Australian test selection 2020/21

[TheJediBrah]

I'm saying a 32 with a FC average of 38 or whatever it was didn't particularly deserve a test cap so it doesn't seem particularly worth the time to still be complaining about said player getting dropped after one test and four runs. The only thing he had going for him was form. which has shown time and time again as not being a particularly reliable indicator of future success, not least for very experienced, mediocre FC players (Ed Cowan, George Bailey, Alex the Dooman Doolan, probably some non tasmanians, etc)

as I recall, after Ferguson's debut, we simply could have returned to noted test batsman Adam Voges instead of picking Ferguson or Maddinson

Which is great and all but when there isn't much better available you have to make do with what you've got. You're not going to pick a team with only 9 or 10 players because you can't find 11 that "deserve a test cap".

Voges would definitely have been a reasonable selection but he was also playing that Hobart Test (which turned out to be his last) and along with Ferguson was replaced by the likes of Maddinson and Handscomb. So it never eventuated to be a call between Voges and Ferguson.

 

[Spikey]

Which is great and all but when there isn't much better available you have to make do with what you've got. You're not going to pick a team with only 9 or 10 players because you can't find 11 that "deserve a test cap".

I don't disagree. But I'm not going to pretend that they was some outrageous injustice done to Ferguson because he was dropped after one match after they realized that the 32yo/38 average wasn't worth pumping games into. He's very lucky to have got the match he got.

A couple of other selection injustices have been done in last decade due to a reluctance to drop people/accept a selection mistake after one game so Ferguson perhaps could count himself unlucky, but make no mistake, he had no business being in the team at that point in time.

 

[the big bambino]

Not only that but Voges was a form pick too. From memory he had to go because he’d lost the ability to see the short ball and was in danger of getting hurt. You can get some good value from form as we did with Voges handscomb and renshaw so Ferguson ... besides he did have a good odi record but I can see that being a little contentious too. It’s just a reflection on the limited options we had then.

 

[Spikey]

Voges had a career FC average in the neighborhood of 45 when he was picked. He had a great season, after numerous great shield and county seasons, ditto Rogers. They're a step up from the Doolans, Baileys, Quineys of the world, of which Ferguson was one. It was a pointless selection and they quickly moved on from it, thankfully

 

[stephen]

Voges had a career FC average in the neighborhood of 45 when he was picked. He had a great season, after numerous great shield and county seasons, ditto Rogers. They're a step up from the Doolans, Baileys, Quineys of the world, of which Ferguson was one. It was a pointless selection and they quickly moved on from it, thankfully

Voges was really the very tail end of Australia's golden generation(s). In today's era he'd have had a ten year career.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Voges was a decent Shield player at best for the vast majority of his career. He was nowhere near as prolific as Dave Hussey, for example. It was only that last season before he got picked that he kicked it up a gear, made 1300(?)-ish runs averaging over 100. Only other player I can think of that had a season like that in the last 10 years was Marcus North in his last season, after he was dropped.

I don't disagree. But I'm not going to pretend that they was some outrageous injustice done to Ferguson because he was dropped after one match after they realized that the 32yo/38 average wasn't worth pumping games into. He's very lucky to have got the match he got.

A couple of other selection injustices have been done in last decade due to a reluctance to drop people/accept a selection mistake after one game so Ferguson perhaps could count himself unlucky, but make no mistake, he had no business being in the team at that point in time.

That's all very reasonable. I've never treated it as an "outrageous injustice" as some have, but I still think it was the wrong call at the time. Dropping him after 1 game for Maddinson who deserved the opportunity less, and then got 3 Tests, is incedibly inconsistent at the very least.

 

[aussie tragic]

It's now almost 9 years since:

It was November 2011 when 18-year-old Patterson rewrote history as the youngest batter to score a Shield century. His 157 on debut contributed to NSW's six-wicket win over Western Australia in Sydney.

Patterson, Pucovski, Maddinson, Australia seem to be wasting a generation of batting talent

 

[Nintendo]

Pucovski is also only 22 and Madison hasn't shown the numbers to demand selection till he moved to vic, wouldn't say either where "wasted." Patterson is the only one who's been hard done by.

 

[stephen]

It's now almost 9 years since:

It was November 2011 when 18-year-old Patterson rewrote history as the youngest batter to score a Shield century. His 157 on debut contributed to NSW's six-wicket win over Western Australia in Sydney.

Patterson, Pucovski, Maddinson, Australia seem to be wasting a generation of batting talent

Disagree. Pick the best batsmen. If the younger guys aren't good enough then they need to git gud.

27 is not old for a batter to nail down a test slot. Hayden was 28 and Hussey 30 before they got a real go in the side.

 

[aussie tragic]

Disagree. Pick the best batsmen. If the younger guys aren't good enough then they need to git gud.

27 is not old for a batter to nail down a test slot. Hayden was 28 and Hussey 30 before they got a real go in the side.

Yes, and Doug Walters was 19, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh 20, Ian Chappell 21 and Greg Chappell 22. Get em in young, Pucovski and Green should be mandated selections

 

[Spark]

How about a sensible in-between position, i.e. if it's difficult to decide between two batsmen who could you pick, default to the younger one with more potential?

 

[stephen]

How about a sensible in-between position, i.e. if it's difficult to decide between two batsmen who could you pick, default to the younger one with more potential?

This.

We must remember Patterson would be in the side except he got injured.

 

[aussie tragic]

This.

We must remember Patterson would be in the side except he got injured.

Not true, was in the Aussie A side for England and they left him out of the Ashes squad

 

[stephen]

Not true, was in the Aussie A side for England and they left him out of the Ashes squad

Maybe they're trying to protect his average.

 

[Spark]

He got like 20 runs across 4 innings in the warm-up/Aus A games, no?

 

[Burgey]

You’d think he’d have gone some way to cementing his place if he hadn’t been Injured for most of last summer.

 

[aussie tragic]

He got like 20 runs across 4 innings in the warm-up/Aus A games, no?

This sort of proves he should have been picked on potential. Everyone knew he was better than Wade and Head and picking a team on one game so Bancroft got back in was ridiculous

 

[BoyBrumby]

This sort of proves he should have been picked on potential. Everyone knew he was better than Wade and Head and picking a team on one game so Bancroft got back in was ridiculous

Bancroft's recall was a weird one, yeah.

With all the baggage he was carrying his selection did have a bit of a whiff of an "eff you everybody" from Langer.

Or maybe it's just because he's a Western Australian.

Anyway could barely buy a run in the two tests he got.

 

[Tom Flint]

Didnt he start the season well as captain for Durham?

 

[GoodAreasShane]

FWIW I would have picked Patterson over Wade in the Ashes, but that is simply because I beliveve he is a better player in the here and now, nothing to so with building for the future or anything like that. In a completely different boat to someone like Pucovski who really hasn't made a consistent enough case for himself domestically with all the cricket he's missed.


This whole idea that we need to have some supposed "next big thing" at all times is just so dumb, Greg Chappell has a lot to answer for


As for Bancroft, no way should have he been picked. Not for any spurious "moral" reason, but simply because reintroducing him against an attack that had the wood on him previously was only ever going to go one way