Most cricket fans like to play selector. They know who should be picked and why and that the selectors don’t know what they are doing. However, this summer the Australian selectors have got it far more right than wrong.
Cameron Bancroft replaced Matt Renshaw and started well in Brisbane, helping Australia get off to a winning start, and Tim Paine has been better than either Matthew Wade or Peter Neville have been for the last few seasons.
Mitchell Marsh replaced Peter Handscomb and has done well in two Tests, playing his strokes to make his first Test century in Perth before knuckling down and helping Australia grind its way to a draw in Melbourne.
However, let’s go back to 2017 and look at the facts involving Usman Khawaja.
Between his recall to the Australian team in November 2015 and the India tour of 2017 Usman Khawaja played 14 Tests and scored 1349 runs at an average 64.23. He was dropped for the first Test in India.
Admittedly his tour to Sri Lanka was a poor one. His 55 runs at 13.75 meant his ability was questioned on dry, turning Subcontinent wickets. Despite his excellent returns for 18 months, he was dumped from the Australian team.
It would be interesting to know if any other player has averaged 64 over an 18-month period and been dropped. The treatment of Khawaja seemed very harsh.
Australia’s Usman Khawaja has been in an out of the Aussie team but he’s provided value for money. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
It’s history now that the two players who played in front of him, Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh, had very poor tours of India. It’s also fact that other great players have had poor tours to the Subcontinent. Ricky Ponting made 105 runs at 21.00 on his first tour India in 1998. On his second tour to India in 2001 he managed 11 runs in 3 Tests at 3.40 but was never pigeonholed as an ‘Australia only’ player, which seems has happened to Khawaja.
If the same rules applied to Ricky Ponting, the selectors could have said, “Sorry, mate, 116 runs in six Tests at 11.60 in India after two tours and you score runs for fun in Australia – best we leave you to only play here”. What would that have done to his confidence?
If a batsman is playing Test cricket, he doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into playing only on some surfaces; his aim is to do well on all surfaces, especially away from home in unfamiliar conditions. To label Khawaja after two poor Tests lacked foresight.
Khawaja’s immediate aim is to find form and make a big one in Sydney. The selectors, who have had a great summer, to be fair, have handled him very poorly. To drop a player who was scoring runs for 18 months was quite frankly unfair, especially on the evidence of two average Tests. Khawaja isn’t the first person to have had two poor Tests in a series. Just ask Alastair Cook.
Pressure can be released with runs in Sydney. If it doesn’t come, it will be over to the selectors to see what they do. They’ve handled him poorly once before and will need to decide whether they back him when Australia go to South Africa or dump him once again.
Making runs can relieve all sorts of pressure for Khawaja. Again, just ask Alaastair Cook.
not so super
Guest
yeah but Brad Hodge had a lot better players to contend against. convenient of you to not mention that, master
not so super
Guest
true John. he had a lot of problems after initial success
Steve Squires
Roar Rookie
Correction it was in his first 9 Tests and he was 26 not 24. But it's still 4.5 years ago and not relevant at all to the South Africa tour, nor his lack of runs in this Ashes series - which have not been problems against spin.
Steve Squires
Roar Rookie
You mean in his first 6 Tests as a 24 year old? I didn't specifically mention the Ashes matches he played in England as a very junior player, but I think they're even less relevant than, say, Mitch Marsh's technical problems in the last 2 or 3 years which have lead to a Test average of 27 after 23 Tests. Marsh has improved, so has Khawaja.
Brendon the 1st
Guest
Also, I've seen Warner buckle down on horrid pitches, think Hobart VS Nz where he carried his bat whilst everyone around him fell, it was always obvious that Warner was going to be pretty special, Khawaja looks like a tailender bunny when faced with a decent spinner, and that's not good enough for a number three with 16 tests of experience. It looks like he lacks a bit of mental fortitude, Warner does not.
