7/28/2019 Bring in the County Busters
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Bring in the County Busters
Aus tral ia can always look to th e counties? An Engl ishman in
Au stral ia wri tes that the
of ten mal igned County s ystem could be their Ashes saviour and
cal ls for Watson,
Hughes, and Khawaja to be dropped.
The Australian second innings at Lords should be career defining
one for some of the top
six. The game is gone and it looks like Australia will need to
win the last three test matches
to regain the ashes, an unlikely scenario. The top six are
struggling, the bowlers lack
penetration and the spinners are better batsman than bowlers.
Its not good and things could
possibly get worse rather than better unless some radical action
is taken. Its time to call in
the County Busters.
A glance through the current County Squads provides the
Australian selectors with ample
alternative options to enable them to make the hard decisions
and replace Watson, Hughes
and Khawaja. The other three get to stay, Clarke (of course),
Rogers (because he deserves
more than two matches) and Smith (horrible to look at but he has
improved)
Unless Shane Watson scores a century at Lords he should be
dropped for the next test
match, even he does he should be in the longer term. Put aside
the negative of
broken/fractured relationship with Clarke, his equivalence of
penis envy when it comes to the
DRS (hes yet to realise hes hasnt got one) or the positive of
his useful medium pace, the
simple fact he is in the team as a batsman and he aint up to the
job. An analysis of his
stats since the beginning of 2011 (up to this match 30 innings
for 799 runs at the average of
nearing 26) is simply not good enough and the selectors need to
have a quiet chat and put
him out of his misery. Let him be a One Day and T20 specialist
and everyone can move on.
But who to replace him with? Many will say bring Hughes back to
open and will offer theview that his technique has improved and he
will come good in the long term. Not so and
the Aussies would be better off cutting their losses now. He has
a lot of the Watsons about
him, so much so that his stats make very similar reading (last
30 test innings for an average
of nearly 29). Ok a useful 80 odd in the First test, but he
always run hot and cold and in the
long term is not the answer. Neither is Khawaja, anyone who kept
an eye on his sojourn over
to Blighty when he played for Derbyshire will know hes not a
good option for English
conditions (even given the current heatwave). His form in
England was indifferent, in his 13
innings there were only two of note and his first innings
display made nonsense of Clarkes
statement he was ready for the No 3 spot. No doubt he is
talented but hes like a young
racehorse that he needs to mature more and in his case score
more runs at the First Classlevel before coming back to the fold.
And what about Cowan? Probably harshly dropped but
hasnt done enough and not sure he has the confidence of either
Coach or Captain, and
then of course Warner- at best he could make the last two tests
but he is so out form ( on all
fronts) it might just be best to rule a line through the tour
for him.
Droppings done, now for the county saviours. The current list of
Aussies playing County
Cricket makes interesting reading and their merits are briefly
considered:
Marcus North- Tried and tested but form patchy, off spin would
help on the spinning
front but not enough runs to come under serious
consideration
Michael Klinger Experienced campaigner, in form and would bring
a calm hand to
proceedings
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Daniel Christian- Only over in England for the T20s but the
Aussies already have
Faulkner who is yet to play. Unlikely
George Bailey- Played for Hampshire early in the season but is
probably back in
Australia. If not is a favourite of the selectors and might be
good in a crisis
Simon Katich- hes the man if Clarke can swallow his pride. In
form, experienced
and proven. Make the phone call
Joe Burns- talented but too early
Adam Voges Should have played test cricket before now and should
also get a
call
Cameron White- only in England for the T20s but there would be
worse options
Glenn Maxwell tried in India and not ready. Leave him be
Phil Jacques Experience and has much in common with Chris
Rogers. Probably
not a serious option but he has been in form
David HusseyThe forgotten one. Not in great form but hes a
Hussey and has the
experience to do a job over three tests
So there you have it and if the selectors really want to get
through this series, a horses for
courses and pragmatic approach may be the way to go. Out of the
above Katich, Voges,
Klinger, Hussey and Bailey could all fit the bill, with a top
six potentially looking like:
1. Chris Rogers
2. Michael Klinger
3. Simon Katich
4. Adam Voges
5. Michael Clarke
6. Steven Smith
Alternatively move Haddin up to six and slot James Faulkner into
the number 7 spot, giving
the captain another bowling option. Either way (and even for the
most loyal of Australian
followers) it is hard to argue that these options do not have
robustness about them
compared to the current fragile look.
A quick w ord on the bowlers:Pattison looks out of sorts and
will need a rest. Lacking
penetration, possibly struggling with the Duke bowl and holds no
demons for the English
batsman. I think the same could be said of Starc so recommend
leaving him on the bench.
Australia will be hoping Harris can back up at Old Trafford and
that Siddle will continue to
hold things together. Either way with Pattison rested/dropped it
is time to give Jackson Bird ago, he impressed in his first couple
of tests and looks like he has control.
Of course the selectors are unlikely to succumb to the pressure
and stick by the players they
selected in the first place but another dismal batting
performance overnight and the County
Busters just might get a look in. But what do I care, stick with
Watto, Hughesy and Usie.
Dave Richardson
Darwin 21 July 2013
