Been there, done that, going nowhere?
Cameron White’s criticisms of Australia’s selection processes have raised the question of whether performances in the Sheffield Shield and Matador Cup are losing relevance
Brydon Coverdale02-Feb-2017On Tuesday, Cameron White pointed out a few things during an interview on Melbourne radio station RSN.He pointed out that he was worried about the future and strength of Australian cricket due to the national selectors, in his eyes anyway, overlooking strong performances at state level. He pointed out that the BBL seemed to be the be-all and end-all, and that players could get selected out of the BBL for any format.He pointed out that the Australia side sometimes resembled a “development team”, and that player development should happen in domestic cricket, not at international level. He pointed out that it was futile searching for “the one”, the next Ricky Ponting, say, because such players would emerge naturally anyway.On Wednesday, the interim chairman of selectors, Trevor Hohns, pointed out a few things during a press conference in Adelaide, where he was announcing Australia’s T20 squad.He pointed out that Cameron White himself was a very young man when he was first picked in Australia’s ODI team. He pointed out that it was the charter of the selection panel not only to pick players for now but also to have an eye to the future.He pointed out that White had indeed been given plenty of opportunities, and that “it’s probably fair to say he performed okay without being earth-shattering”.On Thursday, the Australian Cricketers’ Association pointed out a few things in a press release. It pointed out that White was entitled to his opinion, and Hohns to his, but “to reduce the discussion to a negative critique of Cameron White’s career is playing the man, not the ball”.It pointed out that White, as a long-time servant of the game and former captain of his country, deserved better. It pointed out that there was “a growing sense amongst players and the ACA that any public comment would be met with a disproportionate response by Cricket Australia”.One could point out that for a selector to say a player has had “plenty of opportunities” is perilously close to saying he will not be given another. One could point out that this sends a negative message to all players who have had a few matches and then been dropped: your cards are marked. One could point out that this is in stark contrast to the idea that cricketers should aim to improve every day.One could point out that, so far in the current Sheffield Shield round, only two batsmen have scored centuries: Ed Cowan and Chris Hartley, both of whom are 34.One could point out that Hohns, of all people, should know that cricketers often improve with age. One could point out that at 32, Hohns had a first-class bowling average of 42.21. One could point out that it was only after this that everything clicked for Hohns, and that Australia’s captain Allan Border said he had “become a more complete bowler”.One could point out that Hohns did not play for Australia until he was 35, and that White is still only 33.One could point out that while it is true that White has played 88 ODIs, he has been virtually exiled from the side since 2011, apart from a single match in 2015. One could point out that only since then has White peaked as a 50-over player, and that he has averaged 50-plus in three of the past four domestic one-day tournaments, and 70-plus in two of those.One could point out that although Hohns is correct in saying White was young – 22 – when first chosen for Australia, he had by then already played 38 List A games, and over the previous two ING Cup tournaments was equal seventh on the wicket tally (he was at the time a bowling allrounder).One could point out that Sam Heazlett has been chosen for Australia’s ODI side without ever having played a one-day game for his state, rather was fast-tracked via the National Performance Squad. One could point out that Billy Stanlake was rushed into Australia’s ODI side with only four List A games to his name. One could point out they were both picked out of the BBL.
One could point out that if Cricket Australia is forward-thinking enough to appoint independent board members to see policy matters objectively, perhaps it would do well to appoint selectors who likewise will view players with fresh eyes
One could point out that, in any case, White did not mention any player by name during his radio interview, did not highlight any individual’s selection as unjustified.One could point out that at no point did White suggest he himself should be in the team. One could point out that this debate is, in fact, not about White the individual at all, but rather about the priorities of Australia’s selectors.One could point out that two of the national selectors have come directly from talent management positions: Hohns was Queensland’s state talent manager and Greg Chappell the national talent manager. One could point out that they only relinquished these roles – in which they were responsible for identifying and fostering young talent – in November. One could point out that another selector, Mark Waugh, still holds his position as “governor” of Sydney Thunder.One could point out that Heazlett and Stanlake came through the Queensland pathways system that Hohns managed, and the national pathways system that Chappell managed. One could point out that if Cricket Australia is forward-thinking enough to appoint independent board members to see policy matters objectively, perhaps it would do well to appoint selectors who likewise will view players with fresh eyes.One could point out that of Australia’s ODI squad currently in New Zealand, only two players are aged over 30 – Aaron Finch, who turned 30 two months ago, and Shaun Marsh, who is 33. One could point out that this hardly constitutes an ageing side desperately crying out for an injection of youth.One could point out that, for all the selectors’ protests that domestic form is respected, none of the top 18 run scorers in this summer’s Matador Cup have been rewarded with selection in Australia’s ODI side since the tournament.One could point out any or all of these things, but Cameron White did not: he simply made general observations about a trend he had observed, naming no names and pushing no personal barrow.One could point out that players of his experience – men like Cowan, Hartley, George Bailey, Doug Bollinger, Daniel Christian, who have been there and done that, year after year after year, for their states and in some cases for their country – are the ones who make the young players prove their worth in the Sheffield Shield and the Matador Cup, and thus make these young players better.And one could point out that, when they hear messages like White has this week, players in such a position might wonder: what’s the point?