After the Australians had romped in by 68 runs over the Kiwis last Sunday at the SCG on the back of skipper Steve Smith’s stunning man-of-the-match 164 and a screamer of a gully catch, there were no reasons to change the side.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Selection chairman Trevor Hohns should have sent James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell, who missed selection at the SCG, off on the first plane early Monday morning to Hobart to play Sheffield Shield for Tasmania and the Vics respectively.
That game was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and if changes were needed for the third and final ODI at the MCG on Friday, Faulkner and Maxwell had four days cricket under their belts and had completed their state duties.
But what did Hohns do?
He dropped leggie Adam Zampa for last night’s Manuka ODI clash, and selected Faulkner, leaving Maxwell again watching from the grandstand when he could been playing for four days in Hobart.
So why did Hohns punt the 24-year-old Zampa when he just happens to be the most successful ODI bowler in the world in 2016?
Repeat, Zampa is the most successful ODI bowler in the world this year.
Zampa’s captured 30 wickets at 27.80 from Josh Hazlewood’s 25 at 25.36, Mitchell Starc’s 23 at 20.78, Faulkner’s 22 at 33.63, and Mitchell Marsh’s 21 at 40.28.
Roarers could well be asking why blame Hohns when he’s one of four selectors?
Obviously Mark Waugh, Greg Chappell, and Darren Lehmann didn’t all vote to send Faulkner and Maxwell to Hobart, and keep the first ODI side intact, or it would have happened.
We’ll never know the true answer, but it’s a pretty safe bet one of the three voted with Hohns and at 2-all, Hohns had the casting vote.
Let me remind Roarers what Hohns was like when he was the panel chairman for the first time from 1996 to 2006.
In that time the baggy greens set a Test record of 16 wins on the trot, and won the one-day World Cup twice in 1999 and 2003.
But look at the ammunition Hohns had to fire at opponents: Mark Taylor, Michael Slater, Matt Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Andy Bichel, and Michael Kasprowicz.
A two-year-old could stop finger-painting and select a winning side from that elite group.
But in those days Hohn was more famous for being a hatchet man, ending careers early for Slater, Taylor, Healy, and Mark Waugh, but he failed to chop Steve Waugh who kept making Test runs when he was told the end was nigh.
Steve left when he was good and ready.
Hopefully Hohns is just a stop-gap selection chairman until Ricky Ponting assumes control.
Greg Chappell has only agreed to being a selector in the short term until Cricket Australia finalises the panel.
With Ponting in the chair, Mark Waugh, Gillespie, and Lehmann loom large, but that all depends on whether Gillespie still wants to coach in England, or select in Australia.
The former looms larger.
If Gillespie wants out, Mike Hussey or Brad Haddin would be perfect.
The most important point is no more Trevor Hohns.
The mammoth rise of Jake Fraser-McGurk - his enormous potential and the destructive shot-making that he possesses makes him a very tempting option.
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The Aussie needed every centimetre of his height and reach to reel that one in!
