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- Jan 13, 2010
Article by Sylvester -
Since the announcement of the 17 man Ashes squad, a number of writers have got their hopes up including former players Brendon Julian and Mark Waugh. The usual speculation about replacing Michael Hussey, Marcus North and Nathan Hauritz have been the main talking points from the extended squad.
I wish I shared the same optimism as the writers and maybe they like me know deep down there won’t be changes and are only writing these articles to sell the papers. Having gone through numerous periods where the selectors could have dumped North and Hussey, I would be very surprised to see them changing their tune.
Since returning to West Australia, North scored a century against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and 94 against Victoria in the Ryobi One-Day Cup. Now using our selector’s criteria, it would be a huge shock if they dropped North. When North returned to West Australia last season after a very average display against Pakistan and West Indies, he ended up with a even more dreadful 102 runs at an average of 12.75 from 4 matches. He still made the cut to New Zealand and did his trademark career saving hundred. This is the mess the selector’s have got themselves into, if they drop North for the 1st Ashes Test then essentially they have told the world that if you perform in Shield cricket you will get dropped but if you fail you will still get picked.
Michael Hussey is in worst form of the ‘collapso’ pair, he has gone 7 matches without a hundred and 7 innings without a fifty. His only match for WA resulted in a duck and 3. While Ricky Ponting was given the luxury of playing Sheffield Shield cricket for Tasmania hence missing the 3rd ODI, Hussey was left in the ODI side to play Sri Lanka. Just another one of the selector’s crazy logic. They denied Hussey a chance to prove himself against the English. Hussey made 71 in the first ODI, but even during this form slump in Test cricket his ODI form has always been very good. The knock really doesn’t answer any questions regarding Hussey spot and he will only have played two first class matches before the Ashes. Hussey has a few more brownie points compared to North but they will be all used up when Hussey is named in the Ashes starting 11. Of the collapso pair, Hussey is the one under most pressure but even two ducks in WA game against Victoria would still see him picked given North did similar last year and made the cut.
Nathan Hauritz is the other contender under threat. Ricky Ponting is clearly unhappy with Hauritz’s style and told him to bowl more like Harbhajan which resulted in Hauritz being taken to all parts of the ground. He left India with 6 wickets at 65 with an economy of 4.3. The last part was the worry, Hauritz was picked for his tight bowling, he ended up leaking as much runs as Johnson did. Hauritz’s return to Australia brought about a smacking from David Hussey and newcomer Michael Hill. He returned in the second innings with both their wickets and probably enough to save his spot. Hauritz is the most under threat of the trio but unless the selectors decide to go with an all seam attack, it would be very surprising to see another spinner taking his spot. If that were to happen you would think that would spell the end for Hauritz’s turbulent career.
The other player whose head has been called for by the media is Mitchell Johnson. He is one of those annoying bowlers for his critics. He is wayward, can leak runs at a rate of knots and picks up cheap wickets. These cheap wickets have become his trademark to the extent where we now celebrate them. The hardest thing for the Johnson critics is the stats won’t back you up. In the Ashes where the critics were at their peak, he ended up with 20 wickets at 32.6, certainly not stats you could use to drop him. Then in a similarly poor series in India he ended up with 8 wickets at 32.6 again not stats you could use to drop him. He played in the ODI series where he returned with 1 wicket at 128. Now there is stats you could use to drop him however this was a ODI series not a Test one. The selectors have had chances to drop Johnson but he has avoided the chop and I don’t expect that to change come the first Ashes test.
So that is the 4 players most under pressure to keep their spot. Hauritz remains the one under most threat but from a seamer rather than a spinner. I hope I am proved wrong and changes are made in particular to the middle order but I have come to know how the selectors think and this would be out of character for them to drop anyone. The 17 man squad is nothing more than the selectors fulfilling their objective to Cricket Australia’s marketing campaign while also easing the pressure on them by not picking the wrong backups before a full round of Sheffield Shield matches and Australia A fixture.
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Since the announcement of the 17 man Ashes squad, a number of writers have got their hopes up including former players Brendon Julian and Mark Waugh. The usual speculation about replacing Michael Hussey, Marcus North and Nathan Hauritz have been the main talking points from the extended squad.
I wish I shared the same optimism as the writers and maybe they like me know deep down there won’t be changes and are only writing these articles to sell the papers. Having gone through numerous periods where the selectors could have dumped North and Hussey, I would be very surprised to see them changing their tune.
Since returning to West Australia, North scored a century against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield and 94 against Victoria in the Ryobi One-Day Cup. Now using our selector’s criteria, it would be a huge shock if they dropped North. When North returned to West Australia last season after a very average display against Pakistan and West Indies, he ended up with a even more dreadful 102 runs at an average of 12.75 from 4 matches. He still made the cut to New Zealand and did his trademark career saving hundred. This is the mess the selector’s have got themselves into, if they drop North for the 1st Ashes Test then essentially they have told the world that if you perform in Shield cricket you will get dropped but if you fail you will still get picked.
Michael Hussey is in worst form of the ‘collapso’ pair, he has gone 7 matches without a hundred and 7 innings without a fifty. His only match for WA resulted in a duck and 3. While Ricky Ponting was given the luxury of playing Sheffield Shield cricket for Tasmania hence missing the 3rd ODI, Hussey was left in the ODI side to play Sri Lanka. Just another one of the selector’s crazy logic. They denied Hussey a chance to prove himself against the English. Hussey made 71 in the first ODI, but even during this form slump in Test cricket his ODI form has always been very good. The knock really doesn’t answer any questions regarding Hussey spot and he will only have played two first class matches before the Ashes. Hussey has a few more brownie points compared to North but they will be all used up when Hussey is named in the Ashes starting 11. Of the collapso pair, Hussey is the one under most pressure but even two ducks in WA game against Victoria would still see him picked given North did similar last year and made the cut.
Nathan Hauritz is the other contender under threat. Ricky Ponting is clearly unhappy with Hauritz’s style and told him to bowl more like Harbhajan which resulted in Hauritz being taken to all parts of the ground. He left India with 6 wickets at 65 with an economy of 4.3. The last part was the worry, Hauritz was picked for his tight bowling, he ended up leaking as much runs as Johnson did. Hauritz’s return to Australia brought about a smacking from David Hussey and newcomer Michael Hill. He returned in the second innings with both their wickets and probably enough to save his spot. Hauritz is the most under threat of the trio but unless the selectors decide to go with an all seam attack, it would be very surprising to see another spinner taking his spot. If that were to happen you would think that would spell the end for Hauritz’s turbulent career.
The other player whose head has been called for by the media is Mitchell Johnson. He is one of those annoying bowlers for his critics. He is wayward, can leak runs at a rate of knots and picks up cheap wickets. These cheap wickets have become his trademark to the extent where we now celebrate them. The hardest thing for the Johnson critics is the stats won’t back you up. In the Ashes where the critics were at their peak, he ended up with 20 wickets at 32.6, certainly not stats you could use to drop him. Then in a similarly poor series in India he ended up with 8 wickets at 32.6 again not stats you could use to drop him. He played in the ODI series where he returned with 1 wicket at 128. Now there is stats you could use to drop him however this was a ODI series not a Test one. The selectors have had chances to drop Johnson but he has avoided the chop and I don’t expect that to change come the first Ashes test.
So that is the 4 players most under pressure to keep their spot. Hauritz remains the one under most threat but from a seamer rather than a spinner. I hope I am proved wrong and changes are made in particular to the middle order but I have come to know how the selectors think and this would be out of character for them to drop anyone. The 17 man squad is nothing more than the selectors fulfilling their objective to Cricket Australia’s marketing campaign while also easing the pressure on them by not picking the wrong backups before a full round of Sheffield Shield matches and Australia A fixture.
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. If no ones stands up, Hussey might get to keep that spot.
