James Pattinson looks set to be unleashed in the Ashes, Marcus Stoinis is finally falling out of favour with the selectors and Alex Carey is firming as Australia’s next Test wicketkeeper.
Those were among my takeaways from Cricket Australia’s announcement of their 17-man contract list for 2021-22.
Six months out from the T20 World Cup, Australia’s contract list included nine players all but cemented in Australia’s best XI in the shortest format – David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa and Kane Richarson.
They were complemented by five Test fixtures in Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Tim Paine, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood and ODI star Alex Carey. The last two spots in the contract list went to a pair of fast bowlers who haven’t been locks in the starting line-up for Australia in any format – James Pattinson and Jhye Richardson.
Look out England, Pattinson is coming for you
That’s the only possible reason Cricket Australia would hand a highly-prized central contract to an injury-prone quick who has represented Australia just four times in the past five years. Pattinson is not a realistic short format option, owning ordinary white-ball records and having last played a limited-overs international nearly six years ago.
So a major Ashes role must be planned for Pattinson to justify him taking up one of a small number of contracts. It seems likely that against England Australia will abandon their reliance on the so-called Big Three of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.
As I argued in a piece for The Roar` in January, this inflexibility in selection hurt them badly during their home Test series defeat against India. www.theroar.com.au/2021/01/21/australias-reliance-on-the-big-four-is-hindering-them/ Pattinson is a brilliant fast bowler with an excellent Test record. If he’s fit next summer Starc should find it tough to hold on to his spot for the Ashes.
Stoinis is deservedly falling out of favour
It is no surprise Marcus Stoinis lost his Cricket Australia contract. Few Australians have played more limited over internationals in the past five years than Stoinis, who’s been a regular presence in and around Australia’s white-ball sides despite a long-term form slump in ODIs and never quite finding his feet in T20Is.
(Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Stoinis made a flying start to his ODI career but has been awful in the past three years, averaging just 20 with the bat from 32 ODIs. Soon to turn 32 years old, there appears to be no upside in Stoinis as an ODI cricketer. Australia surely must now invest in the enormous talent and potential of fellow Western Australia all-rounder Cameron Green.
In the shortest format Stoinis is a BBL superstar but has never managed to translate that to the international level. Australia do, however, have a dire shortage of capable middle-order T20 batsmen ahead of the T20 World Cup in six month’s time. And Stoinis is currently being used down the order by his IPL team the Delhi Capitals. So he does have a window of opportunity to vault himself into Australia’s World Cup line-up.
Carey remains ahead of Inglis in the Test pecking order
The fact Carey kept his central contract despite being dumped from the T20I side last year indicates how highly he is viewed by Cricket Australia. Australia’s upcoming 12 months is dominated by Tests and T20Is, two formats in which Carey is very unlikely to feature.
Carey retaining his contract is to me another sign that he’s being groomed to succeed Tim Paine as the Test wicketkeeper. That could happen within the term of this contract, as I can see Paine retiring after the Ashes at 37 years of age.
(Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)
Josh Inglis made a strong case to be considered as a replacement for Paine with a commanding Shield season. But my gut feeling is that Carey remains the clear frontrunner. A solid gloveman and fast-improving batsman who has averaged 53 in first-class cricket over the past three years, Carey shapes as a fine Test prospect.
Cricket Australia men’s contract list for 2021-22
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I think Head could've been selected as captain as an inspired choice rather than just the best of a bad lot. ------ But he's now gonna make his mark as Sussex player ... one would hope.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Rowdy and Jeff , As a victorian I can only say SA and WA have taken me on red wine journey but there’s alot of heat in the wine and Victoria and Tasmania are making red wine elegance happen with lower heat and alcohol. I would say we should all be acting as one country but during covid it’s been every state for themselves it seems and it seems our smoko can’t control his country
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Rowdy roddy piper I'm back ! Hope your travelling well mate
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Hi Pierro. I missed ya ..... with a 303.
Paul
Roar Guru
It's funny but in years gone by, we'd have no hesitation in picking specialist spinners for certain venues, eg Dutchy Holland for the SCG. We've got a bunch of top class quicks yet we seem to struggle to use them in the right way. I agree, there needs to be a better plan for which bowlers should be used when and where
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Once again cricket australia please look at pink ball and red ball tests distinctively for bowling selection even if we come off a win . Pattinson is a gun with red ball at mcg and should have played against india for sure there . Lowest australian average 16 . Superb there . Starc goes really well with pink ball , particularly at night at adelaide and Perth . Swepson dersves a match at mcg or scg in particular . Surely neser at home at gabba and scg pitches . Should have all happened against india last summer as same results and bowling didn’t work at mcg and scg on the tour before .Not rocket science
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Actually they didn't get it right they should have selected carey in uk ashes much sooner as was on huge form with bat in uk that summer . He's die his place but we have to wait for cricket australia to be done with the delusional or campaign for paine who is an inept decision maker on field . Carey should have played much sooner but no getting around the scandal and politics which kept paine in the hutch too long .
