The five-game ODI series between Australia and Pakistan starts on Friday at the Gabba featuring the two tallest timbers in international cricket history: Mohammad Irfan and Billy Stanlake.
Irfan, a 34-year-old fast bowling veteran of 60 ODIs, stands a sky-scraping 216 centimetres, or 7ft 1 inch, while Australian debutant Billy Stanlake, at just 22, is a lofty 208 cms.
Irfan has only played against Australia three times in the Emirates in 2014, dismissing Aaron Finch for a duck and four in Sharjah and Dubai, and George Bailey for a duck in Abu Dhabi.
Stanlake’s career has been hindered by back problems that stopped him playing for Queensland throughout the Matador Cup last year, so he’s only played four interstate one-dayers, taking seven wickets at 25.
It’s hardly a strong recommendation for international status, but he’s genuinely quick and hits the track hard to produce bounce on unresponsive wickets, so he’s well worth a go.
Which brings him into contention for the four-Test tour of India next month, and for a young quick who has played only two Sheffield Shield games taking seven wickets at 21, a meteoric rise is very possible.
Indian wickets are a renowned graveyard for quicks, but that Stanlake is so tall his delivery is well above the batsman’s eye-line is a major plus, and his ability to extract bounce at seed from docile tracks is another one.
And with Pat Cummins looking like he’ll be kept out of Test cricket until next summer’s Ashes series, Stanlake could well join Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in India, both 197 cms, as Australia’s tallest ever pace attack at the expense of Jackson Bird at 195.
The top five in the batting order – David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, and Peter Handscomb – are locked him for India, plus offie Nathan Lyon, with pacemen Starc and Hazlewood.
That leaves the six slot open, the keeper, and another bowler.
Ideally, the sixth slot would be a genuine all-rounder which brings into play Hilton Cartwright, Mitchell Marsh, Steve O’Keefe, and Travis Head, but don’t discount powerhouse six-hitting specialist Chris Lynn.
The selectors of the day originally pigeon-holed Warner as a limited-overs specialist long before the penny dropped he was also a swashbuckling Test batsman, and Lynn could well tread the same path.
Failing that possibility, O’Keefe, a left-arm spinner and batting all-rounder, and Head, a batting-offie all-rounder, are the best prospects in India.
And with spin so vital, Peter Nevill must regain his Test keeping berth with his far superior glovework over Matthew Wade.
That leaves a bowling berth available and opens the door for a third spinner.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa has proved to be a tested international in 19 ODIs with 30 wickets at 27.80, and eight T20s with nine wickets at 17.88, formats where batsmen are constantly after the slow men.
Only two days ago, Zampa produced his best Big Bash figures of 3-19 off his four to dismiss the trio of Marcus Harris (9), Cameron White (38), and Trent Lawford (2) to set up a vital 46-run win for the Melbourne Stars over the Melbourne Renegades.
This 24-year-old slots in snugly with the current selectors’ youth policy that has worked wonders with Renshaw and Handscomb, and could work well with Stanlake, even if it’s just to be in the Test environment overseas.
If 14 are to be selected for India Test series, let them be Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Chris Lynn, Travis Head, Steve O’Keefe, Peter Nevill, Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Billy Stanlake.
The tough job for the selectors will be naming the playing XI.
This series’ twelfth and final team has a distinct West Indian flavour at the top of the order, and a domineering captain.
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