Up to five spots in Australia’s squad for the Test tour against Pakistan in October could be decided during the six weeks of Australia A matches which start in Brisbane today.
Australia A have two four-day matches against both India A and South Africa A as well as seven 50-over matches in a tournament against those two sides and the Australian National Performance Squad. A four-day match begins today against India A in Brisbane.
The makeup of Australia’s expected 15-man Test squad for the tour of the UAE remains uncertain. Five of the players who were in Australia’s last Test squad, for the successful tour of South Africa, are in doubt because of injury or form.
Young quicks James Pattinson and Jackson Bird are battling for fitness yet again, and veteran spearhead Ryan Harris may not tour as he recovers from a serious knee surgery.
Meanwhile, Peter Siddle and Shaun Marsh were both dropped for the final Test of that series against South Africa after indifferent performances.
None of those five players are certainties for the tour against Pakistan. As a result there are generous opportunities on offer to those who excel for Australia A.
Mitchell Johnson is the only Aussie fast man guaranteed of touring the UAE at this stage. The leading candidates to join him will be former Test left-armer Mitchell Starc and Tasmanian pace all-rounder James Faulkner.
But it would not be a surprise to see the Australian selectors call on any of NSW strike bowler Josh Hazlewood, fast rising WA swing bowler Jason Behrendorff, aggressive Queensland seamer Ben Cutting or South Australia’s ever-reliable Chadd Sayers. All of those quicks should get a chance to push their cases for Australia A.
Australia will probably select a second specialist spinner for the tour against Pakistan and it is Queensland leggie Cameron Boyce who will likely get the first chance to impress against India A.
Steve O’Keefe is in the squad for the subsequent four-day matches against South Africa A but is battling for fitness.
On the batting front there are fewer openings. Australia’s Test top six looks settled, with Chris Rogers and David Warner opening, followed by newcomer Alex Doolan, skipper Michael Clarke, the precocious Steve Smith and all-rounder Shane Watson.
Australia may well bring only one reserve batsman in their squad, along with a secondary all-rounder, an extra specialist paceman and a second frontline spinner.
NSW opener Phil Hughes shapes as a strong candidate for the backup batting role following another stellar Sheffield Shield season.
But his ineptitude against spin during his previous stint in the Test side last year will count against him given the dusty decks expected in the UAE.
South Australian strokemaker Tom Cooper and Queensland’s Peter Forrest are also well in the frame given their eye-catching returns in the last Shield season.
But my frontrunner for the reserve batsman position would be prodigiously-gifted Queensland youngster Chris Lynn.
With Australia possessing an ageing line-up in which four of its top seven are 33 or older this year, the 23-year-old Queenslander is a pick for the future.
Lynn’s first-class record of 1869 runs at 45 is highly impressive, as was his return of 752 runs at 68 in the longest form of the game this summer.
Of course, all these predictions could be turned on their heads over the following six weeks of winter cricket.
The Australian selectors have often been swayed in the past by brief bursts of form so there is no reason a dark horse could not bolt from back in the pack thanks to some beguiling displays for Australia A.
This winter carnival will be well worth monitoring.
Australia A squads:
Four-day matches against India XI in Brisbane: James Faulkner (captain), Cameron Boyce, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Peter Forrest, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Sam Whiteman (wicketkeeper).
One day matches in Darwin and Palmerston: Cameron White (captain), Cameron Boyce, Pat Cummins, Ben Cutting, Alex Doolan, Callum Ferguson, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Marsh, Clint McKay, Peter Nevill (wicketkeeper), Kane Richardson.
Four-day matches against South Africa XI in Townsville: James Faulkner (captain), Jason Behrendorff, Tom Cooper, Ben Cutting, Callum Ferguson, Peter Forrest, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Chris Lynn, Peter Nevill (wk), Steve O’Keefe, Chadd Sayers.
The fixtures for this winter’s Australia A matches
Four-day matches (Brisbane):
July 6-9: Australia A v India A (Allan Border Field)
July 13-16: Australia A v India A (Allan Border Field)
Quadrangular One-Day Series, Darwin:
July 20: Australia A v India A (Marrara); Sth Africa A v National Performance Squad (Northline)
July 22: Aust A v National Performance Squad (Marrara); India A v Sth Africa A (Gardens Oval)
July 24: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Northline); India A v National Performance Squad (Gardens Oval)
July 26: National Performance Squad v Aust A (Marrara); Sth Africa A v India A (Gardens Oval)
July 29: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Marrara); National Performance Squad v India A (Northline)
July 31: Australia A v India A (Marrara); National Performance Squad v Sth Africa A (Gardens Oval)
Aug 2: Finals – 1 v 2 (Marrara); 3 v 4 (Gardens Oval)
Four-Day Series (Townsville):
Aug 7-10: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Tony Ireland Stadium)
Aug 14-17: Australia A v Sth Africa A (Tony Ireland Stadium)
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Now the Performance squad has beaten Aus A. Needed someone to go on with their starts.