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Very simple said for ages . Starc at pink ball tests where he can be deadly at night but he’s terrible to mediocre at mcg and scg . Pattinson has best australian average at mcg and should always play there . Lyon can be a bit mediocre at mcg and sometimes scg . Swepson must be played . Australian Selectors seems to struggle to note that even off a pink ball test match win that changes need to be made with red ball mcg and scg tests in particular . Move gabba back to November which would benefit Aussies more with pitch bounce . Voila . Of course against india for a second time in a row on a second tour australian Selectors just did the same thing with bowlers and lost yet again . Neser on home pitch at gabba and scg way more effective than starc . Starc pink ball test at adelaide or Perth is where he is a weapon . Jhye Richardson was superb before the brutal unlucky injury . Deserves chances . This isn’t rocket science
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Right now I’d let head captain in front of paine , anyone but paine ..he couldn’t organise a miss up in a brewery given two losses against india on home soil and a series that was drawn instead of won in uk. Head couldn’t do any worse . Lucky the paine cricket australia pr tour will end this summer ..hopefully . It’s cost australia results . This article is a bit like ground hog day considering at the time carey should have been given batting place in test team in uk on his form there and then pattinson was overlooked at mcg against india with best aussie average there . The results against india over two tours on home soil at mcg and scg in particular speak for themselves. Looks like we have to carry paine and his decision making blunders for one final summer . Best hope is he makes some runs on flatter pitches and doesn’t keep as poorly as he did against india and let’s smith make decisions on field . It’s best we can hope for . England can’t believe there luck that we have kept the guy as captain as it will donate runs and results to them at times
Pierro
Roar Rookie
It's good to read the rowdy and Jeff banter again, always some fine trivial pursuit lads .
Pierro
Roar Rookie
The Richardson injury was so unfortunate and really cost him and australia he was in superb form . Hopefully he continues to find that form again even if his bowling is slightly modified . We certainly need changes as predictably the bowling attack has failed twice at mcg and scg against india in their last two tours here . For me we select pink ball specialists then look at mcg and scg tests very differently where pattinson swepson and neser have continually been overlooked to the detriment of australia . The results speak for themselves not just on one tour from india but two tours
Pierro
Roar Rookie
The list is a good one bar paine . He will hopefully get his aus cricket pr send off this summer . England are delighted he is captain still and hopefully he doesn't produce the continual howler decisions he made in uk and against india this summer which conspired to a series which should have been won in uk and a series draw or win against india on home soil . The guy is a liability . Carey should have been picked in uk on his blistering form in last ashes there and pattinson has the best average at mcg of all our bowlers and how he wasnt selected there against india is beyond me . Aussie selectors and cricket australia pr have certainly cost australia results
Pierro
Roar Rookie
It’s very simple pattinson should have played last mcg test against india with best average of Aussie bowlers there and three Test wins from three matches if I recall correctly . Carey should have played ashes in England on the form he had with bat that summer and it cost us actually as we preserved with warner there and paines continual decision blunders on field . Finally we will carry paine again this summer in the ashes after his debarcle decision making in England and then again last summer he is a liability as captain that has cost us results . It’s all that simple and I posted as much during and before the english ashes and during and before indian tour here where pattinson was overlooked at mcg and we lost and paine continually making decision howlers not to mention his keeping was less than adequate . The aussie pr fairytale send off for paine this summer will hopefully happen on home soil if he doesn’t botch up to many decisions. England are delighted we have stuck with him as captain no doubt it’s bound to let them off the hook in the ashes at times
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I'm not sure if SA equates to Michigan, Texas, Idaho or Nevada
Peter Warrington
Guest
It’s like the MidWest, which isn’t, really
Tom
I'm sorry, but he absolutely did. I'm done here, you believe what you want.
redbackfan
Roar Rookie
thats just not true. he said he was a "pure gloveman" as opposed to a keeper-batsman, obviously his batting since has been good, but he never said he was the best keeper in the country
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Yeah, yeah, .... aver, objectively, I make a good point about time zones; speaking chrono-geographically. ------ Also, the state's unique heritage sets it apart; speaking ethno-historically ------ SA has also not been part of the club money-wise; speaking fiscal-hegemonically ------ And that gravel-potted road was the Fed's way of thumbing their nose at the compact and promise made to WA by using SA as the whipping boy. ------ Still you guys don't a have border with those Eastern Miscreants, we do, so consider yaselves lucky. ------ And the Eyre Highway only crosses 20 minutes of the Nullarbor as the vast majority of it is north of the track.
Tom
Lol that is not at all what he said, Paine was asked who the best keeper in the country was and he straight up said he i Inglis is the best gloveman in the country, and that is an opinion shared by a lot of others that have watched him keep in more than one shield match and a few BBL matches. Watch Inglis keep more and get your redbacks glasses off. Carey is a decent keeper at best.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
West Aussies don’t complain about SA; I think collectively we see SA citizens as our kindred spirits, BUT, “over east” is “over east” and for Western Australians that includes the remarkably independent state of South Australia. There are probably two different interpretations as to “Eastern States”. For West Australians, SA - particularly Adelaide - is considered as part of “over there”. It’s historical re the Nullarbor and a gravel potted road connecting WA to the rest of the country. Agreed South Australians would have a different view re who is the “Eastern States”. I think it’s a case of different interpretations depending on locality of origin.