Ben Dunk’s magnificent 229 not-out for Tasmania last weekend in the domestic 50-over comp has been recognised by the Australian selectors.
He’s been included in the Australian T20 squad to play three internationals against South Africa in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, starting November 5.
The 27-year-old keeper savaged the Queensland attack and North Sydney Oval with 15 fours and 13 sixes, that took only 150 deliveries to post the highest individual score in the 46 years of the Australian competition, leaving David Warner’s 197, and Jimmy Maher’s 191 in his wake.
It was the third highest List A score in history.
Only Surrey’s Ali Brown’s 268 off 160 deliveries in 2002 against Glamorgan, with 30 boundaries and 12 sixes, and India A’s Shikar Dhawan’s 248 off 150 deliveries last year against South Africa A, with 30 boundaries and seven sixes, have bettered Dunk.
Warner, Mitchell Johnson and Glenn Maxwell weren’t considered as they will be on Test duty against Pakistan, but James Faulkner has been selected depending on whether he’s included in that Pakistan series.
This Australian T20 side is extremely strong under the captaincy of Aaron Finch.
The return of New South Wales speedster Pat Cummins may hopefully be the start of his return to the Test arena. The 21-year-old has only played the one Test, with a man-of-the-match result.
That was in Johannesburg in November 2011, with match bowling figures of 7-117, and hitting the winning runs with an unbeaten 13 and getting Australia home by two wickets. It was a very promising career cut in its infancy, thanks to a spate of injuries.
Other T20 selections are interesting.
All-rounder Shane Watson will make his umpteenth comeback from injury, and it’s good to see the hard-hitting Victorian Cameron White included, a very dangerous batsman who is in form, and the hard-working New South Wales left-arm paceman Doug Bollinger.
The squad is as follows: Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Pat Cummins, Ben Cutting, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Nic Maddison, Nathan Reardon, Kane Richardson, Shane Watson and Cameron White.
The other selection of interest is Queensland leggie Cameron Boyce, who has tasted the international scene recently in the Emirates against Pakistan. Australian cricket has been crying out for another leg-spin bowler, since the halcyon days of Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.
It’s early days, but Boyce has the basic essentials to make the international level his domain. He’s under the watchful eye of former Australian Test off-spinner Ashley Mallett, who is high on praise for the 25-year-old.
But all eyes will be on Duck, to see if he can reproduce his heroics of North Sydney Oval. It was an extraordinary day, where all four opening batsmen scored tons – Dunk (229*) and Tim Paine (125) for Tasmania, with Usman Khawaja (166) and Chris Hartley (142) replying for Queensland.
Dunk and Paine’s opening stand of 277 broke the previous record of 253 set by Rick McCosker and John Dyson for NSW against South Australia, but the record didn’t last long.
Khawaja and Hartley rattled up 280 in reply to set the new record.
Which raises the question, why has Usman Khawaja missed out on selection again?
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