I have been very concerned by reports and assumptions in the last 24 hours that, with Simon Katich out for the series, Phil Hughes will logically come in to replace him. Ricky Ponting said as much yesterday, and news reports have confirmed this.
Many consider that Hughes was unfairly discarded during the last Ashes series in England, and this is the perfect chance to bring him back in, as a long term prospect. Hughes is exciting and compelling to watch, and did very well in his first few two tests in South Africa. There seems a groundswell of emotion supporting his return to the team.
However, Hughes was dropped not only for his failures in the first two tests in England, but because he was made to look uncomfortable the whole time he was at the crease. The selectors then controversially promoted Watson to opener to replace him.
It is accepted that Hughes has problems with his technique, but his supporters suggest his record is more important than technique. So let’s look at his record.
This season, he has made first class scores of 5, 2, 81, 12, 39, 48 and 1 – that’s 188 runs at 26.
In tests, since his twin centuries in Durban 21 months ago, he has scored 33, 32, 36, 4, 17, 0, 37 and 20, until a breezy 86no when chasing 100-odd for victory in the 4th innings against NZ. So before that pressure-free 86no, he had scored 179 runs at 23 in his last eight Test innings, with no scores over 37.
On that basis, Hughes’ form over the last 18 months does not demand selection. He has worked on his technique, but still has significant flaws; flaws which need to be ironed out before he faces a quality test attack in pressure situations. The single main cause of his technical flaws is his back (left) foot, which stays to leg instead of getting back and across, and the important result is that his head is moving when he hits the ball.
The problem with the back foot means:
• He is too side-on to play effectively on the leg side, playing around his body or his front pad;
• He is too side on with the short ball, and we all know how he struggles with that, hopping around and looking uncomfortable. Remember the next test is in Perth;
• His head is not getting across to the line of the ball that is short of a length outside off. This means he struggles to deal with any away movement, because his eyes are not behind the line of the ball.
Contrast this with Usman Khawaja. He looks solid, steady and in control at the crease. Having been anointed as the next in line, this season he has justified that with 424 first class runs at a healthy 53, and that includes the twin failures for Australia A against England, when he was unlucky to get two jaffas early on.
Khawaja normally bats at three and Hughes is an opener, however Australia has a strong recent history of converting openers. Justin Langer, Simon Katich himself and, of course, Shane Watson all batted further down the order before being tried as opener. If you’re good enough, you can do it, and a number three has to be able to open.
The selectors haven’t got a huge amount right lately, though they can be proud of the promotion of Watson to opener and the selection of Harris, our best bowler in the Adelaide debacle.
I hope they have the sense to look at form and technique, instead of being swayed by public emotion.
jameswm
Roar Guru
And to add to that John, Hughes scores a duck on the day they pick him, to add to his 1st innings 4, and that day Khawaja cruises to 40no to add to his 55 in the 1st innings. Then, Khawaja hits 120 off 105 in a one-dayer and Ferguson cruises to 130 in a Shield game against NSW. Go figure. They could have taken all that into account. We should have a look at our one-day team. Johnson, Siddle and Hilfy are ordinary one-day bowlers. Christian is going great guns. I'd go for something like this: Watson Haddin (I do not rate Marsh as a one-day batsman) Ponting (c) - good one-day skipper D Hussey (M Clarke is a useless ODI batsman) Ferguson M Hussey (even through his test slump did well in ODIs Dan Christian (killing it) O'Keefe (great all round ODI option and can cut his teeth at int'l level) Harris Nannes (excellent bowler in the shortened version) Copeland (tall accurate type who is hard to get away) 12th - Steve Smith 13th - Brett Lee 14th - Hodge if available or otherwise White 6 bowlers + DHussey Christian at 7 and SOK at 8, so good bating depth (if little to follow)
Timmuh
Roar Guru
It does seem strange, as does resting Johnson when the biggest thing he needs is wickets at some level. Based on his form for Australia WA might not have picked him, but he did get wickets last time for WA. He certainly should not be in the 12 for Perth, or anywhere near it.
Jiggles
Guest
All hail Phill Hughes! The Next Australian Captain!** **I will happily eat Humble pie if he scores 100+ in both innings to win Australia the match!
