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Australian cricket is coming into an era of change and a lot of that will revolve around our batsmen.
Chris Rogers is nearing the end, the career of Shane Watson could be over anytime as a result of form and injury, while Michael Clarke is perhaps finished.
Meanwhile, the Marsh brothers have yet to prove themselves (especially Shaun) and Brad Haddin is not far off retiring.
That means there is up to four spots and a keeper available in the top seven at the moment. So who are the contenders and who are the pretenders if Australia was to make further changes to the side?
FOLLOW LIVE CRICKET SCORES OF DAY THREE BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND INDIA
I am starting today with the opening position, in an effort to replace Chris Rogers.
I have looked at the performance of the contenders in Sheffield Shield cricket over the last 18 months and have looked at their average, strike rate, conversion rates of innings into 50s and hundreds and of course age.
I’ve have come up with a list of four contenders to open the batting instead of Rogers – Marcus Stonis, Ed Cowan, Ryan Carters and Rob Quiney.
Pros
Stoinis has averaged almost 56 over the last 18 months, and is interestingly averaging over 50 without factoring in not outs (the only player to do so). Amazingly, Marcus has managed to make 50+ in 50 per cent of his innings. He is currently in great form, having scored 99, 90 and 84* in his last four matches.
Stoinis only just turned 25, giving him plenty of scope for a long career in the creams. With a strike rate of 59 he has the best of the opener contenders, and 8.3 per cent of balls he faces go for four or six, which is a better record than other opening contenders
Cons
The major cons for Stoinis are that he has only played 14 first class matches, and only has one hundred in first class cricket despite regularly reaching 50
Pros
As we know, Cowan has a bit of Test experience, with 18 matches under his belt. Since being dropped from the national side, Ed has averaged 48 in last 18 months.
A common complaint about Cowan was his slowness at the wicket, and he has clearly looked to address that. He has lifted his strike rate to 51 in last 18 months after a striking at just 41 in Tests.
Has hit five centuries in the last 18 months, really showing he can go on with making a big score. Four centuries this summer also indicate he’s in great form. It’s also indicative of his form that he plays most of his cricket on a Bellerive Oval pitch that is known to do a bit off the seam.
He also has experience in UK and India, and has a career average of over 41.
Cons
Cowan is 32, and has perhaps had his chance. He didnt’ have great success in Test cricket, averaging only 31 in his 18 matches. He was picked under former Australian coach Micky Arthur, but when Darren Lehmann came in as coach he dropped him from the side very quickly.
Pros
Carter has averaged 52 in last 18 months, and is only 24 years of age
He has demonstrated he can make big scores, making 198 against an admittedly weakened Queensland attack.
He was a wicketkeeper, and could add a real dimension for the Australian side if he kept and played in top six.
Cons
Other than the 198, Carters has struggled this year to back up a great year last year. He has a Very slow strike rate of only 44, which is comparable to Ed Cowan’s former figures. He also has racked up the lowest number of boundaries per 100 balls of all the candidates, which is reflected in his strike rate.
Pros
Quiney has averaged 47 over the last 18 months, consistently reaching over 50 (41 per cent of innings). He also adds the versatility of being able to play at three or open.
Cons
He has a similar issue to Cowan, in that he’s 32 years old and he failed in his only couple of Tests. He has a slow strike rate of only 45, reflected in the fact that he doesn’t hit many fours or sixes, and averages just 37 across his career.
So what should happen? Well, in my opinion Rogers won’t make it to the Ashes
So I would take two of these to the UK – Ed Cowan to regain his position in the team with Marcus Stonis to continue to developing and go as the third opener for the Ashes
What do you think?
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