Pink Balls, Fast Bowlers and Physios

After initially being dubious, I am an official convert to the Day/Night Test cricket format. The appeal of Test cricket, as opposed to other formats, is the tactical nous it requires, and day/night Tests provide another element, another variable condition, more considerations for captains, for coin tosses and declarations and team line-ups. In short, more tactical nous is required, and more interesting cricket is produced.

As for the pink ball, as far as I could tell, it held up well. The fact that it swung around for most of the match was, funnily enough, influenced by the curator leaving a good layer of grass on the pitch to help protect the unknown pink ball.

Obviously we have a very limited sample size – one match, and only three days of that – but the day/night format made for compelling, testing Test cricket, and all in prime time TV viewing hours, something not to be underestimated.

Speaking of which, in case anyone missed it, Channel 9 is now available in HD, which would be exciting if this was 2007. But, you know, good on them for using the available air space they’ve had for 5 fucking years on something other than Nutri-bullet ads. (Where do these TV infomercial people get their money from? It’s not cheap to buy a 30 second TV ad spot yet these people are running a fucking 24/7 telethon for pulley-system door/gyms and the sliver of a niche market that requires blenders to also cook. Fuck it, I’m starting a kick-starter to raise money for my own infomercial. Instead of Chuck Norris on a rowing machine you can watch me, day-drunk, yelling at the TV about the preposterousness of Ian Healy being employed as a “commentator”. If he couldn’t catch he’d be shining hubcaps at a second-hand caryard. Knowledge, is what I’m selling, knowledge.)

And as for other expert commentary, the talk of Josh Hazlewood being dropped, or being under pressure, (granted, this seemed to be coming purely from Michael Slater who kept inanely repeating that “he needed some wickets”) was ridiculous. His “bad” Ashes series saw him take 16 wickets in four matches (Starc took 18 in five, Johnson 15 in five), in his first tour of England. He’s 12 goddamn games into his career! To paraphrase the great Aaron Rogers, everybody calm down. In fact, let’s play a quick stat game: Which bowler has had a better start to his career?

	Bowler A	Bowler B
Matches	12	12
Wickets	40	53
Top 7 Batsmen dismissed	27	42
Average	30.5	24.16
Economy Rate	2.72	3.09
Strike Rate	67.1	46.7

As I’m sure you’ve guessed (because I will only ever quote stats that support my assertions) Bowler B is Josh Hazlewood, who stacks up particularly well against the first 12 games of Bowler A, all-time-great Glenn McGrath.

I’m not sure if the view of Hazlewood is skewed, the expectation bloated, or Michael Slater is just a moron (actually we may have an answer), but he’s not yet 25 years of age, and has 13 more wickets than Australia’s highest wicket-taking quick had at the same stage of his career. And as those terrific numbers show, he is dismissing top 7 batsmen regularly.

It is also worth noting that Mitchell Starc, destroyer of worlds, has only started to look fully comfortable this past 6 months, 25 Test matches into his career.

Someone who shouldn’t relax, however, is whoever’s responsible for inexplicably sending Australia’s physiotherapist out to field during a tight, competitive, ICC-sanctioned Test Match. It’s not often I land on the same side of things as the Jingoistic Matthew Hayden, but what kind of bullshit, bush league move was that? And I’m not even talking about the misfield.

In the past, the 12^th man would be the substitute fielder, but they also carried drinks and ran out gloves and all that other shit, which is quaint but unprofessional. Today the support staff are there to do everything the 12^th man used to do except, ya know, play the game. The 12^th man for this match, James Pattinson, had flown out to WA to play Shield cricket, which isn’t unusual these days. But a professional cricketer needs to be there to take the field if required; you can’t just pluck someone out of the crowd. (Actually, that’s exactly what they should do, a VB sponsored competition where you send in barcodes to win 10 mins at mid-off.)