JohnB
Guest
And while talking selection - given that 2 first class games started today (Vic v England and WA v Qld), does it strike anyone else as strange that they pick the test team today, and not say on Sunday? While realistically none of the Qld-ers are in serious contention for the test side (and I'm a Qld-er), at least a couple of Victorians (Hussey and White) and one Sandgroper (Marsh) are. Performance in one game isn't the be-all and end-all, but it is part of the information selectors use. Why (particularly now) cut yourself off from the chance to use that information? Having gone way out on a limb picking Beer, what happens if he gets smacked around in the current game (or will be pulled out of it)?
JohnB
Guest
Well, Hughes, Smith, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Beer in for Katich, North, Bollinger, Doherty and whoever was 12th man in Adelaide, to go with Watson, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Haddin, Harris and Siddle. Smith, the other 5 batsmen and Haddin pretty well have to play in that lineup, meaning one of Beer, Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Harris is 12th man. The only into the wind pace bowler is Hilfenhaus giving him a good chance of selection. If Beer doesn't play, the only support for Hilfenhaus into the wind is Watson and Smith - suggesting Beer would play? If that's right one of Johnson, Siddle and Harris is out. While it's bizarre enough to drop Johnson, and then pick him again without him having played in the meantime, it would be almost as bizarre to then make him 12th man, so Siddle and Harris look like the candidates. Maybe Harris' questionable fitness would go against him - which would be unlucky for him seeing he embarrassed himself the least in Adelaide (batting aside). And Siddle of course did bowl the Englishmen out within the last 2 tests - so he'd be unlucky too. Maybe Siddle could bowl into the wind after all, putting the pressure back on Beer - everyone else's fitness permitting, one of those 2 for mine. I wrote a small piece on here a while back that mentioned that a big factor in Ian Healy getting into the Australian side was Rod Marsh seeing him keep while commentating on Healy's 3rd or 4th Shield game - and raving at what he saw. Let's hope Warne's favourable comments about Beer are just as prescient.
soapit
Guest
Big Steve
Guest
Does anyone know what langer does, apart from talk up the team and how well everyone is hitting them in the nets. I have never seen so many poor batting efforts in an Australian summer. can he actually help any of the batsmen with their deficiencies or hep them focus mentally on an important innnings? I cant believe Siddle still gets a mention. since the first innings in brisbane he has bowled for about 4 days gone for around 250 runs and not taken a wicket? I know everyone struggled but he was rubbish after the first innings. Is the lack of media coverage about North making anyone else nervous? I also dont think you would have hauritz and smith in the same side.
Georgie McHugh
Guest
jameswm, how do you know or what gives the indication that Ponting is a “let everyone work it out for themselves” type skipper? By the way, what is a "let everyone work it out for themselves” type skipper?
Brett McKay
Guest
James, you'll love this, NSW chasing 89 for victory have lost an early wicket: "Over 1.6: O'Brien to Hughes, no run, OUT, full toss, hit straight to mid wicket. NSW 1/2. Khawaja the new batsman." Smith finshed with 4 wkts, Hauritz 3, in SA's 2nd Innings. Ferguson was out for 131. Marsh 20* in Brisbane, D.Hussey 30* v England in Melbourne...
JohnB
Guest
Probably Roy Fredericks or Sanath Jayasuriya would be the 2 most obvious comparisons from the time I've been watching cricket. Neither of them quite greats but both very handy and capable of great innings. However, I wouldn't pick Hughes to open either. I'd go for Sean Marsh. Have to say, it seems horribly premature to even mention names like Sangakarra, Gower or Harvey in the context of Khawaja. I think he probably deserves a chance at 6 (it's between him and Smith for that spot in my view - Smith would also be a chance at 8). At 6 Khawaja can show if he's good enough to bat in tests (that's the traditional spot to bring a young bloke into the test team after all and that happens for a reason), and if he's good enough to bat as the situation requires - and of course sometimes that calls for someone to graft a 50. Sometimes when someone does that early in an inning,s that allows others to cash in while batting in easier conditions later on - that doesn't mean the blokes who cash in don't deserve credit. It does mean that just because you score more on a particular day than someone else it doesn't necessarily mean you batted better than them.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Surely Khawaja would go in at six. I really don't know who should open though, perhaps Marsh. Maybe D Hussey if its really that important to have a third rate back-up spin option that North has provided so far. I wouldn't be playing a front line spinner in Perth. (Largely because we don't have one, but I wouldn't be playing the pretender we do have, and that is Hauritz. He would play Sydney and probably Melbourne.) I agree the selectors are likely to bring back Johnson, which more than anything else shows that as many sackings are required from the selection panel as from the team. For Perth: Marsh Watson Ponting Clarke M Hussey Khawaja Haddin Harris Copeland Siddle Hilfenhaus 12th Hauritz In Sydney, and probably Melbourne, Hauritz in for any one of the quicks.
