Cameron Green’s dream summer has ended on a high note, the young all-rounder rewarded for his superb domestic form with a place on Cricket Australia’s men’s contract list.
Green made his ODI and Test debuts during India’s tour this summer, and also finished as the highest scorer in the Sheffield Shield.
However, there was no such good news for fellow up-and-comer Will Pucovski. After missing the first two Tests of the summer after suffering a concussion, the Victorian impressed on his Test debut at the SCG with a half-century in his first innings. However, a shoulder injury sustained that match kept him from playing any further cricket this summer, and he has been omitted from the contract list despite being a likely inclusion in Australia’s first-choice Test XI.
Also missing out on a deal were Matthew Wade, Joe Burns, Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, all of whom were on last year’s list as CA cut down on the number of contracted players from 20 to 17. Marcus Stoinis had his contract upgraded during last season, but was another casualty for the 2021-22 group.
Head enjoyed an excellent Shield season for a struggling South Australian outfit but was dropped from the national side after the Boxing Day Test, while Burns was also discarded from the top of the order after the defeat in Melbourne.
Wade played all four Tests against India and was named T20 vice-captain for the recent tour of New Zealand, but his spot in that squad came after he had been omitted from the Test side to play South Africa in a series that was postponed due to COVID-19.
Matthew Wade. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
The resulting contract list contains just three specialist Test batsmen – David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith – plus Green and captain/wicketkeeper Tim Paine, meaning at least two of Australia’s top seven for next summer’s Ashes series won’t be centrally-contracted players.
A similar scenario is unlikely to play out in the bowling attack, with all of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson and Mitchell Starc retained.
However, while limited-overs spinners Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa both were given a contract, there was no room for Mitchell Swepson despite his excellent Sheffield Shield season.
White-ball captain Aaron Finch, wicketkeeper Alex Carey, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and fast bowler Kane Richardson were the other four players named on the contract list.
“There are two main reasons behind the size of the contract list announced today,” selector Trevor Hohns said.
“Firstly, we have seen format specialisation become increasingly prevalent in recent seasons which, accordingly, has resulted in a broader group of players representing Australia, often beyond the initial list of contracted players at the start of each year.
“Secondly, we want to create an environment where players strive for national selection through consistent domestic performances and earn national contracts through consistent international performances.
“There will continue to be opportunities and support for players outside this group to represent Australia and earn an upgrade to a central contract with strong performances throughout the year.
“But in naming these 17 players, we believe we have a strong core group which cover all forms of the game for the 12 months ahead.”
Cricket Australia men’s central contract list for 2021-22
Ashton Agar (Western Australia)
Alex Carey (South Australia)
Pat Cummins (New South Wales)
Aaron Finch (Victoria)
Cameron Green (Western Australia)
Josh Hazlewood (New South Wales)
Marnus Labuschagne (Queensland)
Nathan Lyon (New South Wales)
Glenn Maxwell (Victoria)
Tim Paine (Tasmania)
James Pattinson (Victoria)
Jhye Richardson (Western Australia)
Kane Richardson (South Australia)
Steve Smith (New South Wales)
Mitchell Starc (New South Wales)
David Warner (New South Wales)
Adam Zampa (New South Wales)
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
My ruse is up :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: ----- Seriously Lyon does need something to jolt him. Often times he's too straight, too flat and quick. Deadly Derek he ain't. I ad nauseam that he needs to put it up and outside with at least two variants. He's very pedestrian. Agreed about Paine he appears, at best clueless, but Lyon could take some (:laughing:) by determining in his own mind that is in actual fact our off-spinning GOAT ----- The sooner Hohns is gone the better .... or is that the 'betsmen'
Mooty
Roar Rookie
Rowdy I think you are looking for a bite on the three players you mentioned. Warner isn’t playing as well as he was pre Cape Town, Starc is getting a bit long in the tooth unfortunately, but I can’t agree with you about Lyon, he had a bad India series, but I suspect some of that you can put down to bad captaining. He will bounce back, I’m confident.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
There are five players on the list that don’t get selected to play Tests, and some don’t play short form, would you also describe them as one format players. On another matter, hopefully this is the end of the selectors love affair with the Marsh brothers
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Interesting times, reflected in sport, where most things are society's systemic fault, not the individual. Change society! I can't improve or be better if society isn't changed to my utopian ideal! I should be able to play my way, but get the results I want. I want the accolades for kicking 100 goals a year, but why should I have to practice goal kicking? I want, I want, I deserve.......
bagley
Roar Rookie
selectors railroaded his chances to be a test player, seemed strange at the time, they were giving underperforming players a lot more chances than he had, told him he was going to be picked then left him behind, from memory he was the only player other than Smith who scored a ton in India, shame its too late for him now.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Rowdy, honestly I'm really optimistic about Head, and think this is the kick in the rear that will propel him to bigger and better things.
