A crushing Border-Gavaskar series loss has ensured the Australian selectors have acted in the manner a baying cricket public had been demanding: by making mass change to the top order for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka.
Of course, the notion the selectors actually sat around a table, threw their hands up in the air and said, “bugger it, let’s just give them what they want” is absurd.
But certainly, I can’t recall a louder public call for change mirrored by media analysis, opinion, and commentary at the same volume. Still, you would hope the numbers spoke for themselves.
That all said, the element of surprise around the dropping of four Australian top order players – Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb and Mitchell Marsh – from the India series squad was definitely there. Change was definitely demanded, but I don’t think anyone really expected that much change would be made.
Hard calls needed to be made after the India series, and hard calls have been made. They could spell the end of a couple of Test careers, for sure. Credit to the selectors, on that front, when they could – and almost certainly have in the past – taken the easy route after the Sydney washout and declared they wanted ‘one last look’ at a player in the crosshairs.
The recall of Joe Burns is not before time. His Queensland opening partner Matt Renshaw joining him in the squad was a welcome shock. Despite all the reporting, I still had it in the back of my mind that Burns and Renshaw was an either/or prospect. Of course, it still could be, with seven batsmen in the 13-man squad.
Will Pucovski’s selection was a huge surprise.
Not that it came without warning – all the major mastheads were running ‘likely inclusion’ stories hours before the team was named, so they knew what was coming – but the selectors had genuinely decided the best way to replace an experienced but inconsistent 35yo in the middle order was with a largely untested but hugely promising 20-year-old who’s yet to play a full First Class season.
For those who may have missed the last day or two of selection chat, the story of the Victorian wunderkind is reasonably well known.
Will Pucovski. (Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images)
A prodigious bat who already has a 188 and 243 next to his name from just eight first class games, Pucovski first came into the national cricket sphere in December 2016. As an 18-year-old he peeled off 650 runs at 162.5 in eight matches at the Australian Under-19 Championships.
After he made that maiden Sheffield Shield ton, the 188 against Queensland, there was a small spattering of ‘Test bolter’ talk, even if it was from mostly parochial sources.
The 243 against Western Australia in October was notable not just for its size, but that it came amidst a mental health scare that was enough for Pucovski to take “an indefinite break” from the game.
Added to the already concerning concussion issues that had plagued him in between seemingly amassing runs for fun, I couldn’t help but feel at the time that I hoped Australian cricket wasn’t going to burn out a young talent well before he inevitably gets to play for Australia.
That his indefinite break turned out to be just six weeks, and that he marked his return with his first First Class fifty was a credit to both his talent, and his desire and drive to seek the help he needed.
Just this week, Pucovski spoke with Melbourne-based Fox Sports journalist Tom Morris on the Follow On podcast and outlined his push to get help:
“As soon as I did get on the front foot with it and feel like things are starting to turn around, and I knew cricket would sort of be there for me,” he said.
“I had a lot of messages from people in the cricketing world, saying get this stuff sorted because cricket will always be there, and good on you for coming out with it and trying to deal with it, but do not worry about cricket.
NSW allrounder Moises Henriques has spoken of similar relief to have escaped cricket and deal with crippling mental issues, from which he has made a similarly impressive return.
And it’s with all this that you just hope above all hope that the Australian selectors have a genuine plan to build Pucovski into the Test batsmen we all hope he can become. Though he was picked a good six or seven years after the hype around him started, the lessons from the way Nic Maddinson was picked up, spat out, and tossed off the edge three matches later stand out like a beacon of warning.
With his history, the selectors need to be very careful with Pucovski.
Though it’s something that any number of batsmen in recent years would have craved, you would hope the selectors and the Australian hierarchy have told or will tell Pucovski that he’s got until the end of the 2020-21 season to just not worry about scores, but to just walk out there and bat.
Will Pucovski of Victoria bats during day 2 of the JLT Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Victoria at the WACA in Perth, Wednesday, October 17, 2018. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)
This has to be the first moment of long-term planning from this selection panel. Pucovski can’t just be a shiny new play thing in the middle order until Steve Smith and David Warner make their return from suspension, he needs to be backed properly for the next two full years and given every chance to succeed.
It would irresponsible to do otherwise; you can’t just pick a raw, but phenomenally talented young player and expect them to bat like he’s played ten Tests, let alone 30 or 40.
Will Pucovski is going to be a very, very good cricketer; indeed, he already is.
