Australia v. India. Test series.

[Donny]

"National selectors will soon pick a Test squad for Australia's highly-anticipated series against India, with an enlarged group of 17 set to make the cut because of COVID-19 protocols"

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/will-pucovski-cameron-green-australia-india-test-series-selection-copeland-marsh/2020-11-07

[Donny]

Burns (10) failed again.

Pucovski (40*) and Harris (37*) both unbeaten at lunch.

[Donny]

Pucovski just brought up his third double century, in just 22 first class matches.

For mine, the most impressive aspect of his batting is, no matter what his score is (late 40s, late 90s, late 140s etc.), he bats the same way.

[Donny]

Pucovski by numbers.

1005 – the number of minutes Pucovski had batted this season before he was dismissed on day two of Victoria’s clash with Western Australia on Monday.

That's 16 hours and 45 minutes. For context, in the same amount of time, one could watch all 10 episodes of the Netflix series The Last Dance from start to finish twice and have five minutes to heat up some popcorn in between sittings.

733 – the number of balls Pucovski has faced this season.

672 – the number of runs Pucovski and Marcus Harris have scored while opening the batting together this season. In Victoria's opening match against South Australia, the pair combined for a stand of 486, the biggest partnership in Sheffield Shield history before adding a further 186 against WA on Sunday. Remarkably, Pucovski had never opened the batting in first-class cricket before last week.

457 – the number of Marsh Sheffield Shield runs Pucovski scored between dismissals, the most since the late Dean Jones made 510 (which included his triple century under lights at the MCG during the 1994-95 season) before getting out.

Pucovski now sits among lofty company; only Jones, Bob Simpson (who made 545 runs without getting out in 1960), Sir Don Bradman (who, on separate occasions, went 517, 499 and 479 runs without being dismissed) now sit above him on the list of players to have scored more unbeaten runs.

56.06 – Pucovski's first-class batting average 22 games into his career.

46.73 – the percentage of Victoria's runs Pucovski has scored this season

8 – the number of batters to have made double hundreds in consecutive Sheffield Shield matches. Pucovski is the first this century to do it, with Tasmania’s Dene Hills the most recent player to achieve it, in 1997-98, while he is the first Victorian in close to a century to do it. Bill Ponsford, in 1927, had been the last.

The others to score double tons twice in as many games are Bradman (in '35-36), Arthur Morris ('51), Simpson ('59 and '63), Peter Burge ('63) and Jones ('91).

6 – the number of first-class centuries to Pucovski's name. Three of those - his 202 against WA, the unbeaten 255 last weekend, and his 243 against WA in October 2018 – have been double hundreds, while his maiden ton was also a big'un: 188, against Queensland in February 2018.

4 – the number of new Kookaburra balls Pucovski had seen off this season before being dismissed.

[Donny]

Cam Green also impresses, with his temperament.

Very patient, today. Just brought up his fifty, against Victoria.

[piedys]

[Donny]

Pucovski out for 38.

Brings his SS average down to 247.5, this season.

[Donny]

Harris out for 45.

Vic. 2/111. Hands 19*.

[Donny]

Vic. 2/129. Hands 26*, Maddinson 11*.

The Vics lead by 64 at lunch.

Hard to see a result in this one.

[Donny]

Justin Langer, you must be joking !!

Signalling Burns will keep his opening spot, ahead of Pucovski.

This season, Burns has a top score of 29 and an average of 11.4

Pucovski has 2 double tons and an average of 247.5

So, Warner & Burns had some good partnerships. When will Gilly and/or Punter be recalled ?

[Pies4shaw]

^ Since you mention them, I'd have either of those 2 in the team ahead of Burns. Langer cannot be serious.

[Donny]

Considering the form of Harris and Whiteman, Burns shouldn't even be in the 17.

[Donny]

Revised Test schedule.

Dec. 17. First Test. Adelaide.

Day/nighter. Starts 3 pm.

--------------------

Dec. 26. Boxing Day Test. MCG.

Starts 10.30

------------------

Jan. 7. Third Test. SCG.

Starts 10.30

---------------------

Jan. 15. Fourth Test. Gabba.

Starts 10 am. Local.

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

Burns is a hack


Pucovski must be feeling extemely stiff.

I think the selectors have a state bias too.

Can not under stand why burns got the nod hes a hack these days.

i think warner is too he not much chop these days either.

Terrible selections.

[Donny]

Australia A v India A, December 6-8, Drummoyne Oval

Australia A v Indians, December 11-13, SCG (day-night)

Australia A squad: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Jackson Bird, Alex Carey (wk), Harry Conway, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh (subject to fitness), Michael Neser, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Mark Steketee, Will Sutherland, Mitchell Swepson

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c)*, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal*, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul*, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohammed Shami*, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini*, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja*, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

* Unavailable for first tour game