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Australia's glut of batsmen bodes well for the future

18th August, 2015
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Matthew Wade has been named to tour India. Is he good enough? (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)
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18th August, 2015
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Among all the doom and gloom of the Ashes humiliation, the Australia A side gave some very good performances in their subcontinent sojourn.

They managed to win the two Test series 1-0, while were just pipped in the final of the tri-series by India A, having won all four league matches convincingly.

This is a time of Ashes gloom, however this is also a very exciting time. A new era is opening up for Aussie cricket with Steve Smith at the helm.

This is the final leg of the transition that started in 2007 with the retirements of a number of greats, and the phase has to be guided through carefully.

It is with this background that the Sheffield Shield is going to be much more important this year than it has in the recent years.

The tour of Bangladesh is the first stop. Bowling-wise, the team is in pretty good shape, with lot of fast bowling options present. The performances of Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa on the A tour were also encouraging.

It is the batting that will undergo a major revamp, but there are some good options coming through.

Just to illustrate I have picked two teams.

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Team 1
David Warner
Usman Khawaja
Joe Burns
Steve Smith
Callum Ferguson
Mitch Marsh
Peter Nevill
Four bowlers

Team 2
Cameron Bancroft
Jordan Silk
Ryan Carters
Peter Handscomb
Chris Lynn
Nic Maddinson
Matthew Wade
Four bowlers

Young batsmen like Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson and the freaky Glenn Maxwell also cross the mind but they are a few good shield seasons away from making the Test team. Thus there are 14 options for seven batting spots.

Given Warner, Smith and Mitch Marsh are part of the current squad, they should be the backbone of the new team. Khawaja and Burns, who have already donned a baggy green, are the obvious options to come in.

That leaves one spot open, and while I have a feeling Adam Voges or Shaun Marsh might get the nod for a bit of experience, I would go in with Ferguson.

Maybe, just maybe, Ed Cowan also deserves a chance again based on his recent form, while Wade could be played as an out-and-out batsman.

Whatever team is put out against Bangladesh, it is going to be one hell of a challenge for skipper Steve. However if this last transition leg is well managed, given the potency of the bowling, it may just see the baggy green back at the top of world cricket.

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