Now is the time for Henriques to shine
Columnist By Luke Doherty, 18 Oct 2012 Luke Doherty is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Australian Cricket, Cricket, Moises Henriques, Shane Watson, Sheffield Shield, Twenty20 Champions League
The Sydney Sixers' Moises Henriques. AAP Image/Tony McDonough
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October 31 will mark three years to the day since Moises Henriques made his debut for Australia. It was a one-day match against India in Delhi and he faced 17 balls before being bowled by Ravindra Jadeja for 12.
Well before that day he had picked up the unenviable tag of ‘the next big thing’ in Australian cricket.
Expectations on ‘the next big thing’ often exceed the reality of the player’s situation, and few live up to the hype straight away.
In the intervening period they’re hit with insults ranging from ‘not good enough’ to ‘uncommitted’.
Henriques is now 25, and although he’s no longer ‘the next big thing’, he could finally be the right thing.
The all-rounder has played two Sheffield Shield matches for New South Wales so far this season and is averaging 289.
He has also sent down 33 overs, taking seven wickets for 107 runs.
In his only one-day cup appearance for the Blues this season he scored 78.
Combine that with his heroics for the Sydney Sixers in the Twenty20 Champions League, where he has scored 49 not out and taken combined figures of 4 for 33, and you have a player who should be front and centre in the selectors’ minds ahead of the first test against South Africa at the GABBA on November nine.
It would take an injury to one of Australia’s middle order batsmen for him to get a start though, with Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey showing no signs of slowing down.
He could also be the perfect back-up for an overworked Shane Watson.
The selectors are desperate to nurse Watson through a hectic program ahead of the Ashes next year, but know that resting him leaves them short of a bowler.
Henriques is more than capable with the ball in hand, and if he hasn’t added to his three international appearances by the end of the summer then something has gone seriously wrong.
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October 18th 2012 @ 2:04am
Johnno said | October 18th 2012 @ 2:04am | Report comment
Gavin Robertson made the good point on tv a few days ago, that for Henriques to be picked he fist needs to get a 1000 runs and 45 wickets summer to be taken seriously to be picked. And I agree with him . Lets pick him after a consistent period of him in form not just picking him when he is in form, lets pick him after some long period of consistency. And I would not put pick Henriques until he gets a 1000 runs and a 45 wickets in a summer in 1st class shield cricket.
October 18th 2012 @ 10:06am
jameswm said | October 18th 2012 @ 10:06am | Report comment
I don’t agree. If he has a 1,000 run summer averaging 45+ in the Shield, and he takes regular and handy wickets, averaging around 25 and bowling economically, then he’s in the ball park. He doesn’t need to be the top batsman AND bowler in a season to get picked.
The other all rounder is Butterworth of course.
Primarily though Henriques needs to continue with his massive Shield batting form. Interesting point though, he’d be an almost like for like replacement if you wanted to give Watto a rest. Moises would have to bat in the middle order though – which is where Watto should be batting anyway.
October 18th 2012 @ 11:30am
Disco said | October 18th 2012 @ 11:30am | Report comment
That was my first thought – why would he need to do both? I mean, I recall that when Watson batted very well at Shield level (for Tasmania) he wasn’t bowling whatsoever.
But in my opinion the best allrounder outside of the test team is McDonald.
October 18th 2012 @ 2:28pm
jameswm said | October 18th 2012 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
With Butterworth up there too. His bowling is better than the other two (Henriques and McDonald), but they are better batsmen.
Also, McDonald is 31 now.
October 18th 2012 @ 4:02pm
Disco said | October 18th 2012 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
Butterworth’s decent, achieved much more the very hyped Faulkner, but I think McDonald is more Test quality – proved as much in 2009.
October 18th 2012 @ 7:31am
John Philipson said | October 18th 2012 @ 7:31am | Report comment
That is a great point – patience, and let him play him self into some consistent form.
October 18th 2012 @ 8:56am
jamesb said | October 18th 2012 @ 8:56am | Report comment
Henriques needs to continue his strong start to the shield season, by making it a big summer with both bat and ball.
I tend to agree with Johnno, he needs to have around the 1000 runs mark, (or at least 800 runs minimum) and around 40 odd wickets. If players want to play for Australia, they need to be knocking on the door in a strong way.
If Henriques does this, than Australia can choose him to play at 6. Allow Watson to open, and drop one of the openers if there not performing.
