In the best of all possible worlds, this is the Australian team that I would select for the SCG Test: Simon Katich, Phillip Hughes, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (c), Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Johnson, James Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger.
Hughes comes into my team because he is the next great Australian batsman and the best time to blood him in Test cricket is at his home ground, the SCG.
Matthew Hayden is denied his chance for a farewell to his legion of fans.
This is unfortunate, but the task of rebuilding the national side should be more important than allowing an old warhorse one more sniff of battle.
The Australian’s esteemed cricket writer, Mike Coward, and Ian Chappell, an extremely shrewd judge of a cricketer, are also pushing for Hughes, which suggests he is the goods. Coward points out that Hughes is 17 years younger than Hayden and that it is time Hayden is “formally consigned to history.”
Amen to that.
This is a fantasy team, remember.
In fantasyland, my captain would be Shane Warne. I’m sure he’d love the chance to captain Australia. But there is no way an offer is going to made to him from Cricket Australia, so I’m opting for the next best captain.
Clarke has elements in his leadership style of the young Richie Benaud. I think he would give an energy, intellectually and in terms of cricket nous, that is lacking with Ponting’s generally lacklustre style of captaincy.
I’d bat Michael Hussey at number 5 because he is more versatile with the tailenders than Clarke. Clarke seems to bat best when he is spontaneous and exuberant. He can be that at 4.
Hussey can play the attacking game, and the defensive milking the runs game, and is better suited, in my view, to the lower position in the batting order.
Marcus North comes into my side as the all-rounder.
He is a left-hand batsman who has scored 19 first-class centuries and averages around 44. He bowls sharply-turning off-spinners, with 90 wickets at 44 average and expense rate of 3.10, which is reasonably tight.
His ‘most dismissed’ batsman is Phil Jacques (3 times).
Luke Ronchi is my wicket-keeper. He is a better glove man that Brad Haddin, which should be the main consideration (unless the alternative is Adam Gilchrist).
His first class batting average of 33 with a strike rate of 84, 3 hundreds and nine 50s does not reflect the brilliant heights his batting can attain. He has the third-quickest ODI half-century by an Australia (22 balls). He has scored a run-a-ball first class century against NSW, and a 56-ball century against NSW (the fastest hundred in Australian domestic cricket against an attack that featured Stuart Clark).
The fast bowling line-up is balanced between two skidders and cutters of the ball, Siddle and Johnson, and two swing bowlers, out-swinger Hilfenhaus and in-swinger Bollinger.
A key principle in selecting any side is its shape.
The team’s attack must be flexible enough to handle any eventuality. This attack enables the captain to keep pressure on the opposition batsmen by allowing the bowlers shorter, sharper spells.
It is an attack, too, that has a variety of methods to dismiss batsmen: cut, swing and spin.
Although this team is an impossible dream for the SCG Test, it would not surprise me if something like this side (not perhaps the change of captain, though) will take the field in one of the Ashes series Tests.
sledgeross
Guest
hahahahahaha, Luke Ronchi! Is this April fools day?
Junior
Guest
Simon Katich Phillip Hughes Ricky Ponting Michael Clarke (c) Michael Hussey Marcus North Luke Ronchi Mitchell Johnson James/Ben Hilfenhaus Peter Siddle Doug Bollinger you are kidding right zavos? please reserve you're amateur desk jockey soothsaying for your unenlightened rugby reader in mosman. cricket is a serious sport.
Chaos
Guest
I like the selection of North. Remember he plays 5 of his shield games at the spinner bowling graveyard of the WACA. If he was in the Eastern states, I am sure his bowling average would match his potential. Can bat, has saved WA more then a few times over the last few years. I think last season he was injured. Ronchi is currently injured. A decent choice, however he hasn't made the goods this season, last season I would have him ahead of Haddin. The other keepers knocking on the door aren't good enough batsmen. Haddin has saved our bacon this summer a few times. Our tail is getting longer by the minute. Hughes. I haven't actually seen much of him except highlights. I don't like selecting people on one season only and on age, as the Ashes tour is coming up and there are many proven shield and county openers knocking on the door. English conditions must be factored in the equation. So I pick the forgotten Rogers. Its a pity that Watson is injured, I would have picked him as my fourth bowler if fit. His bowling in India was supurb. swing and cut. Give Hifenhous and Bollinger a go. Sink or Swim. My team: Rogers Katich Ponting Clarke North Hussey Haddin Johnson Hillfenhous Siddle Bollinger The other option is to put Hussey to open and select Hodge at 5 instead of Rogers.
Spiro Zavos
Expert
My thoughts about the off-spinner is that in my opinion neither Jason Krejza nor Nathan Hauritz are ready right now to be front line spinners. Krezja spins the ball but gives away too many runs, four an over which is criminal for a finger-spinner. Hauritz doesn't spin the ball and will only pick up wickets if the batsmen throw away their wickets. My thinking is that the best prospect of the spinners is probably Steven Smith, from NSW, a legspinner of some promise and a batsman with a bit of flair. Smith's problem is that he doesn't seem to get much bowling for NSW. So until a spinner who is worth his place for his bowling comes around, I'd pick a part-time bowler (Marcus North) who is more of a batsman to give a bit of variety to the attack, take the pace off the ball from time to time giving the fast men a break. The useful part-timer has a long tradition in Australian Test teams. Richie Benaud, for instance, used the slow medium-pacer Ken Mackay in this role: Ian Chappell had Doug Walters: and Mark Waugh first came into the Test side as a batsman who could bowl a little bit. Someone like North though would need good field-settings to get the most out of his bowling. This is an area where the current leadership, the skipper and the coach, have been a bit delinquent, I would argue. The fields to Krejza in particular have been very hard for him to bowl to with his attacking style. As for the captaincy. I think it is too late for Simon Katich and that Clarke (if Shane Warne doesn't get the Ashes series) will be the next cab off the rank. The criticism of irresponsibility in his play is along the same lines as the criticism of Richie Benaud before he took over as skipper. Benaud was a dashing batsman who was often accused of throwing his wicket away, a la Clarke.
