Few nations would leave out the world’s top-ranked batsman for the opening match of a World Cup.
Fewer still would think a litany of all-rounders would provide a suitable replacement.
But that was exactly what Australia did for their opening clash with New Zealand last Friday; Aaron Finch left out of the side for Usman Khawaja, and a host of all-rounders placed in the middle order to bolster the batting line-up.
It didn’t work.
Having a flexible batting order is something Steve Smith has lauded in the lead-up to the World T20. But it seems that flexibility has come at the expense of quality. Instead of picking genuine batsmen, the selectors have attempted to cover all bases, with all-rounders batting right the way through the order.
If Australia had 11 all-rounders of Shane Watson’s quality, they would be worth picking. As it is, they selected Ashton Agar, a promising but untried player who isn’t yet up to scratch at international level.
The logic of picking all-rounders is that it gives Smith plenty of bowling options while still providing enough firepower in the batting order. But Picking Agar as an extra bowling option just doesn’t make sense.
It wasn’t as if Australia were searching for bowlers against New Zealand. Adam Zampa went for three off his first over but didn’t get another bowl. Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner were both going at six an over, yet neither bowled their full allotment.
Not only that, but Agar was scarcely used as a spinner during the Big Bash. He bowled just nine overs in eight matches for the Perth Scorchers during their latest campaign, operating instead as a batting all-rounder.
But for Australia, he’s not ready to perform that role, especially when Finch is left on the sidelines. Hell, Finch’s left-arm darts might be just as serviceable as Agar’s fingerspin if Darren Lehmann is desperate to include a seventh bowling option.
With Maxwell, Faulkner and Mitchell Marsh already in the side, Australia don’t need an extra all-rounder. They may even be best served by dropping one of those three to introduce another strike bowler – Josh Hazlewood – to partner Nathan Coulter-Nile.
It’s all well and good to pick an all-rounder or two to bring balance to a side. But before Australia take on Bangladesh tonight, the selectors would do well to consider whether they can actually perform a role better than a specialist batsman or bowler.
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