Sam Heazlett is the latest youngster pushed forward to regenerate Australian cricket.
Much has been made about him being selected for the one-day tour in New Zealand, having never played a first-class match. The back story seems to be that he was to be a back-up batsman for the three-game series, so what is the point in taking the likes of George Bailey, Cameron White or Michael Klinger when a youngster with huge potential could be developed?
The problem occurs when, on the eve of the match, a player goes down – like Matthew Wade did. Suddenly Peter Handscomb is slipping on the gloves and Heazlett went from back-up development player to the top six.
It is not his fault that he scratched around to score single figures – it is the selectors’ fault he was in an international.
Can anyone honestly tell me that Australia would not have been in a better position with any of Bailey, White or Klinger coming in at six?
Instead, Marcus Stoinis was left to fly solo, desperate for a stable batting partner. That is a loss marked down to the selectors.
This also comes on the back of Mitchell Swepson being picked in the India touring squad. It is rumoured that Stephen O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon are locks for the first Test and, on the advice of a former great spin king, Swepson will learn much from touring India so early in his career.
The selectors seem to have forgotten that touring squads are actually about winning games on tour. Players should be selected because they are believed to be able to push for the best XI to win the next game on tour.
The selectors might mark what happened in New Zealand as an unexpected match-day event, but was it really? Players have been pulling out on match day since well before Glen McGrath rolled his ankle on a cricket ball in the warm up in 2005. That is why you have a squad, filled with players ready to go on this tour, not getting ready for the next one.
jeff dustby
Guest
i agree Chase
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Maybe that despite his recent attempts to do so, head can't bowl.
Chase
Guest
I just hate how players are getting rested. It shows no respect to opposition. They r saying that India is more important than New Zealand. and it also doesn't show respect to people like klinger who has been so unlucky not to get a gig and he doesn't even get a go
Harvey
Guest
I give up trying to figure out what selectors reasoning is. Maxwell was picked over Head for India because of his bowling. When did Maxwell last bowl? Not in any of the recent ODI's, So why isnt Head going?
jeff dustby
Guest
thanks Harry Hindsight
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Overall squads are smaller these days, largely because there just aren't the tour games for them to play in. If they take a backup keeper and Wade plays every game, then the backup keeper doesn't get to play a game, while if they leave them in Australia then they can be playing Shield cricket and if an emergency comes up they can get them on the next plane to India.
qwetzen
Guest
"Whatever happened to taking backup keepers on tour anyway?" Do you really need to now? There's no more epic tours like the old Ashes and as long as there's a couple of days between games then one can be flown in.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Who told you Heazlett had never played FC cricket? Last week Head was the new messiah and the rest of the top order is very good. They just got done over.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I agree that Heazlett should not have found himself in that situation, but I think the real lesson is that we should be taking a backup keeper to India. If Wade goes down then we'll have to fly Nevill or Hartley in while Handscomb takes the gloves in the interim. Whatever happened to taking backup keepers on tour anyway?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
The headline for this story is completely wrong too. Short-sighted selection policies would be picking players who are good for the moment, but with no thought to the future. This story seems to be castigating the selectors for the complete opposite, being so long-sighted that they can't think about the present. The selectors, of course, know that any back-up players sent are potentially going to play, they aren't just there for the experience. So they believe that it;s a reasonable selection to pick them. The selectors tend to look at all ODI series outside the World Cup and Champions Trophy as basically being build ups to those tournaments. So while they want to win the individual ODI series, they are more likely to pick a young player with an eye on the future over a more senior player would could potentially do a job in that series, but who is really no chance to still be in the selection frame come the next World Cup.
qwetzen
Guest
"Sam Heazlett is the latest youngster pushed forward to regenerate Australian cricket. Much has been made about him being selected for the one-day tour in New Zealand, having never played a first-class match." In ranting, accuracy is the first casualty.