Overlook the number of times Justin Langer has described beleaguered Aaron Finch as a good bloke who will come good.
All Langer is doing is playing the national selector’s exclusive card of pigeonholing.
Finch has been pigeonholed as ODI captain no matter how few runs he scores, because there are no outstanding alternatives.
There are two obvious contenders but both are ineligible, with Steve Smith banned from captaining any rep team until March 2020, and David Warner banned for life for any on-field executive position following the sandpapergate fracas in South Africa.
The two current ODI vice-captains, Pat Cummins and Alex Carey, aren’t ready to take over for a tournament as big as a World Cup.
The next best alternative is South Australian captain Travis Head, who has been pigeonholed as a Test batsman, and as a result was left out of the current tour of India.
Next in line would be Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja or Peter Handscomb, but seeing they were overlooked as vice-captains they must be discounted.
Glenn Maxwell has also been thrown up as a possible replacement, but it would take a major reversal in thinking to put the (c) after his name.
Maxwell is pigeonholed as a white-ball selection. He’s only played seven Tests, all away from home, and has yet to convince the panel he’s now a responsible batsman, as opposed to a talented loose-cannon.
The only other possibility is recalling keeper-batsman Tim Paine, but the Test captain is now regarded as purely a red-ball selection.
So Finch will lead the Australians into the World Cup, even though he’s suffering a major run drought.
In his last 19 visits to the crease, the first 11 netted 732 at 66.54, the last eight just 105 at 13.12.
Australian captain Aaron Finch is desperately out of form. (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Another reason Finch is still there is D’Arcy Short is seen as an exclusive T20 batsman, so the chances of him playing ODIs are slim at best.
Which is farcical, as runs are selection currency, irrespective of format.
In the recent two T20 wins over India, for an Australian first time series success on those shores, Short was second only to Maxwell’s outstanding 169 for once out.
Short’s 37 and 40 were well ahead of Handscomb’s 13 and 20*, and thoroughly deserving of a start in the first ODI. But he was left out, because he’s a T20 batsman.
And let’s not forget Short was the BBL’s leading run-getter and player of the tournament, with 637 runs at 53.08, pipped only on averages by Marcus Stoinis’ 53.30.
So what if BBL matches have 20 overs and ODIs 50 – runs and confidence go hand in hand.
Turn the clock back to the late 1990s and the talented Michael Bevan being seen as purely an ODI player.
How could anyone averaging 53.58 with 196 visits to the ODI crease, average 57.32 in first-class batting from 400 digs, and average 57.86 in in 385 List A efforts, only play 18 Tests?
Bevan started 82, 0, 70, and 91 in his first four Tests, in India, and had to bat six or seven behind the likes of Mark Taylor, Michael Slater, Matt Hayden, David Boon, Greg Blewett, and a couple of Waughs. Yet he still averaged a handy 29.07.
Regarding Bevan as an ODI batsman suffocated his Test career, just as Maxwell’s Test career is being strangled.
Selection must be made on performance and predictability, which demands pigeonholing is banned.
But don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
Steve Squires
Roar Rookie
The confusing thing about this "good bloke" paradigm is that Wade had a pretty long run in the ODI and Test teams and noone ever brought up whether he was a good bloke then but he seemed popular. If anything, the assumption at that time was that he must be a great bloke because his keeping was always quite mediocre and he wasn't making many runs for a while, until Nevill finally got picked. From memory, wasn't Wade then recalled against South Africa in Adelaide (after the Hobart debacle) based largely on his character? Smith said he wanted certain types in the team... I think grit was mentioned....the implication being Nevill was too quiet and not aggressive enough (but I'm sure it didn't help that he couldn't convert his excellent FC batting record to the Test arena, and then his keeping dropped off too).
