Sheffield Shield graduates deserve their Test chance

I would like to see our test system move away from the contract based, to form based. If a guy is on fire in the shield (averaging 80+ for the season), he gets a spot in the test team and if a guy in the test team is averaging less that 20, then he makes way. The guy that gets dropped goes back to shield/county and smashes heaps of runs, he comes back into the test team. Too often test batsmen are allowed to go through a rough patch to ‘come good’. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to let him serve that dry spell in state cricket, rather than at international level?

Said it before and I'll say it again. We need different selectors that are not influenced by off field deals like the Weet Bix sponsorship and who he is dating. Just pick the best performed in the relevant form.

Steve Smith also leaps to mind Sittingbison! However, it's been common enough, and not just very recently, to pick bowlers on the back of limited first class cricket - Warne (7 games) and McGrath (8) stand out, but Jason Gillespie had 16 games, Craig McDermott 14 and Brett Lee 16. Mitchell Johnson was practically over the hill with 22 by the time he was picked. Those tallies also include tour and Australia A games classed as first class, so the number of shield games they'd played was less. So perhaps the amount of solid shield performance you need behind you is simply not actually that much for a bowler. As a Qlder I'm only too happy to subscribe to the NSW conspiracy theories, provided I'm not taken too seriously. When it comes to their current crop of young fast bowlers, the unpalatable truth is they're actually full of promise. Pat Cummins threatens to be a great player on the evidence of one test, and if he was fit not many would be complaining about him being chosen. Mitchell Starc is tall, pretty quick, left handed and can swing the ball. And 22. He's not the finished article and he can fade in and out of a game a bit, but he's already good enough to take wickets at the test level, so you can keep playing him as someone who is both a project player and contributing. The English have been the pacesetters until very recently and remain the 2nd ranked team - a lot of that is down to Anderson. He's an example of someone who came in young and inexperienced, didn't actually do all that well but was recognised as having the requisite tools, was persevered with and ultimately succeeded greatly. Who knows if Starc will be half as good - but he's started better. Hazlewood was a star at under 19 level and has obviously been earmarked. Surely there's nothing wrong with that - that's one of the things junior cricket is for. To actually get picked he needs to demonstrate fitness and to produce, but it's fair to point out that there's a big difference between being picked in a squad as he was this season and being picked to play.

And Watson is from Queensland with Tasmania giving him the opportunity. He then went back to Qld and finally NSW. I doubt whether Cowan or Bird would have been given the opportunity at NSW either

South Australia were the ones who produced Lyon. Yes I know Lyon is from the ACT but SA gave him the oppurtunity and developed him into a top cricketer.

hehe fellas, here is a name of someone selected on potential alone....Michael Clarke lol

Look Sam I will agree with you that cricketers should show performance potential at Shield level before given the nod. But then you miss your own point entirely I'll concentrate on the batsmen here. You question David Warner's performances and consistence while lauding Rob Quiney's efforts. I can only assume you are a Victorian like Warne and David Hussey who have been pushing this batsman. But lets look at the reality. Quiney: Aged 30 years and therefore should be near his peak. But is averaging 36.3 at First Class level. Sure he had two good seasons, but his average is still ...well average. This year's Shield he has scored 2, 25 not out and 5. Sure he scored at 83 and 11 not out against South Africa, but on a docile pitch and the South Africans looked like they were on a training run. Then three test innings, three failures. test average 3. Is this what you're so excited about? Warner Aged 26 years and therefore still developing. Has a first class average of 49.26. And wait for it Sam. He has a test average of 43.85, an average some of the best batsmen in Australia would be pleased to have at the same stage of their career. And he's scoring them at 71 balls per 100. Even his last two tests scores are 4. 19. 119. 41, 13, 29, 57, 68 at 43.75....hardly inconsistent given a century, two fifties and a forty in 8 innings. Now I noticed you made no remark about Cowen averaging 34 at test level and like Quiney he's 30 so he should be near the top of his game. These young batsmen coming through are years from their best and like almost every batsman before them coming in during their 20's, they dont set the world alight with 50s averages. Mark Taylor was perhaps an exception. Generally they start in the 20s and 30s and gradually build up and its because they are young and still learning that they have the potential to reach the 40s and 50s. Players coming in in the 30s are unlikely to achieve that. Hussey did at 30 but he already at an over 50 first class average. Guess what I saying Sam is target the 30's players who arent performing, and leave the young 20s batsmen alone and let them develop as all batsmen of class have done so in the past.

