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As the Australian Test summer finishes for another season, it is time for the armchair experts to assess the performance of the first XI.
Who has performed and established themselves on the international scene? And who has the dreaded question mark next to their name?
The analysis of the 2015-16 season is particularly poignant as it has seen the ushering in of a new era of Australian Test cricketers. While the opposition may have lacked sustained quality, the success of Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Peter Nevill, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and to a lesser extent Adam Voges, bodes well for years to come.
However, the age-old problem in Australian cricket of the all-rounder position remains. While Mitch Marsh has had limited opportunities across the summer, his performances with the bat do not represent those of a top-six batsman. Marsh’s performances with the ball have been useful, particularly his ability to consistently swing the ball, but do they warrant his position in the team?
The context of the all-rounder question is complicated as the Australian team has been seeking a world-class all-rounder for a long time. However, they have never quite been able to fill the void. As spectators, we have watched a player like Jacques Kallis visit our shores and dominate with both bat and ball. We have demanded that the selectors find our own version, but with no success.
The quest for an all-rounder has typically been in the form of a pace-bowling all-rounder. Marsh, Shane Watson and James Faulkner to name a few. However, with Australia consistently picking three pace-bowlers and one spinner in Nathan Lyon, a spinning all-rounder might provide greater balance to the Australian line-up on all pitches, not just those which are spin friendly.
The recent Sydney Test has proved that the pitch doesn’t need to turn outrageously for there to be an advantage in playing two spinners. The balance of having Lyon spinning the ball in and O’Keefe away (to right-handers) proved effective. Selecting a spinning all-rounder could make this option available to Smith on a more regular basis. But who?
The first five matches of the Sheffield Shield season might provide the key option. Sitting in ninth place on the top run-scorers list is Ashton Agar with two centuries and one fifty in only eight innings. Ben Dunk is the only player to have scored more centuries with three.
Agar’s centuries came off the Tasmanian bowling attack that includes Australian Test representatives Jackson Bird, Ben Hilfenhaus and Faulkner and the highly regarded Andrew Fekete. Add to this Agar’s batting and fielding performances in the Big Bash, and you’re beginning to build a case.
Maybe surprisingly, the greatest concern lies with his bowling, with only seven wickets at an average of 63 in the first five matches. Playing at the WACA on a regular basis is a definite factor, but can’t be the sole problem. Consequently, Agar fails the age-old Test – he can’t be picked for batting or bowling alone.
However, does Marsh pass this test? Or Faulkner? Or Watson for large parts of his career?
So in considering options for the upcoming Test series in New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and with an eye to South Africa next season, maybe it is time to change the recipe and start selecting a spinning all-rounder? Ashton Agar appears to be a viable option, particularly if he takes a bag of wickets in the second half of the Sheffield Shield season.
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