Competition for spots is a good thing – it fosters a culture of high performance and ensures players are always striving to perform and impress, with the carrot of higher honours never too far away.
At the moment, however, it seems that instability and uncertainty in the Australian team might be peddling the poor performances we have seen of late.
Underscoring all of the struggles at present is the recently reaffirmed bans to the nation’s two most prolific run-scorers, but it seems that the consistent search for their replacements is leaving the squad hamstrung, as those in the side rarely have the security to play with the requisite confidence and freedom to perform at the top level. Indeed every domestic match sees calls for a replacement as another crop of players ‘put themselves in the frame’ for selection come 6 December in Adelaide.
Mike Hussey commented to this end last week, citing the fact that, in the limited-overs formats at least, the Australian selection revolving door, which has seen 20 debutants since the 2015 World Cup, has bred a culture of selfishness as players desperately try to cling to their place in the side and those outside of it bash the door down for a way in.
Interestingly, with no Steve Smith, David Warner or Cameron Bancroft, this tendency for selection leapfrog is creeping into the Test squad as well. The most recent round of Sheffield Shield cricket has seen Shaun Marsh seemingly secure his place in the line-up for the first Test with a big hundred while his brother struggled.
Don’t forget Matt Renshaw, who was visibly crushed with his cheap second-innings dismissal against NSW, perhaps realising more was on the line than a victory for his state. The same goes for his opening partner, Joe Burns. Have the two Queenslanders forfeited positions in the Australian team?
Incumbent Marnus Labuschagne managed a half-century in the first innings but certainly didn’t lock down a spot. Meanwhile, Matthew Wade, Alex Doolan, Marcus Harris, Travis Head and Moises Henriques are all in the aforementioned ‘frame’ for selection after big scores for their respective states.
The Indian media have dubbed Australian cricket to be “in tatters” and feel that the upcoming series will be their best opportunity yet to claim an inaugural series victory in Australia. Claims that Australia is “a nation in turmoil” might be overcooking it a little, but from the outside looking in there is a seeming lack of direction or confidence in how the Australian team can get back on its feet and regain its mantle as the No.1 cricketing nation in the world.
Twelve months with three banned players was never going to be an easy period for Australian cricket. It was unlikely that it would be overly successful, but it is doubtful that granting a range of players the opportunity to represent Australia for a short period of time would ever reap the greatest results. Few cricketers perform close to their best all of the time, even less can go up a level and perform how they were before. At this time it is hard for players to find continuity and composure when they know that a failure will surely result in an axing as the search for Smith’s replacement.
(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
In his 2010-11 diary of a season In the Firing Line, Ed Cowan wrote of the emptiness he felt representing an Australia A side that took on the touring English team before the Ashes. Noting that the match felt like a mismatch of players from across the country had come together to represent themselves rather than the team and proceeded to lose by ten wickets. By contrast, Ed’s far from star-studded Tasmanian Tigers took home the Sheffield Shield that year in a season where selflessness was paramount and primacy was placed on team success.
There is no silver bullet to turn around the performances of late, but Australia could do worse than take heed from the Tasmanian Tigers of 2010-11. Let the players battle it out in Shield cricket for their spot in the next week before perhaps the selected XI are granted a sense of security in their spots – and encouraged to play with that selfless pursuit of team success.
If that’s the case, I’d be willing to wager we will see some improvement in the coming months.
Of course, until that point, the noise and selection debate will continue to rage.
Neil
Guest
Langer wasn't the Coach at that time. Here's a few quotes from the time ... "(Bancroft) has put his name up and got runs under pressure where he needed to,” Haddin told Melbourne’s SEN radio. (Brad Haddin) “If you openly say, ‘here are three games to prove yourself’ and one guy goes and blitzes it against the best bowlers in Australia, New South Wales, last week, then it is hard to say to him, ‘nah, mate, you haven’t done enough’,” said Rogers. (Chris Rogers) "Renshaw, 21, has 70 runs at 11.9 from six first-class digs this season." Stop making stuff up about Langer.
keith hurst
Roar Pro
I know that this is not a popular position but I find it hard to believe that Australian cricket is on its last legs. Reading all of these comments makes me depressed at the short term thinking that seems the standard position. Australian cricket is strong essentially. Not now! How can it be with three regulars not allowed to play? But our cricket fortunes always fluctuate. The solution is not to throw out the baby with the bath water but to calmly pick the players in form. Mark my words! In the next 6 months a new player will arise that will shut up the pessimists and when Warner and Smith come back will make Australian cricket great again (sorry Donald). Keith Hurst - sports fanatic
I no
Roar Rookie
Who cares about shield form its the same with Short, Lynn and mcdermott there great in big bash and jlt one day cup but never perform for Australia not up to international standards just like m marsh with shield and tests.
