11:21am on the 12th of December 2020 and Joe Burns has scored a total of 61 runs in eight innings at an average of 7.6 in first class cricket.
A less than impressive start to the season that even warehouse cricketers wouldn’t be content with. The scary thought still lingers in my head of Joe Burns being thrown into the furnace of a Day Night Test at the Adelaide Oval against a potential Indian bowling attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav.
The Test match return is slipping from the fingers of Burns with one more innings still to play in the current tour match.
But with the Australian potential debutants like Will Pucovski and Cameron Green both suffering concussion, Burns may be able to salvage a return and retain his spot in the Test team purely because of circumstance. But surely, surely he can’t play in the first Test in Adelaide with the blokes in front of him.
A bloke who has flown well under the radar of the Australian media is Marcus Harris who in stark contrast to his fellow opening batsmen in the current tour match against India A has scored an incredible 406 runs in six innings at an average 73.5.
Only two seasons ago Marcus Harris was touted as the next Michael Slater with his slashing drives through point and his whippy bottom hand and masterful flicks of his pad. He looked like a star of the future in what was a gloomy series against the Indians.
Until he was unfortunately shunted out of the Australian Test team during the 2019 Ashes facing the guile of Stuart Broad and James Anderson not least with the whopping Duke ball in barmy English conditions. He has flown well under the radar since with his batting at a standstill during the 2019-20 Sheffield Shield season which was less than impressive.
But with this current form that Marcus Harris has displayed during this season, surely he gets a shot in front of the incumbent Joe Burns.
If you haven’t heard of this bloke before you have been living under a rock, Will Pucovski. The young Victorian batsman has been churning big runs out for his state in Shield cricket and has his head in front of Burns as the candidate to open that batting.
Will Pucovski of Australia A lies injured after been struck in the helmet off the bowling of Kartik Tyagi of India A during day three of the International Tour match between Australia A and India A at Drummoyne Oval on December 08, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
But that head that is in front of Burns could be his downfall in debuting for Australia. A bloke who has received nine concussions in his 22 years on earth is almost certainly going to be ruled out.
But surely, surely Joe Burns can’t be put in place of a bloke who has peeled off runs in Shield cricket if fit.
Shaun Marsh. I can’t wait to read the comments on this. Shaun Marsh a bloke who has had a sense of nepotism attached to his position in the Test team purely because of his name hasn’t been able to necessarily crack it in the Test match arena.
Yet Marsh has scored mountains of runs of recent times in domestic cricket dating back to last season where he scored a masterful 101 not out in the Domestic One Day final against Queensland.
But he could be a serious top gap for the Australian Cricket team if Will Pucovski is ruled of the first and could be second Test of the summer.
Marsh should be given a look in for the Test team as his last hurrah.
Joe Burns who has had his travails of recent times nonetheless he has shown he can score Test runs as he averages 38.3 which isn’t too bad. A better Test batting average than Nic Maddinson at least.
1. Will Pucovski/ Shaun Marsh
2. Marcus Harris
3. Marnus Labuschagne
4. Steve Smith
5. Travis Head
6. Cameron Green/ Matthew Wade
7. Tim Paine (WK)
8. Mitchell Starc
9. Patrick Cummins
10. Nathan Lyon
11. Josh Hazlewood
Timmuh
Roar Guru
I think he was averagaing about 92 in the Shield last time he was picked, only a few games into season admittedly.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Looks like green is in as langer said all he has to do is pass concussion protocols and he’ll play and it’s down to harris or burns at top . Wade to open and labuschagne to stay where he is . Langer captured in nets talking at burns on his technque yesterday
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I'd rather Wade stay around #5 where he is a decent player of spin.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Jeff I think given there seems to be a universal push for harris and green to come in , it literally comes down to labuschagne , wade or paine opening the batting. You could present a case for all three . I probably prefer paine to wade your right. I think labuschagne can do the job temporarily but can see the merit in paine taking the shine off the ball or doing better. The bigger push seems to be for wade which seems tricky with his early tecnhinque as we know. Generally I think it's the right team as only marsh and carey could be good picks on form and history and we don't have them in the squad . Gut feel they may go with wade or labs given all the commentators mentioning it now , next to harris but paines a good idea
Jeff
Roar Rookie
OK. I was on the tour game so didn't watch BBL.. Haven't been able to get into it yet this season. Seems like Marsh won't happen as he hasn't been flown into the squad. I published some stats on the C Green article re Paine's performances as a defensive player (which I got from a Patrick Moran article on The Roar in June). Makes a compelling case for Paine to open for one Test and just take the shine off the new ball and see off the opening spells of India's two frontline pacers. Keeps the batting order in place and slots Green in as extra batting depth at #7.
