Tireless Australian paceman Peter Siddle has made it crystal clear he wants no part of the projected rotation system.
Who can blame him? No cricketer worth his salt would be a willing party to being “rested”, when he’s raring to go.
There are three mighty valid reasons for taking the Siddle line.
Firstly, if you are an automatic selection, as Siddle has become, you’d want to keep the momentum. If the “rested” player is expected to play Sheffield Shield, what’s the point of dropping him in the first place?
Secondly, you never give a mug an even break in case he takes six-for and keeps you out in the cold.
And thirdly, what about the Test match fee of $10,000 down the gurgler, all because five wise men think you should be rested for your own mental and physical good.
Bollocks to that idea, In fact, bollocks to the entire concept of rotation, and to most of the flawed Argus Review from whence it came.
Cricket at any level is all about harmony within a team. The baggy greens are proving that under the new regime of skipper Michael Clarke and coach Mickey Arthur and as a result they have thumped world number two side India in all three Tests – twice inside four days, and once inside three.
But have a disgruntled victim of rotation in the group and it will always have a damaging effect. Watch the performance level drop alarmingly, it’s human nature. One unhappy member can submarine an entire side on his pat.
The selectors face a problem of another kind for the fourth Test against India in Adelaide starting Tuesday. The 12-man squad from the WACA has been retained, but one of the successful four-man pace attack must make way for offie Nathan Lyon, who carried the drinks in Perth.
Who goes from Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris, or Mitchell Starc?
Not easy, and it will get harder once Shane Watson, Pat Cummins, and James Pattinson are back from injury.
That won’t be rotation, just the mathematical impossibility of trying to fit 15 into 12.
The next assignment after the series against India and the limited-overs games will be three back-to-back Tests against the Windies at Bridgetown, Port of Spain, and Guyana in April.
Three Tests in as many weeks will fall into the projected rotation bracket, the concept won’t go away. But leave it to the players, let them know if they are honest with the selectors they won’t be penalised.
Don’t make it mandatory to affect individual morale, team harmony, and the personal wallet.
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