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Up to five spots in Australia’s squad for the Test tour against Pakistan in October could be decided during the six weeks of Australia A matches which start in Brisbane today.
Australia A have two four-day matches against both India A and South Africa A as well as seven 50-over matches in a tournament against those two sides and the Australian National Performance Squad. A four-day match begins today against India A in Brisbane.
The makeup of Australia’s expected 15-man Test squad for the tour of the UAE remains uncertain. Five of the players who were in Australia’s last Test squad, for the successful tour of South Africa, are in doubt because of injury or form.
Young quicks James Pattinson and Jackson Bird are battling for fitness yet again, and veteran spearhead Ryan Harris may not tour as he recovers from a serious knee surgery.
Meanwhile, Peter Siddle and Shaun Marsh were both dropped for the final Test of that series against South Africa after indifferent performances.
None of those five players are certainties for the tour against Pakistan. As a result there are generous opportunities on offer to those who excel for Australia A.
Mitchell Johnson is the only Aussie fast man guaranteed of touring the UAE at this stage. The leading candidates to join him will be former Test left-armer Mitchell Starc and Tasmanian pace all-rounder James Faulkner.
But it would not be a surprise to see the Australian selectors call on any of NSW strike bowler Josh Hazlewood, fast rising WA swing bowler Jason Behrendorff, aggressive Queensland seamer Ben Cutting or South Australia’s ever-reliable Chadd Sayers. All of those quicks should get a chance to push their cases for Australia A.
Australia will probably select a second specialist spinner for the tour against Pakistan and it is Queensland leggie Cameron Boyce who will likely get the first chance to impress against India A.
Steve O’Keefe is in the squad for the subsequent four-day matches against South Africa A but is battling for fitness.
On the batting front there are fewer openings. Australia’s Test top six looks settled, with Chris Rogers and David Warner opening, followed by newcomer Alex Doolan, skipper Michael Clarke, the precocious Steve Smith and all-rounder Shane Watson.
Australia may well bring only one reserve batsman in their squad, along with a secondary all-rounder, an extra specialist paceman and a second frontline spinner.
NSW opener Phil Hughes shapes as a strong candidate for the backup batting role following another stellar Sheffield Shield season.
But his ineptitude against spin during his previous stint in the Test side last year will count against him given the dusty decks expected in the UAE.
South Australian strokemaker Tom Cooper and Queensland’s Peter Forrest are also well in the frame given their eye-catching returns in the last Shield season.
But my frontrunner for the reserve batsman position would be prodigiously-gifted Queensland youngster Chris Lynn.
With Australia possessing an ageing line-up in which four of its top seven are 33 or older this year, the 23-year-old Queenslander is a pick for the future.
Lynn’s first-class record of 1869 runs at 45 is highly impressive, as was his return of 752 runs at 68 in the longest form of the game this summer.
Of course, all these predictions could be turned on their heads over the following six weeks of winter cricket.
The Australian selectors have often been swayed in the past by brief bursts of form so there is no reason a dark horse could not bolt from back in the pack thanks to some beguiling displays for Australia A.
This winter carnival will be well worth monitoring.
Australia A squads:
Four-day matches against India XI in Brisbane: James Faulkner (captain), Cameron Boyce, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Peter Forrest, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Sam Whiteman (wicketkeeper).
One day matches in Darwin and Palmerston: Cameron White (captain), Cameron Boyce, Pat Cummins, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Callum Ferguson, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Clint McKay, Peter Nevill (wicketkeeper), Kane Richardson.
Four-day matches against South Africa XI in Townsville: James Faulkner (captain), Jason Behrendorff, Tom Cooper, Ben Cutting, Callum Ferguson, Peter Forrest, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Chris Lynn, Peter Nevill (wk), Steve O’Keefe, Chadd Sayers.
The fixtures for this winter’s Australia A matches
Four-day matches (Brisbane):
July 6-9: Australia A v India A (Allan Border Field)
July 13-16: Australia A v India A (Allan Border Field)
Quadrangular One-Day Series, Darwin:
July 20: Australia A v India A (Marrara); Sth Africa A v National Performance Squad (Northline)
July 22: Aust A v National Performance Squad (Marrara); India A v Sth Africa A (Gardens Oval)
July 24: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Northline); India A v National Performance Squad (Gardens Oval)
July 26: National Performance Squad v Aust A (Marrara); Sth Africa A v India A (Gardens Oval)
July 29: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Marrara); National Performance Squad v India A (Northline)
July 31: Australia A v India A (Marrara); National Performance Squad v Sth Africa A (Gardens Oval)
Aug 2: Finals – 1 v 2 (Marrara); 3 v 4 (Gardens Oval)
Four-Day Series (Townsville):
Aug 7-10: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Tony Ireland Stadium)
Aug 14-17: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Tony Ireland Stadium)