Australia’s Marcus North in action against New Zealand. AAP Images/NZPA, Ross Setford
Should Marcus North be wary of shady trench coat-wearing characters, lurking in the shadows around WA training, bearing a suspicious resemblance to several fringe Australian batsmen gunning for his spot in the Test team? No, probably not. Although, Marcus, you just never know.
Following on from last week’s column, in which I suggested that Marcus North remained the batsman most vulnerable in the Australian team for the First Ashes Test in Brisbane late next month, I thought it might be worth exploring the main threats for his current number six spot.
Up front, I think only a Simpson Desert-dry month in the Sheffield Shield ranks over the next few weeks will cost North his place in Brisbane. His first innings hundred in the final Border-Gavaskar Test in Bangalore will probably ensure that the notoriously conservative Australian selectors retain the batting order as is.
However, this will be overlooking his second innings 3, a failure that came as Captain Ricky Ponting needed a batsman to stick around with him.
North’s dismissal, where he played around a straight one from Harbhajan Singh, left Australia vulnerable to a lower second innings total than they’d have wanted, and brought undone all the good work and plaudits he’d earned for what was thought to be a career saving century in the first dig.
That’s not to say that he was solely responsible for Australia’s low total, of course, but with his spot already under intense scrutiny, his second innings disappointment means that once again he’s in the crosshairs.
A reasonable return for Western Australia in the next month will secure North’s Test spot for the time being, but if the lean pickings continue, who is in line to come into the side?
Well, to be completely honest, I don’t think there are any major surprises here.
A new test number six will almost certainly be known to the Australian setup already, especially for a crucial series like The Ashes at home. The last thing Ponting will want is a tentative work-experience kid walking out to bat at four wickets down.
And so despite throwing down an early-season double-century from NSW in their Shield match against SA two weeks ago, comparative ‘rookieness’ might count against Usman Khawaja.
I can hear the crying disapproval of the NSW-supporting Roarers already.
There is no disputing Khawaja’s talent, and equally, there’s no doubt he will have a successful Test career before too long. Talent like his can’t be ignored forever, although the Victorian Roarers will quickly offer up Brad Hodge as proof that it has been already.
Despite touring with the Australian side this year, for the Pakistan series in England, Khawaja has had very little time in the Australian setup. He’s not played a One-Day or Twenty20 International to date, and being contracted only to NSW means that he’s not been that exposed to the greater Australian “squad” regularly.
On the other hand, someone like Cameron White or Callum Ferguson is already well known within the Australian squads through their numerous outings in the coloured gear.
Ferguson has been long-regarded as a Test player of the future. Furthermore, the fact that he came straight back into the Australian one-day side for that leg of the Indian tour, despite only recently getting back to top-flight cricket after a knee reconstruction, suggests to me that it’s only a matter of time before some former Australian great is handing him a Baggy Green.
Ferguson, not quite 26, is a known entity, and his proven ability to bat his teams out of tight situations in the shorter games has surely had him earmarked for future honours, despite a First Class record that hardly screams from the rooftops. You couldn’t rule him out.
Similarly, White is the sort of player that already holds a decent amount of respect in the Australian squads, and has been in and around the current team hierarchy for several years, including four Tests since his debut in India in 2008.
The big difference in White’s game is that he’s essentially now a specialist batsman; his once-promising leg spin has seemingly been assigned to ‘very occasionally’, only a few notches above ‘just don’t bother’.
In the limited over games, he’s regularly batting in the top four or five, and likewise for Victoria in all forms of the game. A Test resurrection as a specialist No.6 would be well within his talent and capability, and his safe hands wouldn’t look out of place in the slip cordon either.
If there’s going to be a Brisbane bolter for the Australian side, it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s White.
I would normally cringe at the thought or the suggestion that someone should earn a Test spot based on performances in the one-day ranks, but in this case, where there still isn’t really a standout replacement for Marcus North – yet – limited-over form will have to come into consideration.
It seems inconceivable that an obvious future Test player like Khawaja could be overlooked in these circumstances, and I hope he proves me wrong in the next month through a sheer weight of runs, but remember, stranger things have happened with these Australian selectors.
Brett McKay
Guest
"stranger things have happened with these Australian selectors." Make sure every time your phone rings now, you answer with, "Is that you, Greg?!?!" By the way mate, your 70 is safe, looks like we're declaring overnight, and I'll have to be content with a red ink!!
sledgeross
Guest
LOL Brett, I doubt they are looking for blokes in their early 30s playing in Bankstown! Ill keep my phone on though!
CJ
Guest
I note with interest the earlier comments about the changes made to the Australian side in the transitionary period of 92-94. The difference between then and now though, is in the early 90s Langer, Hayden, Martyn were all obvious class batsmen making huge runs in Shield cricket. Along with other guys like Elliott, Blewett, Bevan, Hodge, Love, Law etc. these batsman banged so loudly on the door selectors simply had to acknowledge them. Aside from Phil Hughes and possibly now Khawaja, no young Australian batsman has done that in years. In the 1990s there is no way someone like Ferguson, with a first class record like his, would even be considered for the Australian side. If he is now our number one contender for a middle order birth (and I can't categorically say he isn't), Australian cricket is in a little trouble.
