In a rare
departure from their ill-fated 'youth
first' policy, Cricket Australia has announced an earlier than expected 16-man squad to take on "the Poms "
for this year's Ashes in England with a
strong focus on leadership and experience. From facing the ignominy of having
suffered a comprehensive 4-0 whitewash
at the hands of the Indians in their own backyard to being labelled as 'the
weakest test team to have ever represented Australia' , the selectors it seems have left nothing to chance while
finalising the squad to recapture the coveted
Ashes urn.
Out of the 16 men selected for the tour, six specialist batsmen, two keepers,
two all rounders, five seamers and the lone spinner in Lyon have been included.
While the Aussie think tank could be excused for showing pragmatism over long
term planning especially considering what has transpired in recent times, it is
interesting to decode certain selections which are bound to raise more than an
eyebrow.
The selectors have opted for a brace of 35 year-olds in Brad Haddin and
Chris Rogers. The duo not only bring a lot of experience to the fore but what perhaps
clinched the deal for them were their history of being strong leaders
especially in the wake of the leadership vacuum that was exposed by Shane
Watson's stepping down as Test vice-captain.
While the former has come into the team primarily due to Matthew Wade’s
below par performances with both bat and gloves in the just concluded series,
Haddin's batsmanship will provide the much needed impetus to a middle-order
that has been woefully devoid of runs in recent Tests.
The recall of
Chris Rogers- who last played in a solitary match against India in 2008 has been
surprising to say the least, but his exceptional form in first-class cricket
for both Victoria and Middlesex for many seasons finally found favour with the
selectors. Besides, being a former captain of Derbyshire conceivably turned out
to be the deal breaker for the southpaw.
Another
noteworthy selection is of all-rounder James Faulkner. While justifying the
selection of the youngster, Australian selection Chairman -John Inverarity was
profuse in his praise stating that "James
Faulkner has impressed us all in recent months and recent seasons. He's a very
competitive cricketer who gets things done - he's never long out of the game.
His batting has improved significantly, he's made runs, he's formed
partnerships and he's always lurking and taking a wicket." While it seems
there is more to this than meets the eye,
Faulkner's inclusion is sure to put Shane Watson's place in the side on
tenterhooks.
The bowling attack
made up of Starc, Siddle, Pattinson, Harris, Bird and Lyon is quite well suited
to exploit English conditions -with the only question mark being over a backup
for Lyon. With Ashton Agar and Fawad Ahmed still in selectors thoughts, pending
his eligibility to represent Australia , it would not be surprising to see late
changes to the spinners spot during the Ashes.
Despite selecting
what Australia foresee as their best bet at being able to recapture the lost
glory, it is no secret that the squad being announced so early is subject to
change – with half the IPL still to go and the entirety of the ICC Champions
Trophy, there are bound to be a few injury and form concerns leading up to the
Ashes. Australia A also have a tour of England leading up to the Ashes and with
an overlap of players, there will definitely be some eager players waiting to
impress the powers that be.
Ashes squad: Michael Clarke (C), Brad Haddin (VC), Chris Rogers, Shane
Watson, Ed Cowan, David Warner, Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja, James Faulkner,
Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ryan Harris, Jackson Bird, Nathan
Lyon, Matthew Wade.
Australia A squad: Brad Haddin (C),
Steven Smith (VC), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Ryan Harris, Moises
Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, James Pattinson, Chadd
Sayers, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk.
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