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Why Chadd Sayers should make his Test debut in South Africa

(Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
22nd February, 2018
26

Fresh from belting the Poms in a 4-0 Ashes rout it doesn’t make a lot of sense to change the winning formula that is Australia’s fast bowling attack.

However, with a four Test series coming up against South Africa I feel that there is a huge role that could be played by South Australian swing bowler Chadd Sayers.

We all know the story of Chadd Sayers, he takes wickets at will in the Sheffield Shield, gets picked in the Australian Test squad and narrowly misses the final eleven. This will again most likely be the case, which I feel is the wrong move for a number of reasons.

Lets just get this out of the way quickly, I am all for going into the first test in Durban with the Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins fast bowling trio that has experienced so much success in recent times.

They are by far Australia’s best fast bowlers and deserve to be on the park together when they are all fit and conditions suit fast bowling.

The reason I feel Sayers should play some time in this series is to do with the work load of these bowlers, as in the last four months they have played five test matches (Starc four) and a five-match one-day series where all three were given rest games throughout.

The one problem with this fast bowling attack is fitness as none of them have really proved they can go through an extended period of time without any sort of injury.

Pat Cummins in particular worries me, as prior to last year he sat out of red ball cricket for six years as he dealt with a number of serious injuries.

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With this Test series being played over just 30 days, there is the potential for the Australians to be playing in 25 of those, which is definitely concerning with a player such as Cummins.

Starc has also been under a foot injury cloud for much of the summer, which saw him miss one of the Ashes tests, whilst Josh Hazlewood had his own injury struggles in the lead up top the Australian summer.

The role of the first reserve bowler in this series will be vital, and I feel that this should without a doubt be the seasoned Chadd Sayers and not the raw and inexperienced Jhye Richardson.

In his 60 matches of first class cricket, Sayers has taken a total of 246 wickets including two Sheffield Shield leading wicket-taker awards (2012-13, 2016-17) and overall player of the series award in 2016-17.

The man also averages an exceptional 24.11 with the ball at an economy of 2.67 proving just how skilful he is at his craft. Sayers has also proven he can take wickets in clumps with 13 five wicket hauls and two ten-wicket matches.

All of the statistics point to a player accomplished enough to be a test cricketer representing his country.

However, for some reason Sayers is still yet to be given the Baggy Green that he so desperately craves and frankly deserves. Despite his sublime record the selectors always opt against him for selection, with the obvious reason being his speed.

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Unlike the big three Australian quicks, Sayers does not go out there and intimidate with his pace and bounce, rather he outwits the batsmen with his skills in swinging the ball and tempting the opposition into false strokes.

Although I am happy with the current fast bowlers, I feel Australia do need a bowler of this sort from time to time to put the batsmen under pressure and consistently but the ball on a certain spot.

The bowler I would liken Sayers to on the world cricket scene at the moment would ironically have to be South African Vernon Philander.

Bursting onto the scene in 2011, Philander has been consistently one of the best bowlers in world cricket for a long time now due to his crafty skill and consistent line and length.

Much like Sayers, Philander only needs the pitch to do just a little bit to have an extravagant impact on the game.

Take South Africa’s last tour of Australia for example as on a green top in Hobart he tore the hosts to pieces with 5/21 of 10.1 overs, leading the way in an eventual innings victory.

With 188 wickets from 50 tests, Philander has shown the effectiveness a slower seam bowler can have at test level and why Sayers should have at least had a shot in the Australian side.

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So, where does Chadd Sayers fit in this hectic schedule of test cricket.

With the matches being played in quick succession I feel that the third test in Cape Town is the perfect opportunity for Sayers to debut for his country.

Two Tests into the series is the perfect juncture to inject some life into the team, and with the heavy workload Cummins and company are likely to receive the inclusion of Sayers could revitalise the attack.

Whether the team is 2-0, 0-2 or the series is locked away at 1-1 he will definitely give the South Africans something new to think about as he is substantially different to what they would have been receiving in the first two matches.

Along with the fitness issues of the frontline Australian quicks, the Cape Town pitch has tended to offer a lot to bowlers that can swing and seam the ball with Vernon Philander in particular having lots of success at the venue.

The most recent match at Newlands saw South Africa defeat the number one ranked Indian team, as Philander played an integral part with figures of 3/33 and 6/42 in each respective innings.

In his eight Test matches at the venue, Philander has taken an astounding 47 wickets at an average of 16.34 as he simply takes advantage of the pitches bowler friendly traits.

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Although the form of Philander at Newlands doesn’t correlate to a definite strong performance from Sayers, it does bode well for a bowler that can put the ball in good areas and get it to do just enough to draw mistakes from the batsmen.

So, with this much anticipated test series just one week away I hope we will finally get to see Chadd Sayers receive the Baggy Green that has forever eluded him.

His statistics prove he is more than capable to slot into this side and in conditions that suit him (such as Newlands) he could even play a pivotal role for the Australian side.

Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are undoubtedly the future of Australian fast bowling and at peak health should all be selected, however, in such a crucial series the team can’t risk one of them breaking down mid game.

This is the time for a Chadd Sayers debut, as he is a talent the world definitely needs to see even if it is just for one game.

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