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Should Jordan Silk be considered for the Ashes?

6th November, 2013
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Tasmania's Jordan Silk. (AAP image/Rob Blakers)
Expert
6th November, 2013
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Jordan Silk yesterday registered his third Shield ton in just his fifth match, scoring 107 against Queensland.

It is a remarkable feat, which is all the more stunning in an era of Australian cricket in which a Shield batting average in the 30s is sufficient to earn Test selection.

Tasmania’s 21-year-old opener is in the infancy of his career.

But the dazzling start, which has seen him score 454 Shield runs at 50 since debuting in March, is particularly noteworthy in light of the country’s deplorable Test batting stocks.

The Australian cricketing community is frantic to unearth a young batsman who can flourish despite the rigours of the longest form of the game.

In an environment of such desperation, every decent innings posted by a blossoming player is heralded as a sign they may just be The One.

For a while, Phil Hughes was The One. For a briefer period, Usman Khawaja was The One.

Then the mantle was taken by Shaun Marsh who, after a brilliant maiden Test ton, swiftly became The One who couldn’t hit the ball off the square.

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More recently, New South Wales dasher Nic Maddinson has been offered up as a potential saviour.

The 21-year-old is unmistakably gifted. He showcased his powerful batsmanship on the recent Australia A tours of Europe and Africa, churning out 528 runs at 75, including two belligerent tons, while scoring at the astounding strike rate of 109.

Silk does not thrill spectators in the same manner as the cavalier Maddinson, who is yet to find an appropriate balance between defence and attack.

Silk is old school. He leaves balls pitched in the corridor of uncertainty. He defends deliveries worthy of respect. He makes the bowler come to him and then despatches them when they stray into his scoring zones.

It is a method of batting which has served many Test openers well.

The greatest opener of the current era, England’s Alastair Cook, operates in a similar fashion.

As does Australian veteran Chris Rogers, who has used it to score more than 20,000 first-class runs despite not being the most naturally-gifted player.

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This hardnosed, humble and patient batsmanship manifestly has been absent from the Australian line-up in recent years.

Too often the Aussie batsmen seek to immediately assert their authority over the opposition attack when they arrive at the crease.

Rarely have they been prepared to shelve their egos and graft while the bowlers are on top, as English batsman Ian Bell did to great effect in the recent Ashes.

This does not appear to be a problem for Silk.

He is content to bat time and clearly has a voracious desire to remain in the middle, regardless of whether or not he is scoring at a decent pace or in an attractive manner.

At the lunch break yesterday, Silk was on 29 from 103 balls, having thwarted the disciplined Queensland attack.

His final 50 runs came from just 80 balls as he enjoyed the fruits of his labour.

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What made Silk’s ton yesterday even more commendable was that it was a redemptive display following his horror outing in Tasmania’s Shield opener against NSW last week.

In that game, he bagged a pair, caught behind off the bowling of Doug Bollinger in the first dig and trapped in front by Test tweaker Nathan Lyon in the second innings.

It was a timely reminder for the prodigy that first-class cricket is an unforgiving environment.

To immediately bounce back in the way he did yesterday offered further evidence of his admirable mental strength.

While Silk only debuted eight months ago he has shown enough in that time to suggest he is better equipped for success at first-class level than any other Australian batsman aged under 25.

What to do with him then? David Warner appears locked in to partner Chris Rogers in the first Ashes Test after appeasing the selectors with three tons in the space of eight days in the Ryobi Cup, albeit on flat decks at a tiny ground.

Should Warner falter in this series, as he did in the last Ashes and on the Indian tour which preceded it, there will be a temptation to blood Silk alongside the calm veteran Rogers.

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While some players take their game to a new level when offered a chance to compete in Tests, there is little doubt taking such a big step after a mere handful of first-class games is fraught with danger.

It seems logical Silk would benefit from completing his first full season of Shield cricket followed by a solid stint in English county competition before being considered for a baggy green.

India’s weak pace battery would offer a gentle introduction to Tests next summer (should he earn such a privilege), as opposed to the frightening prospect of debuting against England’s skilful and vastly-experienced attack amid the blinding hype of an Ashes series.

Then again, maybe the kid will show in the coming weeks he is patently prepared for such a challenge.

Or maybe in a few months he’ll just be another young batsman failing to live up to the title of being The One.

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