What a debut Michael Neser had!
He scored 35 and three (albeit batting at the unfamiliar number three position), took two wickets at a low economy rate and he was good in the field.
For years Neser has been the nearly man of Australian cricket, willing and ready to play whenever he has been given the opportunity.
A regular in the Australian Test squad since 2018, Neser has always been there or thereabouts for a debut.
What has hurt him has been the perception that express pace is a better bet on flat Australian decks.
Despite this perception, Neser’s record of 236 wickets at 24.47 in the Sheffield Shield speaks for itself.
For a medium-fast bowler to achieve this level of success on wickets that are seemingly flat indicates that he is deserving of his spot and that the selectors are wrong to suggest that express pace is the best way to take wickets in Australia.
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Chadd Sayers would tend to agree. One of Neser’s key attributes is his ability to bowl a stump-to-stump line and make the batsman play, and he is also very skilful with the new ball.
My problem is not with Neser. My problem is with the perception that Neser and those like him are not good enough.
In the case of Neser in particular, when there have been a few opportunities to step in.
Or when there has been an obvious need to rest one or two fast bowlers (like at the end of the India series last year), the selectors have drafted in someone else (usually James Pattinson, who had by then recovered from an injury) or overlooked him for another quick in the squad.
Pre-COVID, that was fine. Neser could simply go back and play for his state PR Big Bash League franchise and take wickets or score runs.
But when cricketers live in COVID bubbles, that experience is not available to them.
It is understandable that there needs to be some people who stick around the squad to run drinks and provide support, but Michael Neser became almost a permanent 12th man.
Indeed, had Pat Cummins not been ruled out of the Test, it is questionable whether Neser would have even made his Test debut in this series.
Neser is 31 and has spent the best part of his best years running drinks as part of the Test squad.
There is every chance that Neser may only have another three to four years left in him to play Shield cricket.
Choosing someone who is persistently overlooked when the rarest of opportunities arise does little for them or for their career.
Neser has been helped by being able to work with the Australian bowling coach, and that has no doubt impacted his bowling.
However, there seems to be little else that he has gained from the experience.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
So, what can be done about this? Firstly, player rotation, particularly on away tours, should be a priority.
On a tour to India or England, if more players can get experience playing in those conditions, that can only be a good thing for the team as a whole.
Secondly, developing a squad mentality is crucial to helping players develop.
Knowing that at any moment you could be called upon to debut for your country in any situation, not just as a like-for-like replacement, will prepare any member of the squad for their debut.
Finally, if there is a next man up who has had the experience of Michael Neser, who has been around the squad for several tours and who has done it all, then that person ought to be the very next man called up.
One problem with Jhye Richardson’s selection is that he was not really a like-for-like replacement for Josh Hazlewood, and he was elevated over a man who had done his time in and around the team.
Richardson is an excellent bowler who is six years younger than Neser. He has a dollop of extra pace that Neser does not possess.
Surely squad incumbency and consistency over ten years of first-class cricket should count for something?
Neser is not the only first example and he will not be the last.
However, this is an area that should be looked at by all countries all over the world so that the best players – the most experienced players – are given the chance to play for their countries and not just kept as squad members.
Mike
Guest
...so I see Richardson, especially, offering nice variety to our pace attack. Cummins, Hazelwood, Green and Starc/Richardson looks pretty good to me. Nesser or Boland as required due to injuries. Yes, being a long time 12th man is tough but a test spot should never be given as a reward for previous services rendered. The team should always be selected on the basis of winning the next game and the most suitable selections to get that job done!
Mike
Guest
Malcolm Marshall did OK as a skiddy bowler! Hadlee was hardly a "hit the deck" bowler. Both did well in Australia. Shami did well last year for India - he's a midget for a fast bowler at 5'8" and very "skiddy". Bowling comes down to knowing your "schtick", being skilful and executing well. If you have a bowling attack with tall quicks like Hazelwood, Green and Cummins, then I think a skiddy quick can offer some excellent variety. Marshall bowling in tandem with Garner was a deadly partnership.
James W
Guest
Neser and also Richardson are unlucky to be in an era where our fast bowling stocks have never been deeper. The fact is Starc/Hazelwood/Cummins has produced and until that stops it will be hard to justify change
Tony H
Roar Pro
Because he's better You know that selection is merit-based right? Who is more likely to win us a test match? Simply compare the shield records of the two this year, and tell me Neser is better. I'm a Queenslander, and Jhye is a much more dangerous bowler.
Micko
Roar Rookie
You ever her about the 2005 Ashes tauranga boy? Why don’t you ask Ricky Ponting about Gary Pratt? :silly:
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Yes it sucks for Nesser, feel for the guy. Does the hard yards & gets over looked again for the Boxing day test. My opinion of JL has dropped a lot over the last couple of years.
tauranga boy
Guest
Re the 12th man in Tests : why is there not a seriously incredible fielder in the changing rooms? The best fielder in Brisbane grade cricket for the Brisbane Test, the best in Adelaide grade cricket for the Adelaide Test and so on. Usman is a great cricketer but he's hardly a remarkable fielder and I felt he was not the right guy to take the field as a replacement in the last test. I'll bet there's an all rounder in each city who is spoken of as superb in the field - why isn't he included when someone is rested or has a niggle? It's ok by the rules. I mean we try so hard to win these tests, but we balk at getting our best fielders out there, as if it's somehow "not cricket". This could be a sideline job for the selectors. Spectators would have the added enjoyment of seeing wonderful fielding skills. What do you readers think?
