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James Faulkner would be a walk-up start in any other Test team in the world. Yet for Faulkner to find a home in the Australian side, it looks likely new keeper Peter Nevill will need to flourish with the bat and then move up to six.
The quality of the left-armer’s Test pace competitors means that he probably would need to play as the fifth bowler.
Despite his sensational first-class record – 170 wickets at an average of 24 – the selectors do not appear to rate Faulkner as one of the country’s leading frontline pacemen.
Over the past three years, he continually has been overlooked for pace positions in favour of the likes of Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Jackson Bird, and even John Hastings.
Coach Darren Lehmann indicated after Faulkner’s debut in the 2013 Ashes that the selectors viewed him as an all-rounder rather than a specialist bowler. So he is in competition with the likes of Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, rather than Starc, Hazlewood and Pattinson.
This is where Nevill comes in. Faulkner’s modest first-class batting record – 2097 runs at 32 – means he is unlikely to be considered as a top-six option in Tests for the moment.
While I believe he has the talent, technique and temperament to be a decent Test number six, he has underperformed with the blade at first-class level.
In ODIs we have seen not only his crushing power and wide array of strokes, but also attributes which should be of great value at Test level – steel nerves, match awareness and the ability to easily switch gears in his batting.
The fact Faulkner only a few months ago posted his first long-form century is bizarre. Batting at eight for a decent chunk of his Shield career in Tasmania hasn’t helped. But it also doesn’t distract from the fact he hasn’t fully exploited his generous batting gifts.
Faulkner, it must be said, has been starved of first-class cricket since becoming a fixture of Australia’s limited overs teams two-and-a-half years ago.
He should have benefited greatly from a long stint with Lancashire this county season. Faulkner managed seven games – more than he has played in a Sheffield Shield season since the summer of 2012-13.
He was effective as ever with the ball, taking 23 wickets at 21. Faulkner also made a ton and two half centuries from his nine innings in a middling return of 310 runs at 34.
As has been the case over his career, his batting was handy but not impressive enough to force the hand of the Test selectors. Faulkner does not have any national limited overs duty until January meaning he should play all five of Tasmania’s pre-Christmas Shield matches.
To put pressure on Marsh, and keep up with Maxwell, Faulkner must average around 40 in those games, preferably even higher. Just as importantly, he will need Nevill to prove himself with the bat in the six Tests against New Zealand and the West Indies.
The keeper-batsman’s performances at domestic level, where he averages 44, suggest he has the talent to bat at six for Australia. Were he to start churning out runs then the selectors would be far more likely to consider the option of Faulkner as a fifth bowler, batting behind Nevill at seven.
For the moment, this looks like Faulkner’s only avenue into the Test team.