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At first I was in denial. Surely they had made a mistake. The name must have been printed wrong or someone was playing a sour joke. Then I was angry.
The bloke averages 37 in first class cricket!
How can they elevate him above his superiors in the pecking order? Then I bargained. If only the other possible replacement had converted a particular 50 into a hundred, or the selectors had a different approach.
That’s when the depression set in. Poor Phillip Hughes, who has remodelled his technique, goes unrewarded. The finally came acceptance. Rob Quiney will make his Test debut.
From this you would assume I was completely against such a selection. And two hours before I wrote this piece you would have been completely right.
But what swayed me so dramatically to the point where now I believe it all makes sense?
I, for one, believe that Usman Khawaja and Hughes are the future of the Australian batting line-up – hopefully alongside young Queenslander, Joe Burns.
Having said that, I’ve written previously that I believe the best thing for these young guys is an extended stint in first-class cricket. Namely, the opportunity to perfect their game and discover their true limitations; to make adjustments and learn to play within themselves.
Quiney joins the Australian squad having averaged in the mid 40s across the past two Sheffield Shield seasons. He was domestic player of the season last summer and has just come off the back of a composed 85 against the touring South Africans.
He is a competent cricketer and a man with form behind him. Fellow Roarers pointed this out. It is for this reason that I believe his selection makes perfect sense.
The national selection panel will know, or hope at least, that this will be a one off test for Quiney. Therefore, all they are looking for is a man who in this match will get some runs.
To break the focus of a Hughes or Khawaja from their Shield seasons for one match could prove far more counter productive than to give a shot to Quiney.
The saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent. In this case, the true telling of such a remark has uncharacteristically favoured Quiney greatly.
To be the classier player was not a necessity. Merely the man best suited to scoring runs from next Friday to Tuesday would be given the nod.
If Quiney averaged five more in first-class cricket, he would also fall into the category of a development player. To throw him into one Test would be fruitless. There would be little to gain. But now that his short-term returns have been so great, his overall record appears to lose its value and Quiney will benefit far more from such.
For these reasons I say, “go get ’em Bobby”. Pull on your baggy green with pride, score some runs and enjoy the experience.
I highly doubt that his cap will be leaving the pool room any time soon after next Tuesday, but that won’t take away from the one glorious Test match he will have played.
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