In times of crisis, Australian cricket’s preferred reaction has always been to look towards youth.
There can be no greater crisis than the prospect of losing the Ashes at home inside three Tests, and the team’s hopes have duly been placed in the hands of an inexperienced trio of inclusions for the Perth match.
Left-arm spinner Michael Beer may yet miss out on a start should the Australians choose four fast bowlers, but opener Phil Hughes and allrounder Steve Smith each have vital roles to play against a supremely organised England side.
Both aggressive by nature, Hughes and Smith remind their captain Ricky Ponting of brighter days, when brazen characters like Andrew Symonds, Michael Slater, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist turned matches as much through intent as talent.
“They are naturally aggressive players which I think is great. I think if you look back at the great success we’ve had in the Australian team it’s been with aggressive natured players in our batting order,” said Ponting.
“Guys who’ve always been willing to take the game forward, whether we’ve been in trouble or dominating the game, that’s the way we play our best cricket.
“Those guys have grown up playing that way, NSW generally play that way, so I’m sure you’ll see them play their natural games this week and if they do they’ll have an impact on the game.”
Ponting also wanted to be clear that Smith and Hughes were not simply being chosen because they are aged 21 and 22 respectively.
They were Australia A’s best-performed players during the tour match against the Englishmen in November, and have shown ample promise in fleeting Test appearances.
“It’s not so much that we’re picking young guys to come in, we’re picking our best players,” Ponting said.
“The selectors feel Steve Smith is our next best No.6 batsman and Phil Hughes is our next best opener so that’s why we’ve made those decisions.
“I honestly think you’ll see that, Phil’s record speaks for itself at international level and I’m sure he’ll do a good job for us here, and Steve Smith is improving all the time.
“He’s known for playing some outrageous shots and being pretty aggressive but he’s really starting to tighten things up now.”
As for Beer, his impression seems to have been similar to that of a young Shane Warne, in terms of character if not violent leg breaks.
“He’s certainly been nice and energetic around the group the last few days, he’s bowled a lot in the nets,” said Ponting.
“He’s been great around the team, he’s got a nice infectious sort of personality and I think that’s a bit of the Victorian stuff coming out of him – he’s not shy.”
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