With Henriques at 6, he will provide the fifth bowling option, and allow Watson a break from the bowling duties. At least than, this provides a balance in the team. You have an experience player at the top of the order, and you have a player that provides a bowling option at 6.
So important for Australian cricket that Henriques continues his good form.
October 18th 2012 @ 10:08am
jameswm said | October 18th 2012 @ 10:08am | Report comment
Nah you don’t need two batting all rounders who bowl handy mediums. Pick him if he’s the next best batsman around when Huss/Punter are faltering.
October 18th 2012 @ 9:31am
josh said | October 18th 2012 @ 9:31am | Report comment
Now’s the time for a heap of contender’s to shine.
This is either pro-NSW bias or the continuation of some bizarre belief Australia needs an “all-rounder” to succeed at the international level.
Henriques bats down the order for NSW. Who would he replace in the Australian team? Is he a batsman who can bowl a bit, a true allrounder or a bowler who can bat? Why does Australia need him with Shane Watson? Granted in the limited over’s sphere its more than useful to have players who can play two roles. For tests, unless you are exceptionally good at both, odds are you aren’t going to get a gig.
October 18th 2012 @ 10:14am
jameswm said | October 18th 2012 @ 10:14am | Report comment
True, you’d think he’d have to bat higher than 7 to be considered for the Australian top 6. NSW have got it wrong with Smith. He should be batting at 6/7 and doing more bowling. Moises should bat at 4/5.
Incidentally, Clarke bats at 4 for NSW, though the Aussie selectors don’t seem to want him to bat higher than 5.
October 18th 2012 @ 10:20am
JohnB said | October 18th 2012 @ 10:20am | Report comment
If you’ve had several years of under-performance, 2 good games may indicate you’ve finally got on top of your game at the first class level – or they may just be a couple of good games that happen to have come back to back, before your performance reverts to what it has been. Here they do not indicate that Henriques is suddenly at least a tie for the 6th best batsmen or the 4th best bowler in Australia – which is what you need to be to get in the test side. You need to warrant getting in as either a batsman or a bowler, with the other discipline being a tie-breaker if there’s someone else who’s equivalent with the bat or with the ball, or a big bonus. Of course, if you can get in for both, you’re gold. On the other hand, the handy batsman, handy bowler who is neither one thing nor the other at test level generally doesn’t work out. You only have to look at the last NSW player pushed very prematurely into the test side as an all-rounder for a recent and salutary example.
Let Henriques have a good season and you can start to think about him. String 2 together and pick him for sure. Pick him in the next one day side by all means. But don’t get starstruck by a couple of good games, no matter how good.
October 18th 2012 @ 10:42am
formeropenside said | October 18th 2012 @ 10:42am | Report comment
Look, if you make 1000 runs in a summer, you are worthy to get a look in for a Test spot, irrespective how many wickets you take. And vice versa with 45+ wickets. I think you dont have to do both of those for a summer, but you do have to do one of them.
And I would also point out that after 5 years of Shield cricket, he has made just over 1600 runs at an average of 31 (and only just made his first hundred), and although he takes wickets at an average of 27, he’s taken 34 games to get 70 – about 2 per match.
He also needs to have that big year pretty soon.
October 18th 2012 @ 11:41am
Col said | October 18th 2012 @ 11:41am | Report comment
I think the general rule to picking an all-rounder in any Test team should be – Do they warrant selection as a bat and or bolwer on their own? The top shelf all-rounders in the past like Sobers, Davidson. Imran, Botham, Kallis etc would have been picked purely as a bat and purely as a bowler. Genuine All-rounders.
The next level down with the likes of Hadlee, Flintoff, Pollock, Wasim, Watson etc would have been picked as a bowler or a bat on their own. Batting All-rounders and Bowling All-rounders
Henriques wouldnt get a start as a bat in the Test team this summer, and he is nowhere near getitng a start as a bowler this summer. I think his best chance to break into the Test team in the future is as a batting all-rounder. For this to happen he obviously needs big runs, but they need to be scored batting in the top 4. He needs to warrant selection as a batsman first.
Butterworth and Hastings would be ahead of him as bowling allrounders, Marsh and Christian would be ahead of him as batting all-rounders – although getting up the order would help these blokes as well..
