India v Australia – Ranchi Test: Selection Advice from Middle Australia

 

With the third Test just over an hour away from starting, I thought it worthwhile revisiting some correspondence between The Editor of Middle Australia and myself (The Chairman) prior to, and after, the second Test.

 

The Editor’s Letter Prior to the Second Test
Dear Chairman,
Said before. Said it for too long. Say it again.
Shaun Marsh can be relied upon to not make a score when required. He has neither technique nor temperament to play test cricket. Time to walk.
Those saying, “but he scored a century in Sri Lanka” missed the point. It was second digs, Sri Lanka were gone. S Marsh is a flat track bully. Just don’t expect him to get 1st innings runs. Who says he is a sub continent specialist? He’s not. His scores in the 1st test where India were belted was 16 and zero. Our best fast bowler made more runs. His brother made more runs. India made more runs!
S Marsh out, Uzi in.
The Editor

 

My Reply after the second Test

 

Dear Editor

As usual you are spot on with your comments about the older Marsh.

It was prescient you stated it was time for S Marsh to walk as that’s what he did yesterday.  For those that don’t know, the Rocket Scientist Marsh walked when he misinterpreted the captain’s comment of ‘Go’ in reference to use DRS and challenge his LBW decision. SOS thought Smith meant ‘go’ as in go off the field you have no hope son, rather than ‘go to the DRS’. On reflection may be that’s what Smith really did mean.  Smith might have come to the realisation that one Marsh in the Test team is one too many, and two is asking for a disaster.
Therefore here at Middle Australia we are calling for a ban on Marshs in the Test team.  It’s not like they are related to the former Chairman of Selectors, R Marsh, anyway.
Mitch (the smarter Marsh?) has contributed nothing this Test. He made a total of 22 for the match and bowled five overs for six runs, and no wickets.  Starc is a better allrounder than Mitch and he bats at eight.
Sure Shaun made 66 in the first innings, but he should have made more.  A soft dismissal from a soft mind. His second innings of nine coupled with a brain fade of not challenging on nine means no more Shaun. He was a passenger in the first test.
To the tune of “No Woman, No Cry”, you can now sing, “No Marsh, No Test Team”.
Next Test, both Marshs out, Uzi and Maxwell in.
The Chairman
As we now know Mitch Marsh is back in Australia and has undergone a shoulder reconstruction. While this is very unfortunate news for Mitch he probably wasn’t going to play in the third Test regardless. This is the perfect time to pick Glenn Maxwell. If for the only reason he couldn’t be worse that Mitch. We don’t believe Stoinis’s First Class is good enough for him to get a spot in the team.
Here at Middle Australia we still believe S Marsh has had enough chances and should be replaced by Uzman Khawaja. Shaun has had enough chances to cement his position and hasn’t done so. Uzi has excellent technique and a better future.
All indications are Pat Cummins will come into the side to replace Starc. While Middle Australia are great fans of Cummins we do feel very sorry for Jackson Bird. He was selected to tour as the Australia’s third best paceman. If the selectors are so eager to get Cummins in the side why didn’t they pick him in the first place.
Our 11 for the third Test is:
Warner
Renshaw
Khawaja
Smith
Handscomb
Maxwell
Wade
O’Keefe
Cummins
Hazlewood
Lyon

Comments

  1. bernard whimpress says

    Well said, John. As someone with more than a casual interest in selection viz my book On Our Selection (2011) I am disgusted with the way players are picked and dropped – particularly Khawaja – and the love affair with the Marshes and Cummins. OK, so Cummins got 8 wickets in last week’s Shield game. Good. If he ended the Shield strongly and opened with two or three good performances at the start of next summer then it would be time to look at him for Test cricket. Sure, bad luck for Bird in India and what about poor Chadd Sayers who keeps taking bags of wickets with little acknowledgment. Quite frankly, CA may as well junk the Shield altogether as it rarely plays any part in the selection process. Last summer Coulter-Nile was picked for a tour without a fc game and Stoinis is averaging under 20 for Victoria this year. I’m also interested that Maxwell got the gig ahead of Agar. Have people forgotten Agar’s brilliant Test debut and that he can bat defensively when required. If they had to play an all-rounder at the start of this series he should’ve been the man.

  2. John I totally agree re S Marsh and the garbage re him being a sub continent specialist thank goodness
    Maxwell played I must admit I was all for Cummins he had now done a sufficient amount of bowling to play ability was never the question breaking down is the only concern

Leave a Comment

*