The biggest problem for the Aussie cricket team heading into June’s Ashes series is not the loss of Ricky Ponting or Mike Hussey. It’s not the controversial rotation policy or Shane Watson’s fragile calves.
The biggest problem for Australia is that we don’t know what it is.
Six months out from the Ashes, with only one more Test series to go, there are far too many unknowns in this side.
Ed Cowan and David Warner have opened as a pair for about a year now, but still plenty of people question whether this is our strongest combination.
Look at the next names on the list and you’ve got two other openers in Hughes and Watson, with the latter’s record suggesting his best cricket will not be played at second-drop.
The consistency of Michael Clarke and Hussey this summer has been probably the only section of the line-up seemingly protected from a bit of tinkering – bar the push for Clarke to enter the batting earlier.
With Hussey retiring, the Aussie bats look increasingly vulnerable and unpredictable.
Australia has a rare opportunity to experiment with some younger players and test out combinations in its current phase of transition and this is exactly what it should do.
There is plenty of merit in allowing some lesser lights to have a crack on the international stage.
However, the selections this summer have felt more haphazard than strategic.
All those who have been granted an opportunity had proven themselves domestically, but the selectors do not seem to have a clear idea of the pecking order.
With only one more home Test left, Australia does not seem any closer to establishing our best XI.
And time is running out.
Yes, we still have India and some lead-up matches in England, however Australia cannot still be experimenting with the line-up come the northern summer.
Teammates need to establish a relationship and an understanding of one another. This is especially crucial for cricket, where so much is reliant upon the chemistry of players.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to have the exact same team every match, but that’s a discussion for another day.
What is does mean is that selections need to be less of a lucky dip and more of a calculated bet.
Australia does not have the automatic intimidation factor or air of invincibility that the teams of the 90s and 00s had.
Retirements and the nature of sport rendered this transitional period inevitable and you can’t always control that.
However, the selectors can control the line-up of their sides and to do that, they need to establish in their own minds who fits in where.
For the best chance at an Ashes victory, Australia needs to arrive in England with a clear idea of who should be playing and, just as importantly, where they should be playing.
Pick someone and stick with them.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
A six-laden, 27-ball 84 from Jake Fraser-McGurk to continue his outrageous debut IPL!
It seems franchise cricket has forgotten about the great battle between bat and ball. In fact, this season in the IPL there is no battle at all.
The mammoth rise of Jake Fraser-McGurk - his enormous potential and the destructive shot-making that he possesses makes him a very tempting option.
Test great Steve Smith is to play for Washington Freedom in the second season of Major League Cricket as the Australian influence in the…
Nathan Lyon has revealed his disappointment that Australia's cricket chiefs have prevented him from playing his first full season of county cricket in England…
Some of you may have watched the recent Fox Sports Series 'A Brief History of Australian Cricket: the Eighties'. If not, I’d definitely recommend…