I cannot understand what Ben Cutting has done since he was injured in England to seemingly been abandoned by the selectors since then. Seems to be one of our most consistent Shield bowlers & he gets runs. Reminds me of Andy Bichel. By the way, I'm from NSW. Bob headlong14@bigpond.com

And his average in the Shield in the two years leading into his Test selection? 2012/13 [4 innings] 22.67 - with hindsight, this may have been a warning but at the time could be written off as not being enough innings to indicate anything (also 96 runs once dismissed for Australia A v South Africans) 2011/12 [19 innings] 49.36 - Shield player of the year 2010/11 [19 innings] 42.58 His two full season leading into selection were above his longer term average. Players can improve and his his seasons prioer to selection suggested Quiney had done so. At the time, coming off those two seasons the selection seemed entirely justified - even if not everybody's first choice. It didn't work. That happens. Maybe he will get another chance at some point, maybe not.

Henriques getting mentioned only adds fuel to James' thoughts that the media being Sydney based has a lot to do with NSW players getting some favourtism in selections.

I'm sorry, but that comment about no-one in the 90's being selected on potential is rubbish! Steve Waugh was picked in 1986/7 after a few mediocre seasons, primarily as an all-rounder. He was then peservered with for 2 years after mediocre returns until the 1989 Ashes, when he finally came good. McGrath and Warne were picked after a handful of games. Gillespie had one good season before being elevated. Slater also had a brief FC career before being picked in 93/4. Colin Miller had only one season bowling offies. Sure, there were guys like Mark Waugh and Gilchrist who played for years, but this wasn't the only way of it. Otherwise Siddons, Law, Love, Jo Angel, Dean Hills and Bevan would have played 100 tests each.

I happened across a former Australian coach, and asked about the current crop. He rated Hazelwood as the one with incredible promise. Talented and smart, but hampered by serious injury (is there a theme here?). I agree he hasn't set the world on fire, but hopefully with a couple of full seasons, things will come together. Maybe CA owe Hazelwood something for botching up his back diagnosis ;) Henriques getting mentioned doesn't put him on the field. The first paragraph says you should serve your time, only to be followed up with exemptions for Cummins because he's fast. Fact is, insiders who see these guys daily have greater insight into a players talent than we do. Sorry to break it to everyone. To be honest, the constant whining about NSW favouritism gets really tiresome. Maybe the other states need to get kids with athletic talent into cricket instead off AFL.

If it weren't for NSW the Australian side would be in shambles. Cowan, Warner, Hughes, Watson, Clarke, Starc, Lyon, Bird have all spent time in the first state, we clearly produce the best cricketers in the country, get over it.

If any of those players become half as good as mcgrath and warne,i'll eat my own head. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].

There is clear favoritism but I think a lot of it is driven by the media.

not many selectors of late have been from NSW, so i dont know if there has been any favouritism. Both Shane Warne and Glenn MCGrath were given test caps based on potential with very little Shield Form and looked what happened to them

Never a truer word spoken.There is a common theme with the four blokes you mentioned(Starc,Warner,Henriques,Hazelwood),NSW.The near selection of Hazelwood was an absolute joke. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].

not sure why quinney was picked, an average of 36 after 55 first class matches - but i guess we don't have a great group of shield batsmen at the moment, the bowlers are dominating