Rickety Knees
Guest
Like John B - I don't think Clarke is up to the job. For mine Katich skippered NSW to win the Sheffield Shield last year. He is a no nonsense man of the steel that I believe we need. Clarke is batting like a millionaire and giving his wicket away too cheaply. He is a distracted man. I wonder when the spotlight is truly going to focus on Pontings failure to seize the moment in Nagpur, Perth and Melbourne tests - three games that could have been won but left to meander into three losses.
Johnb
Guest
Spiro - I wonder if John Benaud would want the job - he did retire as a selector (rather than being pushed) I think, and it would be a seriously time consuming job. His book really is excellent, but I can't help but recall that one of his clear dislikes was the armchair selector who's left field choices would never actually get tested! I'm not a fan of Clarke as captain I have to say. I'm also not sure why you'd replace one flashy batsman keeper with another with even less of a track record, and not much recent form. Both Manou and Hartley would be better keepers than either Haddin or Ronchi if that was the criterion. I also don't know why you'd pick as your main spinner for Sydney a part-time offie with a first class average in the 40's. If you just want someone to bowl a few hopefully tidy overs, Clarke or Hussey can probably manage. If you want someone to apply pressure with longer spells or to actually take wickets, North isn't going to do it. And I don't think you can say that he, Clarke and Katich between them make up one test quality spinner (even assuming Katich is actually fit to bowl) so in effect you're suggesting going into a Sydney test without a spinner. Maybe that's fair enough based on the pitches this season - I don't know - but it would have been regarded as a pretty courageous call for the past couple of decades at least. Have to say, in the absence of a Greg Matthews (who isn't around my age), McDonald seems a pretty reasonable choice as a consistent batsman who'll bowl good overs. As to the 4 pace bowlers - I think each of them is worth a spot, but whether you can pick all 4 is another matter. If you're going to go with 4 pace bowlers it would certainly be nice to have one taller bouncier bowler in the 4 to give that sort of variety. Mind you, those 4 do look more like bowling a team out than do Hauritz (or Krejza or White) and any 3 of them. Perhaps some prayers for a successful comeback by Bryce McGain (and for Casson to get his confidence back and one of the young spinners on the fringes to come through) are in order. Hughes (or Rogers) for Hayden - no problem.
sheek
Guest
Spiro, There's always the risk of over-reaction in these situations, isn't there? I like your team, but do we need so many changes so quickly? In some cases, attitudinal changes might be sufficient. Don't know about giving Clarke the captaincy at this point. Perhaps Ponting needs more support from the selectors. In any case, he's been found out as an ordinary captain without the likes of Warne, McGrath & Gilchrist to bail him out. However, all personnel & positional changes make sense, & may eventuate in any case. My mind is cast back to 1970-71, a horror summer for Australian cricket. In the final test of the series, Ian Chappell replaced Bill Lawry as captain, who was kicked right out of the team. It was a summer of the revolving door, especially with the bowlers. Chappelli had a team comprising 7 players who had made their test debut that season. Only batsmen I.Chappell, Stackpole, Redpath & Walters could count careers going back more than 3 years. G.Chappell, Marsh & Lillee went on to be greats of the game. Spinners O'Keeffe & Jenner had so-so careers. Giant paceman Tony Dell played just one more test, while this was the only test for Lawry's replacement, Ken Eastwood. So perhaps one advantage of your many changes for the Sydney test, is an acknowledgemnt that not all those changes will go on to glittering, long-term careers.
Spiro Zavos
Expert
The James Hilfenhaus in my team should be Ben Hilfenhaus, a New Year's Eve mistake is my pleading on this. I notice that the SMH is beginning to turn its scrutiny on the selectors noting that Andrew Hilditch runs a large legal practice in Adelaide, that Jamie Cox is the high performance manager for South Australia and Merv Hughes leads tour groups to the cricket around the world. John Benaud has also come out in criticism of sticking with Matthew Hayden. In my view John Benaud is an excellent selector (his book on the intricacies of selecting is a beauty). If Cricket Australia were fair dinkum and not a sort of good old boys club they'd make John Benaud chairman of selectors.
cosmos forever
Guest
I like this team Spiro. One important clarification to your piece though. You say: "Matthew Hayden is denied his chance for a farewell to his legion of fans. This is unfortunate, but the task of rebuilding the national side should be more important than allowing an old warhorse one more sniff of battle." It is way way scarier than that. Rather than giving him a farewell, it seems the selectors seriously believe Hayden will be there through the Ashes and well beyond...
Ian Noble
Guest
Spiro It was inevitable that OZ would have a period when others such as India and SA would catch up, particularly following the retirement of McGarth and Warne. Losing these two great players would test any side and over the immediate future OZ may struggle but replacements will be found. Over the next few months attention will turn to the Ashes and the return of Flintoff and others will make the English team stronger. The emergence of Broad, Cook, Rashid and Shah might be the death knell for Collingwood, particularly if he fails in the Windies during the forthcoming series. By the way the first test in Cardiff is sold out and inevitably all the other venues will sell out for at least the first four days in spite of ticket prices being up to £80 at Lords and £100 at the Oval. It will be close and an exciting contest. Test cricket in England is still the pinnacle unlike the manufactured 20/20.