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Did the Australian selectors really get it right?

Roar Rookie
9th November, 2015
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Australia's Joe Burns (left) with David Warner. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Roar Rookie
9th November, 2015
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Australia has started the home summer by making more than 800 runs for the loss of only eight wickets, while the bowling attack took 20 wickets. It all culminated in a 208-run win.

Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja scored their maiden hundreds, David Warner broke through and banked tons in both innings after a run of 50s, and all the bowlers chipped in with wickets.

The new era in Australian cricket has begun with success, that is undeniably true. But is there that much to get excited about yet? Do we know much more than we did a week ago?

This series has been more anticipated than any Trans-Tasman clash in recent times. However, it has started like most of the New Zealand tours in the last 25 years – with an overwhelming Australian victory.

New Zealand were disappointing with both bat and ball, but particularly with the ball. There was little swing on offer and after some early pressure from Trent Boult and Tim Southee there was little penetration from the rest of the attack. When Southee left the field with a back injury, things got even easier for the Australian top order.

The deck had little to offer the bowlers. There are a lot of Sheffield Shield sides over the years who would have loved to have seen that type of pitch at the Gabba in November. Another season of flat benign pitches around the country will do nothing to Test batting techniques and temperaments.

New Zealand needs to improve and for Australia’s sake as much as for their own cause. After these three Tests against New Zealand, three Tests against the West Indies follow. The Caribbean team is once again beset by politics and internal disagreements as well as coming off a 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka.

Unless the unexpected happens, the pink ball in Adelaide may be the biggest chance to see what the Australian batting order is really made of, as well as the best chance of drawing a bumper crowd.

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You can only play the opposition who are in the field and Australia did that comprehensively in this Test. Burns, Khawaja and Warner did play excellent innings.

However, the result needs to be kept in perspective. The new era is only one lop-sided Test match old.

The Trent Bridge debacle was only two Tests ago. Can this Australian batting order cope any better with a moving ball than that line-up did?

Would this top six fare any better than the spin-struck South Africans did this week in Mohali?

Have the selectors got it right, as has been frequently stated in the last two days?

Those questions still remain unresolved.

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