There’s a growing logjam of batting contenders for the Tests against Pakistan after Will Pucovski and David Warner yesterday crunched tons in the Sheffield Shield.
After having the worst Test series of his career in the Ashes, Warner all but cemented his Test spot by making 125 in a low-scoring Shield match at the Gabba.
Meanwhile, Pucovski continued his remarkable start to his Shield career as he glided to 123 in much easier batting conditions in Melbourne. The 21-year-old has now churned out 1023 runs at 57 in Shield cricket, including four tons from just 12 matches.
Pucovski’s Shield record is even better than that of Warner, who has made 1456 runs at 46 in the Shield, with five tons from 20 matches.
Warner’s return to form is a massive boost for Australia, who were rudderless in the Ashes as their champion opener floundered. The left-hander has a mediocre Test record away from home. But that should not obscure the fact he is a goliath in Australia, where he averages 60 and has hoarded 15 Test tons.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
While many fans try to minimise his efforts in familiar conditions, Warner’s absence was keenly felt last summer as India bullied Australia’s top order and handed them a rare home series loss.
The 32-year-old has a massive role to play this season. Pakistan boast an elite new ball bowler in Mohammad Abbas, who took 17 wickets at 10 in the Test series against Australia last year.
New Zealand – Australia’s opponents after Pakistan – have a battery of fine quicks in Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson.
Just who should open with Warner in the first Test remains unclear. There are four main contenders in Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns and Cameron Bancroft. Nic Maddinson has made himself a dark horse by plundering 224 in this opening round of the Shield, giving him 787 runs at 98 in his last six matches.
He was well supported yesterday by Pucovski. This Victorian prodigy is Australia’s best Test batting prospect to emerge since Steve Smith. The only chink in Pucovski’s armour at this point is his handling of the short ball.
(Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images)
In terms of technique he has a tight defence, the full range of strokes, and is beautifully balanced at the crease. His temperament is equally impressive. Pucovski is calm, patient, has multiple gears to his batting and is content to grind for long periods of time for his runs. He looks built for Test cricket.
Whether he is ready to make that leap, who knows? What is clear is that Australia don’t have a pressing need to blood Pucovski just yet.
They already have six appealing options to fill just four spots in the order between three and six – Smith, Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Matt Wade and Kurtis Patterson.
Smith is the world’s best batsman, while Labsuchagne and Wade are almost locks based on their performances in the Ashes. That may leave Head, Khawaja, Patterson and Pucovski scrapping for just one Test spot. Each of them has a strong case to be playing Test cricket.
Patterson has missed this round of the Shield due to injury. In his absence, NSW yesterday made 9-288, giving them a lead of 135 runs over Queensland at stumps.
Head, meanwhile, finished the day on 27* as South Australia responded to Victoria’s mammoth total of 6-616 declared.
Over in Perth, Wade wasted a good start when he was caught behind for 40 off the bowling of WA pace ace Jhye Richardson. After WA made 337 batting first, Tasmania have responded with 5-217, with Test skipper Tim Paine on 18*.
Here are the Shield scores so far of the main Test batting contenders (and a few dark horses): Nic Maddinson (224), David Warner (125), Will Pucovski (123), Marcus Harris (116), Marnus Labuschagne (69), Mitch Marsh (41), Matt Wade (40), Cameron Bancroft (30), Peter Handscomb (30), Travis Head (27*), Matt Renshaw (19), Joe Burns (13), Usman Khawaja (1).
