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In the worst selection call on a spin bowler since Nathan Lyon was bizarrely left out of the first two matches of the 2013 Ashes, Cameron Boyce has been left out of the World T20 squad.
I know Adam Zampa is a good bowler. I know he was impressive in New Zealand, and he’ll likely do a decent job in India. This article isn’t a criticism of him.
Both Zampa and Boyce should have been picked for the World T20. After all, the more spin the better – many politicians could tell you that.
That both of them weren’t picked means that rather than Australia having a bowling attack moulded around the best of what is available, there is an inappropriately rigid template of what an Australian bowling attack should consist of, which doesn’t include two leg spinners.
More cricket:
» There’s method in the selection madness
» Aussie rookies face litmus Tests in New Zealand
» Have the Australian selectors at last got it right for the T20 World Cup?
» Nevill the shock inclusion as Australia announce World T20 squad
» The Liebke Ratings: New Zealand vs Australia third ODI
» Watch: New Zealand retain Chappell-Hadlee Trophy amid controversy
» Scorecard: New Zealand vs Australia third ODI
However, if the selectors only thought one leg-spinner was appropriate for the World T20, Boyce’s performances for Australia in T20 cricket meant he had to be picked.
He and Shane Watson were about the only good Australian bowlers in the T20 series against India. In the last match, Boyce’s two wickets were Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of the best white-ball players in the world, and he should also have had Suresh Raina.
I thought that performance made him a lay down misere for India. Clearly I was wrong.
What is cause for concern is that in abandoning Boyce, the selectors have ignored the idea that a well-performing incumbent should be retained in front of impressive potential replacement.
What makes that abandonment so surprising is that the last few times the problem has come up, the selectors went the other way. While this went against Shaun Marsh at Test level because the selectors retained Joe Burns, it gave him another ODI match in front of Usman Khawaja. Khawaja’s inclusion may have been belated, but at least weight of past performance was enough to give Marsh a last chance – and that’s no bad thing. Better one match too many than one match too few.
A major potential reason Zampa leapfrogged Boyce, apart from his performances in New Zealand, may have to do with their performances in the BBL05. While Zampa took only one more wicket, his economy rate of 7.10 easily eclipsed Boyce’s 8.37. Incidentally, Boyce only goes for 6.60 in international T20 matches.
It raises the question of how much the BBL and other such competitions, as opposed to international T20 cricket, should influence a perception of a T20 player.
So what do you think Roarers? Boyce, Zampa or both?
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