Ian Chappell: Marcus Harris has game to partner David Warner
Described as a “cheeky person” by those who know him well, Marcus Harris has the personality and the game to thrive in the daunting presence of David Warner on his Test return, writes Ian Chappell.
LICKING LIPS: Lyon ready to strike on Perth deck
YOUNG GUN: Harris a hybrid of legendary trio
At it’s best the WACA pitch was unique — fast and bouncy — but what made it palatable for batsmen was the predictability of the steep lift.
In trying to replicate those ingredients, the new Perth stadium pitch has fallen short in one important aspect: the bounce is variable. It’s early days and in statistical terms a small sample size but batting at the new stadium is no simple matter.
That’s what made the composure and assured stroke play of Australia’s least capped Test player so impressive.
Throughout his innings Marcus Harris appeared to be batting on a true WACA surface while the rest of Australia’s batsmen were doing battle with the newly installed drop-in pitch. Throughout his innings that is, until the delivery that ended his vigil.
The leaping, brute of a ball from a part-time slow bowler that threatened Harris’ throat is not something for which the WACA was renowned.
The best batsmen can generally cope with defending their throat or their toes but not both in the same innings. That is a batsman’s worst nightmare, especially when it’s expert fast bowlers delivering unpredictable missiles.
On its best days the WACA pitch was a fairly even contest between bat and ball. Sure there were days when the ball was a handsome victor; ask the 1984-85 Australian batsmen who were demolished by a powerful West Indies pace quartet for a paltry seventy-six runs.
However that debacle was balanced by Roy Fredericks’ blistering knock in 1975-76 when he flayed the thunderbolts of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson to the tune of one hundred and sixty nine from just 145 balls. On that day the West Indies total reached two hundred in the 20th [eight ball] over; try convincing Lillee and Thomson that ball always dominated bat at the WACA.
Nevertheless for 140 of his 141 balls faced Harris, while not impersonating Fredericks, did rule the roost over India’s four-pronged pace attack.
Harris hit the headlines when he was selected for Australia as much for his coach’s opinion as for his run scoring exploits. Justin Langer’s 2016 quote on Harris when he departed WA for Victoria — “His performances have been mediocre with flashes of brilliance,” — was regurgitated when he received his Australian Test cap number 456.
There was nothing mediocre about Harris’ performance at Perth stadium. After looking assured for a short time in both innings at Adelaide, he went one step further in Perth and displayed the appearance of a permanent member of the Australian team. His composure and shot making marked him as an ideal partner for David Warner when the belligerent opener returns from suspension.
Described as a “cheeky person” by those who know him well, Harris has the personality and the game to thrive in the daunting presence of Warner. His current partner, the much discussed Aaron Finch, played well enough to still wagging tongues for the moment, however he lacked the aggression to promote any thought of him being a like-for-like replacement for the irrepressible Warner.
Ironically, Australia passed three hundred for just the third time in 15 Test innings on probably the most testing surface they’ve faced in that period. They were assisted in their pursuit of that target by some lacklustre captaincy from Virat Kohli on the second day. For a man who has a very good grip on what is required to be a top-class batsman, he occasionally lacks a gut feel for the state of the game when in the field.
Judging by the early going there are two styles of batting that generally succeed on a tricky pitch like the Perth stadium: the player who is resolute in defence but capitalises on the odd loose delivery or the one who is brave and skilful enough to mount a spirited counter-attack.
Harris belongs in the first category and Kohli is the only player on either side with the talent to pull off the latter style heist.
You need luck in attempting such a counter-attack and it also requires the opposing captain and bowlers to lose the lose the plot for a period of time.
Finally the Australian batsmen, thanks to the example set by Harris, have fulfilled their part of the bargain.
If the bowlers perform as expected, the team will have more than just the arrival of Santa to celebrate in Melbourne.
Every Test, ODI, T20I, and BBL match live. SIGN UP NOW!
‘I’ll be half a chance’: Harris puts hand up for Aussie selection
Australian selectors will provide an early steer on potential replacements for Cameron Green when they unveil an Australia A squad, with a former Test opener appearing to be a good chance for selection.
Teen cricketer eyes Christmas comeback after coach saves life
Talented NSW junior Kade Sutton was clinically dead for five minutes after suffering a heart attack at training in late August, only to be brought back to life by his coach, Jed Dickson. Now, he’s eyeing a return to the sport he loves by Christmas.