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After the first Test at the Gabba, I thought we had our team from the summer. Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja played well, Adam Voges seemed set and the bowlers were picking themselves.
Then, in the space of a long, drawn-out Test match on a dead pitch, two openings in the Aussie team arise.
The debate begins about who the selectors should turn to for this historic day-night Test.
Batsmen
The calls are getting louder from the gallery for Michael Klinger to get a game.
I just don’t see it.
In his 18th first-class season, he averages 39 with the bat. Sure, he’s had a few good seasons in there, but it also means he’s had more than a few ordinary ones. I just don’t see how picking a 35-year-old who averages under 40 is a good move.
Looking at the recent spate of batsmen plucked from Sheffield Shield cricket with averages under 40, the list includes Rob Quiney, Alex Doolan, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh and George Bailey.
None of them succeeded at Test level.
Ed Cowan is the only one to go back to Shield cricket and lift his average above 40. So why would we think picking someone else with a substandard first-class record is going to be any different?
If players aren’t averaging at least 40 with the bat, they shouldn’t even get a look at Test cricket.
That leaves us with Cowan, Mark Cosgrove, Glen Maxwell and Chris Lynn.
Lynn has the best record with an average of 45, however is currently injured. It will be tough for Mark Cosgrove to be considered for higher honours due to fitness issues, so that leaves Cowan or Maxwell.
Assuming Khawaja returns straight into the team after back-to-back centuries, we’re looking at a player to fill in for two to three Test matches.
Cowan will do a solid job at number three and is probably the safer option of the two. Maxwell would come in at five, moving captain Steve Smith to number three and Adam Voges to four.
Maxwell adds some explosiveness to the middle order, but some would be concerned about our vulnerability with both him and Mitchell Marsh batting at number six. Either way would work, but taking the riskier option of Maxwell will work out better.
Cameron Bancroft is a talented young player, but with an average of only 36 he still has a way to go to prove he is up to Test level. He leads a group of young players that include Travis Dean, Nic Maddinson, Jake Doran and Sam Heazlett, all of whom are now emerging in first-class cricket.
Bowlers
This is a little more straightforward.
Peter Siddle gets the first crack, and while he hasn’t set the Shield season on fire this summer he’s been solid. Combining his overall Test record of 198 wickets at 27 and his last Test in England, Siddle is the man who should get the first shot.
Closely behind him are James Pattinson and Jackson Bird.
Both have exceptional first-class records and have performed well when picked in the Test team. Even though they have had long-term injuries they will only need a few more Shield games under their belt to both be vying for the next available bowling spot.
The selectors made the right choice at the start of this summer and need to continue to pick players who’ve got the runs and the wickets on the board.
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