Marnus Labuschagne has averaged 25 with the bat in his past 15 first-class innings yet somehow is on the verge of a shock recall for this week’s deciding Test against India.
The 24-year-old was a wacky selection to make his Test debut against Pakistan in the UAE, having never once averaged 40 or better in a Sheffield Shield season.
Then Labuschagne averaged 20 with the bat in two Tests, went back and averaged 28 in five Shield games and now finds himself in Australia’s 14-man squad for the final Test in Sydney.
So farcical is this squad that it contains four players who inarguably did not deserve selection and another who is fortunate to be included.
Mitch Marsh has averaged 10 with the bat in his past dozen Test innings, Shaun Marsh has averaged 18 from his last 18 Test knocks, Peter Handscomb’s dodgy batting technique has been brutally exposed at Test level, and Labuschagne isn’t in the best dozen batsmen in the country.
Aaron Finch, the lucky one I mentioned, has averaged 16 from six innings in this series, and is being played completely out of position as an opener.
Aaron Finch opens for Australia in the first Test against India. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images)
When Australia named a bizarre squad for the recent Tests in the UAE I thought the selectors could not soon match this incompetence. As it turned out, I didn’t have long to wait.
Many Australian pundits and fans have spent the past few days moaning about a problem which should not exist. They’ve railed against the lack of batting talent in Australia, as if the top six selected for Boxing Day was the best available.
That is merely a distraction. The more pressing concern right now is the utterly bemusing refusal of the selectors to pick the most accomplished batsmen in the country.
1. Joe Burns
2. Matt Renshaw
3. Usman Khawaja
4. Kurtis Patterson
5. Travis Head
6. Glenn Maxwell
There you go. Done and dusted. Four of those players have first-class averages above 40 (Burns, Khawaja, Patterson and Maxwell).
Another has made six first-class tons in 2018 alone (Renshaw) and the last guy is a 24-year-old who is easily Australia’s leading runscorer in the current series (Head).
Instead, what does Australia have? Two batsmen in deep and prolonged Test form slumps (Marsh brothers), a player with a hugely flawed technique (Handscomb), an out-of-form cricketer with a first-class batting average of 33 (Labuschagne) and a middle-order batsman floundering as a makeshift opener (Finch).
Joe Burns (AFP PHOTO / Saeed KHAN)
If Australia had gone with the top six I listed above to start this Indian series I find it hard to believe they would not have performed much better than the Marsh-laden mess served up.
To be fair to Marcus Harris, he was a worthy Test debutant in Adelaide and has done better than his average of 29 in this series would suggest.
Against a quality Indian pace attack on what have been some fairly tricky pitches, Harris has done a good job of blunting the new ball, scoring 20-plus in five out of his six innings. His next step is to begin making the most of those frequent starts.
Harris at least forced his way into the Test team via sheer weight of runs, making nearly 2,000 at 48 over the past three Shield seasons.
The same can’t be said of Labuschagne. Reports have suggested it was his all-round ability that swayed with the selectors, with his leg spin bowling seen as valuable at the SCG.
There are two problems with this logic.
Firstly, Labuschagne is in rank form with the ball, having taken five wickets at an average of 60 in the Shield this summer, while leaking almost four runs per over.
Secondly, the SCG is no longer a spinner’s haven at Test level. Australia’s premier spinner Nathan Lyon averages nearly 50 there across seven Tests, despite it being his home ground. The idea the SCG is spin friendly is a hangover from an earlier Test era.
If the Australian selectors were determined to have a second spin option, without dropping one of the Big Three, they could have picked Maxwell, who has seven wickets at 30 from his four Tests against India.
Instead they made another blunder. Another galling choice. Another out-of-season April Fool’s Joke.
Joe
Guest
Sad to see the present state of Aussie cricket. Despite their arrogance, I always liked watching them and admired their never say die attitude. But the present team is a shambles and it's hard to avoid thinking that the attitude of "win at any cost" has come home to roost.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Sheffield Shield matches were played until 10 December. That's not 6 weeks. It's not even 4 weeks. There were 6 matches. Are 12 innings from this summer not enough form to go on?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
At least Stoinis is averaging 45+ with the bat at the moment and 25 with the ball. This season he is playing exactly how we want an all-rounder too.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Nah that's BS. There's been 6 matches. That's 12 innings. Plenty of time. Just need to actually pick the players who are performing in those 12 innings. That's the issue. Would Shield finishing less than 14 days later make a huge difference? Very much doubt it.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
It's ridiculous isn't it? Joe Burns - 18/19 Average 47.2. Career FC Average 40.58 Kurtis Patterson - 18/19 Average 47.55. Career FC Average 41 Daniel Hughes - 18/19 Average 46.20. Career FC Average 39.76 Jake Lehmann - 18/19 Average 46.10. Career FC Average 39.62 Why aren't these players being discussed? They're all more accomplished than players like Finch, Labuschagne and even Head for that matter. When these players are better currently and across their career than a number of the 8-9 top 6 used there's something clearly wrong. And if we have to look at All-Rounders Marcus Stoinis - 18/19 Average 42.57. Career FC Average 33.61 Moises Henriques - 18/19 Average 41.20 . Career FC Average 34.49 Both have better 18/19 season averages than Marsh and both have better career averages. Question marks over Stoinis' bowling but Marsh doesn't seem to be offering a lot recently.
