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With one Test to go against Pakistan, attention is now turning towards the Test series in India. The make up of the squad for the Sydney Test seems to be giving away some ideas as to the probable selections for India.
There are, of course, the obvious selections that no one will question, Steve Smith, Dave Warner, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Add to that the impressive young Peter Handscomb and you have your backbone.
Current Test team members Usman Khawaja, Chris Renshaw, Jackson Bird and Nathan Lyon would all most likely make the squad, despite some pundits questioning their suitability to Indian conditions.
Khawaja struggled in Sri Lanka and on previous sub-continent tours and is not known for his ability against spin, but he has been in great form recently and the selectors will most likely give him a chance to prove himself in foreign conditions.
Renshaw is a bit of an unknown as he has had such a short first class career to date and little other exposure to quality spin. As the incumbent opener who hasn’t done anything wrong, again he is likely to be given an opportunity to prove himself in India.
Bird has always stood up when called upon as the third seamer. His accurate line and length bowling could be effective in India – who knows- the selectors will most likely give him a place in the squad, although with two spinners likely to be picked in the XI for most games, he may not get a run out.
And Nathan Lyon? Well, enough column inches have been used up discussing the relative merits of Lyon in India, but his performance on day 5 at Melbourne has probably bought him a ticket – even if he doesn’t do the job in Sydney on what is likely to be a spin-friendly deck. Let’s assume for now that he is in the squad, if not the XI.
This gives us nine players out of a likely squad of 15. So who will fill the final six spots?
First, let’s discuss the ‘keeper position. The incumbent, Matt Wade, has not exactly made a strong case for retention. His form with the bat has not only been poor in his three Tests this year, it has been consistently average over the past two first class seasons as well, his average hovering around 28 during this period.
Add to that his mediocre keeping (some say it is worse than that, but I will be polite) and the only thing he seems to have going for him is a positive attitude and the support of his captain.
So what are the other options? Maybe, including myself, would advocate for a return to Peter Nevill.
His glovework has always been tidy throughout his Test career and he did show some fight with the bat against Sri Lanka on occasion. Other options are either too old (Chris Hartley) or too young (Sam Whiteman), however, I would be happy with either of them to be picked above Wade, who doesn’t offer much as it stands.
Next, the second and third spinners. Steve O’Keefe is a must with his fantastic first class record and his brief but acceptable results when he has played the odd Test match for Australia.
As a left-armer that turns it the opposite way to Lyon, they would seem to be a good matching.
The third spot for me is between Holland and Ashton Agar based on their Shield form this season and in recent years.
They are both left arm orthodox spinners, the same as O’Keefe, so are likely only to be used if O’Keefe is injured or bowls very poorly over the first two or three Tests.
Agar as an option at number 6 for me is asking for trouble. Mitch Marsh was dropped for not making enough runs at 6, an we expect much more from Agar with a first class batting average of 26?
He would make a fine number 8, and his bowling recently has come on enough to justify a spot in the starting XI if O’Keefe is unavailable. The only other possible option, and a bit of a long shot is Will Somerville.
The off-spinner from NSW is third in line behind Lyon and O’Keefe in the NSW shield squad, but has been used extensively as a second spinner when Lyon has been on Test duty and boasts and impressive FC average of 26 from ten matches.
He is currently keeping young Arjun Nair out of the NSW shield side and out-bowled O’Keefe in his last Shield match. As for leg spinners, I am frankly sick of hearing people mention Adam Zampa, Mitch Swepson, Fawad Ahmed and even Cam Boyce as options.
None of them have any kind of decent Shield form and Ahmed and Boyce struggle to make their Shield sides. Even Swepson was left out of the Queensland side in favour of Jason Floros recently.
They would all get slaughtered in India. Swepson looks the most promising of the lot, but is too young and inexperienced to take to India.
Next the number six slot. Whether you are one who favours an all rounder or a pure batsman, the answer to Australia’s number six conundrum is not an easy one to solve.
Hilton Cartwright looks set to make his debut in Sydney and could make a case for retention for the India tour.
As a genuine top six batsman who bowls enough to hold up an end for ten overs a day, he could be the solution, however, his Shield season so far has only yielded 330 runs at 36 – hardly enough to put him in the top six batsmen in Australia category.
I worry that picking a batsman who is not in top form is setting them up for failure – just ask Nic Maddinson. I’m not sure of his ability against spin – if anyone has any insight, please provide some in the comments below!
Many people have advocated for Glenn Maxwell to be given the number 6 spot, given he offers a decent spin bowling option and would possibly allow Australia to play three seam bowlers and one specialist spinner.
I have long been an advocate of Maxwell as a perfect pick for the number 6 spot in the Test team, however, he is currently in no sort of form with the bat, having only made 129 runs at 25 from five innings this shield season.
He could still be a viable pick as he has shown in the past his ability to turn a form slump around and he is know as a good player of spin.
So both of the above mentioned all-rounders are currently not anywhere near the top six batsmen in the country category- let’s look at those that are:
Shaun Marsh? Obviously he has been in great form when he has managed to get on the park, but his fitness issues have been a worry. Hopefully he can get fit and show some form before India. He could be the solution at number six if the selectors decide to stick with Renshaw as opener and Khawaja at three. His record in Sri Lanka shows he is a good player of spin which will be vital in India.
Travis Head has finally started to fulfil all of the “promise” that everyone at Cricket Australia have seen in him, having an impressive start to the FC season scoring 362 runs at 60.
He has also made a reasonable start to his ODI career, showing he is able to make the step up to international level. His off spinners are handy and add another bow to the string, but again, little is known about his ability against spin.
The older heads- White and Bailey are both in good Shield form this season, and have previous experience on the sub-continent, albeit only in ODIs in Bailey’s case.
If the selectors decide to go for a lot of younger players in other positions (keeper, second spinner) then they may want a more experienced number 6 and either Cam White or George Bailey would be good picks, with both having decent reputations against spin.
Another name often mentioned is Kurtis Patterson. His Shield form this year has been good, if not spectacular with 382 runs at 42 and he was one of the standout batsmen in the Shield last year.
For me, his batting ability against spin is one big question mark. I saw him bat in a Shield match against the Vics recently and he looked all at sea against Jon Holland. Admittedly, this is a small sample to judge from, so if anyone has better insights, please add in the comments below!
So where does that leave us? Here is a likely list of players from which the selectors will need to choose 15:
Top three – 4: Warner, Renshaw, S Marsh, Khawaja
Middle order – 4 of: Smith, Handscomb, S Marsh, Cartwright, Maxwell, Head, Bailey, White, Patterson
Wicketkeepers – 1 of: Wade, Nevill, Hartley, Whiteman
Spinners – 3 of: Lyon, O’Keefe, Agar, Holland, Somerville
Fast Bowlers – 3: Starc, Hazlewood, Bird
Here is my pick, what about yours?
1st XI Warner, Renshaw, Khawaja, Smith, S Marsh, Handscomb, Nevill, O’Keefe, Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood
Squad members: Head, Agar, Bird, Maxwell
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