But Australian cricket has to ensure that his development is carefully managed, and not the worst kind of player neglect at the selection table.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
One other thing… The ‘resting’ of Oz’s ‘Big Three’ for the Indian ODI series is really sucky. These super-fit superstars haven’t set foot on a field in anger in eight days yet they need a rest from a handful of ODIs? Really? Are the punters getting reduced prices because the ‘best’ side isn’t being picked? Nope. Do the Big 3 deserve a rest for their outstanding work in the Test series? Nope. Is the WC starting in under 5 months? Yep. Are The Big 3 earning millions from the game? Yep. Is CA at all concerned with Oz’s dismal rank of 6th in ODIs? Obviously not. Us cynics might well believe that the selection strategy for the end of our season is to protect the places of The Big 3. Skip the games where they’re likely to do poorly (and which are also likely to dent the claims of contenders. A neat double play.) and only select them for games where they’re likely to do well. Like a pink ball Test at the Gabba against a poor batting side f’instance…
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Bushy, your argument would be strengthed by using Hughes career SS average, a staggering 53.1. (Don't say I never do anything for you...) re his "working out how to be a serviceable test batsman...", sadly we'll know. Although both he and his coach(a) did make statements that he wasn't going to. On a tangent... I wondered at the time of Hughes death whether his coach, the questionable Neil D'Costa, could have had a case to answer for being at least partially responsible for the Hughes tragedy. After a couple of games in the 2013 Ashes tour it was obvious to everyone in the world that PH was a very poor player of the bouncer and yet, as above, D'Costa advised him to keep playing it instead of adopting an avoidance strategy. NSW were certainly employing the short ball more regularly to him than you'd expect on that black day at the SCG. To me, there's a big question mark on the coaches Duty of Care there.
Jock the sock
Guest
Why not give him 10 years. What a joke. If he has mental problems and can’t score get rid of him. It’s test cricket ffs.
Doctor Rotcod
Roar Rookie
Did anyone mention Bancroft?
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
I find it amazing that Labuschagne is still in the squad. By what possible selection criteria was he in there in the first place? Because he could bowl a few overs of leg-spin? Oh hang on, turns out he couldn’t. BeFar more reason to retain Shaun Marsh, Finch or Handscomb even. Same befuddled “all-rounder” nonsense. At least Pucovski has good stats. Labuschagne’s batting would hardly have kept him in the state team twenty years ago.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Good stuff, apart from suggesting making a fast bowler captain!
The Bush
Roar Guru
qwetzen, Perhaps not a "rare" talent then (from an overall historical perspective), but certainly a talent and his FC record at 20-21 was miles ahead of any player current plying their trade in the Shield (his body of work was much larger than Pucovski's at similar ages). We'd have burned the selectors houses down if they weren't selecting a guy right now who averaged 46.51 in FC cricket... I personally believe a guy that averages 46.51 after more than 100 FC games would eventually work out how to be a serviceable test batsmen (i.e. average about 40). But there are certainly examples of guys that don't...
Sgt Pepperoni
Roar Rookie
Have you been on the roads in Sri Lanka? The buses are terrifying
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
That's not the point.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
I take your point about the depth, but it doesn't change the fact that Test cricket isn't a development league. The two month hiatus is daft, but make him wait two months vs keep him in a team no matter his talent for two years - it doesn't make sense. Geez, his own Test coach, deputed as a 23 year old - performed poorly, came back two years later after maturing and working hard on his game as a 25 year old and never looked back. Langer in his playing career was the epidemy of hard work - I can't believe he would think this is a good path for Pucovski.
BA Sports
Roar Guru
Yep, plenty of us would have seen the similar sort of thing at cricket clubs. At my club it was the old club stalwart who's young nephew was promoted to first grade to open way before he was ready or capable and ahead of players who were just plain better. The kid was an opener, I wasn't, and a mate of mine, so no sour grapes for me but the other 1st grade players didn't really bring him into the group, while plenty of second graders were disillusioned and it caused factions in the club.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
"... and learning from 3 very good quicks". Are Billy, Dizzy & Pigeon all working with the Test squad?
BA Sports
Roar Guru
And that is fine if that is the case (though others are scoring runs and have a longer track record of more than 8 games in two years against men. Then he would be getting picked on merit - not "we'll give you two years regardless"
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
So not P Hughes then...
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
BA: Agreed. Plus if not fact, then this "development" trend is wide open to at least the perception of favouritism. This is not A Good Thing. There's always a whole lot of weird theories and ideas around selections, why not just pick the best side? Success tends to make everything fall into line. One club I played for once let an elderly ex-Shield player talk it into letting him have 4th grade as his exclusive domain for 'promising' young players for the season. It was a disaster. Third graders didn't appreciate being dropped to 5th grade and 5th graders couldn't get promoted to 4th grade. The experiment was never repeated.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Gee talk about taking the fun out the site Don. Hughes averaged about 36. That’s ten runs less than Martyn and 15 less than Ponting - the comment wouldn’t have made sense if I’d used their names..
Dean
Guest
Khawaja averaged 26 against India, I desperately hope his spot in the Ashes side is NOT 100% locked in should we see form from the guys brought in. The only top 6 batsmen with a spot locked in for the Ashes is Steve Smith and, sadly, David Warner.
Dean
Guest
Using Mike Hussey as an example of why the Shield system helps develop players is the height of futility. Hussey, before his break out, was both a victim of the quality of his era and assisted by the old stagers that used to makes the Shield what it was. Those old boys are gone now, the Shield has been shunted to make room for BBL, and our culture is totally different. There's still a handful of quality bowlers going around, but the likes of D.Hussey, Love, Hodge just don't exist these days. If you want to nurture talented, patient batsmen - the Shield isn't the place given it takes a two month hiatus.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Sri Lanka's buses are nothing to fear.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Huh?