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Opinion

Moises Henriques should be Australia’s preferred all-rounder

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10th December, 2019
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10th December, 2019
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While Australia’s insistence on a seam-bowling option in the top six has wisely been toned down under Justin Langer, selectors have still looked to include an all-rounder.

The much-maligned Mitchell Marsh has played four Tests under the Western Australian coach – two against Pakistan in the UAE by virtue of incumbency, one on a flat MCG wicket, and one at the end of a tiring English World Cup and Ashes summer.

Rightly or wrongly, therefore, selectors still look to pick a fifth bowler in batter-friendly conditions, or at the end of a busy stretch of cricket, in which frontline bowlers have endured a heavy workload.

In most circumstances, Marnus Labuschagne’s part-time leg-spin is satisfactory to fill the void, with Australia’s quality bowling attack requiring little support.

However, Labuschagne cannot be considered a genuine all-rounder.

A Test record of ten wickets at 40.3 isn’t terrible for a part-time bowler, but his numbers are skewed by an impressive debut series with the ball in the UAE.

In that series, the Queenslander took seven wickets at 22.42, but has since taken just three wickets at 82, and has conceded 95 runs per wicket on Australian soil.

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It is an admittedly small sample size, however Labuschagne’s first-class record of 56 wickets at 43.19 does little to suggest he is a genuine tweaker. Still, Labuschagne’s bowling, coupled with that of part-timers Steve Smith and Travis Head, will usually be enough for Australia.

Marnus Labuschagne of Australia

Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images

But at some point the selectors are bound to want an all-rounder in the side.

The final two Tests of the summer, in Melbourne and Sydney, loom as candidates.

The MCG pitch has been notoriously flat for some years, although the abandonment of a recent Sheffield Shield game at the venue, due to unsafe bounce, suggests the wicket may have life in it.

In an effort to avoid a repeat of the dangerous Shield pitch, curator Matthew Page may prepare a flatter deck for Boxing Day, thus making an all-rounder a distinct possibility.

Equally, the Sydney Test has become a high-scoring affair in recent years. If talk surrounding a second spinner is to be believed, selectors may go for an all-rounder to provide a third seam-bowling option, in the absence of a third frontline quick.

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Given this will be the fifth Test of the summer, bowling fatigue may also be a factor.

While it is far too early to proclaim that an all-rounder will be necessary, it is worth considering who Australia’s first-choice should be.

Since the retirement of Shane Watson, Marsh has been the preferred candidate, but has mostly failed with the bat, averaging just 25.2 in 32 matches.

Despite a mediocre overall record, Marsh’s bowling appears to have improved, with figures of 5-46 and 2-40 at The Oval, on the back of impressive performances in tour matches, including 5-34 in the Hick XII versus Haddin XII intra-squad match.

Whether this is genuine improvement or the result of favourable English conditions remains to be seen, but to his credit, Marsh was clearly the pick of Australia’s bowlers at The Oval.

However, due to a self-inflicted hand injury and an overall poor Test record, Marsh shouldn’t be preferred at this point in time.

So who currently is the best candidate?

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The name that immediately springs to mind is Marcus Stoinis, with the Western Australian having kept Marsh on the outskirts of Australia’s white-ball sides recently.

Marcus Stoinis of Australia celebrates

Marcus Stoinis (AAP Image/SNPA, Ross Setford)

Stoinis averages 33.81 with the bat in first-class cricket, marginally more than Marsh’s 32.16, but has an uninspiring 64 wickets at 39.53.

His Sheffield Shield season so far has been solid but not outstanding, averaging 35.77 with four half-centuries, and taking 12 wickets at 27.25.

While Stoinis wouldn’t be a terrible candidate, Australia would certainly incur a loss in the batting department if he were to replace Head at six.

Young Cameron Green has been touted as a potentially world-class all-rounder. Unable to bowl indefinitely however, Green clearly cannot be selected to provide a fifth option.

A spin option is Glenn Maxwell, whose impressive first-class batting average of 39.81 is higher than many who have been picked as specialist batsmen recently, including Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, Aaron Finch, Head and Labuschagne (at the time they were initially selected).

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However, having taken leave to focus on his mental health, Maxwell, like Marsh, has no form to speak of, and would be a risky selection. Plus, conceding 41.22 runs per wicket, the Victorian is hardly a markedly better bowling option than Labuschagne.

Of course, one seemingly forgotten man is quietly carving out an impressive season.

Moises Henriques has scored 453 runs at 56.62, with two centuries, placing him among the best batsmen in the country on current form.

He has bowled just 20 overs, taking two wickets at 31.5, but his overall record highlights his ability to perform the fifth-bowler role, averaging 31 runs per wicket in first-class cricket.

Stoinis may has superior bowling form on his side, but the primary role of a Test six is to bat, and Henriques has Stoinis covered in that department.

Where Marsh’s ordinary batting performances have meant Australia sacrifices some batting to include him as a fifth bowler, the loss of quality with the bat would be negligible were Henriques to be included in Melbourne or Sydney.

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In fact, on current form, there isn’t a clear void between Head and the all-rounder with the bat.

Head’s form is hard to gauge, having batted just once against Pakistan. He has averaged a solid 40.2 in three Shield matches this season, but more than half of his runs came in one innings.

Australia will rightly take an unchanged side into the first Test against New Zealand, but should selectors see the need for an all-rounder, Henriques is their man.

After enduring his most challenging summer just two short years ago, for Moises Henriques this summer may well turn out to be his best yet, and what a wonderful story it would be.

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