There's method in the selection madness

On the one hand, the Australia squad for the upcoming World T20 appears to be something of a kneejerk reaction to underwhelming recent performances.

Players who, very recently, were appearing in the T20 internationals against India have been told not to bother packing their suitcases, while others – some who haven’t got a T20 cap to their name – are preparing to have their passports stamped.

Add to the melting pot the name of Usman Khawaja – who has spent more time being overlooked than he has had time on the limited overs field – and it appears there has been no real long-term planning at all.

This is the kind of behaviour I thought the England selectors of the not too distant past had patented and one can only hope they’ve got their lawyers on the case.

A major tournament and weeks before you’ve no idea what constitutes your best squad, let alone team?

Oh yes, I almost forgot, and you demote your captain as well just for good measure. Bravo, that really is good work.

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But hang on. As much as the selectors have placed their heads squarely in the sights of those all too willing to offer criticism, there are mitigating factors.

First is the schedule. From Test matches to one-day internationals to T20 to one-day internationals to T20.

Half of the time I wonder if the players have time to think let alone know what format of the game they are supposed to be playing.

If succession planning is your forte then good luck working your way through that minefield, especially when a number of your best players play in all three disciplines.

Short of becoming a T20 specialist (or getting yourself sacked from the national team, as it amounts to the same thing) it is hard to see how the likes of David Warner, Khawaja, Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh can adequately prepare for such a tournament.

That leads directly on to the second point of the number of T20 internationals that are scheduled.

I don’t know about the other nations but England played five T20 internationals in 2015. They might as well not have bothered. Against New Zealand and Australia they played one apiece in contests that amounted to nothing more than glorified exhibitions.

There’s a certain irony in the format having a global tournament, demanding that it is taken seriously, yet in between events it is given the token treatment, as though it needs to be scheduled rather than it should be.

Is it any wonder that, with workloads already excessive for the marquee players, the teams fielded have to be chopped and changed? You really can’t have your cake and eat it.

Thirdly, there is no exact science to 20-over cricket. That is the case for both Tests and ODIs as well but the shorter the game, the more of a lottery it is and therefore the desire to tinker is more pronounced, as the Australia squad suggests.

Until the day comes where each format is considered a completely separate entity and the teams picked are exempt from infiltration from the two cousins, then you have to accept a certain lack of cohesion.

Alternatively – and yes, I know this is pie in the sky – a structure could be formulated where the World T20 has a window of its own, leaving the individual nations to prepare properly.

But less about what is unlikely to ever occur and back to the present.

Of the 15 selected by Rod Marsh and his mates, they aren’t that far off the mark. Granted, you could swap one or two for a couple of different names but it’s hardly as if world-beating players have been omitted.

There looks to be a decent balance with, importantly, enough variation in the bowling, and Peter Nevill’s inclusion is a tick in the box for those who prefer to see wicketkeeping skills favoured in place of batting ability.

With a record at the tournament that is unbecoming for a powerhouse of the game, it’s hardly as if the selectors are entering from a position of strength.

So hold fire with the barbs, and wait and see what is produced on the subcontinent in March. It might not be all that bad.