Australian selectors have picked the following 12 man squad for the First Test of the 2009/2010 Summer of Cricket against the West Indies at the Gabba starting November 26.
Stuart Clark is the big omission - being left out despite his success on Australian soil - with NSW teammate Doug Bollinger preferred for the Gabba Test Squad.
The Likely Test Lineup from the 12 man squad is:
Shane Watson
Simon Katich
Ricky Ponting (c)
Michael Clarke
Michael Hussey
Marcus North
Brad Haddin
Mitchell Johnson
Nathan Hauritz
Peter Siddle
Ben Hilfenhaus
Doug Bollinger (Likely 12th Man)
When the Australian selectors pick a side do they actually consider the value of a bowler who can bowl line and length?
One of the big reasons we didn't struggle mightily post-McGrath was the Stuart Clark factor... but how quickly the selectors forget what is vital to the makeup of a bowling attack.
Clark may win a reprieve if Peter Siddle fails to recover from a side strain but his Test Career now looks in serious doubt.
Which is a shame because he remains Australia's best Test Match bowler... who can't get a start in a Test Match.
2009/2010 Summer of Cricket:
Australia host West Indies & Pakistan.
After a hectic international schedule overseas in 2009, the Australian Cricket Team will host 6 Tests and what seems like a million one day games from November to February.
The 2009 Test Tours saw Australia lose the Ashes once again on English soil 2-1 (that's two on the trot 2005 & 2009) but defeat South Africa in South Africa 2-1. The 2009 One Day International schedule yielded another Champions Trophy title (beating New Zealand in the Final and going undefeated in the tournament), a near clean sweep in England 6-1, beat Pakistan 3-2 in the UAE, a 3-2 loss in South Africa, defeated Scotland in a one-off game and finally rallied from 2-1 down in the Best of Seven in India to claim the series 4-2 (with 1 game washed out).
As for Twenty20 Cricket... spare me. It's fun to watch but means absolutely nothing on an international status scale.
All in all - the sting of losing the Ashes casts a major shadow over what the Australians accomplished away from home shores in 2009 and the significance of losing the little urn once again should be driving the Australians throughout the summer.
Sure a Champions Trophy, a Test Series win in South Africa and a upset win in the One Day Series against India is great - but the Ashes and the World Cup are the two events on the calendar Australia strive to win above everything else, and we lost one of them.
The 2009/2010 Australian Summer of Cricket Schedule:
West Indies in Australia
<> First Test: Australia v West Indies
Nov 26-30 @ Gabba, Brisbane. <> Second Test: Australia v West Indies
Dec 4-8 @ Adelaide Oval, Adelaide <> Third Test: Australia v West Indies
Dec 16-20 @ WACA, Perth <> One Day Series
Game 1: Sun Feb 7 @ MCG, Game 2: Tue Feb 9 @ Adelaide Oval, Game 3: Fri Feb 12 @ SCG, Game 4: Sun Feb 14 @ Gabba, Game 5: Fri Feb 19 @ MCG. <> Twenty20 Series
Game 1: Sun Feb 21 @ Bellerive Oval, Game 2: Tue Feb 23 @ SCG.
Pakistan in Australia <> First Test: Australia v Pakistan
Dec 26-30 @ MCG, Melbourne <> Second Test: Australia v Pakistan
Jan 3-7 @ SCG, Sydney <> Third Test: Australia v Pakistan
Jan 14-18 @ Bellerive Oval, Hobart <> One Day Series
Game 1: Fri Jan 22 @ Gabba, Game 2: Sun Jan 24 @ SCG, Game 3: Tue Jan 26 @ Adelaide Oval, Game 4: Fri Jan 29 @ WACA, Game 5: Sun Jan 31 @ WACA. <> Twenty20 Series
Game 1: Fri Feb 5 @ MCG.
All in all that's 19 Games of Cricket and up to 43 days of cricket from November 26 until February 23.
I'm not about to say we play too much cricket over summer - because if you're going to play lots of cricket make sure it is on Australian soil and during summer; but the saddest part of this glut of cricket is that both Test Series are only three games and the One Day Series is not a Triangular Tournament. As for the Twenty20s - as I said before - who cares?
Australia's Test Squad will likely be made up of the following 16 players: Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke (vc), Simon Katich Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Phillip Hughes, Brad Haddin (wk), Andrew McDonald, Nathan Hauritz, Jason Krejza, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger.
