Marcus Stoinis’ elevation to Australia’s Test squad this week came as legends Ian Healy and Shane Warne suggested he should play as a fifth bowler in the Ashes. But Australia won’t need such an all-rounder in England.
In the 2015 series, Australia’s non-specialist bowlers sent down only 65 overs, at an average of just seven overs per innings.
It was a similar story last English summer, when India’s non-specialist bowlers sent down only eight overs per innings on average across the five-Test series.
Such a light workload surely could be managed between the likes of – depending on team selections – Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head and Steve Smith, who has been bowling a lot of overs during his ban from international cricket.
By playing either Stoinis or Mitch Marsh in the Ashes – and they appear to be the only two all-rounders being considered by the selectors – Australia would be weakening their batting to strengthen their bowling.
This would amount to addressing the wrong issue.
Australia’s attack has done a solid-to-good job in every one of their four consecutive Ashes losses in the UK. It is their batting line-up which was let them down enormously, particularly in the last two of those series.
England will again boast a pace attack that’s very effective in home conditions, anchored by evergreen star James Anderson, with support from veteran seamer Stuart Broad and swing bowlers Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Ben Stokes.
The last time Australia played in these kind of seam-friendly conditions, in South Africa last year, their batting line-up again laboured badly. They played a fifth bowler (Marsh) throughout that four-Test series yet, once more, non-specialist bowlers had a tiny workload, sending down just six overs per innings.
(AAP Image/David Mariuz)
The pitches in England are more bowler-friendly than those in Australia, where teams do often need to play a fifth bowler.
I can see the sense in fielding a fifth bowler on some of the dead tracks in places like Australia and the UAE, where frontline quicks can otherwise be bowled into the ground. But in England, having a strong fifth bowler is a luxury, not a necessity.
Australia have enough strike power in their frontline attack that, on the more helpful pitches, their fifth and sixth bowlers need only wheel down a few presentable overs, rather than have a significant impact.
There will undoubtedly be several particularly bowler-friendly decks served up in this Ashes and it is on those surfaces the tourists will need the strongest possible batting unit.
Which is why it would be unwise to drop a specialist batsman to make room for Stoinis, who has averaged just 24 with the bat over the past three Sheffield Shield seasons.
Marsh, meanwhile, has averaged 12 with the bat from his three Tests in England and is coming off a horror run in Tests, averaging 10 with the bat from his past dozen innings.
Neither of those Western Australia all-rounders is potent enough with the ball to make up for their significant shortcomings with the blade in the longest format.
Which is why it will be folly if Australia once again play an all-rounder in their top six in England.
Kris
Roar Rookie
We'll be delighted if he's their sole spinner. Hopefully they keep picking players because of their ancillary skill rather than specialists. If everything comes together they'll be unbeatable, but they're more likely than not to revert to the mean.
Peter Warrington
Guest
because I am an Australian selector?
Peter Warrington
Guest
mmm... playing soft shots two feet away from the line of your head, without Warner's hands or eyes? Even if it's just his mind, that's a pretty important part of batting (I know, I never had one!)
JamesH
Roar Guru
Prior to tests he spent most of his FC career at 4. He played roughly one season at three, and another at 6, with a few innings at 5. I could only find one instance of him ever opening in a Shield match, although it was just a quick and dirty search. He definitely had a purple patch at the top but he was in such good form at the time that he could have batted anywhere. Ultimately I think we would have got much more out of his bowling if he'd always batted 5-6, without losing anything in the batting department. But I admit that I can only speculate. I wouldn't say Harris has been worked out in terms of any technical failings. He's just playing silly shots!
Peter Warrington
Guest
Watto batted in the top 3 for Tas and did well. I think he also batted 4 when he played county? I always thought the injuries were from bowling too fast or trying to be an all rounder? Ponting was happy to have him at the top averaging 40-50 and bowling incisive spells when the conditions suited. Clarke wanted Cowan at the top of the order and Watson bowling 20 overs a dig. In terms of technical failings, you may be right, he had limitations as do most mortals. And bowlers over time work them out - note how Harris has been worked out in his first summer. Despite those, he was able to average 48 against a very good England as the team collapsed around him in 10-11. That is good enough for me. But I respect your POV.
