Published: Jun 24, 2015, 03:35 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 24, 2015, 04:03 PM (IST)
The fact that Australia have not beaten England in their backyard in last 15 years puts the tourists in a spot of bother, and with the problem of plenty arising, the team management will have to be astute with their selections in this Ashes 2015, explains Devarchit Varma.
If there is the exuberance of Josh Hazlewood, there is the venerability and excellence of Ryan Harris. If there is the experience of Shane Watson, there is a strong challenger in Mitchell Marsh. If there is Adam Voges — a batsman in red-hot form — there is Shaun Marsh, who would be as good as anyone. Australia are spoilt for choice, and The Ashes 2015 will be a good test for their astuteness and man-management.
The rise of Hazlewood has been a positive development for Australia, who were at one time struggling for bowlers due to decline in form of Peter Siddle and frequent injury interruptions in the careers of James Pattinson and Pat Cummins. The bowling attack looks far more evolved and settled than that of 2013 Ashes in England, and Australia will be pushed to the limits to decide on the best combination. VIDEO: Michael Clarke at his hilarious best
Hazlewood has been a terrific support to Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc. It will be very tough for Australia to ignore him after all that he has achieved so far, but at the same time, it would be daft to ignore the seasoned campaigner in Harris. The right-handed veteran bowler may be coming off a long injury lay-off, but Harris is too classy to be hampered by anything such. His exploits in The Ashes 2013 would certainly be fresh in the minds of Australians, and the wise move will be to select Harris above Hazlewood.
There is a strong competition between Voges and Shaun Marsh. Both the batsmen did well on the West Indies tour, with Voges slamming his maiden and the only century to be scored in The Frank Worrell Trophy 2015. Marsh did well in the tour game, and Voges in the Tests. Both deserve selection but the availability of Chris Rogers — a batsman known for handling swing well — would make the competition tougher for them. Australia, keeping their struggles of 2013 tour in mind would like to play an extra batsman, and it will be interesting to see who they deem fit. READ: Shane Warne backs Ryan Harris ahead of Josh Hazlewood for Ashes 2015
The fiercest competition for selection would be between Marsh and Watson, who have time and again proved their worth. Watson had a horrid time in England last tour, and did not do much with the ball. On the other hand, Marsh has been making giant strides. He can not only harm with the bat but he would be an excellent option for the fifth bowler’s slot, in case if Australia go ahead with the strategy of playing three pacers and a spinner in Nathan Lyon.
Australia will have to be wiser as far as selections are concerned. Their batting line-up is nowhere close to consistency, and the bowlers have been making up for the short coming for far too long. There is not much assurance of runs and stability against a seasoned English bowling attack, and playing an extra batsman would deem fit in the early stages of The Ashes 2015.
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