jameswm
Guest
And so it appears Hughes will be named as Katich's replacement today. Justin Langer (our batting coach) has said Hughes is the man and has backed him publicly. Later on we find that Hughes stayed at Langer's house for 3 days earlier in the year. Nothing wrong with that, but if Australia's batting coach is going to go public and back a candidate, he should declare his partiality. Boys club indeed. Hilfy and Johnson back - I can live with that. Hauritz for Doherty. That too. But tell me - who of Harris, Johnson, Hilfy, Hauritz and Siddle will be left out? I think the side could look like this - yes, 5 changes from the last test. When was the last time that happened in the middle oe a series? Ever? Watson Hughes Ponting Clarke Hussey Smith Haddin Johnson Hauritz Harris Hilfy Can some explain to me how putting in renowned unorthodox slashers Hughes and Smith is supposed to shore up our batting?
Fisher Price
Guest
Perhaps Punter should have been thinking of such succession planning by shifting from his holy No. 3 position. No, no, couldn't possibly do that.
preciouspress
Guest
Those who have watched the class batsmen of the past 20, 30, 40 and maybe 50+ years must recognize that Khawaja has technique and class. Given the opportunity he could become another Sangakarra, Gambhir, Gower, maybe even a Harvey. Cast an eye upon Hughes - which great Test left-hander is brought to mind? Get my point?
Rhys
Guest
Can't disagree with your argument jameswm. Khawaja was the shadow player for Clarke just a fortnight ago before Brisbane. I can't see anything to indicate that Hughes has suddenly leapt over him in the queue, in fact just the opposite given Hughes failed again the other day. But I've an uncomfortable feeling, given recent history, that what Ponting mutters to the press about his 'preferences' for team selection is usually what happens. So, Hughes will probably get the nod ahead of Khawaja. I suppose both he and North's 'one in ten innings' planets could allign and they could both peel of centuries and propel Australia back into the series. Stranger things have happened, but not since it rained jellyfish over Bath, England in 1894.
Behind Enemy Lines
Guest
UT Khawaja MEK Hussey AC Blizzard DJ Hussey WM Robinson AB McDonald BJ Haddin Worthwhile keeping an eye on the averages. 1. AB McDonald 93 2. SE Marsh 84.75 3. CJ Duval 71 4. PM Nevill 69.5 5. MEK Hussey 65.85 6. MJ Clarke 60.75 7. MG Johnson 60.5 8. BJ Haddin 58 9. AC Blizzard 53 10. UT Khawaja 53
Brett McKay
Guest
James, the full list and numbers is over on my piece, but the top 10 reads Khawaja, M.Hussey, Blizzard, D.Hussey, Robinson, McDonald, Haddin, Marsh, Quiney, Cosgrove. Rellum, I removed the England players for purposes of this debate, but there were a few in there, yeah....
Rellum
Roar Guru
I think you will find they are all Pom's and Aussie test players
jameswm
Guest
Brett - who are at 2-7? Can you cut and paste in the list?
Brett McKay
Guest
James, I dug up the aggregate stats over on my piece, but here's the highlights for you.. Of the leading Australian run-scorers in First Class cricket this summer, the players you've mentioned (or who have come up in comments) rank as follows: 1. Khawaja 477 @ 53.0 8. Marsh 339 @ 84.7 15. Ferguson 254 @ 36.3 32. Hughes 201 @ 25.1 for what it's worth....