Captain Obvious
Guest
80 test batsman? You seem to be ignoring the fact hat he pops his Hamstrings of Doom (tm) with depressing regularity. Will be hard for him to play that many tests if he spends most of his time recovering from injury.
Tom from Perth
Guest
They seemed to be nicking off a fair bit though. I saw a few go through the slips. Anyway good to see Hughes in the runs again. Played some of his classic strokes.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Phil Hughes is scorching them! 35 from his last 13 balls to come within sight of a ton. Doolan, meanwhile, is playing a pressure-releasing knock on 64no...I was worried he might bat his way out of the Test side in these Aus A matches.
Tom from Perth
Guest
It sure did. Sounds like he's got a real problem cracking 100. At least Whiteman got his maiden ton.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Mishra had changed from around the wicket to over and once he did Faulkner had been hoiking at fresh air. If he thought it was the best tactic fair enough, but it looked daft.
Tom from Perth
Guest
Faulkner said he went for that last shot because he normally gets to the 80s/90s and freezes up. So he decided to go big. Obviously it didn't pay off. Poor fellah.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Yes, I was surprised that Umesh wasn't in the test squad rather than the A squad. Doolan doesn't normally open, it's odd that he is, but he really isn't doing himself any favours. Did anyone watch Faukner's innings? I watched the second half. Once Forrest got out, Faulkner started slogging Mishra. Got out rather stupidly considering that he was so close to a ton, but then that may have been a considered tactic to just keep trying to hit Mishra out of the attack. I hope so as otherwise it made Faulkner look foolish.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
might be that lower order and allrounders don't have a fear of failure. Hughes must be driven half mad by now. Not sure Doolan is up to it in the long term. To be fair big Umesh should be playing against England and he's not picnic first up.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Yeah it's a pity. Doolan, in particular, needs to perk up. If he continues in this form he'll bat himself out of the Test side for the 1st Test against Pak in Oct.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
And I think that's fair enough too - Silk, Maddinson, Lynn, Carters and Head are all great prospects. But I wouldn't like to see any one them shunted into Test cricket immediately. Another Shield season would benefit them all.
Bearfax
Roar Guru
Most disappointing that the three main batting contenders for a permanent test spot have failed so far in this short Aust A series. I'm referring to Hughes, Doolan and Lynn. Meanwhile Mitch Marsh, Whiteman, Faulkner and Forrest have been having field says. Whats going on, and none are specialist batsmen?
Baggy_Green
Guest
Agree totally Ronan...Think the selectors are basically making 2 groups of batsmen - one is Doolan , Hughes , Forrest , Shaun Marsh who can come in immediately if required (Doolan is already in the team) Second is the younger lot like Carters, Silk , Burns , Lynn , Maddo and co. whom they want to give another 1-2 years Shield cricket IMO btw Jimmy Faulkner is nearing a 100 in the second "A" test
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
They are trying certain things out with this series - the next one v SA will be slightly different again.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
It's very puzzling Wiz. I'd have opened with Carters and Silk for Aus A. Finding the right partner for Warner in the coming years is a crucial selection to get right.
Wiz
Guest
Given Chris Rogers age, why isn't some one like Ryan Carters in the frame for an Australia A spot? He had an extraordinary Shield season in 2013-14 and has the technique to go far as an opener.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I am indeed...England floundering yet again, losing 6-68 against a weak attack on a super-flat deck. They are going to have to play out of their skins from here not to go 1-0 down in this series.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know that it's the age that's the issue, it's making the call on a player who hasn't even played first class cricket yet. Plenty of young players have done well against other young players in under-age comps but then seriously struggled to make the step up to full open adult competition. While he may have done well to this point, until he actually starts scoring a lot of runs at shield competition it's pretty hard to make that call. It is true that there have been successful test players start their test careers as teenagers, and he could possibly come out and pile on the runs in his first shield season and make an argument to be the next of those, but to pencil someone in a possible future test side who's never played a first class match, (or even any limited overs matches at senior level) just seems to be jumping the gun a bit.
Tom from Perth
Guest
Is anyone else watching UK vs India? There was a Hughes/Agar-esque final wicket stand for over 100 and now Cook is out for 5. Great to see the old enemy struggling after being in a good position a couple of hours ago!
Don Freo
Guest
Form is not the issue. Clinch bowling stints, clinch innings...that's what shows what he is capable of. They are match winning stints...like Tuesday. Growing into his body will add the next plank in his progress.