If you were to cast your eyes across the Australian Test squad for the upcoming tour in the UAE, you would notice that Pakistani bowlers will be faced with just six specialist batsmen.
With Shane Watson now replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus, the side is very bowler heavy, as Glenn Maxwell and Mitch Marsh take the roles of all-rounders. If you were to take a closer look, and examine the age, experience, and form, it seems to smack of the same issue concerning our Test side since we lost our greats. Where have all out quality Test Batsmen gone?
Cast your mind back to 2009, a mere five years ago. Australia had the likes of Brad Hodge, Phil Jacques, David Hussey, and the now incumbent opener Chris Rogers, all missed Test selection while sporting First Class averages in excess of 50.
While many may argue they were hard done by and perhaps unlucky to have others picked ahead of them, it demonstrated the depth in our batting stocks, that we could have batsmen of this calibre warming the proverbial bench. Cricket Australia used that period to blood young batsmen.
Switch back to present day. The Quineys, the Baileys, the Khawajas, and the Cowans have come and gone, while the Smiths and the Hugheses have come and gone and come again.
Our batting line up has never looked as thin, nor as has it lacked as much consistency, since World Series cricket shook up the Australian side. We’ve also seen a lot shuffling of players. David Warner, Phil Hughes and Shane Watson, have all been moved up and down the order. It’s yet another sign that we’ve lacked stand-out batsmen, especially in the vital number three slot, with question marks still on Alex Doolan.
So what’s caused the rot? A few stakeholders have pointed to the slew of ‘Result’ pitches that were used in Shield Cricket. These pitches were often green tops, and made batting difficult so as to ensure a winner within the four days. As a side effect, the ball dominated the bat, and you could see a lack of the ‘occupy the crease’ mentality when we toured India, and were bundled out on flat decks.
Australia has also gone through a ‘bloom’ with regards to all-rounders. Australian cricket seems drenched with players, particularly young players, not content with just wielding the blade, but also trying to diversify and contribute with ball in hand.
Watson continues to struggle for fitness and continuity, so there has been a fair go at competition for that key position. There have been plenty of players trying to showcase their wares with both bat and ball, from Maxi and Marsh, to more recent experiments in James Faulkner, Moises Henriques and John Hastings. It’s possible that players trying to be jacks of both trades are limiting their batting prowess.
Many people would also point the finger at T20 cricket as another reason for the rot. The dollars a player can earn playing abroad in the Indian Premier League and Bangladeshi Premier League (if the BCB ever pays them) can far outweigh the financial gains of a long Test career, so why not become a tonking mercenary?
Yet players like Warner, Marsh and Starc, along with other young Test hopefuls, have all built their career in the shorter formats first, and progressed with solid techniques. There is still, however, a lot Cricket Australia needs to do to balance the importance and integrity of Shield Cricket, over completions such as the BBL, in order to help produce impressive Test batsmen.
Despite our triumphs over both England and South Africa earlier this year, our batting has looked brittle at best. It was our bowlers, both with handy tail-end runs along with incisive bowling, who really drove our recent Test success.
While we do have some quality in our top six, there are still areas of concern, as well as our overall depth. If Australia’s batting was to be hit with injuries, it would be hard to see us being competitive at this stage. That being said, c’mon – we’re Australia.
Yusuf
Guest
Good points Bearfax, i think the confidence lost was under Arthurs coaching as he kept the kid on the sidelines for too long i.e playing 5 bowlers in the SCG test instead of Khawaja as Watsons injury replacement but i predict he will have a big shield season and the current selection and coach are rewarding performacne so lets hope they don't play around with him as he is a real talent
bearfax
Guest
I believe Khawaja will get there. He's got great natural talent and despite some poor Shield seasons he stilll is averaging over 40. But I get the feeling he lost confidence in himself. Had a great LIst A season in late 2013 but he hasnt followed it up well in first class cricket. His English county effort recently was at best adequate. I suspect though that having more cricket under his belt may see him begin to shine again this Shield season...at least I hope so. But he's got some catching up to do with Maxwell, Burns, Carters, Hughes, Silk and Maddinson pushing for test spots and Lynn destined to return and make another plunge after two long term injuries have disrupted his challenge. Khawaja is near 28 and getting close to his optimum. He's got the talent, just needs the belief and concentration.
