No Test match this week, but still plenty to keep the keenest cricket fan occupied, thanks to some ludicrous headlines and selection decisions. We might as well start with the latter, seeing as everyone is still talking about it (apart from the entire population of Scotland, that is). Michael Beer is now the 10th spinner to pull on the baggy green since Shane Warne's retirement. A left-armer like Xavier Doherty, he has been picked mainly because the next test is at his home ground, the WACA in Perth. With one small problem - he has only played 6 first-class games in all, 4 of which were at this so called "home ground". You can guarantee that most of the more weather-worn spinners, your Bryce McGains and Beau Cassons of this world, will have played many more times than that in Perth. The only logic I can think of is that Cricket Australia have made the selection not knowing how good he is, so his inevitable mediocrity comes as a surprise to everyone. With his predecessors the fact that they blatantly weren't good enough to cut it at the highest level was well known!
With such scatter-brained thinking from the Aussie selectors, the public have launched a campaign to bring Shane Warne back into the side at the tender age of 41 (only 5 years older than when McGain made his ill-fated debut). Warne is now a professional poker player - he isn't going to gamble his reputation on the weakest Aussie side in a generation - once you fold, you fold. And he's had other more domestic issues to deal with this week. His online Twitter flirting with Liz Hurley attracted a lot of attention and forced them both to admit that they'd recently split from their partners. And both clearly moved on!
In other news, Simon Katich is injured (probably out of the Test team for good - a shame, he's been a faithful and effective servant), Marcus North, Xavier Doherty and Doug Bollinger all ejected from the side that were routed in Adelaide. Back come Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus after one Test on the sidelines.(further proof of CA's selection inconsistency) and young-guns Steven Smith and Phillip Hughes are back as well, and will both start tomorrow morning. Hughes will want to banish memories of 2009, when the short ball proved his downfall and Smith will want to cement a reputation as the new Warne, whilst holding down a batting slot in the Top 6 in place of North. An impossible task in my opinion, but I do feel that on the WACA pitch, Smith should play the lone spinner role (probably backed by Michael Clarke if needs be) while 4 pacemen get a run-out on a bouncy and quick surface. Beer can ironically carry the drinks!
England's build-up has been far more sedate, the only disruption being James Anderson's flight home to be at the birth of his second child. I actually speculated with my team-mates over a curry what he would call them. Sadly, my suggestion of Bowled Anderson has not been taken up. They will make one change, with Stuart Broad's tour over. And, with a shootout between three men proving nothing, the selectors have got it right in opting for 6'7'' Chris Tremlett, who will hopefully find plenty of assistance from the WACA pitch. Speaking of that pointless tour match, here is the scorecard:
Victoria 216-2d (Hill 105*, D Hussey 67*) and 278-6d (Carters 68, McKay 58*) drew with England 184-2d (Strauss 66, Bell 60*) and 211-6 (Prior 102*, McKay 4-68)
The game got so ridiculous that Strauss brought himself and Eoin Morgan on to hurry the declaration. Both went at over 2 runs a ball, although Strauss did snare a guy lbw, even though it was obviously missing leg stump! Good for Prior to get some runs though, and Clint McKay has at least sent out a message that he should not be ignored in Australia's pace bowling ranks. However, the MCG curators will need to create a more spicy pitch for the 4th Test if the hosts are to force a win in the series!
Finally, a note on the South Africa vs India series which starts tomorrow. This is the real battle of intrigue this winter, being as it is 2 vs 1 in the Test Match rankings. That said, SA will start as favourites on their home turf. But nobody in England will give it any attention, even if it will probably be a classic series, with the prospect of Sachin Tendulkar becoming the first man to 50 Test centuries. Will he see the irony and notch it in the 1st Test in Centurion?
I may be the only one who bothers to find out!
RM
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