I no
Roar Rookie
Seriously don stop making out mitch marsh is a gun PEOPLE he averages 26 with bat how can anyone think hes in the top 6baysman in the country.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
True mate, he had a shocking start to that season. However he had just come home from a good tour where he batted extremely well. There was no suggestion at all that he was in the firing line. He had a couple of poor knocks and Langer starts pipping up about how he's so bad that he should be dropped. Suddenly all the attention shifts to Renshaw, net sessions are planned, every move scrutinised. He had another few bad innings and he is suddenly under the pump and eventually dropped for Langers man, who it must be said was playing really well. Let's not take that off him. I have no faith in Langer being impartial at all.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I have never got these sorts of arguments. Stability for stability sake doesn't work. Winning teams tend to be stable because the reason they win is because the players are all performing and therefore there's no reason to drop anyone. Teams that aren't winning, generally, are because lots of players aren't performing, and therefore a liable to be dropped. This is elite sport. It's representative sport. By definition you need to earn the right to represent your country and then earn the right to stay there by performing. Suggesting that the team would win more be continuing to pick players who continually fail to perform simply because of less turnover is rubbish. Winning teams don't win because they are stable, they are stable because they are winning. What players need is a clear understanding of their situation. Things like dropping players who've recently performed well because of "horses for courses" thoughts that they are believed not as good in conditions the next match is played into is an issue. But dropping players who aren't performing, that's not.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
A couple of bad innings? In four matches, 8 innings, to start the Shield season he could barely buy a run. He was so completely out of form it was actually mercy not feeding him to the English. Better give him the chance to find form again at first class level, which he eventually did. Unfortunately, he's not the first one to then have an injury just when he was likely to play his next test, and then lose form at just the wrong time when a few scores could have forced his way into the team. But he's still young, he's got time.
Brian
Guest
He still, as WA coach, publicly bagged him.
Neil
Guest
Langer wasn't the Australian coach when Bancroft was selected.
George
Guest
Australia regularly loses overseas and picking a guy like Mitch Marsh in the top six is a big reason why. But you'd prefer to have your man WA selected than for the Test team to actually succeed.
Mitch
Guest
Australian Cricket has been heading downwards for years. Smith and Warner have just kept our team from drowning Selectors ruin careers, they are doing it with Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell & Peter Handscomb. They consistently have done this for years. Then they persist with the likes of the Marsh boys and don't forget Shane Watson The problem will continue until we fix grass root cricket
Ben
Guest
India 2017-Averaged 12 South Africa 2018- averaged 22 UAE- Averaged 7.5 Should I go on Don?
Matt H
Roar Guru
I’ve checked and it’s actually over 60, with his 151. So I look pretty stupid. Sorry Don.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
It's pretty sustained right now.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
No one else was either. Why single out Mitch and why go there? It's the only failure over the past 2 years that you can find.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
Mitchell's 151 says to me he is capable at Shield level, it doesnt say he is good enough for the next level. There is already proof of that,
JamesH
Roar Guru
Matt I think Mitch's average in the Shield so far *this season* is in the 40s. He was poor in the UAE but then, batting him at 4 was a huge mistake. He's scored runs either side of that series.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Interestingly, with no Steve Smith, David Warner or Cameron Bancroft, this tendency for selection leapfrog is creeping into the Test squad as well. Lets not forget that Cam Bancroft was "leapfrogged" into the test team after Matt Renshaw had a couple of bad innings and Langer threw him under the bus. Even if he made his way back into the squad I can see Justin ditching him as soon as the ban is over for his WA mate.
Paul
Roar Guru
Andrew, your comments sum up some of my thoughts which I've put up on various articles. Right now we have 5 guys who are a lock to play in the First Test and they are numbers 7 - 11. We then have probably a dozen guys fighting for the other 5 spots, which means we don't have a team, but a squad. The best thing the selectors could do is name the 12 or 13 to play in the First Test and get them together asap so they can start to form a team. They need time together, more so than other sides in the past, because they will be a different XI that faces India from the Test sides that played in the UAE. By the way, didn't Indian press make that "cricket in tatters" comment about England, shortly before they were hammered 4-1 earlier this year?
Matt H
Roar Guru
Don, Mitch is performing exactly as he always has. Some good spells with bat and ball and a batting average in the low thirties for the Shield so far. If that’s enough to bat 6 for Australia for more than 30 tests and be one injury away from captaining your country then so be it. Doesn’t mean we have to like it.