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
I think he didn’t get it again after 1998 because the batting was so strong- either entrenched players or others who would go on to average in the 40s and 50s - Waughs, Slater, Langer, Hayden, Martyn, Clarke - and the others that did squeak in for a couple of games looked like even better prospects - Hodge, Love.
anon
Roar Pro
He bats down the order, champ. Khawaja averages 32 opening and batting first drop.
hopeful
Roar Rookie
Please desist from making offensive comments to other members who may have views that differ from your own. This forum and this Country welcomes and encourages differing points of view. Thanks.
Alex Paull
Guest
You mean the same Nic Maddinson who averaged 27 in the JLT One Day competition and 11 in the Big Bash?
Alex Paull
Guest
Since the 2015 World Cup, Glenn Maxwell: - Averages 28.68 with the bat - Averages 27 batting at 5 - Has hit 1 ODI half century since February, 2017 - Has hit 1 List A century (scored in June 2015 in county cricket) - Has never averaged more than 34 in a calendar year Surely this is a record that demands for scrutiny?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Sure Bevan had to be dropped when he was. However, he scored a lot more runs than anyone else in Shield cricket over the subsequent years, despite the fact that those Shield bowlers by then would have also been targetting him with the short ball. He probably did deserve another chance, but never got it.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
It is quite possible that the selectors would never have considered Maxwell prior to this season, but seeing how well he did at the Stars, combined with him just seeming so much more responsible and less likely to get out playing stupid shots than he was even 12 months ago, it's possible that could change their opinion enough to turn to him in a situation where there are scant alternatives.
Nick
Roar Guru
Yes there was - when he first made it into the team, a small deal was made about how he was the first Muslim to represent Australia. Granted, it was a celebration rather than criticism. I'd hope it's not the case if he were ever made captain, and I hope he would be embraced, but I'm not particularly confident of this country much anymore. I think on the surface people would remain quiet but in private might be different. Ultimately, the Australian cricket team has been, especially in comparison to other countries, a uniformly white team. I've never quite figured out why either...it's a pretty multicultural game at grade level. England, NZ and South Africa have pretty diverse ranks of players making it to top flight, but in Australia even getting to state level seems to be a huge challenge for players of non-Anglo backgrounds. CtD - I've always loved, admired and shared your progressive attitudes, but perhaps I don't share the same level of hope.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
This sums it up: "Finch has been pigeonholed as ODI captain no matter how few runs he scores, because there are no outstanding alternatives." Also - Finch got to that point on the back of some excellent ODI form, making 100s. No one else.....ooh....save perhaps Shaun Marsh aside.....was doing that. Australia would love to have perhaps Warner and Finch opening with both in half decent potentially 100 making form. So - a meaningless warm up series against India is the perfect platform.......well......not so perfect if Bumrah continues to be selected.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
It's still a mates club. Why else was Mitchell Marsh around so long. It's farcial that he played 30 tests.
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Interesting thought. Stark contrast to their rivals, those old slavers and colonial overlords, the english.
hopeful
Guest
time will tell.....if its ok with you I will offer my opinion.
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
I'd be astonished if that was the case. There's been commentary about the fact that he's a Muslim, but I've not seen it brought up as a negative in any way. What makes you think this?
anon
Roar Pro
He averages 34 at number 5, which is higher than his career average of 32. He averages 45 at number 7, but it's from a much smaller sample size of 11 matches with high score of 56 not out.
JamesH
Roar Guru
He was an absolute run machine in the back half of his career. In this era he would have been given half a dozen chances and could have ended up captaining.
JD St George
Roar Pro
This comment has been removed for breaching The Roar's comments policy.
hopeful
Roar Rookie
Not sure about Finch but Nic Maddinson is a way better option than Shaun Marsh in this format. He and Maxwell are both capable of destroying any team when they are on song. Our selectors know better though.....
Rob
Guest
Good Bloke always trumps runs?
Rob
Guest
I feel sorry for the tortured Finch being made to suffer the mental disintegration of actually playing at the moment. I feel even sorry for the players in better form being denied the opportunity of representing their country. The boys club mentality will always hold Australia back IMO.