Simoc
Guest
Pattinson must be in because he is Victorian and they aren't very good at cricket there currently. When did he last do something worthwhile. He is ok at line and length but Siddle is better. And Richardson is ok but never a matchwinner and not much better than many others. Pattinson once was very good, a long time ago. With 350k cases of CV19 daily in India it is hard to see a World Cup going ahead.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
True but even Boon was 37 years ago. And l do remember they took a while to chance Boon in the team. I loved both players.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Dougie Walters? Boonie?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I think Australia is too timid to take a punt on these guys who like to take risks. I shudder to think what they'd do with Keith Miller with our criteria, performance indicators and psychometric projections, etc reigning supreme.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Absolutely but this is just the medicine he needs. Capricorns don't take this stuff lying down. Performance is a drug to them.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
We need to do what my HS Hockey Coach would say. "Take a good hard long look at yourself." I think tacitly we have accepted mediocrity. India, England and even NZ could conceivably overtake us. ----- In my experience with HS students 'easy pursuits' are more attractive than the hours needed in the nets, bowling for 90 minutes by yourself or throwing a ball at uneven surfaces. Look at the state of any high school tennis courts, if they even have one now, to see where we are. Lleyton Hewitt or John Fitzgerald types are hard to find nowadays. I put determination and fight way above talent. I've coached a number of sports and found there to be a deadening malaise amongst kids which l find hard to fathom. 25°c is too cold, 29°c is too hot, give me a break. ----- Made all the harder with the pathways to Test Cricket compromised in the pursuit of Candy Cricket and the joys of the sugar-hit. ----- The 'dropping' of Head was good. It will give him the jolt needed to unearth the determination he naturally possesses. I think he will fulfil the potential in his backbone thru this 'setback'. I expect his sojourn in Sussex will be profitable. I expect Burns to apply himself well to, he is a good man.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
No and Yes!
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
They have the ability to add, as well as pick outside the list. It certainly provides incentive to Head, Pucovski, Renshaw, Street, Phillipe, Harris....... I like it, it says we aren't just handing our reduced covid income away, come and get it!
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
Rock and hard place possibly. You set up a system to provide for players to feel settled and provide the results you crave, but don't have the options you desire, so reward those on past glory, hoping they'll provide a final hurrah? It would be an embarrassing admission of our stocks from the back room, if they reduced our list from 20 to 14, with 2 of those 14; Paine and Finch (both national captains), likely to retire within a year! We aren't in dire straits, but some of it does seem like money for nothing!
Kerrod Uebel
Roar Rookie
T20 Squad: 1. David Warner 2. Aaron Finch 3. Chris Lynn 4. Glenn Maxwell 5. Josh Philippe 6. Moises Henriques 7. Dan Christian 8. Pat Cummins 9. Ashton Agar 10. Adam Zampa 11. Kane Richardson 12. Mitchell Marsh/Marcus Stoinis 13. Steve Smith 14. Matthew Wade 15. Steve O'Keefe/Mitchell Swepson 16. Jhye Richardson/Sean Abbott 17. Mitchell Starc/Riley Meredith ODI Squad: 1. David Warner 2. Aaron Finch 3. Steve Smith 4. Marnus Labuschagne 5. Travis Head 6. Glenn Maxwell 7. Alex Carey 8. James Pattinson 9. Pat Cummins 10. Kane Richardson 11. Adam Zampa 12. Moises Henriques 13. Mitchell Marsh/Marcus Stoinis 14. Ashton Agar 15. Jhye Richardson/Sean Abbott 16. Mitchell Starc/Riley Meredith 17. Michael Neser/Josh Hazlewood Test Squad: 1. David Warner 2. Will Pucovski 3. Marnus Labuschagne 4. Steve Smith 5. Travis Head 6. Cameron Green 7. Tim Paine 8. Michael Neser 9. James Pattinson 10. Pat Cummins 11. Nathan Lyon 12. Moises Henriques 13. Marcus Harris 14. Alex Carey 15. Mitchell Swepson 16. Josh Hazlewood 17. Jackson Bird
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
How come no one has noticed the obvious? While none of the 'unlucky' players are Blues, all of the 'lucky' players are.
Tom
He’s perennially injured or under a mental health cloud, its completely understandable that CA don’t want to give an 800k contract to a one format player who still haven’t established himself in the side. Once he can string a handful of tests together like Green has he will get a contract.
Cheika_Mate
Roar Rookie
Feel sorry for Will good young talent but maybe it is the amount of concussions have put off the board. They may see as a risk unless he can make the adjustment to his technique to prevent concussion. You’d think paid or not if he loves the game he should be making those adjustments.
Paul
Roar Guru
That would be the only reason Tom. If contracts are based on results, there's no way Warner should get one, IMO.