It’s a fine balancing act being a selector, particularly when you are the coach, where the buck invariably stops if results go awry.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald is adamant the Test team is not in the habit of handing out caps to players who are not among the best 11 in the nation and that won’t change anytime soon.
There has been a sizeable push for emerging fast bowler Lance Morris to get a run in the first Test against Pakistan, starting on Thursday, with former left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson leading the charge.
But after being in the extended squad all last summer without getting a game, the 25-year-old will be forced to wait yet again for his debut with Mitchell Starc cleared to take his place.
McDonald said on Sunday that the Australian team would not be elevating Morris or anyone else for that matter into the side until they deserved the spot ahead of the incumbent players.
The flip side of that philosophy is that Australia could be headed for stormy waters ahead if the likes of Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith, Nathan Lyon and Usman Khawaja quickly follow opener David Warner into retirement.
McDonald confirmed Warner would be taking his place at the top of the order at Optus Stadium and that alternative options had barely been considered in the lead-up to the three-match series with Pakistan.
“We’re there to pick the best XI that we can at any given time, and I think the World Test Championship’s put a premium on every Test match,” he told reporters.
“It’s hard to make, we saw that we missed out on the first cycle of it, deducted by over rate of all things, so it’s always tight to get into that final.
“Every Test match counts so we’ve got that philosophy and we’ll keep that simple across the time that myself, George (Bailey) and Tony Dodemaide are making those decisions.”
Lance Morris. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Morris was sending down thunderbolts at his usual lightning pace during Sunday’s training session, which didn’t go unnoticed by McDonald, but Starc has overcome his recent niggles to be in no doubt to play.
“We saw Lance put a few on notice there, in particular Marnus (Labuschagne). It was a good contest, a good hit-out,” he said.
“How do I put this – it (the final XI) will look the same as it has before.
“(Starc) had some well-documented issues coming out of the Ashes and his ability to get himself through the World Cup and then to present in really good order here has probably calmed our nerves around what the summer looks like,” McDonald said.
“There might have been some concerns (after the Ashes) about how much he could take on during the summer, but he presented in really good order and (we’re) really confident he’ll progress through the summer as he normally does.”
The coach was not concerned about Johnson’s controversial views about whether Warner deserved “a hero’s send-off” into retirement after the third Test at the SCG.
“There’s always going to be speculation about who opens when Davey goes. We have time to make that decision,” McDonald said.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mitch Marsh and Andrew McDonald. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
“For us, it’s gathering information and making the decision when we need to make the decision, so that’s as simple as it gets. We have no firm views on it at the moment.”
McDonald is confident there is nothing to worry about just yet as far as getting replacements ready for the nucleus of the Test team even though Labuschagne and Travis Head, both 29, will be the only players under 30 in the line-up facing Pakistan.
But it seems the selectors are delaying the inevitable when he says they’re not even contemplating replacements for Warner and whoever else may be retiring in the near future.
In the modern era where succession planning is part of pretty much every professional sport, it seems odd that the Australian cricket team is seemingly taking a laissez-faire approach to what is going to be a transitional phase.
There have been a couple of notable periods where Australian cricket has struggled when a bunch of legends have exited within quick succession, most notably in 1984 when Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh retired (coincidentally after an SCG Test vs Pakistan) and 15 years ago when Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer bowed out with Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden following soon afterwards.
It’s a tough call to tap a legend on the shoulder when they could still keep performing for a year or two.
But being a selector is not easy and a spot in the Test team cannot be kept open to a team stalwart if they’re not pulling their weight.
And the situation can become even worse if a large percentage of the team retires together in a narrow timeframe, leaving a bunch of newbies to sink or swim on their own rather than part of a planned progression of new blood.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
He is the best bowler in Australia.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
Great start by Richardson. Hope he can play a full season & slowly force his way back into the test team in 24’
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Sean Darcy, 6 year extension. Signed on until 2030.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
As Australia is playing Pakistan & West Indies this Summer. I’d like to see quite a few different players rotated through the side . To give several bowlers, batsmen & all rounders a chance to show what they’re made of. Not just Western Australian’s . As let’s face it. Who cares that much about these series? Playing quite a few different players would bring some new interest to these tests etc.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
If the gap between our successes and our failures in Tests was closer, I'd agree with your assessment of "excellent". The wins the team has had this year were clearly 9 out 10 efforts, but some of the losses were 3 or 4 out of 10. Touch wood we see lots of the first and none of the second over the next few months. PS scary how Google and social media have created so many homemade experts
JamesH
Roar Guru
In principle, yes, but not for the first test of the summer when all three of your first-choice seamers are fit. While it's sad that Morris will miss out on his home deck, you don't rest fit bowlers in game 1. Game 3, if we're 1-0 or 2-0 up, or the WI series would make more sense as a time to rest someone and give Morris a run.
