Australian cricket faces a leadership crisis like never before.
After a period of being spoiled for choice in the leadership stakes, the resignation of Shane Watson as vice-captain highlights just how bare the leadership cupboard is for Australia.
No obvious candidates for Watson’s replacement stand out, with many of the players in contention seemingly yet to cement their spots in the side.
Wicket-keeper Mathew Wade took the captaincy in an early tour match of a weakened Australian side in India and was vice-captain in the last Test match when Watson took the lead after Michael Clarke missed it through injury.
But Wade’s form with the gloves has been scratchy and he has players like Brad Haddin and Tim Paine breathing down his neck for his spot. Both could also lay claim to a leadership role, especially the more experienced Haddin.
The other stand out is opening batsman Dave Warner, who has stated he has his eye on a leadership role. But again it can argued whether Warner has cemented his spot with his style of batting tending towards inconsistency.
The greatest problem for the Aussies is the man they seem to rate as the second best leader in the country is national T20 captain George Bailey, and he wasn’t even in the touring squad for the India Test series.
Do the selectors try and find a spot for Bailey in the XI too add leadership? It would be a big ask for the bloke in his first international tour on the biggest stage of all in the Ashes.
But they have thrown him big tasks before leading the T20 side on debut and the ODI side on his debut on Australian soil.
The other question is can he hold his own with the bat? His ODI form has been good but his Shield record is hardly screaming, ‘Pick me’.
One player who has certainty rooted himself in the team is fast bowler Peter Siddle.
He seems a bit of a fan favourite when discussing leadership and his lion-hearted efforts with the ball does mean he leads by example.
But if Clarke were to go down again and Siddle was too become the main man, how tactically savvy would he be?
Australia’s leadership has too many question marks and no obvious answers.
Richard
Guest
Warner Wade and Cowan!? its quite possible all of these guys could be gone by the end of our summer. None of them inspire me with any confidence. Time will tell
aussie1st
Roar Pro
If anything I'd avoid naming a vice captain for the time being. After the Ashes and SA series we will have a much better idea of where the potential vice captain candidates are at, Warner and Wade being the main two but Cowan could be another and if Bailey some how makes the team then him too.
lolly
Guest
What about Smith, Henriques, Watson and Clarke? And Starc? And Haddin has come back to the squad. Are they not NSW men? NSW fans get so used to seeing six or seven NSW players in the Baggy green at any one time, that when there is 'only' three or four in the first 11, they feel that there are none. Weird.
Sharkman
Guest
Richard, To claim a NSW conspiracy is ridiculous. Look at how many NSW players are in the team atm? Hardly any at all except for the ones who left to go elsewhere like Hughes & Cowan. The anti NSW rhetoric has got to stop as it has gotten really old. There's more Tasmanians & Victorians in the Australian team now than New South Welshman.
Richard
Guest
However I doubt he will get picked because he is not in the NSW inner circle.
Richard
Guest
I don't think that would be the only reason he would be in the team, he can bat, he has proven he can step up and it would be very handy to have proven leadership and a cool head in a side sorely lacking in that department, especially in the furnace of an ashes series. Besides the above no one can say that anyone else going around is that much ahead of Bailey as a middle order batsman.
swannies05
Roar Pro
As Cameron Rose commented in a different article today, selectors simply pick the best XI then you pick your vice-captain. It really is that simple. Promoting Bailey to the Test team for the single reason to replace Clarke 'in case' he gets injured is simply ridiculous.
Richard
Guest
Interesting comment about Bailey. He is clearly a good captain and his form as ODI player for australia has been exemplary. Its easy to forget that he was our only standout batsmen in the 4 ODI's played in England last year in which we were drubbed. Given the fragility of our batting order, the selectors could be forgiven for over looking his recent shield form and bring some leadership and substance into the soft inexperienced limp wrist that is the Australian batting lineup at the moment. Bailey is the type of player that rises to a challenge, he is worth a shot. Lets face it we don't have much on offer at the moment.