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[alba caerulea]

What was the reason for him being dropped?

[Vic Nicholas]

Would most international batsmen prefer to face Tremlett or Bollinger? It wouldn't take a team meeting to figure that one out.

Save for one bad test in his career when he came back after injury (IPL CL related) fat and unfit against England last summer, Bollinger was bloody impressive in the tests he played.

He has never played for Oz again and even he opined on radio recently that he wonders if he upset one of the selectors or something?

The guy is an excellent left armer...deadly accurate with great seam movement, but like Hauritz, he will never play for Australia again and no one has ever been notified why.

In the IPL he is greatly respected for getting top order wickets...so to answer your question, in the opposition dressing rooms, Bolly would be just as feared as any going around.

Reminds me of Brad Hodge...a champion batsman who the selectors disliked for whatever reason.

[Vic Nicholas]

What was the reason for him being dropped?

Accoreding to the man himself - no reason was ever given.

He found out via the media that he wasn't picked in last years first Ashes test team.

They picked Doherty...then seeing the folly of that, then Beer!?!

No wonder we never stood a chance.

[Vic Nicholas]

To be honest, if I picked a batsman to slot into the England top 6, it would be either Clarke or (most likely) Hussey! I know Hussey is older but he still has the class!!

Hussey is also an A grade bat nerd!

That has to count for something!

[tim2000s]

An interesting debate that misses the important point that bowlers hunt in pairs. Who are the pairs for Australia and India?

[Number4]

An interesting debate that misses the important point that bowlers hunt in pairs. Who are the pairs for Australia and India?

Considering all fast bowlers bowled well in this test I would say they hunted in 3's

Sharma              Pattinson
Yadav        V's    Hilfenhaus
Khan                 Siddle

All Bowled quite well

[Manormanic]

The guy is an excellent left armer...deadly accurate with great seam movement, but like Hauritz, he will never play for Australia again and no one has ever been notified why.

In the IPL he is greatly respected for getting top order wickets...so to answer your question, in the opposition dressing rooms, Bolly would be just as feared as any going around.

Bollinger is an odd one, isn;t he?  Ponting was pretty clear after that debacle that he wouldn't pick a bowler who wasn't fit to bowl through an entire test, and that label has kind of stuck to him now.  Yet oddly they've been quite happy since to play Harris - great bowler but about as injury prone as anyone on earth - and Johnson, whose mental fitness is debateable at times.

That said, I'm not sure that I rate him THAT highly.  As a one day bowler, he's great - a bit of variety, bit of movement - but as a Test bowler, nope, I'm not convinced.  Perhaps thats tainted by his performance against England and when an overseas player here, but I just don't see him as a big threat kind of guy.

[bigboy]

Was mentioned before, so much easier to build pressure when you don't have a bowler (Johnson) releasing it at the other end. We are a young keeper away from heading towards number 1 again.

[Nickauger]

Was mentioned before, so much easier to build pressure when you don't have a bowler (Johnson) releasing it at the other end. We are a young keeper away from heading towards number 1 again.

I would say also 2 middle order bats lol

[bigboy]

I think Watson will fill one of those slots.

[Vic Nicholas]

Englands attack is lightyears above Australia. But I think Siddle doesnt look so bad when he doesnt have a bowler leaking 5 an over like Johnson as it doesnt take the pressure off.

Anderson is the best bowler between the two sides, and Swann is lightyears above Lyon. The biggest difference is in however the batting. If you picked a combined England/Australia batting lineup then Cook, Strauss, Trott, Pieterson, Bell would be the first 5 picked and Prior would be the keeper. Australia might get a sixth bat in there, maybe Clarke/Ponting (Who were both made to look village by england last summer).

Englands batsman when they go well score hundreds, australias batsman score 70s

Ahhh Hads!!

The man who stated with the strongest belief that "India always lift against Australia" chimes in yet again!

Your two main bowlers Anderson and Broad average more than Mitch Johnson and about the same as Peter Siddle.

Light years eh?

Pattinson, Cummins, Harris and Bollinger all average mid teens/early 20's. Pattinson and Cummins will not be able to maintain such low bowling averages, but they will never blow out to 30 plus averages like the English legends Anderson, Broad, Flintoff and Harmison who are considered the gold standard of fast bowlers around here.

Swann 28.82
Lyon 27.47

Light years ahead of Lyon? Maybe you meant to say about 9 years older than Lyon? Swann will be retired in 3 years time (maybe sooner if doesn't start taking some wickets soon) while Lyon has a decade ahead of him.

[Nickauger]

I think Watson will fill one of those slots.

Yeah true, perhaps also a spinner? You're definitely looking as though you're going in the right direction. would like to see Marsh and Warner given a good go in the side, I think both of them are very decent. Pace department looks good. i agree though, a bit difficult to look towards the future when nearly 1/3 of your team is nearing the end of their careers, although atm I believe that Hussey deserves his spot in the team. Don't know enough of Haddin's form to say whether he deserves his spot or not.

[edit] Although you say that you think Lyon will fill the spinners role? I don't know anything about him lol, is he a bit more of a prospect than Beer and Doherty?

[langer17]

Englands attack is lightyears above Australia. But I think Siddle doesnt look so bad when he doesnt have a bowler leaking 5 an over like Johnson as it doesnt take the pressure off.

Anderson is the best bowler between the two sides, and Swann is lightyears above Lyon. The biggest difference is in however the batting. If you picked a combined England/Australia batting lineup then Cook, Strauss, Trott, Pieterson, Bell would be the first 5 picked and Prior would be the keeper. Australia might get a sixth bat in there, maybe Clarke/Ponting (Who were both made to look village by england last summer).

Englands batsman when they go well score hundreds, australias batsman score 70s

From the ashes and the next series form (again'st SL - 3 man of the matches out of 3), it would easily be Hussey for Australia. He had a lean run against SA and NZ, but he looked the goods during his 89. So it would either be Hussey or Clarke.

[Vic Nicholas]

Was mentioned before, so much easier to build pressure when you don't have a bowler (Johnson) releasing it at the other end. We are a young keeper away from heading towards number 1 again.

Steady on!!!

We have the keepers.

Either Paine or Wade would do the trick - both better than the fast fading Haddin.

We will not get anywhere near #1 until we have an established and reliable top six...and we are not even close to that.

It will take about five years to bed down your Maddinsons, Lynns, Harris and Pattersons in the batting order. Three of them are still teenagers.

Enjoy the ride as it will be fun, but have patience because Rome was not built in a day and the all conquering Aussie side of the 90/200's was about five years in the making too.

[langer17]

Yeah true, perhaps also a spinner? You're definitely looking as though you're going in the right direction. would like to see Marsh and Warner given a good go in the side, I think both of them are very decent. Pace department looks good. i agree though, a bit difficult to look towards the future when nearly 1/3 of your team is nearing the end of their careers, although atm I believe that Hussey deserves his spot in the team. Don't know enough of Haddin's form to say whether he deserves his spot or not.

[edit] Although you say that you think Lyon will fill the spinners role? I don't know anything about him lol, is he a bit more of a prospect than Beer and Doherty?

In regards to Haddin - NO!

Worst thing is that he thinks he is going well and says he wants to play for a while yet. That made me laugh when I read it, hahah