Barb Dwyer
Roar Rookie
Yes, many think they know more than the selectors, however in life I find many unqualified people know more than doctors, scientists, lawyers, etc. I'd probably give Australia 8.5 but I tend to be generous (!), not based on ability but results achieved with their current line-up. We rarely win in the subcontinent and we are world test and ODI champions. Retaining the Ashes is also no small feat. Plenty to work on but I think excellent is accurate.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I find many of the comments about selections that are posted here, more than a little amusing because the authors think they know more than the selectors! As you rightly point out, there are 11 places in the team and much as we would all like to see certain players in the side, that's simply not possible, so banging on about it is not going to change that fact. I'm also wary about the "excellent" results you mentioned. IMO, this year so far has been a mixed bag. I don't think the India Tests were a success, apart from unearthing Todd Murphy. We were flogged in the first two Tests, which made a series win impossible. The next three Tests in England were very good, but the 3 after that were very poor because there were no plans to replace Lyon once he was injured. Again, one of the few positives was Marsh's resurgence, but the downsides were Green and Warner's struggles. The tour to South Africa was not a success, nor were the leadup matches and the first few World Cup games. The next 9 games were very good, but we were within one wicket of being in real trouble (if that sitter off Maxwell was taken in the Afghanistan game, we might have struggled to make the finals). I'd rate this a 7/10 year for the Aussies overall.
Tempo
Roar Rookie
They made an error which they rectified after one game. There is no inconsistency there - the philosophy of picking your best team each game was still being used, they just made an error for that game (as humans will do from time to time). Given Head’s performances in Asia up to that date it wasn’t an entirely unreasonable call, but it was clearly an error in hindsight.
Tempo
Roar Rookie
I also think they have a reasonable idea of who they would pick if the decision were to be made now. But they don’t need to make the decision now, so why announce it now? The BBL thing was just an example - of course I don’t think that would be given much weight at all. I’m more making a general point that things can happen in a month. What if they anoint Bancroft as the successor and he tears his hamstring in the BBL? Then you’re picking a player who you’ve publicly said is second best when there was no need to.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
I had my doubts about McDonald not least because of the events around his appointment ..I enjoyed Justin Langer but probably a bit biased because of his cricketing background ..But I also have to be reasonably minded and concede that McDonald is producing ..And thats the first if not only requirement of a coach ..The policy of selecting for today not tomorrow resonates with me ..Too many coaches all sports ( rugby particularly comes to mind) seem to have this ” building for tomorrow mindset ” which to me a least looks like an escape clause in case of failure ..Oh and I have coached at elite level ..( athletics) ..So have a bit of background I think :stoked:…
DTM
Roar Rookie
Tempo, you're better than that. BBL form (or lack thereof) is no indicator for test cricket. We have the age old problem that there are no more Shield matches before the first test against the Windies so (assuming Warner carries through with his commitment to retire in Sydney) our selectors should know now who is going to replace him. Maybe they do but don't want to say (and that's fine by me). However, to suggest they haven't given it any thought is not true - if it was, they would be derelict in their duty. What's happened here, is that we have taken what McDonald says and dissected it. It is more likely that that is not what he meant.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
As I've many times, he shouldn't because others earned the chance.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
If he gets even close to those numbers then you can say “I told you so”.
Brett Allen
Roar Rookie
Well think he has.
Robert DeHoy
Roar Rookie
Hawthorn won a lot of premierships based on that enviable blend of youth and experience. The Wallabies had their earliest exit at a World Cup due to having mostly youth and very little experience. CA would be wise to learn the lessons from the past and to start filtering in youth before it is needed.
jammel
Roar Rookie
tbf, though, Don - MMarsh isn't in our best Test XI, for any country! :) Matter of opinion I know, but he doesn't get a Test jumper this summer for mine.
jammel
Roar Rookie
Until Cam "The Gentle Giant" Green has 5000 Test runs at 50, and 200 Test wickets at 27.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
That adds to my position
Barb Dwyer
Roar Rookie
I see your point but they do cop a lot of criticism here, when their year has exceeded everyone's expectations, especially the commentators here. I don't think it is by luck, either. The final of the world cup was particularly well strategised (in sync!) and yet some seem to want to repeatedly complain about selection decisions because their favourites aren't in. I get it, I think there are some unusual decisions but the results have been excellent. You can only fit 11 players into a team and in my lifetime, the public and media have without fail complained about the selection decisions. It is truly inevitable.