Pressure and expectation: selectors feeling the heat

Perspective finds me shortly after I’m convinced by a fellow fanatic that Matthew Hayden was right to call it quits on his illustrious career.

As sentiment is overcome by logic it appears obvious that as Australian cricket supporters we no longer accept mediocrity: we demand success, expect victory and the high standard of performance we have become accustomed to.

The pressure and expectation from the sporting public is greater than ever on the struggling Australian side which begs the question, why is there not the same expectation on our national selectors?

For so long the selectors previously chaired by Trevor Hohns were given an almost free ride because of the dominance of the Australian side. A period that extended over a decade has seen very few tough decisions required as the team almost picked itself.

Batsmen with supreme ability rarely stayed out of form for long and our attack contained two of the all-time greats in Shane Warne and Glen McGrath. Not only have recent retirements proved how significant these players were in Australia’s finest team since Bradman’s Invincibles, they have highlighted the seemingly ad hoc and unprepared nature of our selectors.

The recent decisions from Andrew Hilditch, Merv Hughes and Jamie Cox have showed a complete lack of planning, have been indecisive and confusing to say the least.

Picking Cameron White for the Indian tour as Bryce McGain’s replacement still has me bemused, the decision to then select him ahead of Jason Kreija and ask him to play as a frontline spinner against some of the best batsmen the world has seen, is bewildering. While he is a fine cricketer he is simply not up to the standard that a five-day battle requires.

Fast forward two months and at home things continued in a similar direction, dropping Kreija after only one home Test and replacing him with Nathan Hauritz shows incompetence beyond doubt. Hauritz, a steady and consistent off-spinner, is never going to embarrass the sacred baggy green cap but he doesn’t exactly spark fear in the opposition. He will never turn the ball enough to claim a haul of wickets or clean up the tail and thus should remain in first-class cricket, where the toilers belong.

The all-rounder debate also continues to frustrate many fans as Hilditch and his fellow selectors insist on finding an Adnrew Flintoff-type player who can bat in the top six and provide more than just a part-time bowling option. Picking an injured Andrew Symonds for the Boxing Day Test illustrated the indecisive nature of the selectors proved by their choice of Andrew McDonald as his replacement for Sydney.

The all-rounder position is something it seems is selected before the players are, if there is no player that fits the bill then why not opt for a specialist batsman, one who can provide part-time off-spin such as Adam Voges, Brad Hodge or David Hussey.

If such a player had been selected for the dead rubber in Sydney then Hauritz could have been omitted leaving both Ben Hilfenhaus and debutant Doug Bollinger to stake their claim for the South African tour.

The next decision on the horizon will be to choose Hayden’s replacement and again the attention of the sporting public will demand clear direction from our selectors.

David Warner’s explosion at the MCG in the first Twenty20 match and Shaun Marsh’s resistance in the opening weekend of one-day internationals proves there is talent in our ranks, talent with youthful confidence, enthusiasm and a truck load of ability.

The selectors must define goals for the future: the Ashes, the Twenty20 World Cup and build the team accordingly, they must back the youth and keep us at the top of world cricket where every fanatic feels we belong.

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