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It’s almost a Test-by-Test discussion among cricket writers and the public pundits these days, should Shane Watson be dropped?
There are two trains of thought.
Watson hasn’t done enough to retain his all-round place in the side, or it’s time for the new generation to be blooded.
Let’s kill off the second suggestion. The most important Test is the next Test – the future can wait especially as the baggy greens are a Test down against the Old Enemy.
Start tampering with the side, and the Australians will be two-down with three to play. That’s Russian roulette selecting.
And while there are very valid reasons considering the lack of Watson’s consistency with 21 digs in Ashes Tests in England for 12 leg-before, six caught and three bowled, there are other factors worth keeping in mind.
Firstly, there’s no standout replacement, with the Marsh brothers Shaun and Mitchell at the top of the list.
Shaun (32) is a leftie who has batted anywhere from opening to number five averaging 35.79 from 14 Tests, but doesn’t bowl.
Mitchell (23) played four Tests last year.
The first two were against Pakistan in the Emirates averaging 41, and two at home against India averaging 32.7. But in his medium pacers in those four Tests he bowled 61 overs, taking 1-164.
So replacing Watson with either Marsh would be a fingers-crossed decision.
And there’s another vital factor that must be fed into the selection mix. Watson is a first slip expert with Michael Clarke at second, and Steve Smith at third.
Take Watson out of the cordon, and there’s a dramatic change. With Clarke and Smith each moving in one, and who takes over third slip? The cordon is vital, and if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it.
Selection discussion over Brad Haddin’s keeping and batting is also gaining momentum.
Sure he spilled Joe Root on the dive before he had scored, and he went on to a superb 134 – that hurt badly. But Haddin also took a smart catch at the stumps to dismiss Stuart Broad in the first dig, and three more catches in the second.
It’s a lack of runs that has the knockers on the hunt, with Peter Nevill being the obvious choice to take over.
That he will at the end of this tour, when Haddin is expected to pull up stumps. But in the meantime, better the devil you know – and that’s Brad Haddin.
The second Test starts at Lord’s on Thursday, and as Clarke said at the media conference after the 169-run defeat at Cardiff, “we got a bit of a kick in the backside”.
Bit of?
When Clarke lost the toss, England were 3-43 and should have been 4-43 with Roots’ dismissal. From that point on, however, Australia were never again in the hunt.
They were totally outplayed.
So let’s go into Lord’s with the same team, and have a non-panicked review after that.