Why the Aussies should select eight bowlers for the SCG Test

‘The selectors will have a conundrum if Josh Hazlewood is fit for the Sydney Test’.

This was a comment I read from one of the many stories following Australia’s emphatic win in Melbourne.

There is a problem and if anyone’s to blame it has to be the selectors for choosing six fast bowlers across three Tests and those same fast bowlers all meeting or in most cases exceeding expectations by some distance.

Who’d have guessed at the start of the series that the Johnny Mullagh medal was going to hanging around the neck of a very proud Scott Boland?

Scott Boland claims the inaugural Johnny Mullagh Medal. (Photo by Darrian Traynor – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

And how does Australia leave out a rampaging Mitchell Starc who is back in some seriously good form?

But what about Jhye Richardson, whose bowling in Adelaide was on par with anything the Australians have produced this series – and par for this group is very good.

Throw in the fourth best bowler in world cricket and Michael Neser, who didn’t deserve to miss out in Melbourne, and the selectors have some serious thinking to do – or do they?

The hard part in making any contentious decision is not the actual decision itself, but telling the players who’s in and who’s out.

I’m not sure I’d like to go up to any of the bowlers and tell them they’re missing out.

For a start, there are some pretty big boys in the bowling unit. There’s also perhaps no need to drop anyone, if the selectors got brave and went for an appeasement XI.

(Photo by Albert Perez – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

I’d like to see Pat Cummins head this team onto the SCG (with their batting averages in brackets):
Dave Warner (48.40)
Alex Carey (19.40)
Steve Smith (60.84)
Cameron Green (28.80)
Pat Cummins (16.46)
Mitchell Starc (23.14)
Michael Neser (19.00)
Jhye Richardson (6.00)
Nathan Lyon (12.23)
Scott Boland (6.00)
Josh Hazlewood (12.02)

Remember, this is an appeasement XI and it meets the brief on a number of levels.

First, it takes away any issues over which bowler to leave out. All have done their part in the series so far, so all should have a chance to play in this match and stake their claim to play in the first Ashes Test in Hobart.

It should also appease the NSW cricket fans, specifically those from Sydney, who will want to watch New South Welshmen play Test cricket. This team has six players who have worn the blue of NSW.

Having so many Blues players in the team will appease the SCG because this should mean more bums in seats, which might have been problematic, given the one-sided nature of the series so far.

(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Broadcasters would be appeased (read: thrilled), not only for increased viewers in NSW but around the world. This is a quirky XI and it would generate enormous interest in this match.

Fans would also be appeased. All of us have our favorite bowlers to play in the remaining Tests, but most would hate to see someone miss out on playing because all of the bowlers have really done a terrific job so far.

On the surface of it, this is a very weak batting line-up, with Cummins and Starc batting at five and six. But in reality, it’s not. At least not for this series.

The numbers after each name on the team list are the players’ current Test batting average and these add up to more than 250. Assuming each player makes at least their average, with this attack, I’d have thought that’s a very defendable total.

It’s also important to give guys who are underperforming with the bat a chance to play a long innings.

Alex Carey, Steve Smith and Cameron Green have all not lived up to expectations with the bat, so this would be a golden opportunity to make runs because they’d have to in a match that has no bearing on the Ashes but every bearing on individual performance.

(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

In equal measure, bowlers are constantly talking about missing out on centuries because batsmen let them down. Here’s their chance to make a big score without having to worry about a batsman throwing their wicket away.

Bear in mind too, across the six innings England have played so far, they’ve made the following totals: 147, 297, 236, 192, 185 and 68. And that was generally only against only five bowlers.

How would they go against eight bowlers plus Steve Smith if needed?

Australia would also lose little in the field. Carey, Warner and Smith would make up the key positions in the slips while Cameron Green would continue his outstanding work in the gully.

Nathan Lyon has made that point/cover area his own while the rest of the team could fill any of the outfield places with ease.

There are two questionable fielding areas. The first is in the slips, if more slips are required. This is where batsmen have traditionally hidden themselves for decades.

All of the team are good catchers though, so I don’t see any problem with someone slotting into third or fourth slip if required.

(Photo by Daniel Pockett – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)

The real question is who will don the lid and field in close if the skipper decides he needs a close catcher?

This is the job normally given to the smallest bloke in the side and/or the newest batsman in the team, but I can’t see Cameron Green at silly leg.

With this attack, perhaps Cummins doesn’t worry about it, knowing he has the fire power to get England out in lots of other ways.

If player rotation extended to batsmen, then this would be a doable option, but sadly that’s not going to happen. It takes real bravery to go down this path and it’s a step too far for this group of selectors.

If it did happen though, I’d love to see the look on Joe Root’s face when Pat Cummins handed him a team sheet with eight bowlers who have tormented his batsmen so badly in this series.

That might only be beaten by the looks on his batsmen’s faces when Root gives them the news about who’s playing for Australia.

This is also the one Test scenario where both sides would want to bowl first, regardless who won the toss.