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South Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey left it until the last possible minute, but he finally showed some signs of life with the bat yesterday.
Whether it’s even enough to make the selectors consider him is another question altogether. One would think it might be a little silly to include him based on one not out innings in conditions which have progressively got worse throughout their Sheffield Shield match at the W.A.C.A. with Western Australia.
Chasing the Warriors’ mammoth 7 for 514 declared thanks to Cameron Bancroft’s 228 not out, the Redbacks could only mount 363 in reply. Most of that was thanks to Jake Weatherald, with the opener thumping 152 from 160 balls.
The influence of Carey batting with the tail and finally showing some form can’t be underestimated though. He finished with 46 not out when Daniel Worrall was the last man out for the Redbacks, and it might just give the selectors something – albeit something small – to think about.
The selectors have a problem where they need to fill two positions (and yes, there are assumptions made there), and only one player seemingly in the form to do it – that being Bancroft trying to replace either Matthew Wade or Matt Renshaw.
Sure, options have been thrown up. I’ve read everything from Usman Khawaja opening with both Hilton Cartwright and Glenn Maxwell playing through to Bancroft keeping, opening and both of the all-rounders playing.
(AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
However, on face value, neither of those options seem viable. It seems like we’re clutching at straws – and frankly, that’s exactly what we are doing trying to fill these spots.
As talked about over the last couple of days, the form of Wade and Renshaw makes it impossible to select them. How can you have two players in the top seven who are both that far out of form they might have a decent innings total between them if they pooled all 12 of their Shield innings together.
The arguments about pick and stick are fair enough, but not on this occasion and so the selectors should be desperately searching for other options.
They should be thanking their lucky stars Bancroft burst through in the last two rounds of action, but not must question Carey.
Let me put it on the table that I don’t think a player should be picked based off one innings where they finished not out, short of a half-century.
The general consensus coming into the summer of cricket was that all of Wade, Carey and Peter Nevill were in the race. The problem, is there are – or were before Bancroft – no backups for the job, and none of them have scored runs.
Carey’s innings yesterday was the first time any of the aforementioned three have shown anything in the first three rounds of the Shield. Sure, Carey and Nevill have done their job behind the stumps, but in the modern game, a wicketkeeper must be able to score runs.
With no one showing any form, does a 46 not out put you in the driver’s seat? Only time will tell, but with limited options and no more chances to build form, the selectors may be forced to take a punt on the South Australian.
That’s if they don’t go back to Shaun Marsh.
The Western Australian opener has had an inconsistent start to the season and funnily enough, that same word could be used to describe his floundering Test career – alongside the phrase ‘has so much potential.’
While Marsh struggled in the first innings, he made a fighting half-century yesterday, ending on 52 with his team getting knocked over for 173.
It’s what frustrates you about Marsh. He can make the toughest of conditions look easy some days and the easiest of conditions look like a Mumbai pitch on the fifth day or a Gabba deck after three weeks of rain on others. It’s not good enough, but the selectors seem to like picking Marsh, so who knows exactly how their discussion went yesterday afternoon.
Again, the options to replace Wade and Renshaw are few and far between. The cupboard is empty so to speak.
Honestly, we can sit here and speculate until Friday morning (and believe me – we will), but it’s not going to help. Come Friday, the team is going to be announced and there are going to be plenty who disagree. Maybe it won’t be as bad as other years though due to a genuine lack of players in form and hence, options to include for the Gabba.
The race for No.6, presuming none of those earlier scenarios occur needing both Maxwell and Cartwright is still one that’s difficult to wrap your head around.
Another failure from Cartwright yesterday though will mean he is ruing the missed opportunity in Perth. Scores of 35 and 18, particularly the 35 in the first innings – have ruined a major opportunity for the Zimbabwean-born Aussie. He is now out of chances.
Meanwhile, Maxwell goes to stumps on 20 not out for Victoria and with two half-centuries to his name already this summer, you’d have to think he has one foot in the No.6 position.
(AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
As we have known for some time, most of the squad is locked in, but those three positions are providing plenty of angst.
Elsewhere, Queenslander Usman Khawaja made two half-centuries in Queensland’s fixture against the Blues, David Warner finally found the middle of his bat to score 37 and Peter Handscomb is alongside Maxwell, not out at stumps.
The bowlers aren’t playing with the exception of Nathan Lyon who bowled effectively again yesterday. The pace bowlers are stuck just metres away, and had a strong bowl at Renshaw yesterday.
Whether that selection convinced the selectors or not is anyone’s guess, but with the countdown to Friday’s team announcement on and players running out of chances, we are no closer to working out who will be on the Gabba come November 23 than we were a month ago.