It can only get better for the baggy greens

Apart from the fourth dig heroics in Dubai, Tim Paine’s baggy greens have been totally outplayed by Pakistan in the UAE.

The Pakistanis have scored 1345 runs for the loss of 35 wickets to average 38.43 a wicket – Australia way behind averaging 26.07 a wicket from 756 runs with the loss of 29 wickets.

Australia resume today at 1-47 chasing a binocular distance away 538 for victory with two days play remaining.

It’s effectively game, set and match.

Shane Warne, the best captain Australia never had, added to the woes by describing the current Australian batting lineup as the worst he’s ever seen.

That’s apart from Aaron Finch, as Warne also added.

Despite being widely acclaimed as one of the world’s best limited-overs batsmen for ages with 172 off 76, and 156 off 63, it’s taken a career 620 games for the national selectors to award the 31-year-old his first baggy green.

That’s 93 ODIs, 42 T20Is, 78 first class, 171 domestic 50-overs, and 235 T20s around the world.

And Finch has celebrated with 62, 49, 39, and an unbeaten 24 to be Australia’s most consistent batsman even though he’s the new boy on the block.

Opening batting partner Usman Khawaja has scored the most runs with 85, 141, and 3, but he won’t bat today until number seven after not fielding as he was treated for a knee injury suffered during the warm-up yesterday.

Travis Head’s one off 72, and Paine’s one-off 61 not out, were the only other Australian batsmen to contribute to this point.

The biggest disappointments have been the vastly-experienced Marsh brothers, who have done literally nothing with the bat with Mitchell averaging eight, Shaun three.

With credits so rare, offie Nathan Lyon can’t be overlooked.

He has soldiered on trundling down 148 overs in the heat to claim 12 wickets at 32.

Brilliant.

But there won’t be too many brilliant Australian team performances until Steve Smith, David Warner, and to a lesser extent Cameron Bancroft complete their ball-tampering suspensions – Bancroft in December, Smith and Warner in March in time for the World Cup, and the Ashes in England.

In the meantime, Fox and Seven must be wondering why on earth they forked out a massive $1.182 billion to cover the cricket for the next six years?

For the moment it’s blood money, but it will get better once the selectors pick in-form fit players, and the Smith-Warner combination are back in business.

Just as well.

So far both Fox and Seven have signed a ‘cast of thousands’ apiece as commentators, although Fox has done to Seven what they’ve done to Nine in the rugby league coverage, by swamping the opposition.

Headed by Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne, Fox have signed Mark Waugh, Mike Hussey, Brett Lee, Allan Border, Kerry O’Keeffe, Michael Vaughan, Brendon Julian, Mitchell Johnson, Darren Lehmann, John Hastings, Andrew Symonds, Mark Howard, and Tom Morris.

Adding the quality of women commentators behind the mike like Isa Guha, Mel Jones, Jessica Yates, Nicola Meadows, Katherine Loughnan, Alex Blackwell, Megan Barnard, and two current superstars Ellyse Perry, and Alyssa Healy.

Depending on who is playing, on standby will be Graeme Smith, Waqar Younis, Harsha Bogle. and Russell Arnold.

Seven has retaliated with Ricky Ponting in charge plus Michael Slater, Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Bruce McAvaney, Tim Lane, Brad Hodge, Simon Katich, Greg Blewett, James Brayshaw, and Dirk Nannes with Mel McLaughlin, Lisa Sthalekar, Alison Mitchell, and Abbey Gelmi.

Missing from the Channel Nine team that ruled the roost for 41 years will be Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Mark Nicholas, and Michael Clarke.

The insights and experience of Chappell, Taylor and Healy will be sorely missed.