Jon Holland’s Test career hangs by a thread after he was outbowled by part-time spinner Marnus Labuschagne as Pakistan piled up 482 yesterday in the first Test in Dubai.
Openers Usman Khawaja (17*) and Aaron Finch (13*) guided Australia to 0-30 at stumps after Pakistan forced the tourists to toil in the field for a massive 164 overs.
Quicks Peter Siddle (3-50) and Mitchell Starc (1-90), and off spinner Nathan (2-114) all bowled solidly, but Holland was very poor, taking 1-126 from 29 overs.
While Australia’s other three specialist bowlers collectively went at a miserly 2.23 runs per over, Holland leaked runs, finishing with an awful economy rate of 4.34rpo on a slow pitch not conducive to free scoring. The Victorian’s true embarrassment, however, came when he was outdone by part-time leggie Labuschagne.
The 24-year-old batsman rarely bowls for Queensland and has taken just 13 wickets at an average of 56 in his first-class career.
Yet Labuschagne still posed sterner questions to the Pakistani batsman than Holland, who was played with ease.
The debutant bowled with fizzing overspin and surprising accuracy as he took 1-29 from eight overs. It was Labuschagne who finally broke a 150-run stand between Asad Shafiq (80) and Haris Sohail (110), both of whom batted with fine patience to wear down the Australian attack.
Marnus Labuschagne of Australia (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
With a tossed-up leg break, Labuschagne drew Shafiq into prodding at the ball and nicking it to wicketkeeper Tim Paine. He should have had a second wicket soon after, with a very similar delivery, but Aaron Finch at first slip dropped a straightforward edge from Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed.
Meanwhile, Holland posed next to no threat to the home batsmen. What’s worse is he couldn’t even hold up an end and create pressure his fellow bowlers could capitalise on.
While Starc, Siddle and Lyon combined to send down 34 maidens in this innings, Holland managed just one. All too often he overpitched, allowing the Pakistan batsman to drive him confidently.
It was the same story for the left armer in his debut Test series in Sri Lanka two years ago.
In the two Tests he played in that series the Sri Lankan spinners ran amok on helpful surfaces and Lyon took 11 wickets. Holland, meanwhile, was very inconsistent and ended with series figures of five wickets at 55.
Jon Holland of Australia takes his hat from the umpire (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
He did not look up to Test standard in Sri Lanka and, as a result, he had to watch from afar as Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson toured Asia ahead of him last year.
Holland responded well to his disappointing effort in Sri Lanka by returning to domestic cricket and taking 77 wickets at 21 in first-class cricket between that tour and this current Test.
His nine-wicket haul for Australia A against India A a month ago earned him a recall to the Test squad and he then got a berth in the starting XI by taking six wickets in Australia’s only warm-up game in Dubai.
But all of that success at lower levels won’t mean much if Holland again flounders in Pakistan’s second innings, assuming that they do bat twice. The selectors have shown repeatedly in recent years that they make swift calls on players and are particularly harsh on bowlers, who are typically given less time to prove they belong at Test level.
Putting further pressure on Holland is the presence in this Australian squad of Agar, who was very impressive in Australia’s previous series in Asia. In those two Tests in Bangladesh, Agar bowled with good accuracy to take seven wickets at 23, and also chimed in with some crucial lower-order runs.
In light of that Agar was actually unlucky not to play in this first Test in Dubai. Aside from his far superior batting, the key advantage Agar has over Holland is his frugality. While Holland has gone at 3.6 runs per over across his Test career – a very high figure for a finger spinner – Agar has been comparatively economical at 2.8 runs per over.
Across his four Tests, 21 per cent of Agar’s overs have been maidens, compared to just 12 per cent to date for Holland.
On pitches as flat as those in the UAE, it is crucial for bowlers to be able to produce maidens, ratchet up the pressure on the batsmen and induce loose strokes. Having even one bowler who regularly releases this pressure greatly reduces the effectiveness of the whole attack.
That was just what Holland did in Pakistan’s first innings.
Having racked up 482, the home team are in a dominant position and will know that this scoreboard pressure will weigh heavily on the Australian batsmen today.
