Selectors have confirmed that Beer will play and Smith will bat 6. Oh dear.

Selectors have confirmed that Beer will play and Smith will bat 6. Oh dear.

Fucking LOL. Andrew Strauss just took a wicket against Victoria :lol:

He's conceded 51 off 4 overs though :lol:

He's conceded 51 off 4 overs though :lol:

The truth about my beef with Ian Botham: Ian Chappell

Ian Chappell From: Sunday Herald Sun December 12, 2010

IAN Botham and fairytales are synonymous, like Hans Christian Anderson and children's books.
If he's not telling them, then someone else is writing them about him.

The most recent one about our altercation in the Channel 9 compound at the Adelaide Oval is written by a guy at the London Daily Mail, who is well versed in fairytales.

He regularly writes them for a living in his muck-raking column.

What actually happened was a verbal exchange between Botham and myself. There was no physical confrontation.

If blame for the incident is being apportioned, it's about 50-50.

Our verbal altercations over the years have generally taken the same route; I either make reference to his long-distance relationship with the truth or an uncomplimentary remark about his intelligence.

His response only varies, depending on his mood, to the preface he uses to the four-letter word women hate.

Having seen the way it has been blown out of all proportion this time I'm hoping it doesn't happen again.

The only way to put an end to the fairytales is if we have absolutely no contact, which will suit me perfectly.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/the-ashes/the-truth-about-my-beef-with-botham/story-fn67w6pa-1225969481439

[size=6]Brad Hodges slams selectors for giving away famous baggy greens for free[/size]

Victoria batsman Brad Hodge has accused Australia selectors of giving away baggy green caps "for free" and blasted them for talking a load of rubbish.

In a blistering attack on Andrew Hilditch and his selection panel, Hodge said he was glad to have played his six Tests in a great Australia cricket era rather than now, when almost anyone gets a cap.

"I'd rather have achieved what I did among that group of players in that era than achieving it now when it seems, in my mind, that they're giving caps away for free," Hodge said.

Hodge, who was dropped two weeks after scoring a Test double century against South Africa in 2005, said he could not understand how 36 players had worn the baggy green cap in the past four years.

The selection merry go-round has included one-Test players Beau Casson, Clint McKay, Peter George, Bryce McGain and Chris Rogers, as well as left-field and short-term selections such as Xavier Doherty, Andrew McDonald and Jason Krejza.

"The amount of guys filtering through after the legends have disappeared is amazing," Hodge said.

"If I'd have had that luxury, it would have been nice. But I'd rather play in the era that I did."

In Inside Cricket magazine, which is out on Wednesday, Hodge criticises selectors for their lack of communication.

"Often in cricket you never actually find the truth," the 35-year-old said.

"What you find is a load of rubbish ... token lines to make people feel good about themselves."

Since January 2005, there have been 27 Test caps handed out by selectors but debutants often receive only a match or two to prove themselves.

The number of spinners Australia have tried after Shane Warne will reach 10 if Michael Beer makes his Test debut in Perth on Thursday.

It seems just about every first-class cricketer is within reach of a Test call-up.

And that makes it harder for Hodge to understand why selectors persisted with Mike Hussey and Marcus North for so long, until North was dumped for the Perth Ashes Test.

"It makes you feel annoyed," said Hodge, now retired from first-class cricket.

"You give a guy 10 innings, he's going to get a hundred. It's the law of averages. If you get enough shots, you'll eventually score some runs.

"In terms of the current selections, I'm not sure what people are seeing, why they're seeing something special when they watch those innings. I don't get that.

"It is a relief that I won't be trying to please other people to get to the highest level and make runs. I've made them.

"If the selectors didn't like it five or six years ago when I'm making thousands and thousands of runs, well it's not good enough now, is it?

"I mean I can't score any more runs because that's what I've done for a decade."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/the-ashes/six-test-australia-cricketer-brad-hodges-slams-selectors-for-giving-away-famous-baggy-greens-for-free/story-e6frf3gl-1225970674469?from=public_rss

I didn't realise there was a cricket thread on this forum!

One can possibly blame the selectors for not changing the team earlier, but the veterans were performing at the time.

It is not the fault of the cricket selectors that there is a dearth of talented players, batters anyway, in the 22-28 year old age bracket.

One difficult call was Tim Payne and Brad Haddin. Payne is already a better keeper, but Haddin is the superior batsman. Payne also has leadership qualities and is the right age for generational change. He probably wouldn't have had Haddin's success with the bat in the first two tests, but he would have been better behind the stumps.

[size=6]Tasmania's Tim Paine on trial as potential Test captain after being named skipper of Prime Minister's XI[/size]

Tim Paine will go on trial as a potential Test skipper after being named captain of the Prime Minister's XI.

The PM's XI will host England at Canberra's Manuka Oval on Monday January 10.

Tasmania wicketkeeper Paine has played 24 one-day internationals and is recovering from a broken finger suffered in an exhibition game at the Gabba in November.

Paine made his Test debut against Pakistan in England in July.

The baby-faced Paine is the heir to 33-year-old Test gloveman Brad Haddin's throne in a couple of seasons and has also won praise for his leadership potential.

"Tim Paine has shown he is capable of playing at the highest level but we want to test his fitness after surgery on his broken finger and we are keen to see how he leads a team from behind the stumps," chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said on Tuesday.



The focus on Paine's leadership abilities could become more urgent in the next few months if Australia's poor form in the Ashes series continues and Ricky Ponting loses the captaincy.

Test vice-captain Michael Clarke is the obvious candidate with few other alternatives on the horizon.

Shane Watson's name has been thrown up as a possible leader, although his heavy workload with bat and ball could be an issue in the future if he takes on a formal leadership role.

New South Wales pair Watson and Clarke are 29, while Paine is only 26.

Other potential candidates, Mike Hussey and the injured Simon Katich, are 35.

Paine said it was an honour to captain the PM's XI team.

"I've enjoyed the past couple of years as vice-captain for the Tigers and I look forward to the extra responsibility of leading this team against England in January," Paine said.

"Having Callum Ferguson alongside me as vice-captain will be great as we've grown up playing against and with each other at different times.

"We have a pretty talented team together with a lot of players who have played international cricket or who have been around the Australia team set-up so that experience should definitely hold us in good stead.

"With the World Cup just around the corner, this opportunity will provide everyone in the team another chance to impress selectors and push their case for a spot in the final squad to go to the subcontinent so there will be plenty of reasons to do well."

In-form pair Dan Christian and Usman Khawaja as well as dumped Test spinner Xavier Doherty are among those winning selection for the match which shapes as a key selection trial for back-up roles in the team before the World Cup squad of 15 is nominated on January 19.

Veteran paceman and World Cup hopeful Brett Lee will also play for the PM's XI.

Australia's seven-match one-day series against England starts on January 16 at the MCG and ends on February 6 in Perth, before Ricky Ponting's men head to India for their World Cup title defence.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/the-ashes/tasmania-wicketkeeper-tim-paine-on-trial-as-potential-test-captain-after-being-named-skipper-of-prime-ministers-xi/story-e6frf3gl-1225971102065?from=public_rss

I may be biased, but Matthew Wade deserves to be close. Best batsman of the lot, and a good keeper to boot.

Wade is a Tasmanian who moved to Victoria because he was unlikely to dislodge Paine.

From Michael Vaughn's Twitter.