Australia v South Africa tour: Matthew Wade dumped as Trevor Hohns defends choices made during India debacle

Australian selectors have taken a punt with the South African squad. And in doing so, made it clear who was responsible for our loss to India.

Matthew Wade had a number of poor dismissals against India. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Australia’s cricket selectors have put the blame for the Border-Gavaskar series loss at the foot of the players after revealing there was not a solitary selection they regretted.

The fact selectors have reduced the team’s batting depth for the March tour of South Africa rather than increase it shows there are no other standout options in Australian cricket that could improve on the squad that suffered such a chastening series loss to India.

Usman Khawaja’s international career appears over after he failed to get a look in among 37 players picked for concurrent series of Tests in South Africa and T20s in New Zealand.

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Matthew Wade’s impressive Test cricket renaissance is also over, after the plucky Tasmanian was the sole player dropped from the Indian series.

With back-up wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Queensland seamer Mark Steketee picked in Wade’s place instead of an out-and-out batsman, Australian selectors have taken a punt that Travis Head is good enough to win back his place in the middle-order and Will Pucovski’s shoulder is ready for the rigours of a three-Test series in South Africa.

National selector Trevor Hohns conceded his panel will have to be more mindful of rotating fast bowlers in South Africa and future series, but said the reality is the series was there to be won by the players who took the field in Sydney and Brisbane.

Hohns said he and fellow selectors Justin Langer and George Bailey had reviewed their decisions during the summer and were comfortable the right strings had been pulled – hence the reason why a largely unchanged unit will take on South Africa.

“Absolutely and we’ve already done that. We’ve reviewed it among ourselves and I’m sure each one of us individually would have reflected on the performance A, of the team and B, whether there was anything we could have done any differently,” Hohns said.

“And if I’m serious, I can’t think of anything else we probably could have done during that series, player wise.

“We had opportunities to win games in particular in Sydney and we didn’t take those opportunities.”

Pucovski has responded well to an injection he’s taken to his shoulder in recent days and medical staff are confident he can get through South Africa without surgery.

However, selectors appear torn on whether to return him to open the batting – where he performed well in his one and only Test – or slot him in at No.5 and allow Marcus Harris to stay up the top with David Warner.

Matthew Wade has been replaced by Alex Carey in Australia's Test squad for South Africa.

If Pucovski opens, then Head appears likely to slot back into the middle-order spot he relinquished midway through the Indian series, although Moises Henriques is now a serious contender to play a Test in South Africa as a specialist batsman.

Hohns refused to rule out the prospect Carey could also be considered as a specialist batsman, but it’s clear his presence in the squad is more of a pointer to him being Tim Paine’s long-term successor as keeper.

“In regards to Travis, he’ll be a frontline contender,” Hohns said.

“Alex Carey has been on our radar for some time. He’s played limited overs cricket for us and we thought that was the ideal pathway for him to get to Test match level. Alex over the last 12-18 months has gotten better and better as a player. I think our thinking is reasonably clear (on him as Paine’s successor) without rubberstamping it.

“Alex is there definitely as back-up wicketkeeper and the current form he’s in of course with the bat doesn’t exclude him from possibly playing a role in the batting line-up if required.

“(Matthew Wade) in our view hasn’t done enough. I’m not being unfair to him. He would recognise that fact as well.”

Hohns said in the future Australia may need to trust their squad of fast bowlers, rather than their big three of Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc for every Test.

“In hindsight that’s something that could have been done. Prior to finalising any team we check with medical people and our players to find out how they’re going,” Hohns said.

“Maybe we have to be a bit more mindful of that going forward. In this instance all bowlers had recovered sufficiently for the medicos to give them the thumbs up to go ahead.”

Wade dumped, Carey gets Test call-up

Matthew Wade has been axed from Australia’s Test squad to tour South Africa, with Alex Carey called up.

Australian selectors have kept largely the same outfit that lost 2-1 to India, with Carey and Queensland fast bowler Mark Steketee the only additions.

Wade has been punted after a middling series against the Indians, despite the fact he took one for the team and opened the batting in the first two Tests – and the extra cover he provides as a back-up keeper.

The Tasmanian will instead serve as Aaron Finch’s vice-captain for Australia’s concurrent T20 tour of New Zealand.

Matthew Wade’s Test career is on the rocks after being dumped for the South Africa tour. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

There are no leadership changes for the Australian Test team, with Tim Paine captain and Pat Cummins his sole deputy.

But Carey’s elevation to the squad as a back-up wicketkeeper is the first sign of a potential succession plan being in place.

It is normal to take a back-up keeper to a place like South Africa, particularly in COVID times when a replacement couldn’t be quickly transported if Paine was to injure himself.

Travis Head has survived and looks well placed to return to the XI in the middle-order should Will Pucovski return to the side as an opener.

Moises Henriques is the other back-up batsman on tour.

Australia has a huge bowling line-up with Sean Abbott, Michael Neser, James Pattinson and Stekete waiting in the wings should any change be made to the big three of Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

There was speculation Ben McDermott and Jhye Richardson might come into the Test squad, but they’re instead with the T20 party.