Rob
Guest
Was it a 6 or 4? I was told during my better cricketing days as a young player by senior 1st grade Captain " If your put on the boundary and it goes over your head for 4 I'll kick your a....". It's basic rule 1 o 1 when your spinner is bowling and your positioned at long on in the longer form. As for Don Freo, Finch's catch was 5 times more difficult. Finch at least made up with the direct hit run out on the same batman a few runs. He then Top scored opening the bat after almost 2 days in the field. Mitch had 2 opportunity and 48 deliveries and once again delivered zip under pressure.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
He's also from West Australia.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
What was noticeable was that as the pitch deteriorated, the Pakistani off-spinner was getting wickets by flighting the ball (and drawing awfully loose wistful wasteful strokes from the likes of S.Marsh and Head and a general lack of footwork) and already in the 2nd innings we can see that the Holland method can stack up just fine (now). This pitch is very much playing to 'type'. Sad that the top 6 with 3 debutants proved a 2/3rds disaster.
Dustboot
Guest
Watching the Aussie cricket team and it's another predictable, slow motion train wreck. Not our best side of course. 3 x debut bats. Finch exceeded expectations. M. Marsh 12 after getting dropped on 3. However, even our "better" teams follow this batting formula away from home; - OK start - middle & lower order collapse - Starc or another bowler outscores most batsmen - low score > too far behind > lose test I don't know the numbers, but how many batting collapses do we need to have, before a serious overhaul of our prep or training? If we can't make a decent score on this road, here's some suggestions; - Pick and stick with Handscombe, Maxwell. - Bring back Renshaw. - Don't give Mitch Marsh another 28+ tests to prove himself. These batting collapses are now habit.
Baggy_Green
Roar Pro
Border and Julian wondering what the reasons are for these repated subcon failures despite preparation , A tours all going well. The wicket has not been that bad not spitying and turning square by any means. Everything points only to one issue - Can Langer instill the mental toughness in sheep like timid minds like SMarsh , MMarsh, Head etc…thats the only thing that this team wants MENTAL FORTITUDE .. slightest bit of pressure and the team just surrenders !!!!
George
Guest
Ignoring overseas series perhaps.
Peter
Roar Rookie
After their performance the last Ashes it's hard to see why their careers would be on the line.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"I highly doubt Agar would have made any difference in the first innings." And I highly doubt Agar would have gone at 4.34 runs per over on a very slow-scoring pitch on which the rest of the bowlers in the match have conceded just 2.3rpo. As I wrote, on pitches this flat you just have to frustrate batsmen into getting themselves out - that's how Australia got almost all of their wickets, by joining the dots and inducing a loose shot. So you can't afford to have one bowler just bleeding runs and releasing the pressure. So if Holland again goes at 4rpo+ in the 2nd innings I think it's highly unlikely the selectors will pick him for the 2nd Test.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
It will be interesting to see if Fawad gets a chance for Victoria in the Shield or if he's now finished with them after not having his contract renewed, and they instead give opportunities to Tom O'Connell while Holland is away.
mrrexdog
Roar Guru
Warne’s bowling average in Asia is 26
jameswm
Roar Guru
Warnie never did that great on the subcontinent.
jameswm
Roar Guru
I didn't think that was the question. I'd have picked Holland for those same reasons, but I think Agar would have done better that innings.
mrrexdog
Roar Guru
Given how well Marnus bowled yesterday (despite his poor fc record), it makes me wonder if they should’ve picked a proper leg spinner. I wonder if Fawad, Swepson, Boyce or Zampa would’ve done better than Holland did in those conditions yesterday.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Maybe Holland just doesnt have what it takes at test level? Probably a bad decision to take two specialist offies into the game.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Jesus wept that's depressing Munro Mike. Best chance is to score 600 plus and romp home by an innings.
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
(I had no idea I'd miss the edit function so much?) And therefore Holland's future is likely to depend on how he bowls in the 2nd dig if there is one. Hardly based on any personal preference given the track record of our selectors.
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
I'd suggest that Ronan's article isn't calling for Holland's sacking more pointing out that the selectors are/have been quick to punt bowlers in a similar position...
Rellum
Roar Guru
Ronan is saying that Holland didn't perform great in one innings so we should be looking elsewhere. What is the point of taking him at all if that is the thinking. People have their favourites and I think Ronan and others prefer Agar of the other spin options and Holland has to play out of his skin every game to keep that at bay. Just like Shaun Marsh has had to do over the years. It is not like Lyon of Starc ripped through them, it is almost like we are blaming the new guy for not rolling them over. I think there are bigger issues from the field placements and bowling changes that had more effect on our negative performance in the field. We should have been far more attacking than we were. Holland not bowling great didn't help but we cannot just point the finger at him. You need to give players a reasonable chance. Cricket is a game where you fail more than you succeed. 33 is not old for an off spinner btw.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Here’s hoping, Don.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Been the same since Kim Hughes time