There is one true bolter for a Test Spot if injuries hit hard: Steven Smith from NSW.
Smith is a right arm leg-spinner who can bat.
Rather than the Cameron White variety of right arm leg spinner who can bat but cannot bowl. Plus he won't be 21 until midway through 2010, so he's certainly one to keep an eye on if given an opportunity this summer.
Brett Lee may also come into Test calculations but he re-injured his elbow on the weekend in a Domestic One Day Game and has to be considered a long shot for the any Tests this summer.
As for the One Day Squad - look for Steven Smith to definitely get a run at some stage and for Travis Birt to be the bolter as Brad Haddin's backup if Tim Paine isn't fit.
All in all the Summer of Cricket for 2009/2010 should be a green and gold one. The West Indies look very light on bowling options entering the Test Series (although they may be a real threat in the One Dayers), while the Pakistani's bring their enigmatic sensibility to both forms of the game - one day they could be world beaters and non-factors the next.
There is some great news however from the broadcast booth with the doyen of cricket - Richie Benaud agreeing to stay on our screens in Australia for another three seasons.
The only downside is that he will be irregular member of the commentary box and unfortunately that means more and more of Mark Nicholas...
Still some Richie is better than none at all!
Who are your bolters for the Australian Test & One Day Teams?
Will Australia dominate the Summer of Cricket in 2009/2010?
Australia defeat England 46-16 in Four Nations Final at Elland Road, Leeds on November 14, 2009.
For the past two seasons since Darren Lockyer had his knee reconstructed, some sections of the media and a fickle fan base have been telling anyone who would listen that the Australian, Queensland and Brisbane captain was past it.
They said he was "too fragile, too slow" and "no longer capable of being the dominant player" we saw since his 1995 debut.
But how quickly we forget what makes champions, champions.
Lockyer produced another superb performance in a big game, leading the Australian Kangaroos to an emphatic 46-16 victory in the 2009 Four Nations Final against England.
The game was evenly poised with 25 minutes to go, Australia up 18-16 after Billy Slater scored his first try of the match but then Lockyer instigated a final quarter that produced some breathtaking rugby league. The try he set up for Billy Slater when he was jonny-on-the-spot in support, should tell people he's far from finished. The fact he also set up at least three other tries might also be a good indicator too... and his team won the game.
The English had deserved their 16-14 lead when lock forward Sam Burgess scored his second try of the match from a fine Gareth Ellis short ball, but when Lockyer decided the game was there to be won, he combined with Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and Billy Slater to obliterate the English defence in the last 20 minutes.
Slater ended with a hat-trick, Thurston picked his spots as well as he has all year, Lockyer had four try assists, Cameron Smith was everywhere around the ruck, Nathan Hindmarsh proved once again he should be in every rep team picked, starting props Petero Civoniceva and Ben Hannant showed how good they were as the Australian bench offered nothing when they were replaced, Jarryd Hayne got more involved as we hoped, Brett Morris put his hand up as the best finishing winger in the country, Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis did their job well and Greg Inglis was making his case for the title of the game's best player with another HUGE play when his team needed it.
As good as England played in the opening 60 minutes (Burgess, Ellis and Peacock were outstanding), Australia were better. And in that flurry of try after try to end the game - they showed everyone what is possible when the best players in the world turn it on.
Sam Burgess will be a success in the NRL - injury free we hope. And what this game told us was the more English players who back themselves to come over to Australia to test themselves the better for the international game. Gareth Ellis will be even better in 2010 and looked excellent during the Four Nations, while we can only lament the lack of Jamie Peacock on our shores in the past decade. And it was great to see Adrian Morley again - what a great player he is.
Lockyer now enters a new two-year contract with the Brisbane Broncos. He said in the press conference that his gut tells him he won't be back in England in Australian colours again but he refused to say he was done with representative Rugby League. One thing this performance showed us all is that Lockyer - at his best - is still a champion player.
Everyone wanted to tell Andrew Johns he was almost done before the 2006 NRL Season and he produced arguably his finest regular season in the twilight of his career - only a fool would say Lockyer isn't capable of doing the same with Brisbane in 2010.
2009 FOUR NATIONS FINAL @ Elland Road, Leeds. 14th November 2009.
When the Australian selectors pick a side do they actually consider the value of a bowler who can bowl line and length?
