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Is Australia’s performance against India something that should give them confidence leading into this summer’s Ashes?
If the answer was as simple as holding up England’s 4–nil failure versus Australia’s 2–1 loss, it is a positive yes. Extremely confident.
The Border-Gavaskar series has answered a number of questions for the Australian cricket team, selectors and fans in a positive manner. Is Steve Smith one of the best, if not the best in the world? Is Pat Cummins body up to Test cricket? Can Glenn Maxwell apply himself for more than 100 balls?
There are however a few questions that have been left unanswered. With news that the August Tests against Bangladesh may be affected by their wet season, the cricket between now and the first Ashes Test could be limited. There will possibly be three rounds of Sheffield Shield before the first ball is bowled in Brisbane on Nov 23rd.
Firstly, we should look at the players that are not in question.
David Warner and Matt Renshaw should hold their positions at the top of the order. While a player of Warner’s talent will be disappointed about his contributions to the Indian series, his undoubtable record in Australia and elsewhere ensures his place at the top of the order.
At the other end, Matt Renshaw’s performances did taper off but the application of the 21-year-old set an amazing platform for the success Australia achieved in India.
Steven Smith has reinforced his name alongside Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli as the current greats of the game. His undeniable class in all conditions and his increased run output since becoming Australian captain have been labelled ‘Bradmanlike’. While his captaincy is still under the microscope, it could be argued the group has grown into a tight unit in India and that Smith is central to that growth.
Peter Handscomb showed good footwork to the spinners and his game-saving, 200-ball 72 in Ranchi was as gritty an innings as you would hope to see. This middle order temperament and ability to control the tempo of the innings should be a mainstay of the Australian batting line-up for years to come.
Then there’s Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Joh Hazlewood. Fit, this trio will provide all sorts of problems to the England batsman. Starc and Cummins in tandem is a mouthwatering proposition for all Australian fans while England fans could revisit the nightmares of the previous Ashes tour and the horror for them that was Mitch Johnson.
No respite will be offered with Josh Hazelwood whose effectiveness will be enhanced in Australian conditions. While Cummins’ batting didn’t showcase his obvious talent, with Starc he forms the nucleus of a strong tail. Not only should this bring useful runs – they will be scored quickly.
Nathan Lyon has to be the frontrunner for the spinner position although his performances in India were only on par with Stephen O’Keefe. Both took 19 wickets a piece but Lyon’s strike rate was only slightly worse than player of the series Ravi Jadeja. Depending on the surfaces the Australian curators present for the series Lyons may be partnered by O’Keefe at some stage though it would be more likely for selectors to go with four speedsters at some stage.
This leaves three spots open to debate: Number 4, wicketkeeper and the contentious allrounder spot.
Firstly, the top order spot should belong to Shaun Marsh or Usman Khawaja. If Shaun Marsh was considered ahead of Khawaja due to his subcontinental prowess, then Khawaja in turn should be selected ahead of Marsh in Australia. Khawaja offers a switch for Steve Smith back to number 4 in the batting line-up and while he might not seem to need protection at the moment, shields him from the new ball and the English seamers at their most dangerous.
Matthew Wade surely has the inside running as the incumbent, he will have Peter Nevill’s weight of runs breathing down his neck. A good showing with gloves and bat in the home series should relax the number of Wade detractors, however his positive influence on the field has been noticeable throughout the Indian series.
His determination during the series saw him average over 30 and provide some backbone to the late order. His glovework has steadily improved and is not the talking point it perhaps used to be.
In two Indian Tests, Mitchell Marsh bowled five overs in total. Certainly if he was not fit to bowl he would not have been selected. His pace was considerably down and Indian conditions are simply not conducive to someone bowling in the 120km range.
If Starc and Cummins play together the allrounder spot has the pressure taken from the bowling side of things taken from it. If Maxwell can start the Shield season and get healthy runs under the belt, selectors will not be able to deny him the number 6 spot.
Not only is Maxwell a dangerous player, but like Smith, he can take a game away from the opposition and demoralise attacks. He would fill a similar role to Andrew Symonds. My vote would be for him and if he is successful, the Summer could be one that Australian fans will enjoy thoroughly.
There will be a number of players on the periphery of selectors mind, including Joe Burns, Chris Lynn, Marcus Harris, Alex Carey, Chadd Sayers, Travis Head, Chris Tremain and Jason Behrendorff.
The hope is Australia is finally developing some further depth across the board and we have an exciting and interesting Summer ahead.
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