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The Australian squad for the upcoming Adelaide Test match has been named, and those calling for an overhaul would not have been disappointed. Here are some talking points from the squad.
Last in, first out?
South Australian pair Callum Ferguson and Joe Mennie both endured Test debuts to forget. Ferguson dramatically ran himself out before playing possibly the worst shot of his career to finish the match with a measly four runs.
Mennie toiled hard, conceding fewer runs in more overs then spearhead Mitchell Starc, but ultimately failed to produce any consistent quality.
Both players have more than earned their Test spots, Mennie having taken 160 wickets in his 44 first class matches, including his season high 51 in the 2015-16 shield campaign, while Ferguson, a stalwart of the domestic, game has amassed 6700 runs in an incredible career that finally culminated in a baggy green.
The question now is what must they do to earn a recall? Is a case of right players coming in at the wrong time, or will the South Australian duo end up joining the unfortunate one-test wonder club.
Battle of the keepers?
Few figures cause greater debate than the selection of Matthew Wade. Since making his Test debut in 2012 he has experienced a three-year layoff before this call up. Both Wade and Peter Nevill ironically got their initially chance in the Test area due to the unfortunate poor health of Brad Haddin’s daughter.
Wade was always seen as the obvious choice to replace Haddin as he possessed the batting ability selectors felt they needed from their ‘keeper. A string of ‘keeping errors and the availability of Haddin combined with the fact selectors decided the national ‘keeper needed to be primarily a dominant one meant Wade lost his Test spot.
Fast forward to current day and Wade’s recall signals another change of heart from selectors.
Nevill is no mug with the bat and impeccable with the gloves but it’s his lack of runs, averaging only an average of 22 from 23 innings with no centuries, that has ultimately cost him his spot.
Wade comparatively averages 34 with two centuries in Tests and after captaining Victoria to Shield success last season, his recall is far from unjustified.
Over obsession with youth?
It was always going to be a case of dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t for selectors when choosing the batting line up for the third Test. Many former players and greats were calling for generational changes while other called for calm and consistency arguing that fringe players needed to do more before earning their baggy green.
The selectors opted for the former with many stars being the casualties of this, namely Ferguson, George Bailey and Adam Voges. After being struck in the head during the recent Shield game it is the popular belief that 37-year-old Voges has played his last Test.
The selection of an older experienced player somewhat stems from the success Chris Rodgers had in his second coming. This success was initially shared by Voges, averaging close to 100 until the ill-fated Sri Lankan tour, but his poor form has seen selectors bring in a wave of fresh blood.
While there may be more deserving players who’ve missed out on an opportunity, the three possible debutants all have strong cases for their inclusion. Queenslander Matt Renshaw set the domestic competition on fire in 2015-16, scoring 728 runs at 52.71 in his debut season, backing it up with a timely century against South Australia in the most recent Shield match.
Peter Handscomb is another player benefitting from scoring big runs at the perfect time, his 215* against a strong NSW side all but secured his Test spot.
The one selection that has dived opinion is that of left field selection Nic Maddison. The 24-year-old has somewhat stagnated in his red ball development over the past seasons. Predominately seen as a short form specialist, he’s openly expressed his desire to become a Test player.
Despite scoring almost 500 runs in the previous season, he only averaged 30, scoring only one century, compared to Bailey who scored 761 at 47 Maddison can thank having youth on his side for his selection at this point in his career.
Roarers, do you think the selectors made the right selections?
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