Shane Warne: Leaving out Usman Khawaja was a good call but the selection of Cameron Bancroft is ‘rewarding failure’

The right decision was made to drop Usman Khawaja but the same can’t be said of Cameron Bancroft’s inclusion, writes Shane Warne, who adds selectors have missed a golden opportunity to expose some young talent to the Test squad.

Leaving out Usman Khawaja was a good decision by the selectors, writes Shane Warne. Picture: Getty Images

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Two things stood out when selectors picked the squad for the first Test — one good and one really confusing.

Justin Langer and Trevor Hohns have done a good thing with Usman Khawaja.

By leaving him out they have asked him to show how important Test cricket, and playing for Australia, is to him.

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Throughout his Test career, he always seems to do just enough. Sometimes you just want to shake him and get him to show a bit more.

Different personalities make up the team and some people aren’t as exuberant and emotional as others, but he can be better, particularly with his body language.

It would be so good to have an in-form Khawaja in the team right now.

Khawaja’s a proven performer and with him playing like we know he can, and David Warner and Steve Smith firing, plus Marnus Labuschagne continuing his Ashes form — what a time it would be to get some young talent in to the team.

There are some good young players going around.

It would be ideal to blood some of them while experienced players are dominating and the opposition is scared of those senior players.

Usman Khawaja now has to show how much playing Test cricket means to him. Picture: Getty Images

You can get younger guys in and let them work their way in to Test cricket while they find their feet at No.6.

Now it’s up to Khawaja to respond. If it’s important to him, he’ll go out and make hundreds.

While leaving out Khawaja was good, selectors missed a massive opportunity by picking Cameron Bancroft as an extra batsman.

It was odd after the Ashes, where he looked to have many technical issues that he needed to go away and work on.

He hasn’t sorted them out in the early rounds of the Sheffield Shield, so I don’t understand how he got picked.

Maybe they wanted Bancroft to be 12th man to field at bat pad if there was an injury.

But when we don’t have real depth of batting talent among those vying for selection, it would be terrific to give young guys time with the squad and to expose them to international cricket.

Young guys like Josh Phillipe, or even Victorian Jake Fraser-McGurk, who looks a star in the making at 17.

Imagine giving him a taste of it. You know he’ll be hungry and walk away doing all the right things to get to that level.

Don’t pick someone who needs to sort out his technique and hasn’t. It’s rewarding failure.

Shane Warne is baffled by the selection of Cameron Bancroft. Picture: Getty Images

YOUNG ROOSTERS

On the young talent, I watched young Fraser-McGurk this week and he’s an absolute gun. He has nearly matched Will Pucovski straight away.

They are different players and Pucovski is one of the best young players we have seen in some time.

Fraser-McGurk looked really organised, really aggressive, a fantastic young player. If Pucovski can get on top of his issues, it’s pretty exciting.

Youngsters such as Jake Fraser-McGurk should be getting some exposure to the national team. says Warne. Picture: Michael Klein

DON’T DOUBT DAVEY

I was extremely surprised at people calling for David Warner to go after the Ashes.

He is absolute class, one of the first picked. He’s a senior player in the Australian side and you need those guys so you can start blooding youth.

He had a horror in the Ashes, but there were reasons. Stuart Broad tormented him, but all the openers struggled. The ball was moving all over the place early in all the Tests.

And once a bowler gets the wood over someone early in a series, they tend to keep bowling their best balls to them. Broad just produced jaffa after jaffa to Warner.

But form is temporary and class is permanent. I have no issue with David Warner.

LEAD ON, TIM

I want Tim Paine to remain captain for as long as he likes, on the proviso he makes runs. He’s got us through the troubled time and got the team playing well.

He’s done a terrific job. But there’s no point keeping him in the team if he’s not making runs.

I hope he does because I want Steve Smith to just bat. I don’t want him to burden himself with everything that goes with the captaincy.

He’s an experienced player, so he’ll still be a leader on the field, no doubt.

But I don’t want any distractions. I just want him to bat, and bat, and bat. He’s the key to help bring through the next generation of batsmen.

Tim Paine is doing a terrific job as captain but needs runs. Picture: AFP

SWITCH ON PAKISTAN

Pakistan will be very competitive and they can absolutely win a Test and the series.

But the key, if they want to really challenge the Aussies, will come down to their fielding.

It has always been a barometer for Pakistan sides touring Australia. If they are keen and up for it, their fielding will be good. They’ll hold their catches, they’ll stop everything in the field, and they’ll be buzzing with energy.

Pakistan teams that have been blown away here do the opposite, they live in their own little bubble, day dream a bit, and are worried about their own performance.

If that side turns up, they’ll get smashed 2-0.

But if they are switched on in the field, it will be a really good series.

I still think Australia will win, but Brisbane and then a day-night Test match are the best conditions for bowling, and Pakistan has a great bowling attack, full of variety.

If they turn up to play, they are a real chance.

Originally published as Shane Warne: Leaving out Usman Khawaja was a good call but the selection of Cameron Bancroft is ‘rewarding failure’