By baggygreenmania - 9 Jan 2019 1:36 PM
Australia squad for first Test against Sri Lanka: Tim Paine (c/wk), Josh Hazlewood (vc), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
Sections of this squad will now form the nucleus of our Ashes squad. Marsh brothers gone. Finch gone. Paine retains the captaincy. Brave selections with the addition of Renshaw and Pucovski. Reckon they must had one eye on Renshaw's short England County stint last year in which he scored 3 red ball centuries.. with a view to picking him for the Ashes. It certainly is not due to his 2018/19 Shield returns. Starc and Hazlewood survive. Again without Smith we lack that solid middle order.
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By baggygreenmania - 25 Jan 2019 10:58 AM
+x+x+xYou want a time batter like Patterson no lower than #4. Pressure well and truly on Burns with Pucovski and Renshaw breathing down his throat.. Warner is probably the biggest threat to Burns' spot in the team, it might be that it is a battle between Burns and Harris to partner Warner for the Ashes, rightly or wrongly. Only if Burns and Harris fail against Sri Lanka could I see Renshaw playing the first test of Ashes and even then he needs to find some form.
I would say Warner is the biggest threat to Harris and Burns. These two have to absolutely smash down the door in the next two tests to ward off the slugger. I still want Renshaw over both Burns and Harris. Should he miss the next test Renners only for an Ashes berth is the remaining four Shield games.
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