Marsh, you hate to admit it because you don't like him but it makes sense
Tremain replaces Hazlewood. Tremain has been leading wicket taker for the last 3-4 years, something Hazlewood never got close to being in his time with NSW even prior to being initially selected. Cummins and Tremain opening I would like to see that.
Strike bowler introduced initially at No 3 I think Gabe Bell or Jhye Richardson. Bell averages 21 is a young kid that can build up a career. Richardson is even younger and averages 23. 

I will keep H/Wood in our attack long term as I dont believe there is a better seamer in the country. Everyone loses form.  CA would not keep picking him if they also did not think that. I like grazor's idea of pace rotation. We have such great depth.. waste to have blokes the calibre of Jhye Richardson, Tremain and Pattinson warming their heels.

if the selectors are as dumb as warne it explains a lot

If he passes 44 he is our top scorer. 

Dude - Australia has been outplayed in Aus by an Indian team - the commentators have to say something positive about Aus cricket for the Aus viewing audience...

Cummins is all they can think of...

I suspect some of them were really believing their Aus World Class attack which has been show to be bit of a joke that the rest of the world wasn't believing after watching the going on's in England, SA and UAE...

They're proud former players - this will hurt them a bit...

No way is Head long term. His technique is as loose as a cannon. Did you not hear the 7 coms dissecting his technical flaws. Take a look at his dismissals in this series. Not once has the bowler got him. He has handed them his wicket. Other than today when he played on. He does not average @36 or so for nothing in FC cricket. Keeper/batsmen are as rare as hen's teeth. I admire Timmy for putting up his hand in a difficult time. His coach does as well.

I can not believe the improvement in one test by Pat Cummins. People were calling for his head after his mediocre second test. I among them. He is back to the sort of pace and intimidation that made him an overnite star as a teenager. Unlike in those early days he now has another gear. He can bowl accurate seam up as well anyone going round.

Is it too much to ask if Cummins can open the batting as well as opening the bowling?

He is the best disciplined batsman we have by the length of a country mile.

Shami gets Starc

Shane Warne is a lot stupider than he looks.

sorry bout that.

 Cummins performances with the willow in this series are almost all rounder status. In fact Timmy and our bowlers are pretty much scoring as many runs as our so called specialists. How embarrassed does that make you useless lot feel?

I never called Steve O'Keefe an all rounder.

Regardless of who may or may not make the side, my hat is off to Kholi and his team. They came into the match with a plan, a plan that had everyone questioning the pitch, calling it a batsman paradise which it never was. They knew Australia would struggle to score 600 runs (doesn't matter who you put in the side including Smith and Warner). They learnt from their mistakes from the first innings 1st test where they chased wide deliveries and gave their wickets away. They played patiently against poor bowling that never attacked the stumps, and declared at 7/450 (Australia couldn't bowl them out with their stupid plan of playing to Kholi's ego of chasing deliveries which he didn't.) Their bowlers simply made the batsmen play shots by aiming at the wickets and so far 8 lbw and bowled, compared to Australia who got 3, 2 bowled by Cummins and 1 by Lyons. They outplayed us in all aspects of the game including captaincy and that is why they are No1 in the world. That is why we will still be No5 regardless if we win the 4th test. 

If fingers are to be pointed it is the same finger that is always pointed over the last year against SA and India ie the Openers, Marsh Bros, Hazlewood and Starc. If you want to be better cast aside all not just one or 2 and hope. IMO there are 6 positions up for grabs, not just 1 or 2. Head is our leading run scorer, he is fine, Khawaja is inconsistent but fine, Paine is a reluctant captain and is only captain because of stupidity, as a keeper batsmen is fine. Cummins is head and shoulders above the others, though I thought he was injured for the first 2 tests but he is great now. He and Lyons are the only players currently IMO that deserve their millions per year.

CA never seems to learn.

Agar was unable to play Shield as he was warming benches in foreign climes. That was the point I am making. He is a contracted player yet is not playing any format.

You are being generous calling SOK an all rounder. Agar has more talent in one finger that SOK has has in his entire body.

If our batsmen fought as hard as our bowlers do then we might not be losing this test match