Stuckbetweenindopak
Roar Rookie
Merry Christmas brother. Enjoy!
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I'd like to see both Neser and Richardson play d/n in Hobart, but assuming Hazelwood is back, presumably they'll play Cummins, Hazelwood and Starc. I would hope that both Neser and Richardson have a key role in the Ashes in 18 months - form permitting - to exploit the swing on offer.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I suspect Cummins would have handled both Neser and Richardson better; by not batting on into the evening session of day 2 but rather declaring and exploiting the better bowling conditions and giving them both extra time to make an impact, rather than pushing them to bowl during the day in what were the best batting conditions of the match.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
You probably just answered the question: Neser hadn't had a game in a couple of months. Richardson's four lead in matches across October and November were: 1/5 & 2/37 3/22 & 2/75 3/38 & 5/23 4/53 & 3/56 -23 wkts @ 13.43 -ER 2.15 -18 of the 23 wkts (78%) being top 7 batsmen. That's why he was selected, as opposed to jumping the queue.
Gibbo
Roar Pro
Neser took 22 wickets in his last 5 matches in County cricket. That's impressive!
Micko
Roar Rookie
The only way to do that is to bowl!
Gibbo
Roar Pro
Obviously Pattinson in top form outbowls Neser in top form. Richardson is young, but my issue with him at the moment is that he hasn't had the miles in his legs in recent years with the red ball to sustain him.
Gibbo
Roar Pro
Nope, but Richardson got injured. How does he just jump the queue because of coming back from an injury? Neser was playing for Aus A because he hadn't had a game in a couple of months because of a baby and a dodgy hammy.
Gibbo
Roar Pro
I'd agree that he didn't outbowl Neser. Jhye is a wonderful bowler with a great future, but he suffers from trying to hard, as many of us have done.
Gibbo
Roar Pro
Paul, I always wait for your comment on every article that I write as I have a great deal of respect for your opinion. I'm a firm believer in picking the best XI, and I agree that Richardson tends to offer more with his skiddy bounce at pace than Neser does. However, India showed last year what could be done by utilising an entire squad (more out of necessity than anything else). That, coupled with Australia's tiredness and poor tactical decisions by Paine in the 3rd and 4th Tests, led to an Australian defeat. Really, if you're on a longer tour (and these days a longer tour is the equivalent of 5 or 6 weeks) and playing heaps of cricket in a condensed period of time, rotating the squad is a logical way to keep everyone fresh and firing. You're right in that with the way the concussion sub works these days you really need 13 men available every game. Playing the entire squad allows every single person to get game time and develop at a higher level, and you can do so in such a way that it doesn't jeopardise the chances of winning.
Gibbo
Roar Pro
If that's the case, then why haven't they made more of Overton's height and his apparent "suitability" for Australian pitches? Oh wait. Maybe that's because Overton bowls around 125 as well. And for the record, I think Ollie Robinson has been one of England's best despite "only" bowling 125 kmh.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"Frankly I don’t see either as long term options as they are both too skiddy to get wickets consistently in Australian conditions." I don't have Neser's figures to hand, but Richardson's entire FC match figures in Australia from debut in 15/16 onwards are: 4-93 (Gabba) 4-81 (WACA) 6-124 (Hurstville) 2-75 (MCG) - 1 innings only 1-85 (WACA) 3-93 (WACA) 3-95 (AB Field) 7-95 (Adelaide Oval) 8-105 (Perth Stadium) 3-128 (MCG) 3-58 (WACA) - 1 innings only 6-98 (WACA) 0-67 (Gabba) - 1 innings only 5-45 (Gabba) 1-78 (Manuka) 3-42 (WACA) 5-97 (WACA) 8-61 (Gabba) 7-109 (Bellerive) 5-120 (Adelaide Oval) Where is this lack of consistency to take wickets that you speak of? And at which venues?
Paul
Roar Guru
Gibbo, if we take Neser out of the equation and wanted to come up with a plan for the regular 12th man to get a game, I think you'd be wanting to broaden that quite a bit. In the modern era, with concussion substitutes, etc, we could have 13 or more guys ready to go for any given Test, so how can the selectors work all those guys into a series schedule, especially if it's only 2 or 3 Tests? I'm a firm beleiver in picking the best XI and right now that would include Jhye Richardson. If he wasn't injured a few years ago, it's likely you'd be using him as your example, or perhaps Mitch Starc if Richardson really kicked on as I thought he was going to. At the end of the day, selectors are a conservative lot so incumbents get first preference. If they have a chance, especially in Australia, they'll want predominantly wicket taking options if they can but otherwise a balance of wicket takers and bowlers who can apply pressure. IMO, Neser is very much in that second category, so his chances of getting a run, with Cummins & Hazlewood in the team aren't great. He and Andy Bichel have a lot in common in that regard.