October 18th 2012 @ 11:47am
jameswm said | October 18th 2012 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Nah I don’t reckon Kallis would make it as a bowler. Not quite. Having said that his batting is way above all the others in that category except Sobers.
I don’t know that Henriques needs to bat as high as 4, but he certainly needs to be higher than 7. And he needs to be next in line for batting, so his bowling gives him the edge.
Agreed with everyone on here – 2 games do not make a summer. Consistent runs are needed. Same goes for Khawaja, Hughes and Cosgrove, plus Cooper, Forrest etc.
October 18th 2012 @ 11:56am
josh said | October 18th 2012 @ 11:56am | Report comment
I’d rate Keith Miller above Botham.
October 18th 2012 @ 2:51pm
JohnB said | October 18th 2012 @ 2:51pm | Report comment
Without in any way belittling what a good player he was, Davidson wouldn’t have been picked as a batsman. Kallis and maybe even Sobers would be difficult to pick as bowlers based on their figures, because they didn’t or don’t take as many wickets per test as you need a front line bowler to – arguably they might have bowled more and taken more wickets if they hadn’t been top drawer batsmen though. Arguably. Regardless, to me they’re both batting all-rounders. Keith Miller you could pick as a batsman or bowler. Imran and Botham probably also, though each was a better bowler than batsman. As you say, and I think this applies through test history, most are batting or bowling all-rounders, who would not be picked based on each discipline individually. So yes, asking someone to both score 1,000 runs and take 45 wickets in a season is a big ask. 700 and 45 or 1000 and 30 and you remain a hell of a player.
October 18th 2012 @ 3:08pm
DubbleBubble said | October 18th 2012 @ 3:08pm | Report comment
I don’t see Davidson being picked purely on his batting, or Kallis on his bowling. Even Sobers averaged in the 30′s with the ball and Botham under 40 with the bat (I know averages aren’t everything though). Imran Khan in the peak of his career could claim to be Test class in both, I don’t know of any others.
October 18th 2012 @ 5:50pm
Jason said | October 18th 2012 @ 5:50pm | Report comment
Imran was really only a Test class batsman when he was too injured to bowl.
October 18th 2012 @ 4:45pm
Timmuh said | October 18th 2012 @ 4:45pm | Report comment
I agree with your basic premise, smeone must be good enough with bat or ball – and if they are useful with the other so much the better. Very few players have been frontline bowlers and high class batsmen over their careers. Some (eg Imran, Botham) have had periods where they could be picked on either alone, but few have done so for extended periods (Sobers, Kallis and maybe Miller).
Others probably could have been good at enough at their “secondary” option had they not been so important with their first (eg Kapil Dev, Wasim).
For Tests, pick them on their batting or bowling alone, and if they can provide the other as well so much the better. Never pick an all-rounder who is not good enough in at least one category just for the sake of having an all-rounder (that is how Steven Smith gets picked years ahead of time).
For the other forms it is a bit different, the fifth bowler needs to be able to do a job and lower order batsmen aren’t expected to bat for hours on a regular basis – a bit part player who can keep it tight with the ball even if not threatening to take a wicket, and get a quick 30 can be more than useful in those games.
October 18th 2012 @ 4:50pm
Ryan O'Connell said | October 18th 2012 @ 4:50pm | Report comment
Thanks Timmuh, you just saved me a few minutes. I was about to write pretty much word-for-word what you just wrote!
Instead, I can simply whack a lazy “+1″ underneath your comment instead. I owe you a beer.
October 18th 2012 @ 11:15pm
Roy said | October 18th 2012 @ 11:15pm | Report comment
+1
October 18th 2012 @ 11:49am
Dan said | October 18th 2012 @ 11:49am | Report comment
Jameswm you know your cricket mate we seem to have very similar opinions on most cricket articles
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October 18th 2012 @ 2:31pm
jameswm said | October 18th 2012 @ 2:31pm | Report comment
Well at least I think I do!!
October 18th 2012 @ 2:40pm
rl said | October 18th 2012 @ 2:40pm | Report comment
jameswm agreed with me once on rugby too, so he must be a freakin expert!!!
October 18th 2012 @ 2:35pm
Pope Paul VII said | October 18th 2012 @ 2:35pm | Report comment
Sorry Col a nitpick. Davo would not have held a test spot on batting alone.
October 18th 2012 @ 2:44pm
Dan said | October 18th 2012 @ 2:44pm | Report comment
Hahaha great minds
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