World Cup bolter John Hastings in action for
the Victorian Bushrangers.
Structurally the squad follows the model that was to be expected, with 13 of the 15 players locked in well before the date. Watson, Haddin, Ponting, Clarke, White, M.Hussey, Smith, Johnson, Hauritz, Lee, Tait is the clear default 11that the selectors want in the best case scenario. David Hussey as a reserve batsman and Doug Bollinger as a reserve fast bowler were also as predicted. What was unknown was where the final two places would go. There were four principle options.
* Extra batsman - Shaun Marsh or Callum Ferguson most talked about, but Tim Paine also relevant as both batsman AND keeper.
* Extra all-rounder - Dan Christian a favourite with veteran James Hopes and the promising Hastings coming up on the rails.
* Extra spinner - Xavier Doherty trialled for the role in Game 1 against England last week.
* Extra fast bowler - Peter Siddle at the front of the queue.
There has been much frustration at the omission of Marsh, Ferguson and Siddle, as well as only taking one specialist spinner to the subcontinent. Ultimately though, as much as I may disagree on some of the defaults (David Hussey and Tait to be precise), the two that were picked are very clever choices. In Tim Paine the selectors simultaneously cover for Brad Haddin specifically behind the stumps, and the rest of the batting lineup. Likewise, Hastings kills two birds with one stone. The selectors have obviously felt that with the plethora of express pace, the balance of the side would be best served by an extra bowler, of more medium pace to be a death bowling specialist. Dan Christian is an explosive hitter but not really an international class bowler, and Siddle would skew the team slightly too much towards the bowling department. With Hastings we get the best of both worlds, a genuine all-rounder to maintain the team balance, but one leaning more towards the necessary bowling side than Christian or Hopes would.
However there is a far more pressing issue than the speculative nonsense of the masses. More than any opposition team, injuries could prove to be Australia's true death knell at the notoriously overlong tournament.
Typical fast bowler plights have denied Ryan Harris a certain world cup spot and Clint McKay a probable one. Their injuries have left Johnson and Bollinger (who I surmise would have been the original four along with Harris and McKay) to be joined by Lee and Tait. The misfortune of the pair may at least be a blessing disguise in the shape of Lee, who is in impressive form but looked gone from the reckoning for all money a month ago. But the four quicks we are left with wouldn't strike fear in to the hearts of top quality teams. Johnson remains extraordinarily inconsistent. Tait's body remains woefully inadequate for the demands of professional cricket, and Bollinger is always a hard worker but would hardly scare too many good batsmen. This leaves Brett Lee as the spearhead of the attack. So far he shows every sign of being able to handle this burden but it remains to be seen how his body and form will hold up over a six week tournament.
The Harris and McKay setbacks must feel an age ago though by now. As of writing Australia officially have eleven healthy players in their squad. A huge question mark remains over both the fitness and capabilities of Ricky Ponting, and the chances of Michael Hussey's hamstring healing sufficiently by game 1 look remote. Thirteen fit players on the day the squad was picked may have given the selectors some anxiety. By now their already receding hairlines must be disappearing by the inch every day. Shaun Tait predictably and inevitably pulled up lame during Australia's victory over England in Hobart yesterday, hot on the heels of Nathan Hauritz' graphic shoulder dislocation sustained while sliding on the dodgy Bellerive outfield. Although there will be no official word until after Hauritz's impending arthroscopic procedure, few who were watching on TV could confidently say that they were looking at a man likely to be fit and match-ready in a mere month.
Shaun Marsh added to the perpetual conveyor belt of morbid irony that constitutes the life of Hilditch and Co by coming in to the side in place of the injured Hussey and responding to his squad omission with a brilliant match-winning 110 in Game 2 of the seven match Commonwealth Bank Series yesterday.
Australian World Cup Squad
Batsmen
Brad Haddin - 33 - Wicket Keeper - Right Hand Opening Batsman
Tim Paine - 26 - Wicket Keeper - Right Hand Opening/Top Order Batsman
Ricky Ponting (Captain) - 36 - Right Hand Top Order Batsman
Michael Clarke (Vice Captain) - 29 - Right Hand Top Order Batsman
Cameron White - 27 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman
David Hussey - 33 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman
Callum Ferguson* - 26 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman
All-Rounders
Shane Watson
Steve Smith - 21 - Right Hand Middle Order Batsman - Right Arm Leg Spin Bowler
John Hastings - 25 - Right Arm Fast Medium Bowler - Right Hand Lower Order Batsman
Spin Bowlers
Jason Krejza** - 28 - Right Arm Off Spin Bowler
Fast Bowlers
Mitchell Johnson - 29 - Left Arm Fast Bowler
Brett Lee - 34 - Right Arm Fast Bowler
Doug Bollinger - 29 - Left Arm Fast Medium Bowler
Shaun Tait - 27 - Right Arm Fast Bowler
*Edit: Ferguson replaces original squad member Michael Hussey who was withdrawn due to a hamstring injury.
**Edit: Krejza replaces original squad member Nathan Hauritz who was withdrawn due to a shoulder injury.
In coming days I will go through the recently announced squads of 14 nations. Obviously many batsman such as Clarke, White and David Hussey have useful and fairly regular part-time bowling skills as well, but my classifications specifically refer to their primary role within the squad, batsman, bowler, all-rounder or keeper. The elevens I outline are the optimum teams I would pick from the available squads of 15, as opposed to any attempt at omniscient predictions of what various national selectors, coaches and captains may do.
Hosford's XI
Watson, Haddin, Ponting, Clarke, White, D.Hussey, Smith, Hastings, Johnson, Lee, Tait
If Ponting and Clarke perform and Tait doesn't kill his body this would be a formidable team, however over the long term Hastings or Bollinger would be a better bet than Tait, and my rebellious streak would rather like to replace Clarke with Tim Paine.
(Edit: Re-evaluating with the updated squad including Ferguson and Krejza, the question becomes one of bowling configuration. Outside whichever three of the frontline four quicks are picked, Hastings and Krejza essentially should fight it out for the final place in the team. Much has been said of the need for spin in India, but the need for your best team is greater. Although Krejza would take wickets, in Indian conditions he is liable to go for many runs, and Hauritz was picked specifically as a containing bowler. The mean pace trio of Lee, Johnson and Tait are the designated wicket-takers. Smith and David Hussey can handle the 10-15 overs of spin duties between them, with help from Clarke and White if more is necessary. Hastings and Watson, although not spinners, fulfil that role of slower containing bowlers. The tie is ultimately broken by Hastings' extra batting value. My choice of Hastings then determines who should take Mike Hussey's No.6 spot. In batting terms I was just favouring Ferguson, but by playing the four fast bowlers David Hussey is needed for his spin bowling.)
(Edit: Re-evaluating with the updated squad including Ferguson and Krejza, the question becomes one of bowling configuration. Outside whichever three of the frontline four quicks are picked, Hastings and Krejza essentially should fight it out for the final place in the team. Much has been said of the need for spin in India, but the need for your best team is greater. Although Krejza would take wickets, in Indian conditions he is liable to go for many runs, and Hauritz was picked specifically as a containing bowler. The mean pace trio of Lee, Johnson and Tait are the designated wicket-takers. Smith and David Hussey can handle the 10-15 overs of spin duties between them, with help from Clarke and White if more is necessary. Hastings and Watson, although not spinners, fulfil that role of slower containing bowlers. The tie is ultimately broken by Hastings' extra batting value. My choice of Hastings then determines who should take Mike Hussey's No.6 spot. In batting terms I was just favouring Ferguson, but by playing the four fast bowlers David Hussey is needed for his spin bowling.)
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