With his latest omission from the Test squad to tour South Africa, Chadd Sayers looks set to join the list of players to have dominated the Sheffield Shield without receiving their baggy green dues.
Only two players have produced more prolific Shield seasons with the ball than Sayers’ 62-wicket effort in 2016-17. His wicket-taking feats haven’t been as impressive in the current season, but 17 scalps at 25 is hardly a poor return from four matches.
Those figures should have assured him of a place on the plane to South Africa although, as Sayers himself admitted yesterday, the likelihood of him playing was pretty low.
Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are as good a pace trio as you’ll find in the Test arena at the moment (although those credentials will be sorely tested by their South African counterparts in March and April) and there can be few complaints about Jackson Bird’s current standing as the next-best Australian quick.
Bird is, after all, the leading Sheffield Shield wicket-taker this season, and it would be an unfairly harsh critic who demotes him based on one wicketless performance on an MCG pitch so lifeless it now stands as the worst to have Test cricket played on it in Australia.
There’s still a compelling case to bring Sayers to South Africa in spite of that.
He’d be a better replacement for any of the other quicks should two of them be hit by the injury bug. While the three first-choice pacemen were blessed with an unusually clean bill of health over the Ashes, all have had injury problems in the past, particularly Cummins and Starc.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
It’s a predicament we’d prefer not to consider, but it’s hardly the most unlikely of scenarios, and one which should be planned for.
Assuming those two injuries don’t eventuate, Jhye Richardson’s selection does, admittedly, make a bit of sense. With little chance of playing behind the four other quicks, and at just 21 years old, he’s there to learn and develop. For one of the most exciting young prospects in the country, that’s a relatively logical argument. (That said, there’s another equally logical one which states he’d learn just as much by, you know, actually playing cricket for Western Australia instead of running the drinks in South Africa).
At any rate, there’s no excuse for the selectors not having the courtesy to call Sayers and let him know of his omission, leaving him to instead find out the news via social media.
Overlooking a player whose credentials and bowling style suggest he’d prosper on South African pitches is one thing. Trevor Hohns and the rest of the selectors have plenty of credits in the bank after the Ashes, and they’re never going to be able to pick a squad which makes everyone happy. So be it.
But not having the decency to call that player, who was included in the squad for the first two Tests of the summer, is rubbish form.
Sayers was rightfully disappointed yesterday, telling 5AA that not being told over the phone was “hard to take.”
“I’d like to know where I stand in Cricket Australia’s eyes and where I can get in their side…
“I’m just disappointed and just want some clarity.”
He’s not alone – plenty of Australian fans would be keen to hear what more he had to do to be picked.
Sayers will no doubt come into the South Australian Shield side when the competition resumes and take a stack of wickets, in the process confirming he’s probably a bit too good for the first-class batsmen he’s so regularly pitted against, only to probably be overlooked when the next Test tour comes around.
The least he can hope for is to be told by Trevor, not Twitter, next time.
David
Guest
The selectors had a possible 20-22 players that could have realistically been selected. Their failure to communicate with any of the 5 or 6 players who didn't get in the squad is simply a lack of courage. Recently, a young coach asked me how he was going to tell 4 boys they were cut from his squad. I told him, "You look them in the eyes and tell them the truth". This is not the easiest part of the job but you havve to do it - same applies at every level. With this inaction, the Australian cricket selectors have proved beyond doubt that they are not up for the job.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
I wouldn't say he's never going to get a cap. If we go back to preparing Green Tops instead of the Dross, lifeless things we are dishing up at the moment, he's a massive chance. I will be a bit disappointed if he doesn't get to go England, for an English Ashes. But again, he needs a couple to go down before he's really in the picture. He should be moving heaven and earth to try and pick up a County contract about now.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Spot on Dingo. Someone should perhaps sit down with Sayers and tell him he's never going to get a test cap, just to put him out of his misery
DingoGray
Roar Guru
I'm really unsure what all the fuss is about. All they've done is pick a kid to be a net bowler..... Because let's face it, the top 3 will play every test, if they don't it would be for some reason we've used two spinners all there has been injuries. And if there is injury Bird is 1st crack. I know Sayers was probably looking for a nice Holiday to South Africa but he's really not missing out on anything here.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
Is it a World Cup year? They are the ones that count We can count NZ's spells at the top of World Cricket on the fingers of a man with no arms. The last time Australia toured NZ the Aussies smashed them (2-0) and the last time NZ toured Australia the score was also 2-0 (+ 1 draw). The last time NZ beat Australia in a test series was 1989/90! They have just 1 player that would make the current Australian team. Do you need any more stats to help you out?
Don Freo
Guest
'Palpable' is such a quirky word. I wonder what you think makes your assertions 'palpable'. Sounds more like a slanted opinion to me.
