Aussie Selectors still playing the spin.

Andrew Hilditch's claim that the selectors did a good job (regardless of what type of belter he is) comes as a massive surprise to me.

To look at our selections briefly in this series:

Our incumbent spinner was dropped on the eve of the series after brandishing a career average of 32. We all know how he's been travelling on the domestic scene since the drop.

Three spinners were chosen throughout the series without showing any signs of obvious progress as spinners.  One of these spinners (Steve Smith), was also chosen to bat at #6 but was then moved down to #7 for the final test while only bowling 31 overs out of a possible 438 overs, over the course of three test matches.  That is too little bowling to take up a bowling position, but it is obvious he is not considered a top 6 batting option.  I do not understand this test selection at all. 

Seriously when you look at the test team picked for the final match of the series, the match where we had the whole series to reflect upon, and the pressure to win was no longer at a premium, on paper it's difficult to believe that Australia fielded their best six batsmen in that test. We aren't getting the best out of Watson as an opener either, it is diminishing his more than handy bowling, he should be the allrounder at #6.

And persisting with Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus, one has obviously lost it and is no longer test standard, the other is either pathetic, pathetic, tragic, awesome in Perth, rubbish again. On his form over the past 3 years, you would only pick Johnson in Perth and in South Africa, anywhere else he has bowled all over the place byes to the boundary crap.

It's all very well for Andrew Hilditch to speak about talent in his defence, but the bottom line is batsmen are supposed to score runs, bowlers are called upon to take wickets, and test players are supposed to stand up and be counted.

This series, the biggest of our home cycle, well it is plain we lost three of five tests by more than an innings - a record nadir point in over 130 years of test cricket. None of the new players this current group of selectors have picked have shown progress, this indicates poor judgement.

Absolving himself (Hilditch) of blame... just the arrogance of it, should send Cricket Australia into damage control, more so than losing the series in the manner that we have.