Mitchell Johnson may have to wait, says Arthur
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Australian coach Mickey Arthur says Pat Cummins is an exciting young talent and experienced paceman Mitchell Johnson might have to wait his turn to regain his place in the side.
Cummins and 30-year-old Johnson broke down with foot injuries during Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in November and have been recalled to the national squad for the one-day tour of Ireland and England in June-July.
The inconsistent Johnson is a former ICC player of the year, but Cummins is the team’s real excitement machine according to Arthur.
Cummins took seven wickets in his Test debut in Johannesburg as an 18-year-old in November.
“The player I am most excited about though is Pat Cummins,” Arthur told Cricket Australia’s website on Tuesday.
“We all saw what he could do in his one-and-only Test match and to have him back in the mix is fantastic.
“He has the ability to become one of the best in the world. He and ‘Patto’ (fellow quick James Pattinson) will take a huge amount out of this tour.
“We hope they both will be firing this time next year when we go to England to claim the Ashes back and drawing on the experience of touring the UK before will certainly give them an edge.
“Mitchell Johnson returns as well and we can’t wait to have him back around the group.
“He may have to wait his turn, though, as we are taking such a talented group of bowlers on the tour with us.”
Young legspinning allrounder Steve Smith has also been recalled to the one-day side.
“He is a talented cricketer who has the ability to do all three disciplines well. He will get an opportunity on this tour and let’s hope that he grasps it with both hands,” Arthur said.
Arthur has given another vote of confidence to ex-skipper Ricky Ponting, saying a stable batting lineup is crucial.
The 37-year-old averaged only 24.33 on the recent West Indies Test tour.
Openers Ed Cowan and David Warner also averaged under 30 against Test cricket’s seventh-ranked side.
“I am very happy with where our Test team is headed,” Arthur said.
“Continuity in selection and role clarity is so important in creating team culture and I know that all players now know where and how they fit in.
“We have a settled top six now and, together, this unit has played seven Test matches.
“Yes, we would have liked more runs from all of them but conditions were tough and I think we saw enough growth in technique and temperament to be excited.”
Third-ranked Australia host second-ranked South Africa in a Test series in November.
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The Crowd Says (9) | Page 1 of Comments
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May 16th 2012 @ 3:44am
peeeko said | May 16th 2012 @ 3:44am | Report comment
i certainly hope he doesnt make it back. great on his day but too inconsistent. our young bowlers have been great in his absence
May 16th 2012 @ 10:21am
Disco said | May 16th 2012 @ 10:21am | Report comment
Arthur also expressed support for Australia’s Test batting line up. “I am very happy with where our Test team is headed. Continuity in selection and role clarity is so important in creating team culture and I know that all players now know where and how they fit in,” he said. “We have a settled top six now and, together, this unit has played seven Test matches.”
May 16th 2012 @ 11:03am
Pope Paul VII said | May 16th 2012 @ 11:03am | Report comment
Well that is just great. Why has this man been given so much power? Team culture? What about team liklihood of surviving a fast bowling lead onslaught, which they haven’t in 2005, 2009, 2010/11against England and barely did against SA in 2011?
No wonder he wants as many fast bowlers he can lay his hands on.
May 16th 2012 @ 3:24pm
Disco said | May 16th 2012 @ 3:24pm | Report comment
Didn’t you know ‘team culture’ can overcome inability to survive a moving ball?
PS: Don’t forget how many new batsman Arthur ushered into the South African team on a regular basis: Duminy and… um… Oh, yeah, not even Duminy really.
Speaking of SA’s top six, Smith, Kallis, De Villiers and Amla, and maybe even Petersen, would walk into Australia’s team.
May 16th 2012 @ 3:57pm
Dubble Bubble said | May 16th 2012 @ 3:57pm | Report comment
I seriously hope Johnson is made to prove his worth by performing in shield and taking wickets regularly outside the W.A.C.A. He needs to force his way back in rather than get picked on performances of 3 years ago.
May 16th 2012 @ 4:48pm
Pope Paul VII said | May 16th 2012 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
Ah silly me Disco.
Interestingly JP recently scored his first ton since his Australian epic.
The SA top six do appear to have ours covered but they have a bit of a habit of failing to hang in long enough and at least we have a few seemingly decent fast bowlers hanging about. However, still think SAs speedsters are better placed to annihilated the Settled Six of “Team Culture”.
It would be great if Johnners came good but there’s a fair few in the queue.
May 16th 2012 @ 6:27pm
Winston said | May 16th 2012 @ 6:27pm | Report comment
I think we have to give Arthurs some credit. What else is he supposed to say to the public? That Johnson is crap and definitely out? It’s very sensible to him to say he has to wait for his turn which, based on the performance of our current bowlers, may well mean never.
As to the batting, everyone’s said what they want to say. At the end of the day, the team is still winning and there aren’t any youngsters banging the door down, so I’m not sure what else he can do under these circumstances.
May 17th 2012 @ 2:10pm
Disco said | May 17th 2012 @ 2:10pm | Report comment
Arthur picks and chooses who he speaks about in the media. Bet he’s just itching to talk up Shaun Marsh at the first opportunity.
May 16th 2012 @ 7:26pm
Rhys said | May 16th 2012 @ 7:26pm | Report comment
To paraphrase McCartney – ‘We’re so sorry Uncle Arthur, we’re so sorry but you haven’t got a clue, at all’.