Nudge
Guest
The difference between Warner and Khawaja Bearden is that Warner through his struggles in Asia always looked capable of producing at some stage. When Khawaja plays over there every ball looks like a handgrenade. I’ve actually felt sorry for him watching. Warner also averaged around the 30 mark in Asia before his breakthrough series against Bangladesh. Khawaja is not capable if that.
Beardan
Roar Guru
Absolutely. The Marsh boys have had an absolute stack of chances. to their credit, they have had good summers, but im sure Brad Hodge would have loved the amount of chances these two have had over the last 5-6 years
Beardan
Roar Guru
Yes great observatipons Saurabh. Its no secret Warner's record away from home doesnt come close to his record on the flat Australian pitches. For mine, two poor tests against Sri Lanka and then almost banished from certain conditions was far too harsh and poor form from the selectors.
Beardan
Roar Guru
No, wasnt being sarcastic. Also not sure what i meant with 'just away' sorry! But i think your summary was well put together and you put a very good argument forward. Even better argument than the article ;)
dave
Guest
He should have been given a chance surely he had enough credit in the bank same as Maxwell for this series.Wether they would have succeeded or not we will never know but in my opinion both had done enough to get at least 2 tests. The recurring theme is they were both replaced by guys with a surname starting with M and rhyming with harsh.
Graeme Heaton
Guest
It is not the selector's fault that Usman has not done a lot lately. Sydney is the last place a bloke out of form and suspect to spin should play. Time for a holiday to get some form and put Maxwell in.
Saurebh Gandle
Roar Guru
Truely . Why just Ponting.Even David Warner had poor tour of SL,IND(twice),UAE before coming good with twin centuries at Bangladesh.In fact he hasn't even performed well in NZ,Eng or for that matter been failure in WI.Only place he scored mountain of runs is in SA.But he is still backed by selectors.Why not Usman he is still young did well in NZ.
slurpy
Roar Rookie
comparing the current side vs aus in 2000 isn't a fair comparison. at the moment we need everyone (especially the top 3) contributing to come up with a decent score, back in 2000 i think ponting was still being blooded as a test player and batting at 6. Agreed Uzi shouldn't have been dropped when he was, but i also think he shouldn't be being picked for the sake of it now, if he can't make runs at the SCG then he'll be dropped again.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
That's a touch harsh and "never" is not true. Khawaja looked pretty good in Adelaide after Bancroft's run out. He now looks way down on form, getting caught on the crease far too often. The Phil Hughes mention was pure emotive nonsense. In 2015 and 2016 Khawaja averaged 62 batting at three. Phil Hughes never averaged 40 in tests after his debut year. (52 from 5 tests) Once opposition attacks reviewed his technique he averaged the following at test level- 2010 28.00 2011 26.93 2012 37.33 2013 27.00. Hughes, in his final season of shield cricket, was trying to rebuild his career as an opener, with some first class success. His tragic death did not rob Australia of a guaranteed test success at number three, although the thought is a warm, fuzzy one.
Steve Squires
Roar Rookie
Thanks, I think. Not sure what you mean by "just away" but don't think you're being sarcastic with the compliment.
not so super
Guest
congrats, nearly as good as your last masterpiece. up there with the great Nick Symonds
Beardan
Roar Guru
The point was he was dropped after averaging 64 in 18 months leading up to the India series. FAir dinkum, tough school if you get dropped dishing out those impressive numbers. And it went on a whole two tests worth of information. Remember Ricky Pontings first two tests vs Panickstan in 1999-2000? 0,0,0... then came good.
Gordon Smith
Guest
He will play his 5th straight test on his home soil and its the selectors fault. Classic.
I ate pies
Guest
He's hard to watch; never looks sharp on his feet or like he's trying enough. He's not good enough to be Australia's number 3. Our number 3 should have been Philip Hughes, RIP.
Beardan
Roar Guru
An excellent summary with great observations that is just away from the 'Nathan Lyon can play spin better than him' nonsense i had to read previously.