JamesH
Roar Guru
The country where he kept getting injured because his workload was too great? As Watson's career showed, you can't sustain being a top order batsman and a genuine bowling option, not if you're already injury prone. Watson filled a need at the top at a particular time, but he had spent his entire first class career to that point batting in the middle order as an allrounder. He was never a natural test opener, despite the fact that he made it work for a while. Good openers need an ability to play the ball late with soft hands, without overcommitting on their footwork. Even Warner, for all his belligerence, can do that well but it's something Watson struggled with. BTW, the field is always up in tests unless you have two set batsmen hitting boundaries. Watson was perfect as an ODI/T20I opener for the very reason you stated, Peter, I'll give you that. So was Gilchrist. So are players like De Kock and Rohit. That didn't/doesn't make them test openers.
Peter Warrington
Guest
However an examination of his strengths and weaknesses made it clear to most that his strength lay against the hard ball, with the field up. He never was going to have Hussey's ability to push the ball into gaps to get 1s and 2s, as well as 4's. He averaged 48, 53, 69, 39, 16 (Pakistan in england), 68 and 48 in consecutive series. and took handy wickets. and had an effective partnership with Katich. in what country would people be saying, "yeah, but I suspect he might make even more at 6?"
Peter Warrington
Guest
with his action I think he could master whippy little Blewetts. I wonder if he experiments in the nets?
pakistanstar
Roar Rookie
He'd be a luxury if we have a reliable top 6 but not when our batsmen are as shaky as they are now. And I'm not sure how you can be ignoring his batting from 10 FC matches but praising his bowling as interesting. The formula of 6 bats, 4 bowlers and a keeper has been working for over 150 years. Not sure why we have to steer away from that just because Freddie Flintoff once took a 5-for against us.
pakistanstar
Roar Rookie
If your primary skill isn't good enough for you to be picked then your secondary skill (bowl a bit) shouldn't be the reason you're picked. Labuschagne & M Marsh are the prime examples of this.
Matt H
Roar Guru
1. But our current bowling crop are actually quite good 2. Fair, but I'd rather replace a tired bowler with another bowler and rotate them around 3. None of those in England. They don't play Aussie Rules.
Matt H
Roar Guru
His pair in the last test makes his selection a little more unlikely.
Matt H
Roar Guru
I remember Matty Hayden having a 1,000 run English summer without ever making the actual test side (beaten to the punch by Michael Slater).
Matt H
Roar Guru
Young Jason Holder has just made a big play as an allrounder. He has topped the West Indies batting and bowling averages since 2016 and his batting average is comfortably higher than his bowling average.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Otherwise known as "England".
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
Yes Ronan - I full agree :) But selectors will most likely continue with their obsession of selecting dud all rounders. And if it has to be one then surely Stoinis and others are well ahead of serial failure M Marsh. Dud Marsh should not be picked in any Aust squad again imo.
JamesH
Roar Guru
That’s a bit misleading though, Ronan. After 2008 (i.e. the period in which he was entering his batting peak) he only batted 5 or lower in 10 innings, not a single one of which was at home. It’s hardly justification for not batting him down the order. I’m sure there are plenty of guys keen to open the batting for Australia. Doesn’t mean they are all suited to doing it.
Barney
Roar Rookie
If Watson had played for England he would on stats be their greatest all rounder ever
Peter Warrington
Guest
i agree generally, but a number of factors provide some mitigation: 1. the retirement of McGrath, Warne and Gillespie 2. the compression of fixtures 3, drop-in pitches
Peter Warrington
Guest
when they had Clarke and Hussey scoring runs for fun, they probably thought they were the smartest dudes in the world fast forward to the first test 2013 Ashes... not so much...