Sometimes in life, you take a stance that is guaranteed to backfire in a major way. Think Hitler invading the Soviet Union. Think Decca Records, who in 1962 rejected The Beatles, saying that “guitar groups are on the way out”.
I’m doing my best to join that ever growing list by declaring publicly that Ryan Harris isn’t in Australia’s best XI for The Ashes.
Harris is currently fourth in the ICC Test bowling rankings, making him a walk-up start for the first Test at Cardiff.
Not many active bowlers have an average less than his 23.52. Dale Steyn (22.55) is one. Vernon Philander (21.95) is another. That’s about it.
Harris also strikes at 50. That is 20 per cent better than James Anderson. Against England, that strike rate drops to 43. If Anderson is the most skilful bowler in the world, then Harris must be the most talented in the entire galaxy. Perhaps even the universe?
Batsmen can’t score off him. His teammates love him. The English have have hired black magic practitioners to poke pins into his voodoo doll.
Harris is a match winner. It’s likely he could win The Ashes off his own arm. However, despite this glowing resumé, he still isn’t in Australia’s best XI, not based on the form of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
These three men have just come off a two-Test series in the West Indies, using the Duke ball as a weapon of mass destruction. Prior to that, the same three amigos bowled Australia to a World Cup win.
Johnson, despite being challenged recently, is still the most feared bowler in the world.
He physically intimidates. He scares batsmen. He unleashes the ball like punt gun. The ball comes at you from all directions. It will hit your stumps, strike your edge and thud into your pads.
It will hit you. It will hurt.
In his last five Test matches, Mitch is striking at 49.5. That’s world class.
Starc forced his way into the Test team after being the most damaging bowler in the ODI World Cup.
His 150 kph in-swinging yorker could easily be that of Wasim Akram, it is that beautiful, and he proved in the West Indies that he has built the bridge between white and red ball, Kookaburra and Duke.
His latest tour had 33 per cent of his overs being maidens, a strike rate of 36.00 and an average of 16.00.
Alastair Cook and Adam Lyth will fear losing their wicket to Starc more than anyone else. So will Gary Ballance when he strides to the crease at 1/0. Ian Bell might fear it at 2/5. Starc has the capacity to single-handedly have England at 3/10, making him Joe Root’s worst nightmare.
Hazlewood has been a phenomenon. A Glenn McGrath Mini-Me, this 196cm beanpole places the ball on the pitch with the guile of a master sniper.
His West Indies tour landed 12 wickets at 8.83, a strike rate of 2.84 and a ridiculously low economy rate of 1.86. Hazlewood balances out the raw power and left arm angles of Johnson and Starc with his trampolining right arm.
Combined, this trio is brutal. Magical. Intimidating. Clockwork.
They are also winning, and this is important. Their self-belief is a rare find in cricket.
Fast bowlers usually come in pairs. Think Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald
A successful pace-bowling triumvirate is a rare beast, less sighted than the Yeti. However, in Johnson, Starc and Hazlewood, Australia have found their Sasquatch.
There is no need to upset it, especially not for a guy who averages 31.4 and strikes at 70.8 in his last five Tests. Not for a guy who hasn’t bowled at international level since January due to a knee that is held together with cotton thread and a bit of duct tape, particularly when the incumbent bowlers are on fire.
Why take the risk?
This is not a two-Test series against Bangladesh in Cairns, this is The Ashes. You don’t experiment during this event. Australia learnt that in 2013. Remember Ashton Agar?
Just as Fawad Ahmed will make a great understudy to Nathan Lyon, Ryan Harris will make possibly the greatest understudy of all time to Johnson, Starc and Hazlewood.
Am I saying that the fourth ranked bowler in the world isn’t a starter in the Australian Ashes XI? Damn right I am.
VivGilchrist
Guest
Steyn with or without Faf scratching the ball up for him?
