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Joined December 2018
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We need someone who isn’t an ageing veteran and past it. Marnus has had 2 Tests! So did Hilton Cartwright! If we are going to pick young players, let’s give them a little time! Shaun Marsh has averaged under 20 in his last 18 Innings! 63 runs in the Boxing Day Test in 2 innings is not good enough! Heck Cummins the Number 8 did that in one.
Can we please give one player under 30 more than 3 Tests to prove themselves? Harris and Head are going ok, who knows what Marnus, Hilton or Renshaw may have done. At least, let’s try someone who was born in the 1990s! Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch aren’t doing the job because the later two are still recovering from injury! Heck since Dubai, Usman is a shadow of the form player he was. Being injured and 32 will do that!
Labuschagne joins test squad as Finch, Marsh come under scrutiny
Since 2001, 30 year old veterans have been consistently favoured over younger players. with the Big Bash and the IPL, there has been less incentive to wait 10 years to break into the Test Team. And like the West Indies, Australia has been caught up in a cycle of boom and bust or ‘Renewal’ since 2007 when Martyn, Langer, McGrath and Warne left in the one series. Picking Burns or Stonis who both turn 30 next year won’t help. Joe Burns should have been retained and not dropped back in 2014. The consistent lack of faith of the selectors has eroded the young talent or forced them to take up other sports/opportunities. They aren’t learning from the veterans. \
There are 4 players in the top 7 over 30 (Finch, Khawaja, Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine). Next year when Warner and Steve Smith return, it could be six! Finch and Khawaja are returning from injury, they should be both be done. Shaun Marsh is averaging under 20 in 18 innings since February! And he is a 35 year old veteran, with at least 15 years first class experience! We need to bite the bullet and pick a team of youngsters who will still be there in 5 years. Have them bat around the veterans of Steve Smith and Tim Paine. Make either Cummins or Hazelwood, the only vice captain. And that person takes over from Tim Paine if he is injury. Steve Smith’s captaincy should be over permanently. If we are serious about renewal, then we should see only batsmen (not counting keepers) born after 1990 available for selection bar Steve Smith. A very cruel and tough decision for the greater good. No point rearranging the deck chairs in the Titanic as stated in an article 90 years ago. Please keep Marcus Harris and Travis Head for a little longer. Clear cut selections with clear cut reasons from the selectors.
Australia on the brink: Why it's time for a fresh approach
Another day, another failures by the veterans. Seriously why are the team chockful of veterans if they can’t score? Harris and Labuschange top scored in the first innings yet combined they have played less than 10 tests! Khawaja, Marsh and Paine have all failed to score even 30!!!! At what point do you say enough is enough? I think a lot of us will tolerate Paine’s up and down form with the bat as he is keeper and captain; but Khawaja has come back from injury and failed spectacularly.
And Shaun Marsh has failed yet again! 11 months and he is averaging than 20 in that period! Not to mention that Head who has been maligned for getting up stupidly throughout the series has scored more runs for Australia than anyone else this series. Heck, even the much maligned Handscombe outscored all three of them and I am not necessarily advocating for him (though his test career average is higher than Shaun Marsh). Where is Kurtis Patterson and Jake Lehmann? Sad as I am for Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Hughes and Joe Burns, they will all be in their thirties at the end of this year. We need people who won’t be worked out and replaced in 5 years. Paine and Steve Smith should be the sole veterans in their thirties in the team. Goodbye Dave ‘Pu,nchout’ Warner, you are too old for this team.
Again we will read articles about the Australian selectors picking Baggy Green wielders for their potential, even though half the batting team is over 30 and it should be about performance not potential at that point. Harris, Renshaw, Patterson, Lehmann, Head, Paine (c,+), Labuschange, Cummins (v-c), Starc, Lyon and Hazelwood. That’s a team to build around. Do we have a ready made replacement for the brilliant Nathan Lyon? Or for Pat Cummins, if he is injured? How I hope we do. Anyway, that’s my take on the team. We don’t want to end up like the Windies, where potential players born around 1989 play other sports, leaving the team bereft and in a constant state of bust and renewal (as Australia has been since 2007, with the occasional moments of boom).
Khawaja has failed Australia when they needed him most