Mike
Guest
I hate weakening one position to patch up another in any sport selections. Labs should stay at 3. The worst case scenario is we bump him up to open, it doesn't work, he loses his confidence and gets dropped! Anyone who has played cricket knows there is a difference between batting 3 and opening - even if you do go in very early at times. It's a different mindset. If we had Bradman at 3 right now we wouldn't be considering putting him in to open because Burns is struggling. I'd keep Labs at 3 and Smith at 4. It's so solid. Harris has to play and so you sift through who else could make a go at opening but basically we should be structuring our batting order around the stable 3 and 4 that we have. There's no way we should be stuffing around with that. I'd love to see Khawaja there but that ain't happening. Marsh is also a good option. Either choice is going for an experienced player who knows their game. The other option I'd prefer, is to throw Wade in there to open and blood Green at six. I know that seems to contradict my earlier creed of not shifting a player from one position to patch up another, but I don't see Wade as being a linchpin player that we are building our team around. Also, six is the position to get Green into. I think he's the real deal and let's get him in now. Wade is a fighter and I guess the question for me is would I back him to score more runs opening against the Indians than Burns? Absolutely!
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Bbl coverage last night jeff , I think it was mark waugh that said exactly same as you . Think warne was on to the change to harris and green in . The later two suggested wade probably open . Marsh seemed to be the back up for all three . All ditched burns . I keep thinking that marsh has a pretty solid home average as you pointed out and his adelaide record over five years is pretty good with a century and decent runs in pink dn test
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Paine has probably the best defensive technique in the team. Not sure how that relates to Lyons/Cummins, if that was the intention.
Anyone suggesting Shaun Marsh plays should seriously check what medication they are taking. Test average of 34..........
Paul D
Roar Rookie
I have heard people say on here a bunch were from football, I don't think they're all cricket related
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Why don’t we just add two extra middle order players in Green and Carey/McDermott/wildermuth then send double night watchmen in at the start of the innings. Open with Lyon/Cummins and ask them to survive as long as hey can.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Is Green ruled out also?
josh
Roar Rookie
Yeah its called seasonal lag, see the link I provided.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
The first 3 weeks of March are warmer than the first 3 weeks of Dec. Night-time temps demarcate this very well. Same in reverse for Sept and June. This phenomena happens all over the world. ------ The commonality is that SA, Aus and NZ were settled by the English and they thought summer was earlier as all 3 much closer to the equator than England or Europe or America for that matter. The early English even rated Mt Gambier as Sub-Tropical; huh??? ----- Punxsutawney Phil even agrees with me.
Liam
Guest
I do not understand how Khawaja's papers have been stamped but Marsh's have not.
josh
Roar Rookie
There is also the seasonal lag, essential due to the amount of water on earth. It's why while Summer starts on 1 Dec in Australia it's hotter in January and February and March than December itself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_lag Also the solstices and Equinoxes represent the peak (simplistically) of the suns position relative to the Earth. So I think it makes more sense to have the peak as the mid-point rather than the start of the season. So really Summer should run from November to February. But then due to the lag we still summer like conditions into March and April now (especially along east coast north of Sydney). So its makes a bit of sense to have Summer running from December to February.
Paul
Roar Guru
nah, it's only for one Test (hopefully). Some are talking about Khawaja AND S Marsh opening the batting in Adelaide. Now that would be desperate.
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
@Macca So the options are Burns, Harris. Marsh or Pucovski you say. The 1st 3 are poor options that have been tried and failed more times than I can remember. Burns is even worse than Marsh at Test level and at least Harris has some recent form but I've no confidence in any of them. Pucovski is worth a chance but has 2 big question marks - both in his brain. His concussion injuries plus his history of mental illness. Both make him a high risk option but selectors should give him a chance anyway - if he in fact wants it. All up - it's a poor lot of options imo :thumbup:
Davico
Roar Pro
How has Pucovski had 9 concussions at such a young age? Are they all cricket related, or a mix of cricket and Footy or something? Seems an awful lot and makes me worry for the kid long term. If they are all cricket related is there an issue with his technique? Are we allowing too much short stuff in junior cricket? Sorry, I don't have a lot to do with, or knowledge of grassroots and lower grade cricket so honestly don't know.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
Whist the situation is looking quite desperate, is it that desperate? :happy: