THE Australian squad for the First Test against South Africa was named earlier this week without too many shocks. Victorian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade got the nod over veteran Brad Haddin in about the only contentious decision, but by the sounds of it Haddin knew that was coming.
The pace-bowling stocks are in pretty good knick. It's likely Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson will join off-spinner Nathan Lyon in the XI for Brisbane; Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Ben Cutting, Alister McDermott, Jackson Bird, Luke Butterworth, and even Mitchell Johnson (yes, that guy) could easily play at least one form of cricket for Australia this season.
We're not short of wicket-keepers either. Both Haddin and Tim Paine have Test match experience; some have wondered whether back-up NSW keeper Peter Nevill should in fact be the NSW number 1 stumper; while Queensland veteran Chris Hartley is still arguably the tidiest of them all.
The spinners are another story, although Lyon should be pretty secure with Victorian Jon Holland out for the season after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction. That's not to say an all-rounder like Glenn Maxwell or Steven O'Keefe couldn't step in either.
No, what worries most Australian fans are the apparent lack of batsmen coming up and not just knocking on the selection door, but giving it a good old-fashioned thumping to the point where all that's left are some wood shards hanging onto a few torn hinges.
Of the current batting lineup only David Warner is under 30; Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey need strong starts to prove last year's efforts against India weren't the final glow of dying stars; while Ed Cowan still needs that three-figure score to really nail his place in the side.
What of the others? While Phil Hughes has made an impressive start to the season and looks like the next in line, the rest are just lacking that je ne sais quoi selectors are looking for. Players like Callum Ferguson, Moises Henriques and Usman Khawaja have all made solid starts, while Liam Davis, Rob Quiney and Alex Doolan were all picked in the Australia A side to play South Africa before the Test; yet you would probably argue they're only tapping the door rather than thumping it.
But what if I said there's an overlooked batsman that has a first-class average in the mid-forties; can bowl some handy medium-pace a la the Waugh twins; and is still 18 months away from celebrating his 30th? Tasmanian Mark Cosgrove is probably better known as the man you want to beat to the buffet, but like New Zealand shape-sake Jessie Ryder has a touch of class about his batting. He's started the season off well, scoring a century in Tasmania's opening match and backing it up with another 80 runs in his second. In yesterday's Ryobi Cup match against former team South Australia, Cosgrove got Tasmania off to a good start with 37 from 47 balls, striking 7 fours.
Sure Cosgrove is a bit bigger than normal, but so was Darren Lehmann... who was 28 on Test debut. Keep making runs, and "Baby Boof" may well emulate "Boof" once more.
Wednesday 31 October 2012
Thursday 18 October 2012
Who'd Be A Spinner?
NATHAN Lyon's a pretty laidback character. A groundsman first picked for South Australia after doing well in the nets, Lyon impressed in the Twenty20 Big Bash and for Australia A before going on to take a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket, that of Sri Lankan superstar Kumar Sangakkara.
Since then he's managed to hold his own in Test cricket, with 42 wickets at an average of just under 28. To put this into perspective, since 1990 only S.K. Warne, S.C.G. MacGill - and oddly enough, M.G. Bevan - have had better records bowling spin for Australia.
And yet, to read the news you'd feel as though Lyon wasn't performing. That he hadn't taken 12 wickets in his last two Tests. Brisbane Times journalist Phil Lutton described Lyon's position in the Test team as being "worthy of debate" after Queensland batsmen spanked him around the Gabba earlier this season. Even this article on Cricinfo suggests Lyon isn't a lay down misere for the First Test against South Africa.
When it comes to spin-bowling, it seems you really do have to prove yourself before getting a clear run at the Test team. And yet, is the pressure on Lyon really fair?
Certainly, he's had some dry spells. His first five innings against India yielded just three wickets; after a five-wicket haul in his very first Test innings he then took just three in the next six innings he bowled in; and his eight wickets at just under 50 in England paled against Jon Holland's 10 at 27.
But there's a few things still in Lyon's favour, not least his age (Lyon turns 25 in late November). Add to that the fact he's shown himself as a fighter, coming back strongly against India and the West Indies after poor starts to those series. Certainly, his Test record compares well to Warne's after the same number of Tests (Warne had 47 wickets at just under 27). He also seems to know who to listen to and who to block out.
Most importantly though, dropping Lyon for another spinner would send the wrong message to both him and spinners around the country. As this article by Jarrod Kimber shows, Australia have gone through spinners the way Lady GaGa goes through outfits. If conditions suit a second spinner or if Lyon is unavailable, then by all means give someone like Holland a go.
But right now, we've got a big talent in our hands. Let's not waste it.
Since then he's managed to hold his own in Test cricket, with 42 wickets at an average of just under 28. To put this into perspective, since 1990 only S.K. Warne, S.C.G. MacGill - and oddly enough, M.G. Bevan - have had better records bowling spin for Australia.
And yet, to read the news you'd feel as though Lyon wasn't performing. That he hadn't taken 12 wickets in his last two Tests. Brisbane Times journalist Phil Lutton described Lyon's position in the Test team as being "worthy of debate" after Queensland batsmen spanked him around the Gabba earlier this season. Even this article on Cricinfo suggests Lyon isn't a lay down misere for the First Test against South Africa.
When it comes to spin-bowling, it seems you really do have to prove yourself before getting a clear run at the Test team. And yet, is the pressure on Lyon really fair?
Certainly, he's had some dry spells. His first five innings against India yielded just three wickets; after a five-wicket haul in his very first Test innings he then took just three in the next six innings he bowled in; and his eight wickets at just under 50 in England paled against Jon Holland's 10 at 27.
But there's a few things still in Lyon's favour, not least his age (Lyon turns 25 in late November). Add to that the fact he's shown himself as a fighter, coming back strongly against India and the West Indies after poor starts to those series. Certainly, his Test record compares well to Warne's after the same number of Tests (Warne had 47 wickets at just under 27). He also seems to know who to listen to and who to block out.
Most importantly though, dropping Lyon for another spinner would send the wrong message to both him and spinners around the country. As this article by Jarrod Kimber shows, Australia have gone through spinners the way Lady GaGa goes through outfits. If conditions suit a second spinner or if Lyon is unavailable, then by all means give someone like Holland a go.
But right now, we've got a big talent in our hands. Let's not waste it.
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