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Over the past few weeks I have been reading and watching many stories on the Australian batting line-up. Time for my opinion on the current batting options in the squad for Adelaide.
Approaching the crucial second Test against the might of the South Africans, Australian selectors must get it right. With the squad they have chosen for the Test, the big decision is clearly whether Shane Watson plays as a specialist batsman.
It seems to me that he will be left out in favour of giving Rob Quiney another crack at Test level. I can understand giving Quiney this series to find his feet but I believe Watson (if fit enough to bat without causing more damage to his injury) should come into this side.
The next question is who to replace? Ed Cowan played very well in Brisbane and deserves this Australian summer against the Proteas and Sri Lanka to cement his spot. Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting will play out this summer and onward from what we have been made to believe in the media. The skipper Michael Clarke is in career form so no need to discuss his place.
That leaves Dave Warner. He is the player that should make way for Shane Watson for this Test match. Warner is no doubt an excitement machine in any form of cricket but his game is clearly suited to ODI and Twenty20 cricket.
He has made two outstanding centuries against New Zealand and India but other than that has only passed 50 once in 17 Test innings. His opponents in his career thus far are New Zealand, India and West Indies before his first Test failure against South Africa.
Warner should have put many other larger scores on the board against those bowling attacks. The Australian public no doubt find him an exciting prospect and pay money at the gate in the hope he fires. However, in my opinion, he has to go.
Watson does not convert his starts into hundreds which is a definite weakness but with the squad they currently have selected I would be picking him as his batting is more consistent than Warner in test cricket.
My top six batting order for the Adelaide squad would be: Cowan, Watson, Clarke, Ponting, Hussey and Quiney.
I would bat Clarke at number three as he is the best batsman in the team by far and should take the responsibility early on. If the top three in the order can take the shine off the ball then Ponting and Hussey will have a better chance for success at their age against a quality bowling attack.
Quiney can then bat at number six where many players over the years have been blooded over the years like Martyn and Hussey. Quiney does bat at the top of the order for Victoria but that doesn’t mean the selectors should throw him to the wolves in Test cricket.
Quiney should be eased into the middle order to hopefully help him build a healthy Test career over the next five years.
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