Bearfax
Guest
I'm not comfortable with using a wicket keeper as our sixth batsman especially given the vulnerabilities that exist in our present batting line up. Personally I would like six established batsmen, some of whom can bowl a little. Even with the brilliant batting flair of Gilchrist, we kept him at 7 even though we had an outstanding batting stable at that time. Certainly batsmen/wicketkeepers like Neville and Whitemen promise strong batting down the order and its encouraging that some of the bowlers are almost all round quality. But the bowling line up we have now with Hazlewood, Harris, Johnson, Starc, Patterson, Lyon, Ahmed etc suggests we have the players to bowl other teams out with just four of them in a side at a time with Smith, Warner and M.Marsh/Faulkner as the all rounder if required.. But do we even need all rounders who havent got 40+ batting averages at first class level for the No 6 position? For me an all rounder should either be a 40+ batsman or a 25- bowler, and they respectively should then fill a batsman's or a bowler's position depending upon the greater skill. I'm receptive to M. Marsh and Faulkner getting a period to settle in because of age but if they dont start to aim to achieve those levels after 20+ tests I would send them back. Personally in future when Rogers is gone I would be looking to have our best six batsmen in the top six positions, and that would be out of Warner, Smith, Clarke, Voges, Burns, Lynn with maybe Khawaja, Maxwell, Silk, Maddinson, Stoinis, Bancroft, Cowan etc in the selection tussle, depending upon form and how they develop. We dont need more bowlers in the team. We need a stronger batting line up, some of whom can bowl a bit, with a solid batting wicketkeeper and four bowlers who can bat a bit.
Bakkies
Guest
You need wicket takers at one end who are stingy which allows the Johnson and Starc types to attack. The Windies could barely get off strike against Hazlewood.
Bakkies
Guest
The last paragraph you are dead wrong but the first I agree. He appeared to be a run of the mill State level bowler much like Stuart Clark was and they have both nailed Test Cricket. Clark also worked his socks off and had outstanding series particularly against SA and England.
Don Freo
Guest
That was, however, a couple of test series ago. He has aged, lost fitness and not played a match since then. Ian Chappell once said a similar thing about Dennis Lillee...but you wouldn't pick him now. Time does move on.
Brains of a bimbo (Atgm)
Guest
Yes make the same mistake like in 2013 by not playing harris.if hes fit he'll play.i think clarke once mentioned that hes the ist name picked in the 11
b
Guest
Genius, however that line up doesn't fit the test match formula, it's doubtful the selectors can think outside the established formula and all rounder obsession.
b
Guest
Haddin is not the issue, it's Watson's performance compared to having the extra bowler. If Nevill is not in the side, you have Watson and Haddin? How is Watson and Haddin better than Haddin and Starc?
b
Guest
Haven't seen much of the Australian team recently I see. Harris' injury is a chronic one, it's been there in every series. He has also shown he does everything right to come back from injury in form. Harris is expected to come straight back into the side and bowl well, it would be a huge shock to most people if he came back into the side and struggled to bowl well.
ChrisB
Guest
Yeah some strange logic isn't it. Johnson's not bowling that well they say, but his figures look OK. Harris hasn't bowled at all, but no he's straight back, doesn't need a trial or warm up, he's done it before, so he'll obviously do it again. Love Rhino but he is getting on, each time and every additional year it's harder to bounce back People also seem to forget the psychological hold Mitch would have over some of them
b
Guest
LOL, are you seriously suggesting Rodgers has a better test record than Harris?
ChrisB
Guest
I would think Johnson has runs on the board too. But he's not a Roar favourite, so off with his head
b
Guest
Dropping Watson for a bowler means Lyon would still be in the side, so we would still have the spin option to help with both over rates and pitch conditions.
Bearfax
Guest
Tour gaming not testing PP7. Testing comes later
Pope Paul vii
Guest
testing
Pope Paul vii
Guest
Spot on Haurie was bowling beautifully that series
ChrisB
Guest
That all means squat if he's not fully fit. Sure he's earned the right to get back in - but he's got to prove fitness for a long bowl. Interesting that a lot seem to think that Johnson hadn't earned the right to stay there, usual Roar bias again
Paul D
Roar Guru
Like I said – never works! We got lulled into taking the same bowling combo to the Oval, the pitch turned out to be a spinner’s paradise, and we were forced to rely on part-time tweakers while Hauritz carried the drinks. Lost the ashes as a result.
Don Freo
Guest
Harris' stature, in his absence, has grown in a way I have seen no one's grow previously. This is the bloke that was in and out of SA's Shield side for the first 8 years of his career...with no remarkable numbers at that time. He is a very good bowler but his purple patch is no greater than Johnno's, Starc's or Hazlewood's...or Bird's when he had his moment in the sun. The hyperbole is over the top.
Don Freo
Guest
We've had no trouble in replacing him at all.