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Australian selection chairman John Inverarity will name the 16-man squad for the Ashes tour later this morning with Brad Haddin as vice-captain.
And about time.
But don’t give any credit to Inverarity or his four colleagues for any vision or lateral thinking. All the credit must go to Shane Watson who recently resigned the position.
Had Watson remained, with precious few runs, and not bowling, the selection panel was making a mockery of the second most important role in the side – the stand-in captain in the event Michael Clarke is either injured, or ill.
But Watson had the side’s best interests at heart, and pulled the pin himself.
With Haddin as VC, he will be the Test keeper, and not Matt Wade. That cleans up another poor selection over the last year in one fell swoop.
Haddin is a better gloveman and a better batsman. End of story.
Now the selectors have to earn their keep. What will they do with teenage left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, and 31-year-old Pakistan-born leggie Fawad Ahmed?
Both have only been around for ‘five minutes’ in first-class cricket, but both are super-talented.
I hear the cries of too early, selecting them cheapens the baggy green.
What a load of bollocks.
Talent is talent, irrespective of date-of-birth, or CV.
Offie Nathan Lyon deserves selection for the yeoman service he has given the side. He’s no world-beater, just an honest toiler who will give his all every minute on the field.
Agar and Ahmed would give Clarke the full range of spin – a rarity which must be utilised, seeing the skipper’s back is now a major concern.
Obviously all three spinners can’t be used at the same time, but the options are there, depending on the conditions.
Now we are getting somewhere fast, which is long overdue.
Next question, what to do with Usman Khawaja?
He has become a noose around the selector’s necks after being so shamefully treated in India.
My gut feeling is they will dump him in the too hard basket. A cop-out.
Nothing new in that, but you have to feel for the left-hander, he deserves better.
So we are left with Clarke (c), Haddin (vc), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phil Hughes, Watson, Steve Smith, Wade, Lyon, Agar, Ahmed, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc. Jackson Bird, and Ryan Harris.
The batting is suspect with no Khawaja, Chris Rogers, or Shaun Marsh, but the name of the game is to take 20 wickets every Test.
Any other part of the game plan is futile.
This attack can achieve the 20 target.