Over the past couple of Big Bash seasons, few bowlers have been as consistent as Andrew Tye.
He has a plethora of slower balls, an accurate yorker and a damn good economy rate in Twenty20 matches as a result. In 25 matches, Tye’s economy of 7.4 is nothing short of impressive.
In short, the West Australian is exactly the kind of bowler Steve Smith would want in his squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The problem is, he doesn’t seem to be adapting to the rigours of international cricket very well.
On his debut, Tye was excellent. He finished his four overs with figures of 1-28 and snared the big wicket of MS Dhoni.
His second match was far less profitable. After going for 12 in his penultimate over, Tye conceded 18 from the last over of the match as India snatched an unlikely victory.
Then in his last match against South Africa, Tye went at 12 an over, again haemorrhaging runs at the pointy end of the innings.
Tye currently has an international economy rate of 10.5, a strike rate of 34 and an average of 59.5. Those are not the stats of an international-quality player.
To be fair, three matches is hardly the most authoritative sample space, and in most other situations I’d be a strong advocate of giving Tye every chance to show his class on the big stage.
Unfortunately time isn’t on his side, nor is it on Australia’s for that matter. Just two games remain before their World T20 campaign kicks off, and the selectors will want to have a look at every player in their squad in that time.
That means Tye is likely to have just four more overs to prove his worth. He’ll have to do it against the likes of AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and David Miller.
At the selection table, he’ll have to do it over James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood and Shane Watson, all of whom are far more proven quantities at international level.
Cricket is littered with a host of players who have failed to make the step up from domestic to international cricket. Clearly there is a significant adjustment to make when going from bowling to Travis Head and Chris Lynn to Suresh Raina and David Miller.
But Tye is the type of bowler who could prove to be an invaluable asset at the World T20. For Australia’s sake, let’s hope he makes that step up in time.
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