Honoured by your reply Chris! Yeah I agree, his test batting average of 42 in SA last year was massively inflated by not outs, so it would naturally come down, and obviously made a few good scores against India but nothing big, struggled a bit in the Ashes but so did 90% of batsman bar Steve Smith. And with his second first class hundred coming this last week, surely that is a sign he's in some really good form. Hopefully a big summer for him to silence the extremely premature talk of the 'chosen one' Carey taking over.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
What's the point of putting his bowlers in on that pitch? Don't see how you can have a go at his captaincy. I detest games where captains come together and agree on double declarations to try and set up some sort of fourth innings chase. It kills the integrity of the game. It's not that big a step to match fixing. As far as swing is concerned, I saw photos of the incredibly hacked up ball. If the ball is deteriorating that much, then they should surely be able to put a lot of work into one side of the ball and get it reversing. I've picked up incredibly hacked balls at cricket training, put loads of spit/sweat into them and had them reversing beautifully. I'm amazed that they couldn't get that to do something if it's deteriorating like that.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Hopefully if a player can consistently score runs well at first class level then they have what it takes to make the step up. Unfortunately, there are always those players around who seem to completely dominate at first class level but are never able to make the step up to test level, whether that be a mental thing, or a technical issue that seems to survive the lower quality opposition at first class level but get quickly found out at test level. It's one of the reasons why selectors are constantly trying to look for other intangibles beyond just picking whoever topped the runs or wickets list in the last Shield season. (Plus the fact that you have situations like Labushagnes twin 50's likely show more about him than Maddinson or Coopers double hundreds do, despite not being as good statistically!) But overall, you'd hope that the players who can make the jump to test level would also be the ones to rise to the top at first class level.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
It's hard to know if it suffered as captain, since the sample size is just a bit small. As pointed out above, he "only" played 8 tests in this return prior to becoming captain. The majority of his tests as captain have come in matches where all of the batsmen have struggled. Starting with the last test against South Africa, then the two tests in the UAE, the home series against India, where the Australian batting stats don't make good reading, the Sri Lankan tests, where the other batsmen doing better meant Paine didn't get a lot of opportunity, and then the Ashes, where, again, plenty of batsmen struggled a lot more than him. Sure, he averaged 48 in the 8 tests prior to that since his comeback, but a lot of them were much better batting conditions, and he still only had a single half-century in those matches. Just had a lot of not-outs. In other words, there are enough other variables and to small a sample size to really be able to infer that the difference in returns has anything to do with the captaincy.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yes, bonus points only in the first innings. Victoria have nothing to complain about. They batted on to way past 600 in the first innings. If Victoria are going to just keep batting to let their batsmen pile up big scores, why shouldn't SA do the same. If a game requires 3 of the four innings to be declared in order to make it a match, then it deserves to just be a draw. I've never liked matches where the captains come together and contrive a result. Feels way to close to match fixing!
His conversion to hundreds is massively worse, only 1 more hundred in FC for another 28 matches, that's the point I was making.
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
Oh and in tests alone Labs has no centuries in 15 innings, and Head 1 century in 22 innings. Labs will have to score 2 centuries in his next 7 innings to pass Head. I hope he does.
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
Ben, Yes Head's conversion rate for hundreds is not good. But to say his conversion rates are massively worse is bit of an overstatement. In first class cricket Head has got passed 50 in every 3.22 innings. Labs has done the same every 3.32 innings. In tests and F/c Head rates 3.20 to 3.28. I think both have been a bit disappointing into not converting those 50's into 100's.
maverick
Roar Rookie
Lab is Australia's Joe Root. Not bad considering Australia has Smith in the side.
maverick
Roar Rookie
Harris is not an excellent first class cricketer. He averages less than 40. He has had one excellent last shield season. But it's not like he churns out 40 plus shield season every year. Langer labelled him as a mediocre player only 2 or 3 years ago.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I can't see how scoring runs is a reason for criticism. Handscomb, Finch and Maxwell didn't get that many. I don't get this taking a set against someone just because someone you don't like on social media has another view. It says a lot about the gainsayer.
U
Roar Rookie
And Mitch Marsh rules himself out of test contention after hitting a wall in the change rooms lol
Old Greybeard
Roar Rookie
Seen a few young blokes wrecked and Australian test cricket does not seem to improve people as it once did. I am more interested by the fact that Labuschane did well when there was clearly help for the bowlers. Conway took 10-56 and apart from Marnus, Burns was the only Qld player to pass 50. Neser and Gannon also did well and NSW other than Warner, Hughes and Nevil did not achieve all that much. One problem with the early Shield is that the Gabba is often a bit tricky and everywhere else is as flat as a road and less bouncy. Bellerive can do it too, early in the season you can't make a score and late, you can't get out. Balance between bat and ball is sadly lacking in our wickets.
Old Greybeard
Roar Rookie
My point is that he scored runs on a wicket that no one got out on till they ran out of puff. 1280 for 12 wickets is not much indication.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
It's not his age. If you're good enough you're old enough. I just don't think they will pick him. They'll show some loyalty to the incumbents, Wade in particular. Can't see them wanting the 5th bowler so early in the season so a batsman will take Marsh's spot. If Head gets some runs in the near future I think he'll slot back in. If he doesn't, well, then it gets interesting.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
7 concussions already!! He HAS got probs with the short ball then. No way he's ready. Test bowlers will destroy him if he can't cope with the bouncer.
Head's captaincy was poor. What was the point of batting on day 4? Terrible
Finally someone cracked the great puzzle
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
Yes probably Hanscomb did bat too long, probably hoped to bat two days and then bowl SA out twice. On that wicket was never going to happen. I just think that if Head had any chance to win the game, maybe should have declared and set up a run chase on the last day. Obviously both captaims sttled for a tame draw.
Nick
Guest
So why is it heads fault. If Handscomb had declared earlier there may have been a result. Why was it up to Head when Handscomb is just as bad.