Brian
Guest
An interesting thought as there is not really an obvious number 3 in the side. Clarke prefers spin. Watson bowls and the others will go around Ponting's time. HAving said that I do not think Ponting is that vain nor smart to prevent a future number 3 stepping in
Brett McKay
Guest
FP, I'd be very surprised if that were the case, Ponting's still one of the best bats in Australia, no matter how good Khwaja is or might be...
Fisher Price
Guest
Quite. Another case of the overhyped WA middle-order goer.
David
Guest
I don't think any changes will be made to the batting line up (maybe hughes for katich for the first test if he's still injured), I would like to see over the next 12 months White get another chance somewhere down the order as he has improved alot since he was misused as a bowler and he really does add another leadership option.
Fisher Price
Guest
Cox's consistent runscoring in Shield and County Cricket was just flat-out ignored a la Brad Hodge. Along with the likes of Martyn and Law, they were judged by different criteria against Golden Boy of the 1990s: Mark Waugh. Elliott was good, but I recall him being thoroughly dismantled in the West Indies and I'm not sure he ever recovered from that.
Fisher Price
Guest
He's seemingly untouchable in a period where only bowlers (but not Johnson) and Phil Hughes seem to punished for Test defeats.
Fisher Price
Guest
Ponting is too stubborn for that. Hussey's retention is farcical.
Fisher Price
Guest
Perhaps Ponting sees Khawaja as a threat...
Fisher Price
Guest
Khawaja is not burdened with the massive technical deficiencies of Hughes. He's ready now.
Fisher Price
Guest
White's bowling is awful.
Brett McKay
Guest
Cruyff, Hilditch will remain as Chairman of Selectors, and will continue in this role part time, as he had done for a good while now. Chappell as you mention is indeed full-time, working in his newly-created Talent Identification role (Sledgie, I'm sure GC will be in touch re. your 70 on the weekend). It's fair to say that plenty of us us waiting to see who really wears the pants in the Hildtich-Chappell scenario, so your query is in very good company on The Roar! CA will announce this Friday which of two of the three other selectors - Jamie Cox, Boony, and Big Merv - will remain on the panel along with Hilditch and Chappell. The expectation seems to be that Cox's role as SA High Performance manager will count against him..
Brett McKay
Guest
Chaos I did note this, albeit late yesterday. Had I have known it at the time of writing, i would have made more of the fact that one or two more "scores" for WA will not just seal North's spot for Brisbane, but with all five Ashes Tests essentially back-to-back, it probably seals his series. Let's hope he continues this run in the Shield game starting Friday, and that Hussey and Johnson similarly strike success..
Brett McKay
Guest
"for the sake of example" Chaos, fear not. He's an obvious eg of a young guy with captaincy experience coming through the ranks...
Chaos
Guest
If you look at weight of runs over last two seasons they should be at least considered as the next opener but they are both over 30 and they aren't fashionable cricketers*. Both have changed states and proven they can score out of either the WACA/MCG/England or MCG/Adelaide Oval. However if an opening spot becomes avaliable (Katich most likely) time would have crept up on them and Hughes is favoured by the selectors. As such the selectors have made it clear they aren't in their plans. Noting Klinger has two starts this season for 2 runs. Rogers one innings for 26. Hughes was with the Test squad so hasn't kicked started in the Shield as yet. My choice for the middle order if one becomes avaliable is White or Khawjaja. Khawjaja has a tidy 214* this season. While White has missed the start of season due to playing for Australia in India. He did hit 89* off not many but more importantly Victoria have missed him against Tasmainia. *Though Katich did get recalled by weight of runs and he was unfashionable and over thirty.
Russ
Guest
Maybe, but then again, they went to South Africa in 2009 with three novices (Hughes,North, Hilfenhaus) a 2nd gamer (McDonald) a 5th gamer (Siddle), plus two others with less than 20 games, and put in the most credible performance by an Australian side in the past three years. I think the current side has a cultured of entrenched mediocrity that is going to be punished., That period I mentioned, essentially 91-93 was followed by remarkable stability, just 9 batsman (Taylor, Slater, Boon, Waughx2, Border/Bevan/Blewett/Martyn, and Healy), were used until 96 when it began transitioning to the side that took shape after 2001, though the core bowlers (McDermott, Hughes) only lasted a couple of years. It is amazing now to think how inexperienced the bowling attack was in that seminal tour of the West Indies in 94/95.
Brett McKay
Expert
Thanks for this Russ, it's an interesting aspect you've raised, because I'd imagined the trend of minimal change through the Australian teams has been in place for most of my life. You might be right, central contracts brought with it the squad mentality, and over time, with more money and full time professionalism the current situation we know have...
Damien
Guest
Sure, but I think given the last decade where Test selection has been rarely changed, it would be quite difficult to put a bunch of novices in. The culture of the team that Ponting has always been in and captained has been one where he has always been in command of relatively experienced players - normally there's only one or two debutants/less than 10 gamers. The culture of the team has been that of experience - to thrust an entirely different culture on the national team all of a sudden would spell certain Ashes doom. I think it could be done a little more slowly, but I agree with the premise that generational change is due. Two players at most for this Ashes series, then perhaps more adjustments afterwards.