Davico's filthy conscience
Guest
There aren't many sides above the Kiwis even in the test rankings, which means there are not many sides that are a lot worse than average at best. The Kiwis certainly didn't get their ar$es handed to them in Sri Lanka by what is undoubtedly Sri Lanka's worst team since the 80's and they didn't lose to Pakistan in Pakistan either nor In England to England. They were robbed of a 1-1 drawn series in Australia too and then had another massive call go against them in the series in NZ. Australia are better overall (far worse than NZ in sub-continent or English conditions, but better on bouncier decks). The Kiwis are palpably better in limited overs cricket as the rankings illustrate.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
34 test wickets @ 27.47 and, until the MCG road, Bird had done the job selectors required of him. That's why he was ahead of Sayers in the pecking order. Not saying I agree. I personally, would have been just as pleased to see Sayers tour South Africa. I am mere pointing out how the selectors have viewed it. I too quite like the pace for pace cover that Richardson provides. The Boxing Day test highlighted that Bird (and Sayers in my opinion) do not provide adequate cover for an injured Starc or Cummins.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Jaques retired from first class cricket in Australia at the end of the 2011/12 shield season, having played 2 matches and averaging 24. He had averaged 33 in the full 2010/11 season and 39 in the 2009/10 season after his back surgery. Those figures would indicate that Watson averaging mid to high 30's at test level were more than enough to keep Jaques out of the side. After his surgery Jaques was, sadly, nothing like a high calibre opener that scored big numbers. There is nothing in his post 2009 career to indicate Jaques should have been recalled to test cricket. Watson, Cowan and Hughes were making more runs. It is a terrible shame that such a promising career was cut short by injury, but don't blame Shane Watson.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
When nobody calls you to deliver the bad news there isn't anywhere to complain in private either!
Darren
Guest
Why was Bird always ahead of him? Sayers record over the past 3 seasons is superior to Bird’s and Bird plays on a more seam friendly home deck. I like that the selectors saw it as a choice between Bird and Sayers and Richardson is the backup for the out and out quicks.
AREH
Roar Guru
I think the biggest worry people have is that we still don't know what Sayers might be capable of in test cricket, because he's yet to have the chance, and as others have mentioned above, will be over 30 by the time the 2019 Ashes comes around. It would be interesting to see him given opportunities to see if we have a bowler not able to take the next step to test level, or someone who replicates his FC form and becomes a regular fit in the test side.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
But he is right. The Kiwi's are very average at best.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Yeah, that's probably fair, although I think he bowled without much luck. At times he found the edge more often than anyone else looked likely to, but the field was defensive because of the nature of the pitch. But even if we just accept he had a bad game, that doesn't warrant being dropped. It doesn't undo his good work prior to that. Sometimes there just isn't a spot in the side, no matter how well someone is performing domestically. Ask Jamie Siddons.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Spin it how you want, but it would absolutely be dumping him based on the Melbourne test. Bird was preferred because he has test experience and has performed when called on in the past. In 9 matches he has only ever been given anything resembling a reasonable run in the side and - until the MCG monstrosity - was averaging under 30. You don't drop someone who has performed like that just because you have a hunch that another guy who is basically the same age might also be a handy backup bowler. If that isn't blindingly obvious then I really don't know what to say. Every day there are a bunch of angry commenters on here (often fairly) berating the selectors for not being logical, not picking on performance and/or not giving players a reasonable run in the side. Yet here we are again, all clamouring for Sayers to be picked when Bird has done almost everything that could have been asked of him in the circumstances. It's got nothing to do with how well Sayers is going in the Shield and everything to do with the fact that right now, the spot just isn't there for him.
JamesH
Roar Guru
The selectors should pay you to write excuses for them. If you've been in recent squads and get overlooked, you deserve an explanation. It's really not as hard as you're making out, and it's better for cricket if players on the verge of selection understand why they have been left out.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I know sarcasm can be hard to pick up in text, but I thought I had conveyed it pretty well there...
JoM
Roar Rookie
Joe Mennie has always put in the work, even when he was in Sydney and it doesn't surprise me he is going to England. So, again, what is Chadd Sayers doing with his off season.
Basil
Guest
Lyon is playing Test cricket. I"m sure that eases his burden. You're a hard man Christo...are you an employer?
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
OK, let's say Sayers gets a phone call. Who else gets one? How do you decide who gets one and who doesn't? It's far too vague. And the call itself will be next to useless - "Hi, you're not in the team. But if you keep getting lots of wickets/scoring lots of runs you'll be in the mix". Waste of time. And if they need the validation of a phone call, I'm sorry but the player needs to harden up a bit! Did you see Nathan Lyon got asked about getting recalled after the GGL game last night? He played an absolute dead bat to the question, despite "most people" saying he should be selected. That's what Sayers should have done.