‘Dare I say it’: Aussie cult heroes under threat in unthinkable Test selection squeeze
Australia have plenty of dilemmas after the series win over India, with two cult heroes at risk of being left in a shock selection squeeze.
The make-up of Australia’s bowling attack is up for debate over the next 12 months, with two cult heroes on the brink of being left out of the Test team.
Australia defeated India 3-1 to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and will take on South Africa in the World Test Championship final in June at Lord’s.
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Despite the stirring series win, a dilemma has emerged about which bowlers could be squeezed out for next summer’s Ashes.
Scott Boland filled in for Josh Hazlewood for three Tests against India, earning player of the match honours for his 10-wicket haul at the SCG that helped Australia clinch the series.
Boland finished the series with 21 wickets at an average of 13.19. Pat Cummins was Australia’s top wicket taker with 25 wickets from five matches.
It sparked discussion over whether Boland should be a first choice bowler in Australia’s Test XI, even occasionally at the expense of Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc depending on the venue.
Boland was picked for the 2023 World Test Championship final as an injury cloud hovered over Hazlewood at the time.
But according to Code Sports, Boland is still no guarantee to play in the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka despite his SCG heroics and Cummins’ likely absence as the Aussie skipper awaits the birth of his second child.
The emergence of all-rounder Beau Webster as a reliable bowling option reportedly has selectors considering picking as many as three spinners in the XI for the Tests in Galle.
Spinner Todd Murphy and experienced middle order batter Peter Handscomb were added to Australia’s squad for the fifth Test against India and are tipped to be on the plane to Sri Lanka for two Tests beginning on January 29.
Other spinning options for Sri Lanka include Matt Kuhnemann, who made his debut in India in 2023 and Adam Zampa, who played for NSW in the Sheffield Shield last year to press his case.
Hazlewood is racing the clock to recover from a calf strain that ruled him out of the last two Tests against India.
Sean Abbott and Jhye Richardon are set to travel to Sri Lanka as the back-up pace bowlers.
Sam Konstas is also no guarantee to keep his spot, with Travis Head likely to go up the order to open the batting alonside Usman Khawaja on spinning pitches.
Lyon’s spot questioned after unusual summer
Nathan Lyon was barely required on the pace-friendly pitches against India. He bowled 122 overs and took nine wickets across the five matches. It’s the least amount of overs bowled by Lyon in a five-match series in his career.
Former Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris, now the coach of South Australia, now believes the bowling attack could be tinkered with over the next 12 months at Lyon’s expense.
“Scotty, as we know him, is the guy that comes in when someone gets injured,” Harris told 2GB’s Wide World of Sports.
“That’s his role in the past … but he took 21 wickets at 13, so that’s definitely something the selectors are gonna have to think about with Josh Hazlewood not being in there.
“Josh is a very good bowler and his record speaks for itself. It’s definitely a question that has got to be asked and we are going to completely different conditions in Sri Lanka.”
Harris also floated the bold idea of Australia selecting four quicks for next summer’s Ashes. Pitches in Australia have become increasingly pace friendly and England are expected to bring a strong squad of quick bowlers next summer.
“Questions will be there for next summer and whether we play four quicks and leave out, dare I say it, maybe the GOAT (Nathan Lyon),” Harris said.
“I think they will try and keep it as stable as possible.
“The conversations are no doubt being had behind closed doors … but we can’t afford to lose three or four players at a time. Everyone is screaming that ‘this has got to happen’, but in the inner sanctum, there would be a plan in place.
“There’s two Tests in Sri Lanka, there’s a World Test Championship and even a West Indies tour, so there’s gonna be a little bit of cricket between now and then.
“They (selectors) have copped a bit of criticism - but ultimately they have come through again and showed what the team can do. They are making good decisions, even if from the outside it might not always look like it.”
Gone are the days when Australia would select two spinners for an SCG Test, with pitches in Australia increasingly favouring fast bowling — a logical move given the class of the Cummins-Starc-Hazlewood trio.
But Lyon’s record against England is exceptional and it’s difficult to imagine him not playing all five Ashes Tests next summer.
Lyon played 100 consecutive Tests before his calf injury in the 2023 Ashes and it would take a very brave selection panel to leave the offspinner out of any Australian Test XI.
Australia won the two Tests Lyon played in the last Ashes series in England. Lyon later joked the scoreline would have been 4-0 instead of 2-2 had he not pinged his calf.
The 37-year-old has played 130 Tests and is seventh on the all-time list of wicket takers with 539 scalps.
It should be only a matter of time until he passes Glenn McGrath’s haul of 563 wickets to be the second most prolific Australian Test bowler behind only Shane Warne.
Lyon won’t play in the Big Bash for the Melbourne Renegades as Cricket Australia (CA) takes a cautious approach ahead what’s expected to be a heavy workload for the veteran in Sri Lanka.
Australia could further tinker with their line-up during three Tests in the West Indies in June-July this year.
The series win over India backed up several calls made by Australia’s selectors, led by George Bailey, this summer.
Konstas changed the momentum of the series on Boxing Day and dropping Mitch Marsh for Beau Webster proved to be the right call as the Tasmanian looked assured in a superb debut at the SCG.
The all-rounder’s position is the most pressing dilemma for selectors. Marsh is the reigning Allan Border medallist but his Test career could be over after he was dropped for the fifth Test against India.
Webster impressed on debut, scoring 57 and 39 not out, hitting the winnings runs.
Cameron Green won’t play in Sri Lanka as he continues his recovery after undergoing back surgery that ruled him out of the entire summer.
Test stars return for Big Bash cameos
CA said Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers), Alex Carey (Adelaide Strikers), Sam Konstas (Sydney Thunder), Mitchell Marsh (Perth Scorchers), Jhye Richardson (Perth Scorchers) and Beau Webster (Melbourne Stars) would be available for the remainder of the BBL’s home and away season.
Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne (Brisbane Heat) will be only available for their side’s final home game on January 16 at the Gabba.
Steve Smith will be available for three matches with the Sydney Sixers from January 11.
Boland (Melbourne Stars), Cummins (Sydney Thunder), Hazlewood (Sydney Sixers), Head (Adelaide Strikers), Lyon (Melbourne Renegades) and Starc (Sydney Sixers) will not take part in BBL|14.
SCG given surprise official ICC rating
The ICC has released its official rankings of the Aussie pitches used in the India series, with one review stunning observers.
SCG ‘stinker’ official pitch rating revealed
The best Test series in years was played on the best pitches according to official ratings with even the spicy SCG deck Australia beat India in three days on getting the tick.
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