Yusuf
Guest
Khawaja needs more chances as he only got 2 tests in a row and also just 1 ODI game in a row. Solid runs this season will help him prosper. Also looking forward to Forrest doing well along with Cooper
Yusuf
Guest
Someone like Khawaja will come back stronger, he only got 2 tests in a row at one time and its difficult to establish yourself when you get such limited opportunities, but some strong shield runs will mean he comes back more mature this time and willl do well.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
He may play Shield once Watson is fit again however, it's likely that he won't have the chance to play as he'll be in the one day team and then part of the BBL again. It's unfortunate, as you'd want him playing Shield if he isn't playing test matches but short format players in the Aus teams get stitched up about Shield cricket all the time. Hence Bailey's dropping out of the T20 team for now. Mitch is not a kid without a care in the world at state level. Not anymore. From watching the matches, it was obvious that he was well aware that it was him or bust for the Scorchers in the Champion's League. And so was everyone else, including the commentators.
Don Freo
Guest
Don't like the new format. It doesn't flip back to the comment after you have made it...Have to scroll through stacks of comments to get back to the conversation
Don Freo
Guest
You've gotta start somewhere. If he continues in the form of the past 2 months, he'll go past Tendulkar ....OK, I'm being silly now.
bearfax
Guest
Absolutely BHT. Mitch Marsh is a potential champion player in development. At the moment he is a kid having fun flexing his wings without a care in the world. He's got loads of potential but we shouldnt expect champion showings at this stage, at least not consistently. Lets leave the kid alone in the Shield for a year or two and let him develop. Expectations could easily retard his progress and damage his self belief. And we've seen that happen before havent we.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Marsh will be going some to match Kallis, but at 22, Kallis wasn't Kallis either, if you know what I mean.
Armchair Expert
Guest
I'm glad you doubt M.Marsh will match Kallis with the bat, he'd have to double his current 1st class average to do it.
jammel
Guest
Totally agree Bearfax on Rogers/Warner/Smith/Clarke/Hughes. They are clearly our top five batsmen. (I also rate Haddin very highly - he's essentially got the same average as Watson but batting from seven. Just imagine if he'd have been given a tenth of the opportunities Watson has been given up the order….) Looking forward to seeing Hughes in the Test XI in the future. And watching the progress of Carters, Khawaja, Silk, Maddinson and Lynn in particular as the next generation.
Brendon
Guest
Here we go again. More T20 bashing. T20 will destroy test batsmen ... just like ODIs would destroy test batsmen. Test cricket is far superior today than the draw and snoozefests of yesteryear thanks to limited overs cricket. I know some on theroar believe its a crime in cricket to have a run rate higher than 1.00 per over which leads me to Usman Khawaja. A guy who scored so slowly that the seagulls and pigeons in the outfield would forgot that a cricket match was actually on since the ball never went further away than 2 metres away from the bat. Why didn't Khawaja kick on and become a top test batsmen? He is terrible at T20, which according to the 'in my day brigade', should make him perfect for test. Or maybe, just maybe, there is more to test cricket batting than blocking or blocking every delivery ...
Duncan McGregor
Guest
Move Doolan to 1 and find a 3. Doolan is an opener in the old Australian style ... much like Rogers. Pay Hughes and Silk a whole heap of money to keep them out of T20 and you have a chance
bearfax
Guest
Fair enough oh skeptic one. But I've always maintained that one season's top average does not a test player make. I personally would be looking at about 3 seasons at least of solid averaging, because consistency is the test players bread and butter
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Nudge if Haddin, Rogers and Watson were all playing really well at that point it would make it a lot harder to call time on any of them. One key difference with Katich was that when he was dropped he was 3 years younger than Rogers and Haddin will be after the Ashes. Playing Tests as a batsman or keeper beyond 38yo is unbelievably difficult. As for Watson, he may not even make it that far with the way his body is breaking down. He's been told he can't play as a batsman anymore so how long can his body hold up to being an all rounder? The selectors probably won't have to nudge him into retirement his body will decide.
Genius Selector
Guest
Look no further then t20
Don Freo
Guest
...and still Pakistan's fittest cricketer.
Don Freo
Guest
Nah...I reckon he'll still be closer to 16.
Brains of a bimbo (Atgm)
Guest
Afridi wud be 30 by 2026
Statistic Skeptic
Guest
Stats are stats - all I said was that there were 8 players age 30 or less averaging above 50 in season 13/14. If you look back... it compares favourably with 2006/07 - http://stats.espncricinfo.com/australia-domestic-2014-15/engine/records/batting/highest_career_batting_average.html?class=4;host=2;id=2006%2F07;type=season Where there were 13 averaging above 50 - of which five were in the test line-up. Or 2004/05 - http://stats.espncricinfo.com/australia-domestic-2014-15/engine/records/batting/highest_career_batting_average.html?class=4;host=2;id=2004%2F05;type=season Where there were 16 averaging above 50 - of which six were in the test line-up. So our 'depth' in pure terms of guys averaging above fifty in a season at shield level... is about the same as it was back in 04/05 or 06/07. Sure it's not indicative of 'form' - but doesn't it show that the 'depth' isn't that far different?