The forgotten players of Australian cricket

While Australia’s regeneration is grittily struggling forward in the West Indies, it is worth looking at the golden boys of the previous selection panel. Those who were earmarked for greater success, and rightly or wrongly, find themselves on the wrong side of the current selection panel.

Still sailing
Usman Khawaja: Khawaja’s stock in Australian cricket has crashed faster than a US insurance company. Come last summer (2010/11), Khawaja’s rigid technique provided the blueprint for a resurgent Australia.

But for a bit of luck in Brisbane, Khawaja may have made a large score, securing his place at three for the rest of the summer. Yet despite Marsh’s troubles, and Watson’s failure to make the position his own, those clamouring for Khawaja’s name have gone silent.

It appears that Khawaja does not offer more to the side than runs, and when those are in short supply, may be considered a liability. However, a change in attitude in this regard is easily fixed, but one Khawaja will have to make if he wants to wear the baggy green again.

Callum Ferguson: For the most part, the Australian public, and now the selectors, have got Callum Ferguson wrong. He should never have been considered a future Test captain, or even a future Test prospect. Yet as a one-day player, Ferguson is arguably the best one-day batsmen not in that Australian side, and his numbers at ODI level (ave 41.43, strike 85.62) point towards that.

Ferguson had another consistent domestic one-day season, but struggles in other forms of the game appear to have swayed selectors from picking the talented South Australian.

Steve Smith: Smith suffers from the same fate as Phil Hughes, that is, he doesn’t play cricket the right way. It looks ugly, and to that end, easy to criticise. But he has a solid domestic record and has shown periods of dominance in the domestic game. Nor can it be overlooked that he is just 22, and at just 22, captained a T20 winning side, which takes a great deal of tactical nous.

Smith still has raw talent, but rather than try and make him into something, perhaps it would be better if he was just accepted for the player he is, and provided he has the form domestically, give him the chance to shine at international level.

Cameron White: Cameron White can still play for Australia in one-day and T20 cricket. There’s no doubt he endured a horror run that stretched from the home summer in 2010/11 through to the World Cup, and this year’s domestic season.

Yet, prior to that, White was a key weapon in the Australian side, and indeed was one of our better performers. An astute man with an outstanding temperament, White, at 28, can still be seen as a longer term investment than the Hussey brothers (mid-30s) if he can rediscover and provide some late innings firepower that the side currently lacks.

Missed the boat
Doug Bollinger: Doug is the hardest man to put into this category. There is not an Australian supporter out there who doesn’t have a soft spot for the big man, but ill-timed injuries and questions of fitness have conspired against him. It’s worth noting that Doug, at the time of his last appearance, had an imposing ODI record of 62 wickets @ 23.90, including several good performances on the slow pitches in the sub-continent.

Nathan Hauritz: This gentle offie was probably always suited to the shorter form of the game. In fact, his ability as a one-day performer was often understated. Yet it’s hard to escape the feeling that Nathan shot himself in the foot, notably selling all his gear in protest to his axing. Injuries, age and a questionable temperament all count against him.

Trent Copeland: Copeland had his first bad year domestically. While he performed creditably in Sri Lanka, he was not preferred for the faster South African tracks, and quietly slipped off the radar. One wonders whether the juicier pitches in Australia may have skewed his statistics into indicating that he was a better bowler than he actually is.

Mitch Johnson: The mercurial Mitch is gone from our Test team forever. It’s not that Mickey Arthur does not respect his ability. But this Indian summer has seen the development of a cohesive, disciplined attack, high on pressuring batsmen and not seeking to bowl the wonder ball. He may still have a role to play in one-day cricket, but his Test days are finished.

Should never have been in the boat
Steve O’Keefe: It’s no reflection on Steve O’Keefe’s attitude or professionalism that he’s been put into this category. Yet with O’Keefe, it has been a matter of a limited player getting the best out of his ability.

Jason Krejza: Krejza is another to benefit from the ‘specialist’ coaches Cricket Australia had in place towards the end of last decade, turning Krejza from a prodigious spinner to a dart bowler in the quest for accuracy. The selectors appeared never to look at Krejza’s actual record or performance for Tasmania, where he has consistently shone in the shortened forms of the game, never at Shield level.

Josh Hazlewood/Ben Cutting/Jon Holland/Peter George: These men may still have a faint chance of making it into Australian colours again, however, most of them owe their selections to periods of good form, or simply being in the right place at the right time.