- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Has Alex Doolan done enough to stay at first drop in the Australian Test side? Or will all-rounder Glenn Maxwell displace him for the October Tests against Pakistan?
The decision could be heavily influenced by a pair of low-profile performances – Doolan’s 91 not-out for Australia A against India on Wednesday, and Maxwell’s blitzkrieg against Pakistan superstar Saeed Ajmal in a first-class English county match last month.
Doolan looked at risk of batting himself out of the Test XI in the recent Australia A series against India A, labouring to a combined 30 from 89 balls across his first two knocks on docile decks in Brisbane.
It was such stilted strokeplay which had prompted criticism of the Tasmanian during his debut Test series against South Africa early this year.
Batting in an unfamiliar role as opener, Doolan rebounded by compiling a neat 91 not-out on Wednesday in the second innings of the second match against India A. It was a crucial knock for the compact batsman, as it may well have been his last first-class match before the two-Test tour of the UAE against Pakistan.
Given he is not in the squad for Australia A’s second round of first-class matches against South Africa A next month, Doolan could ill afford to sign off without making a notable score.
The 28-year-old was serviceable in his thee Tests against the Proteas away from home. While he typically looked composed against South Africa’s champion pace attack, he did not quite do enough to secure a vice-grip on his spot.
His 186 runs at 31 was close to a par effort for a rookie number three batsman facing the fearsome South Africans in their backyard. He was circumspect, showcased a wide variety of strokes and, most importantly, looked well suited to negating quality Test quicks.
Doolan gave the impression that he could be a good foil for the many free-scoring strokeplayers in the Australian order. He also seemed to have a game tailored to encountering canny English pacemen Stuart Broad and James Anderson in British conditions during next year’s pivotal Ashes rematch.
If Australia are to win an Ashes series in England for the first time in 14 years they must avoid the loss of early wickets which plagued them on their last tour there. Doolan could be the man to help them achieve such a goal. But the Australian selectors have shown they can be fickle when it comes to backing in green batsmen.
Queensland’s Usman Khawaja can attest to that, having been dropped three times within his brief nine-Test career.
To prove himself, Doolan deserves longer than a three-Test series against the world’s most-vaunted pace attack in their home conditions. But he faces a robust challenge to keep his spot from emerging all-rounder Maxwell. The selectors clearly rate the 25-year-old Victorian.
In March last year, Maxwell was handed what some cricket observers considered to be an unwarranted Test debut against India at Hyderabad.
His two appearances in the baggy green were unremarkable. He looked flighty with the bat and did not show the respect the Indian tweakers deserved. His off-spin, meanwhile, was frequently loose and regularly dispatched by the wristy Indian batsmen.
What Maxwell did show is that he is a genuine wicket taker. He snared seven wickets at a strike rate of 35 across those two matches due, in part, to his willingness to flight and rip his deliveries.
Should Maxwell improve his control, he can develop into an attacking fifth bowling option. It is his ability with the ball which could vault him back into the Test team at the expense of Doolan against Pakistan.
Given the success of slow bowlers in recent Tests on the typically dry decks in the UAE, the selectors will consider fielding a second specialist spinner to complement Nathan Lyon. Who that would be is anyone’s guess, although on merit NSW left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe would be the obvious selection.
But the selectors may not want to depart from the recently-successful formula of fielding three frontline quicks alongside Lyon. If that is the case then there would be a strong temptation to include Maxwell to bat at six and offer an attacking second spin option.
Such a move would likely see Doolan dropped and fellow all-rounder Shane Watson shifted back down to the number three spot where he has prospered in the past.
Although Maxwell fared poorly against the Indian slow bowlers in his debut Test series, he has shown at limited overs level that he is a canny and inventive player of spin.
A one-off first-class county appearance last month will also have enhanced his chances. Playing for Hampshire against Worcestershire, Maxwell took apart the world’s best spinner and the man who poses the biggest threat to Australia in October – Saeed Ajmal.
Across two innings, Maxwell scored 109 runs from as many balls. He was particularly savage on Ajmal, who has been running amok on county decks with 63 wickets at 16 this season.
The young Australian clouted him for 64 runs from 53 balls for the match, including 10 fours and three sixes. Ajmal dismissed Maxwell in the first dig but undoubtedly was the loser in their enthralling contest across the match.
Unlike most batsmen in world cricket, Maxwell is not awed by facing Ajmal. He showed this in the T20 World Cup, immediately attacking the off-spinner and smashing him for 12 runs off five balls amid a frenzied innings of 74 from 33 balls.
In both innings of the aforementioned county match, Maxwell dispatched to the boundary the first delivery he faced from Ajmal. In fact, in the second innings he lathered four boundaries from Ajmal’s first over against him.
This lack of fear, combined with UAE decks expected to suit his bowling, could propel Maxwell back into the Test side. That would be terribly unfortunate for Doolan but an understandable move by the selectors.