This coming October, Australia will tour Bangladesh, starting on October 3 with a tour game in Fatullah. In the aftermath of the Ashes, it will be an interesting test of Australia’s depth in leadership.
With David Warner expected to be ruled out of the tour due to the finger injury he sustained in the second ODI against England, the selectors will have to make an interesting choice as to who will replace him as vice-captain
Australia has a paucity of experienced players in the Test team, with only two members of the team at The Oval expected to play in Bangladesh having over 50 Tests, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson. If the selectors choose to rest Johnson, only Siddle will have played more than 50 Tests, a man who will likely struggle on lifeless Asian pitches.
After Steve Smith took over the captaincy, his role as vice-captain was taken over by Warner. Selectors were left with little choice. They refuse to consider bowlers for any leadership role, and only Warner and Smith are secure in their places in the top six. That left Warner as the obvious choice.
Yet due to his injury, the selectors will be forced to choose a new vice-captain for the tour, and will have to overcome their reluctance to pick a bowler in a leadership role.
There are two clear candidates, plus a few left-field selections that in all likelihood could happen. The two clear candidates are Johnson and Nathan Lyon.
Let’s start with Johnson. Since his return to the team in 2013-14, he has been a mainstay of the bowling attack. He is also the most experienced member of the team, with 71 Tests, more than double Smith’s 33 Tests. Yet there are problems with his selection.
Firstly, Johnson has already been passed over for captaincy. Way back in the aftermath of the 2013-14 Ashes, in the one-day series that followed, there was a match where Johnson should have been captain. It was the fourth ODI at Perth, the only match England won that series, and George Bailey was injured beforehand. Johnson was set to takeover, yet at the last moment, selectors baulked and rushed Bailey back in.
Secondly, Johnson has been on a slow downturn. He is tired, having lost five kilometres of pace since that series, and losing lots of venom. He had an average Ashes, and was due for a rest this series. Yet he may be pressed into service as vice-captain. This could backfire, as Johnson is old (he will be 34 by the time the Bangladesh series is over), and is no guarantee to hold his place until the end of the summer.
The second option is Nathan Lyon. Lyon has finally established himself as the team’s first choice spinner. He was Australia’s most consistent bowler this series, and definitely the best spinner on either side. He has matured considerably since his last tour of England, having mastered bowling around and over the wicket, as well as perfecting his flight and length, bowling slightly slower.
Lyon is one of the best spinners in the world at the moment. Additionally, he is a dedicated team man. One of the roles of the vice-captain is to be the conduit between the players and the captain, and Lyon would perform the role excellently. Lyon clearly puts the team above himself, and has an excellent disciplinary record. It could even be said he could do the job better than Warner. The vice-captaincy would be just rewards for his development.
However the selectors do not often think logically. In all likelihood the selectors could do something crazy. They could pick Haddin again as vice-captain, and curtail the career of Peter Nevill. They could add Bailey to the squad, and play him as vice-captain, or even worse they could give the role to Shaun Marsh. None of this would be surprising, given their track record for ridiculous decisions.
Yet for Lyon to be chosen, the selectors would have to finally give a bowler some responsibility. It is ridiculous that bowlers are not considered for leadership roles. It is about time selectors bit the bullet and picked Lyon, as he clearly is the best choice of those among tour.
What do you think? Who should be vice-captain for the Bangladesh tour?
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