I’m not sure that hitters such as Aaron Finch, Shane Watson and Dave Warner were “made” for Test cricket, but I’ve reason they can be moulded.
It would be interesting to do a study of how they have been dismissed in all forms of cricket over the past 12 months.
In the case of Finch, I would say it is almost exclusively having a dash that brings him undone.
For Warner, it’s a mixture of getting out defending and holing out when attacking. He also appears to play late deliberately, which ensures that he plays on or edges behind a lot these days.
Watson seems to go LBW a lot, so one would suggest that he makes defensive mistakes far more than offensive ones.
Finch and Warner do not have Test class defences. Watson does, but he can be better.
It is inviting criticism to say of an Australian batsman that he should establish a defensive batting game before he rounds off his attacking game.
And Sachin, of course, would be the first to say you need both.
But getting through the early balls of an innings and establishing a calm and confident persona at the crease, while not easy, is mandatory.
You hear it every day of the cricket season: “Get in, get set, and capitalise on the loose ball.”
It is a mental state, brought on by the physical and mental delight of the first ball that comes out of the screws.
Of course the Poms pride themselves on giving you nothing loose early, meaning hitters such as Finch, Watson and Warner have a dilemma.
Either they have a confidence level that borders on egomania and they hit everything that comes at them, or they tough it out, wear the bowlers down, and then launch.
Every game is different, every pitch is different. Field settings vary, bowlers vary, and the variables weigh heavily on a batsman’s decision making.
George Bailey knows the value of the kind of ferocious attacking flair that these three men bring – and he is capable of it himself, given the right conditions.
Cricket’s magnificent challenge for these four players, and others, is to carry the controlled aggression into three forms of the game – a challenge no other bat and ball sport can offer.
The batsman who tries to emulate Sachin or the Don in a truly dedicated way will end up rich and similarly legendary.
If only he or she perseveres, loves the game and loves the contest as they did.
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