There have been some positives during the current Australian tour of India.
Er….,Todd Murphy bowled well. Oh, and Nathan Lyon too. Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb have also had their moments with the bat.
And – yep, that’s about it.
It’s been pretty grim.
Still, these things happen. They particularly happen in India, where for whatever reason the Australian selectors lose it before the first Test and decide to rework the team. It happened in 2013 when the selectors brought in Moises Henriques, 2017 and the decision to dump Khawaja and bring in the Marshes, as well as in 2023, when the best Australian batter of the summer was left out of the first match.
Sigh.
The solution in India is to play a second spinner. And even then, you don’t necessarily have to. Picking batters according to pitch conditions never works.
Just remember who panicked first on this tour. It was not the Aussies batters, it was the selectors. They lost it, then the batters, then the fans – who have been revealed to be among the worst in the world. God bless the internet and culture wars.
Still, it could be worse. Truly.
I actually think David Warner’s injury is a useful thing and wish he’d had it at the start of the tour. It avoids an awkward conversation. I’ll be genuinely interested to see how Travis Head goes at the top of the order. Australia has invested a lot in him.
It was good to send Ashton Agar home. I don’t want to be mean but he shouldn’t have gone on the tour in the first place. Let him play some cricket. Personally, I think Mitchell Swepson may as well have stayed home as well – I don’t think they want to play him.
Mitchell Swepson (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
It’s rotten what happened to Pat Cummins but Steve Smith can take over for the remaining two Tests. And it’s rough for Josh Hazlewood now that Starc is back.
It will be curious to see how Cameron Green goes. I guess he gets two Tests automatically, yeah? Is that how these things work? And Head gets two Tests automatically? What if he fails twice in the third match? Who opens?
I believe Marnus Labushcagne’s luck has turned and he’s going to become a player who averages around 40, Jimmy Adams style – but I have said that before and been wrong.
There are two players I’d like to see flown over, to replace Warner and Cummins. One is very logical, the other more a matter from the heart.
The logical one is Michael Neser. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again – he should already be in India. His bowling is ideal for Indian conditions – far more so than Lance Morris – and he’s a great lower order bat. I like Scott Boland, everyone likes Boland, but Neser is as good a bowler and a much better batter (average 25.32 versus Boland’s 12.6). Imagine an Australian batting line up with Starc at eight and Neser at nine.
Michael Neser (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Why play three spinners? What’s the point? Apparently it depends on Green being able to bowl. Says who?
We should play two pace bowlers and two spinners. Three spinners is overkill, especially when two of them are as green as Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann.
My second choice is Glenn Maxwell. Yeah, I know he failed twice in the Shield game. I know he’s recovering from his broken leg. I don’t care. Cricket Australia owes us Maxwell fans another Test. I get emotional when it comes to Maxwell. That’s more gut feel, I admit it.
As a result, here is my team for the third Test.
1. Head
2. Khawaja
3. Labuschagne
4. Smith
5. Maxwell/Handscomb
6. Green
7. Carey
8. Starc
9. Neser
10. Lyon
11. Murphy
That is a good side if the batters can do their jobs. And selectors, if we’re not going to pick Neser, can we have Boland in the eleven please? We can’t rely on India’s top order being dodgy forever.
Sadly, it looks like being 4-0 no matter what the selectors do.
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
I think it was pretty silly to include an untried express pace bowler in the squad for India, given their pitches, unless the only purpose was to gain an insight into how all the pros go about their business.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Neither is Marnus and he's not from NSW either.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Sadly, you are spot on. These slectors should be the first to go.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Seriously, what has Morris done to not be in the running for ther third test. Morris and Starc as the quicks, Lyon and Murphy as the spinners. Support from Green for the quyicks and Smith, Head and Marnus as support for the spinners. Batting should be Head, Khawaja, Marnus, Smith, Hanscomb, Green and Carey. Warner went home a week ago, why no replacementsent let alone named. First task after the tour is to can the selectors.
Truth rocks
Guest
Pfft lol Mr mentally ill maxi who averages in the teens and can't bowl either wants to play test cricket. Gosh you'd think he'd have enough embarrassment in one career. Isn't he tired of Indian kids laughing at him in the IPL after yet another failed season? I'd rather keep my dignity then take the Indian lads money whilst scoring almost nothing Maxi you got blessed with the Indian wife, she's way out of your league, why don't you quit cricket and stop making us all laugh
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Kind of proves my point. But some of them are deceptive. Gillespie took most of his wickets on pitches with grass on them in 2004. I’d be comparing more with Brett Lee, average 62 in India.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Me n Chris Hemsworth are like that
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Bog standard l think. It was an advertising ploy. No eggs were broken.
SDRedsFan
Roar Rookie
Did it have a 100 litre fuel tank?
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
It was pretty rushed and Im sure there will be others to be considered. Adam Zampa let himself down by never playing in a test.
Boo-urns
Roar Rookie
Burns/Bird are some pretty tough calls.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
I love Glenn Maxwell and think it's a travesty he hasn't played more Test Cricket especially in Australia...... However- the moment Maxi broke his leg fooling around at a BBQ, he was never having anything to do with this series. He himself has said he's only now at about 80% capacity, but getting better each week. We not exposing him to Indian conditions in his current physical condition.
michael hoolahan
Roar Rookie
Maxwell? hmmm not sure hes the answer tbh
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
A coach
wouldshould address shot choice. In the absence of such a resource, Carey's bright enough to sort that out.JamesH
Roar Guru
I'm not debating his place in the side or his form. It's more that the debate around his reverse sweeps seems to be very black and white, when I think he just needs to be a bit more circumspect about when he plays it.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
The culture has changed.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Harsh on Sayers. He got Damien Martyned in Hobart
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Maybe so, but he is the right player to be our test keeper right now. Inglis and Peirson would both do as well, possibly better, but Carey is a strong, form member of this team. We used to have a coach that would address such things. Apparently, that was resented.
JamesH
Roar Guru
His FC average is actually a shade under 40, and was north of it a couple of years ago. Maxwell should have been given more opportunity after his efforts in 2017, but that ship has well and truly sailed. Anyone they bring in now should have relevant form under their belt as an absolute requirement. Otherwise they are just being thrown to the wolves.
JamesH
Roar Guru
His problem isn't the shot, it's when he chooses to play it. Reverse-sweeping off leg stump on a low wicket is bad enough, but when he's not set yet and we're 6/80ish it's criminal. Just some scrambled thinking that he (and a few others) have hopefully been sorting out before the third test starts.