The Good the Bad and the Ugly - Boxing Day Squad

Rewarded for two years of blistering form. Ed Cowan will replace Phillip Hughes.

I must say, when I saw the squad of 13 selected for Boxing Day, I felt in different. A bit disappointed, but somehow not surprised. It was the selectors first real test as the squad for the NZ series picked itself with all the injuries. Not sure they’ve passed their first real test, it’s line ball.


The squad is:


Michael Clarke (capt), Ed Cowan, David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon.


So, whats the Good, the Bad and the Ugly with this line up?


The Good.


Ed Cowan. Yes, it was the most obvious selection to make, twitter would have melted down if he wasn’t picked – but the selectors have picked him so full marks to them. It shows nice guys dont always finish last and weight of runs CAN force you into the team. If Cowan takes his chance, it will almost certainly guarantee Watson moving down the order when fit.


The Bad.


The axing of Usman Khawaja. Khawaja has ten years of test cricket ahead of him, hasnt looked out of depth at all in his career to date and over the last two series, while not getting a big score has out batted Ponting and Hussey who are both in the squad. Axing Khawaja is a backward step, however it’s only a matter of time before he replaces one of Ponting and or Hussey in the line up.


The Ugly.


The middle order. It’s failed us time and again over the last couple of seasons, ever since we lost the Ashes in the UK. Clarke, Hussey and Ponting are the core of that middle order and been part of all the batting collapses we’ve had. There’s been talk that the Indians attack is weak. Thats the exact talk there was before the NZ series – and how did that work out? Hussey and Ponting are just keeping the seat warm for Khawaja and a returning Shane Watson.


India will be confident whenever they have the ball that they are only one wickt away from running through the Australians and kncoking them over. NZ did it, South Africa did it and of course England did it.


With the same faces in the middle order, why will this series be any different?


The Boundary Rider,