Love Copeland last season with the Duke ball. 

IMO he was best bowler I saw in the Shield last season from all states. 

With you totally grazor re the importance of balance. Cummins can play both roles.. tearaway and line and length merchant. The reason imho he is our most valuable red ball quick at the moment. Pattinson is also capable of playing both roles. But I wanna see him as the enforcer.. as I admire his mongrel and passion. CA has to bite the bullet and axe Starc for the Ashes. Haze makes the first test but there are a couple breathing down his neck so he has to nail the opener with a brace of wickets.

The Aussie A vs England Lions match is on tonite. Please someone at least provide a replay.

Just in CA has selected the players vying for an Ashes berth that will play in the Australia vs Australia A match on July 23.

Squad: Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Joe Burns, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Tim Paine, Kurtis Patterson, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

Siddle. This bloke just keeps bobbing up. Pleased to see Bancroft and Labu chosen purely on their efforts in County cricket. Alex Carey also made the cut. Not sure I agree with the Handscomb selection.

CA should think outside the box and bring in Smith and Warner against the Lions. These two have not played red ball cricket for 18 months. 

My X11 for first Ashes Test:
Warner
Bancroft
Smith
Khawaja
Pucovski
Labuchagne
Paine
Cummins
Pattinson
Hazlewood
Lyon.
Carey (12th).
Reserves: Patterson/Burns/Harris, M Marsh/Neser, Siddle/Bird/Tremain.

Play underway in Canterbury. Lions won toss.. does an Australian cricket side ever win a toss?

EL	Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, Ben Foakes (wk), Sam Northeast, James Bracey, Sam Hain, Sam Curran,Lewis Gregory (c), Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, Jamie Porter
AUS	Joe Burns, Marcus Harris, Kurtis Patterson, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (c/wk), Michael Neser, Chris Tremain, Jackson Bird,Jon Holland

Sam Hain is Aussie -born. 

Burns goes early. Aussie A 1-49 after 16.

Baggers, I believe Sam Hain was born in HK. But that he arrived in Australia very young. Then he did all his schooling in Australia and played for Australia U19s.

101 for head

he's working up his first class average slowly and he's done it by playing a LOT of cricket

I think a lot of our problems at the moment could be fixed with a longer season!

wade with a 100 as well
3/302

He is grazor.  Wade also with a ton.  Both now serious Ashes contenders. Well batted by Patterson and Harris for taking the shine off the ball for these two to plunder the Lions attack. 

Agree. Do the Poms play 10 FC games and stop there? No they play almost double that. I like the fact that some of our boys get to improve in Pommie conditions in our off season. But 12 Shield rounds would make no difference to them making the pilgrimage as the first County Championship match does not start until early April.

yes maybe 3-4 shield and 3-4 odi matches a year could make a world of difference

only comp in ok shape is t20 at the moment

I would have thought Head is a dead cert, as he was quite consistent in home Tests last Aus summer. 

wow we collapse and only add 36 this morning!

England lose 3 early as well

oz-a well on top with bird the stand out

Bird took 2- 36 off 18 overs.

Tons to Head and Wade in the Aus innings.

Tremain with the best  figures 4-70. Likely Tremain, Bird and Siddle are battling it out for the fifth pace bowling spot in our Ashes squad.

Going on the low scores must not be an easy batting deck. Wade sconed .. is in doubt for the all Aussie match.

Thanks for info quickflick. Yes Hain was born in Honkers. Same place as my wife's family. Can not find out anymore on him re Oz.

I do have a problem with the eligibility process in this country in not only cricket but other sports. I believe a sportsperson should play for the country of their birth. No if or buts. This criteria of permitting someone to play for another country because of the birthplace of their grandparents or even parents is a nonsense.

Would you say Neser is out of it? Saw some highlights of his wickets yesterday and theyre exactly the type of deliveries to be bowling on English decks

If CA is thinking an all rounder.. I wud prefer Neser over Marsh on form over past 12 months.

I know hes put better numbers with the bat recently but Neser still averages 27 in FC with the bat. But he'd be handy as a backup bowler. Especially if a Pattinson or Cummins need replacing because Neser is a lot better with the bat than Tremain, Bird or Siddle. 

To me the squad is firming as 
Harris Warner Khawaja Smith Head Labuschagne Paine Cummins Starc Pattinson/Hazlewood Lyon

WIth the other 4 being Burns, Wade, Neser/Tremain/Bird/Siddle, Holland. Only uncertainties being who the second backup bowler is and whether Wade is fit enough. But the selectors also love some smokeys.

Baggers, with respect, can I ask you to think that through? Not everybody grows up in the same country that they're born in. Lots of families emigrate when children are young

If the rule 'a sportsperson should play for the country of their birth. No ifs or buts' were followed literally, you then would have to say that Khawaja should play for Pakistan, Renshaw should play for England and Labushagne should play for South Africa.

Do you realise they were respectively born in Pakistan, the UK and South Africa? Yet they moved to Australia as children. Labushagne was ten, so you could argue he grew up half in both countries. But Renshaw and Khawaja were very small children when they came to Australia. Their memories are all of Australia. Which countries should they play for?


I'm not comfortable with it, either. I always say that your memories and experiences are uniquely yours. They are not those of your parents. But, imo, it's even worse to stop a player from representing a country just because they weren't born there. Who can remember their birth? Nobody.

For me the criteria should be - in which country did you grow up the most? Where are your childhood memories? Where did you go to school? Where did you form your childhood friendships? Where did you learn to play the sport?

That's just my opinion.