Rob
Guest
They won't pick Maxwell out of fear he will succeed. The only time Maxwell is given an opportunity is when they are overseas on very testing pitches. It is ridiculous Maxi was second to Smith in the India series averages but got dropped for Shaun Marsh and then overlooked for Mitch in the Ashes. Shaun and Mitchell were both pathetic in India and then they has the ever so convenient injury clause to come home and work on building up their numbers in Shield while Maxwell is critiqued for not scoring hundreds whilst batting 6 in ODI and T20 matches in the International games. How is Finch a better option in the middle order over Maxwell and don't even mention what Maxwell can bring in the fielding department over the other 3 players.
Naz
Roar Rookie
Really? Maxwell, discounting his 3 tests back in 2013 and 2014, played 4 in 2017. His average in India was 40 and 34 in Bangladesh. He hasn’t played a single test match in Australia. Maxwell and Burns were called up to SA right after the fateful day in Cape Town and after that series, they were dropped all of a sudden, which, might I add, makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. He should’ve been in that squad to UAE especially after his performance in India and Bangladesh. Where did you get inconsistency from when he averages better in first-class cricket than every player in the current team besides Khawaja?
Rooster lover
Roar Rookie
Sorry Ben ,whilst scoring a hundred ,especially in India is a feat in itself it is consistency that the side needs and Maxwell just didn't bring it when he had his chance.
TheCunningLinguistic
Roar Rookie
I normally agree with the majority of your viewpoints, Ronan, but disagree on a few points here. I concur with dropping Marsh & Finch for Maxwell & Burns, but that’s where it ends. No way would I drop Shaun Marsh for someone like Patterson- untried at International level and has a penchant for not getting on with it. Marsh has looked pretty good- if Erasmus hadn’t had a rush of blood and given him out on a very dubious call, who knows what could’ve happened. He’s far from our worst performers this series.
MrKistic
Roar Rookie
Wasn't suggesting Labuschangne's selection was due to bias, just Langer's views overall.
DeltaTango
Guest
Ronan - has anyone actually asked Langer why Burns and Maxwell in particular can't get a start this series and if they are in the mix for Sri Lanka? I've seen a few press conferences and no-one seems to be asking these questions. Cheers, DT
Ben
Roar Rookie
“Maxwell would be close to the most inconsistent cricketer i have seen in my lifetime and has been used in the past with not much success“ He got a 100 in India against India and got shafted by the selectors. If only he got the same faith as head. He is averaging over 40 and had a good year last season and deserves the same chances as finch and head.
Extra Short Leg
Roar Rookie
The current policy of picking players whose Shield numbers indicate they can't step up to the next level is doomed to fail. It hasn't worked in the past and is not working now.
Rooster lover
Roar Rookie
Gday Ronan, your team provides for a bit of debate i reckon. Firstly there is Joe Burns. Tried and tested but for some reason forgotten by selectors. Maybe they are sick of batsmen scoring runs in other forms of cricket such as sheffield shield and not performing in the test arena. I might be wrong but i think Burns' stats stack up with whomever we have in the side at the moment. I love Renshaw. Has the look of a test player but is struggling with form at the moment. Khawaja is just filling in for Steve Smith at no3 at the moment whom i believe is lucky to be in the side due to his inconsistent form and the lack of any real replacements. Kurtis Patterson is someone who should have been picked in the first test. Is in form and that is something that could rub off on some of the other batters who have been struggling. Confidence can be catchy. Head is another lucky one. In previous years when there was a wealth of in form players he would not have lasted this long even with the starts he has posted. It used to be not good enough. Maxwell would be close to the most inconsistent cricketer i have seen in my lifetime and has been used in the past with not much success. That leads us to the main problem. THERE IS NO-ONE. Unfortunately we have no where near the amount of test ready players available as we used to have which leads to the question What the bloody hell happened?
Genius Selector
Roar Rookie
I see your point but to be getting out time and time again playing a t20 shot is a different story. Especially when you are batting to save a test match.
JD St George
Roar Pro
No we drop neither because they have been our best batsmen and are young and have a lot of time to learn. If we dropped player's everytime they play a T20 shot in our team we wouldn't even have 11 player's to choose from...
JD St George
Roar Pro
He got 7 wickets at 44 in the Shield. Ignore BBL statistics.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Where is the ‘elite honesty’ in all of this? Surely the selectors have to come clean on exactly why a group of players with superior records are constantly overlooked and why a player with the worst top 6 record in behistory of our country gets 31 chances and counting. And why the solution is a player who in his first two tests achieved the amazing feat of averaging even less than Marsh.
Tock
Roar Rookie
Thanks Ronan Once again you have summed up very accurately what many of us were thinking. A couple of thoughts to add to the mix. First, how on earth do the selectors recover from here. They have dug themselves into a hole from where it will be almost impossible to pick our best batting lineup for the upcoming ashes. I know you have touched on this point in one of your other articles but it it is such a mess that it now seems possible Mathew Wade could be hopping on that plane to England as a batsman. We know what the result will be as soon as we have to play on a seaming deck. Second what is the message being sent to all test aspirants playing in the shield. It doesn't matter what you do, how many runs you make or wickets you take. If, however you come across as a great guy and hangout in the right group you are a good chance of being picked. It is hard to imagine a more negative and deflating message being sent to all those blokes out there that are working their backsides off just to get a chance.
anon
Roar Pro
It's at the stage now where Lamger has won 6 from 26 off the top of my head with 3 of those wins in T20 games against Zimbabwe and the UAE. Losing Smith and Warner doesn't turn us into Bangladesh. Langer has a lot of explaining to do. It must be one of the worst record in Australian cricket history.