Heavyweight bowling. Welterweight batting. Australia’s lopsided, seemingly half-complete outfit assembles this weekend ahead of a series forcibly trimmed of some quality, but paradoxically now bolstered by a sense of the unpredictable. While Steve Smith and David Warner’s absence might grate for some of Cricket Australia’s key stakeholders, for the first time in a while, their absence might also inspire a gripping series, and dare it be said, a live Sydney Test.
As was the case prior to the duo’s demise, Australia’s selections have revealed a vulnerable batting unit. There remains a confusion of pattern and policy to selections; reasons vary from player-to-player and rules seem to apply more to some than others. Some are in-form, others are either deserving, a project, or a good influence. Few are proven. Whatever the case, for a shot at success, multiple players within that group will need to statistically transcend themselves. On home surfaces, it’s possible. You have to start somewhere.
Much has been made of the decreasing domestic returns of Australia’s batsmen. To underscore the decline, you can now scarcely survive the day without a tale of the epic feats of yesteryear, where batsmen plundered centuries at Shield level to merely tread selectorial water. But now, for the first time in most people’s living memory, Australia will not carry a generational champion in its batting ranks. Shorn of Smith and Warner, whose enviable home records almost guaranteed a healthy total to bowl at, seniority now shifts to Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh. If Australia are to win the series, at least one, if not both batsmen, will have to score heavily.
Marcus Harris, Aaron Finch and, most likely, Travis Head will round out the batting group. In many ways, their inclusion makes for a less experienced outfit than the one that took on South Africa after the Hobart collapse of 2016. Should Head get the nod over Peter Handscomb, it will mean three of Australia’s five specialist batsmen will have scored zero Test runs in Australia, supported by two senior players who were barely permanent fixtures 12 months ago. They’ll be tasked with contributing solidly to the promised land of 300-350 runs in the first innings. Thirties won’t cut it.
Nevertheless, in Marcus Harris Australia have a player who would appear to have arrived “the old way”. Though Ricky Ponting recently revealed Justin Langer’s early belief that a young Harris might make the national side, he is not a project player. His inclusion is borne of resilience, improvement, and hefty-enough domestic scoring. Australia’s recent penchant for unearthing the elusive “10-year” player, then overexposing them to the international game to their detriment, may have luckily eluded Harris. To use Langer’s vernacular, his returns at Western Australia were mediocre, but steadily improved after a move to Victoria, where he has proved a mainstay in a side that has won three of the last four Shield finals. In an environment where a rising din of ex-players now regularly question the methods of current batsman, Harris appears an agreeable throwback. He is compact, but can attack judiciously. At face value, it would appear he has the equipment for success at Test level.
After the specialists, it is understood Mitchell Marsh will resume his role at No 6. His is a spot that makes sense when set against a robust bowling attack and a stable batting line-up, though it was only two summers ago that the balance of Australia’s side was in question following meagre totals. Twin centuries last home summer, and another recent one at Shield level confirms his capacity with the blade – especially at home – however it will be curious to see whether continued collective batting struggles invite a rethink about the merits of six specialist batsmen. If he’s not scoring runs, Australia may well need to get them from somewhere else.
But if Australia’s batsmen represent deep instability, then their bowlers are positively Menzian. The quartet offers experience, variety, guile, and that most-vaunted of characteristics on Australian soil: speed. Their contest with Virat Kohli stands as one of the highest quality match-ups we’ve seen in Australia since Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar hit the shores to face Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and co, and will likely decide the series. Kohli’s success seems almost pre-determined, though it similarly wouldn’t surprise to see an arm wrestle between him and Josh Hazlewood, whose unerring line, length and bounce will challenge Kohli’s precision around off-stump. The Indian captain will have to be at his meticulous best to counter.
Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon’s positions are so assured that the only item for query is who comes in if injury arrives. Chris Tremain deserves his place as pace bowling back-up, though if James Pattinson remains fit he may be looked at favourably, as might Jhye Richardson. Both have that raw speed so prized on home turf, and in Pattinson’s case, he possesses batting chops too.
There is little doubt Australia retain the capacity to take 20 wickets. The question is whether their batsmen possess the quality to create something for the quartet to bowl at. If the returns are paltry, then visions of Australia’s quicks bowling with three slips, a man on the hook, and no one in front of square will quickly dissipate. Instead, strap in for a deep point, dry lines and Kohli as series protagonist.
