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Time for selectors to earn their money

5th August, 2010
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Roar Guru
5th August, 2010
68
1187 Reads

Australia is ranked number three in Tests and could drop another place to four. England is ranked number four and could supplant Australia come the Ashes in November. Ponting is his own worst enemy; he has been loyal to his team almost to a fault. He has been like the erstwhile CEO of BP, trying to plug the oil leak off the Gulf of Mexico.

He could have taken the easy way out in the last two years and maybe his form as a batsman would not have suffered.

But the easy option has never been Ponting’s way.

He has not suddenly lost his powers. He has always been a slow starter. All batsmen are susceptible early in their innings’. Ponting could have taken the Lara and Tendulkar route of playing as a batsman only.

In the end, Ponting is displaying the same loyalty that Allan Border did.

Ponting will stay loyal to his team just as he had with Symonds. He is not going to publicly criticize Johnson. The decision has to be taken out of his hands.

Are the Australian cricketers just playing for their wages? Have they become comfortable with their contracts which guarantee the top players a million dollars?

The days of a Bradman Baggy Green fetching $300,000 are as distant as the Morse code.

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There is nothing to stop the selectors picking players who are not contracted. Simon Katich needs a new opening partner. If we discount Philip Hughes, who is coming back from injury, then the next best performed in the Sheffield Shield is Michael Klinger. He scored 886 runs last season with a top score of 207 not out.

His average of 63.28 also shades Hughes at 56.05.

Klinger is just 30 and is mature enough to handle the elevation. Playing just for the baggy green and match payments will ensure the hunger is there.

We are crying out for a consistent and aggressive number five and, ironically, the best performed batsman in the Shield was David Hussey. He scored 970 runs at the excellent average of 57.05, including three hundreds.

Significantly, his strike rate of 77 was the highest among the top 10 batsmen. He also hit more sixes (18) than any other player in the Shield.

A straight swap. David for Michael.

Cricket has a long memory and it was in the fourth test against England in Adelaide, 1991, that Mark Waugh made his debut. You guessed it. At the expense of his twin, Steve!

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Cricket Australia, surprisingly, took David Hussey off the current contracted list so he would be doubly hungry.

Our bowling stocks need freshening and the two that scream for recognition are Ben Cutting and Trent Copeland. Cutting was the leading wicket taker with 46 from 11 games. Copeland only played 5 matches but took an amazing 35 wickets at an average of 17.57 and more importantly a strike rate of a wicket every 40.1 balls.

Hilditch, Boon, Cox and Hughes need to make some hard decisions. And most of these revolve around the bowling.

Hilfenhaus picks himself. Johnson needs a spell and more miles in the legs. Bollinger has lost the fizz and should be in the squad but not the second pick.

Peter George and John Hastings must be given a run in the two tests against India. George has grown up bowling on the flat Adelaide pitch and knows how to put the hard yards in. Hazelwood is already in the squad and is adequate cover for the other three.

Siddle needs to prove his fitness and learn to bowl a good length more consistently.

Nathan Hauritz is our best spinner and will slot straight back in. Haddin has not played for two months and will be rusty. Paine should play the next two Tests and Haddin should go to India as the backup.

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In two years time we will need a number one, three and five to replace Ponting, Hussey and Katich.

The contenders are Hughes, Khawaja and Ferguson. Hughes is coming off an injury so he should not be picked for India. Ferguson also is on the comeback trail and has played a few second XI games but not enough to replace Hussey. But we are not talking about Michael here.

The starting XI for the next Test should be: Katich, Khawaja, Ponting, Clarke, David Hussey, Watson, Paine, Hauritz, Hilfenhaus, George and Hastings. Smith the 12th man. The other four in the squad should be George Bailey, Hazelwood, Trent Copeland and Haddin.

In two years time the Test XI could look like: Hughes, Khawaja, Clarke, Bailey, Ferguson, Smith, Paine, Johnson, Hilfenhaus, George, Hazelwood.

Siddle could make a comeback and Mitchell Marsh may be the next long term captain.

There is a cosy relation between Cricket Australia and some sections of the media. A lot of this could be to do with the access to players. Some of it may be due to parochialism. The old NSW versus Victoria debate.

Cricket Australia is quick to remind us that the Sheffield Shield is the strongest domestic competition in the world. It is time for them to pick the players that have form on the board.

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Australian cricketers have some of the best award conditions of any workplace. The contracted players get paid even if they are not playing. Either due to injury or loss of form. These conditions are better than any paid maternity or paternity leave.

Time to perform or move on.

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