Ricky Ponting (c)
Michael Clarke (vc)
Stuart Clark
Brad Haddin
Nathan Hauritz
Ben Hilfenhaus
Phillip Hughes
Michael Hussey
Mitchell Johnson
Simon Katich
Brett Lee
Graham Manou
Andrew McDonald
Marcus North
Peter Siddle
Shane Watson
The surprise selection is Graham Manou. After a standout season for South Australia, the South Australian captain has received the call up after 647 runs to go with 33 dismissals in the 2008-09 Australian domestic season. Whilst his career record of 3260 runs at a mere 24.51 doesn’t look great, his solid form for his state and timing has catapulted him into the squad as back up for Haddin.
Shane Watson is subject to fitness, if he recovers from a groin strain he will be fit to play and in the squad. The surprise dropping is Andrew Symonds. No one really expected it. It has been well documented how poorly he has been performing for both Queensland and Australia recently, but everybody still expected him to be selected.
Michael Hussey has been given yet another chance, despite his long trot of poor form. Surely sooner rather than later the selectors will run out of patience with him, but that time doesn’t appear soon. Who knows, perhaps he will make century after century and surprise us all.
From the squad, I would be looking for the following team.
2. Simon Katich
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Michael Hussey
5. Michael Clarke
6. Shane Watson
7. Brad Haddin
8. Mitchell Johnson
9. Brett Lee
10. Peter Siddle
11. Stuart Clark
I am a big believer of picking your best side, except under some circumstances, and in this case, I’m all for it. Whilst problems lie in our lack of quality spin bowling, while we don’t have a spinner good enough to play at test level, Clarke, Katich and Symonds/North will have to do. The only problem there is Clarke and Katich are a bit injury prone, and Katich has come out himself and said he actually doesn’t like bowling. Not encouraging words from your joint-frontline spinner heading into an Ashes series.
If Watson is not fit to bowl, then he should be replaced by North. Whilst North is probably not good enough as a pure test batsmen, neither is Watson, and if North is bowling and Watson not, North offers more to the team. However if Watson is bowling, he should earn a position.
Hussey and Clarke’s position in the batting order is debatable, but I’m not going to worry about it, Clarke has been piling on the runs batting at 5, so there is no need to change. Also Johnson and Lee could be swapped, but that’s not much to worry about.
If we get a raging turner, perhaps Hauritz should be included, with Lee or Siddle’s omission. Whilst I don’t want either to be dropped, Johnson is in red hot form, and Clark is just too good to drop, one of them has to be the one to go.
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