Quick Hits: Plenty to like about Peter “Phil” Nevill… Anyone else warming up to the idea of Glenn Maxwell: Test match no 6?... Was there anything more predictable than Shaun Marsh’s “fighting” second innings knock, almost getting Australia over the line, tightening up as he approached 50, and eventually nicking one to the slips? It’s becoming laughable. I SMS’d a friend before the Test saying, “I look forward to Shaun Marsh making 2 and then 47* to retain his spot, and another summer of elegant 35s”, and I’m not even joking… Adam Voges is the best option at first slip? Really?... The Starc injury came at a horrible time for him. The past six months have seen him become Australia’s best and most resilient bowler... Paging James Pattinson… James Pattinson… James Pattinson…

Going to Sri Lanka

As recent history has shown us, the batsmen who find their feet quickly internationally are the ones who have spent years in first class cricket honing their technique, shot selection and concentration; what the players call “getting comfortable with my own game”. Conversely there are younger batsmen whose confidence has been ruined by being exposed too early, by having flaws repeatedly exploited, and thus magnified, by ruthless professionals; exposure does not automatically equal improvement. For batsmen Test cricket is a rare game in that way: It rewards judgement over athleticism, nous over force, and experience over exuberance.

Unlike batsmen, for bowlers (and particularly pacemen) youth and vigour are prerequisites; there will be time aplenty to bowl cutters and slower balls later; at 25 years of age push off the back fence and try to take someone’s head off. Bowlers also have a larger margin for error; make a mistake and you may get hit to the boundary but you live to bowl again, a luxury not afforded batsmen. For this reason repetition and experience against the very best, and importantly, in varied conditions around the world, are vital for bowlers.

In both regards recent Australian selection has been much improved.

It was reassuring to see Josh Hazelwood, retake his place in the Australian side after a recent dead-rubber lay-off. Peter Siddle has been, and probably still is, a good Test bowler but Hazelwood will be a much more dangerous prospect on his second visit to England, a trip that Siddle will not make. (Note: Hazelwood also benefitted from some more conservative field placement from the new skipper, something that coupled with Hazelwood’s and Lyon’s consistency was able to give the Australian’s some control when they needed to curtail the flow of runs.) Evidence of this policy can be seen in Mitchell Starc, who a looks massively improved player after a year of international bowling. And should either of them need a spell, I am thoroughly looking forward to the return of James Pattinson, who should be the very next in line (although we may seem Siddle back for the notorious flat track of Adelaide).

Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns, both given previous looks at international level, returned to state cricket, grafted away and came back better players. Finding a strong top order player to partner with Warner (who has carried this team for two years) and Smith is a must, and hopefully both, if not one, have forged their games strong enough to withstand the heat of the Test arena. Both should be given the summer to establish their spots and build confidence against two average bowling attacks. If required, and if Shaun Marsh is indeed done (George Bailey too), then the forgotten Alex Doolan or Callum Ferguson could provide experience to an inexperienced middle order.

It has long been my theory that an all-rounder must be able to justify his position in a Test team as a specialist first – wicketkeepers included – and anything after that is gravy. Australia’s incumbent no 6, Mitchell Marsh, does not currently fit this requirement and will thus come under selection pressure sooner rather than later. James Faulkner and Glenn Maxwell should have spent all winter in the nets, because although neither suit my criteria any better than Marsh, (life is, above all, about accepting one’s contradictions) they are both scrappers and both bring a uniqueness of talent to the table. Failing this, one either Ferguson or Doolan should bat 6; a fifth bowler should be well down the list of Test team priorities, or at the very least should be the impetus for Steve Smith to roll the arm over occasionally.

The Australian cricket team has quietly undergone massive change in the past 12 months. Gone from last summer’s first test team are: former captain Michael Clarke, former vice-captain Brad Haddin, perennial underachiever Shane Watson, colour blind Chris Rogers, HTS sufferer Peter Siddle, and one-legged workhorse Ryan Harris. For those not counting along, that’s over half the team. And if we add to that Mitchell Johnson’s apparently constant thoughts of retirement, Adam Voges and Peter Nevill feeling under pressure for their spots, then next summer the selectors will have some more decisions to make

There will be some teething problems, particularly overseas, but if they follow the above formula they will have built a new Test team all under the age of 30, and a platform for another period of sustained success.