Baggers

It has been a hot topic of conversation in the members that Holland has been selected over the likes of Swepson for this game.

I dont like three lefties in top three. So Burns opens with either Renners or Harris. I dont want Handscomb  so Puck debuts. Labu will play and Patterson will suck eggs.

My top 6. 
Burns
Harris
Khawaja
Renshaw
Pucovski
Labuchagne. 

See how much more dangerous a wristie in Labu can be. Has the batsman guessing. Burns has another at his disposal.. Jason Sangha.

Why do we continue to pick Holland. He has been tried and proven to not be at this level. He does not create pressure nor is he a wicket taker like he is for his state.

Sri Lanka look more comfortable against our attack than our top three did against theirs.

Our attack is nagging ,without much fire apart from the odd Neser shorter ball.

I know how effective  medium fast bowlers, like Philander and Abbas, can be though.

Anyone having live stream problems?

 Meredith is in my A side to England. Tremain leads my attack. Copeland also makes my team with either Jake Winter or Dan Worrall.

He might bowl some loose balls every now and then, but surely they could have chosen one express bowler in Meredith.

This deck looks made for runs now. Our bowlers will have to be disciplined.

Already live at the game I think the batters look more comfortable in daylight against the Aussie pace attack.

I know I’m a broken record, but Tremain , Boland and Neser are slow compared to Meredith.

Theyll stick with the squad. Ive seen so many comments about how good Pucovski looked for his 23. Im expecting us to go with a top 6 Harris Renshaw Khawaja Handscomb Labuschagne Pucovski Paine

Though I dont think Pucovski is ready and Labuschagne should be remotely near the squad and his continual selection is probably stunting his options. With the squad selected and calling up Patterson the best we can get is

Harris Renshaw Khawaja Handscomb Patterson Burns Paine

But I dont like that at all with Burns out of position and maintain the best top seven we can get currently (factoring in some of the older players arent getting another chance) is

Burns Harris Khawaja Patterson Maxwell Wade Paine

State of play going into the second day sees Australia with a competitive score on the board..thanks to the composure of Kurtis Patterson and Jake Doran.  CA will not be happy that all four Test prospects failed to get over 25. So what is the Saker game plan for today? Will Australia swing a ball? 

Reckon CA has egg on face not picking Patterson for the First test. Then to make matters worse they pick the squad before the actual tour /warmup game. 

But why select Patterson when you can select both the Marshes?

Have to say,  day/night cricket is great.

When I've  attended day/night FC games in Tas previously, they have been in November when it can be chilly at night.

ATM we are having unseasonably warm weather. Watching cricket at night is atmospheric.

Even though I despise BBL with a passion, day/night cricket and the pink ball are terrific for spectators.

The pink ball is easier to see in the day too.

Agree.

I hope the selectors are feeling embarrassed. Surely they have no choice but to admit they made a massive error and add Patterson to the test squad and then resign.

I've met Doran recently.

He seems like a nice young bloke.

He hung in there, then as Patterson dominated with a high strike rate, he gained confidence.

its amazing what a single centurion can do to a scorecard (let alone 2)

Well done patterson and Doran showing great concentration

Baggers

Definitely agree they should have played this game before selecting the Test side!

Also, adopting the Steve Waugh approach to short balls was mooted for Pucoski in the members yesterday.

Perfect assessment PC. Pucovski did look a class act. Sadly he does have a history of concussions in both junior and senior cricket.. So clearly the short ball is not his friend.

As he is one of our most promising batsmen he has to do something about this problem. If I was in his shoes I would be leaving or ducking any short balls. Bowlers would soon get the message and stop targeting his head. He looks to have sufficient in his batting armory to abandon the hook shot. It did no harm to Steve Waugh. 

I would be persevering with Renshaw.  Getting dropped after such an auspicious start to his Test career has obviously knocked him for six. He looked nervous before he had a chance to blossom, but unlike his mates he was dismissed by a well placed seamer.  Sangha, like Puck threw away his big chance with a mistimed hook. Burns also fell to a rash shot. What is this saying? To me it is saying our next in line cricketers should be playing red ball not bloody T20 in the Test season. CA just does not see that.

I saw lateral movement, specially from Tremain.. no discernible swing. Reckon CA has egg on face not picking Patterson for the First test. Dont you think it would have made more sense to play this match first and then select the Test side. 

I thought they were getting movement  off the pitch as they beat the bat a bit.

 I wasn't right behind the bowlers though. The former  Shield cricketers can tell what sort of ball  the bowler has bowled, from almost side on , by looking  at the shot the batter plays!

Renshaw is not the batter he was two season ago. He played and missed a number of balls before he got out too.

It is amazing that Test squad members , Renshaw, Burns and Labu, were all out for  under 10, yet Kurtis Patterson, played a superb 170 odd not out. Patterson looked in total  control in the time I saw him play.

He  isn't in the Test squad is he?

I was having a BBQ and a few drinks at my place with some other TCA  members for the lunch break,  so we missed a bit of play a in the second session.

In the time I saw him, I thought Pucovski looked a class act. He played some wonderful shots, including a magnificent  on drive.

When we returned to the cricket  he had been dismissed. One former first grade cricketer said he was so bad against the short balls, he feared for his safety when Sri Lanka tried him out with a few  bouncers.

Apparently Pucoski has already had concussion issues. At the moment though, along with Patterson today, he looks our best Test batsman, including any of the current top 6 in the Test squad. His Achilles heel is the short ball ATM though.

I missed Sanga's innings when he made 3.

I've seen a few former Test cricketers rave about one of Sanga and Pucoski, or both of them.

 

An issue that was discussed amongst TCA members was that this CA 11 team was selected for players with minimal involvement in the BBL and Aussie ODI teams.

If this is the case it infuriates me. The World Cup,  ODIs and BBL are secondary to the Aussie Test team IMO. 

This issue seems to be polarising TCA members. Those of us who despise BBL and think it is destroying the very fabric of FC and Test cricket, and, those who embrace BBL.

The traditionalists are the majority. We call BBL Mickey Mouse cricket, featuring too many  fake cricketers who aren't good enough, or don't have the stamina for FC cricket.

It has been a real blast to see an internatinal team at Bellerive. Also, I 've thoroughly  enjoyed not having the pressure of a home team, Tassie or Australia losing.

I'm back on a desk  top after limited use of an iPhone at the game, posting whilst talking with a number of mates!

I still get confused with Tremain and Boland. 

We can't work out if all Aussie pace bowlers   were beating the bat because they were bowling  well, or, the pitch and ball was doing a bit under lights?

Being partially behind Tremain and Boland in the members I can gauge the speed they were bowling. From my end, with Neser's very fast sprint at the end ot his run up, it was difficult  to gauge his speed. Has anyone seen a speed gun on the streams of the game?

I think his actio could dtaje too much out of him to bowl long spells.

Again apart from Neser, the other Aussie bowlers look like a pop gun attack compared to Tassie express bowler, Riley Meredith, who I think should be in this CA 11 team. Where is Jhye Richardson too?

The fact Sri Lanka want to use about 14 players in the game for a hit out.

0/38 at stumps. Good day for Patterson and Doran. Our actual First Test batsmen failed miserably. Renshaw was unlucky copping a beauty tho.

Without doubt. He has looked more assured than most our Test batsmen this summer.

Yet to see any pronounced swing. Do any of our three quicks actually know how to swing a ball being specialist seamers? May have made more sense to pick a couple of  swingmen for a pinkie match.