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Selectors messing with winning formula ahead of South African tour

Tasmania are only playing for pride when they take on the New South Wales Blues in the Sheffield Shield. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)
Roar Rookie
22nd January, 2014
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Recently crowned One Day International player of the year and current T20 captain, George Bailey, has been axed from the Test squad to South Africa in a somewhat surprising move by Australian selectors.

Despite scoring only 183 runs at an average of 26 in the Ashes, dropping Bailey from an Australian team that won so convincingly is an unusual move by selectors.

Even more so when you take into account the unimpressive first-class seasons of his replacements, Shaun Marsh and Alex Doolan.

Doolan has scored a mediocre 391 runs at 39 with one century in the Sheffield Shield*, coming in at number 17 on the run scorer’s table. Marsh has fared even worse with only 248 runs at an average of 31, which begs the question, why were they selected?

Marsh has scored consecutive half-centuries in the one-dayers against England but facing the likes of Steyn, Morkel and Philander in a Test match is an entirely different prospect to batting against England’s out-of-form pace attack on batsman-friendly wickets.

Doolan has been around the Test setup for a while but his recent form pales into comparison against the likes of Phil Hughes, Cameron White and Marcus North.

Hughes can count himself particularly unlucky.

The plucky left-hander has made 549 Shield runs at 61, with a double ton and two other centuries, this season after being dropped during the UK Ashes.

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Hughes may look unfashionable but he continues to pile on the runs – the 25-year-old has already made over 8000 in his first-class career.

The main concern for the Australian team after Bailey’s axing is potentially upsetting the balance of the line-up. Marsh and Doolan are both top-order players, so including one may mean moving Shane Watson down to number six, a position he is not as comfortable in.

Another option for selectors is to select James Faulkner as an allrounder at the number seven position and move Brad Haddin up to six. This is a feasible option given both men’s recent batting form but weakening the batting line-up against the world’s best attack may be a foolish move.

Tinkering with a winning team ahead of the toughest assignment in world cricket is a strange move by the selection panel and could cost the Aussies a tilt at the number one Test ranking.

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