I would say that Hodge will be ignored yes, even if he makes a 100 for the Vics. Just like Chris Rogers will be overlooked for younger options. I've got nothing against older players, but I'm not going to promote older players when they aren't anything particularly special. Hodge and Rogers aren't exactly Hayden and Ponting reborn.
Lets look at this way my friend. Both of us a essentially fans of the cricket team. Our views as much as we debate them isn't going to have any influence on the selectors.
But one thing i expect selectors to do is be clear & consistentl about selections & the inverarity lead panel has failed to do that miserably since the t20 world cup.
As i showed in the link in the previous post - it was just during the 2012 tour to england that inverarity was saying that older players such as hussey, rogers etc despite age where in consideration for a test spot because they wanted young guys like hughes, khawaja to demand selection in the domestic season based on a mountain of runs. Which is why as you may recall
Australia Cricket News: Australia news: Ed Cowan, George Bailey miss out on Australia contracts | ESPN Cricinfo - none of the young batsmen via there reasons was given a contract for this calendar year.
This policy continued by the hiding of hughes vs s africa & picking quiney.
So what now has changed in just 2 months that all the backing & focus is on the young players??
Rogers & Hodge don;t have to be ponting & hayden reborn. I have never understood why people like draw that correlation with great players.
Colin Miller was good enough to make his test debut @ 38 & give aus 3 very good years as an off-spinner, clarrie grimmet @ 33 & brad hogg was superb as a odi spinner after getting his recall @ 32
To me, David Hussey doesn't fall into that category either. He's not like Ponting or Mike Hussey, older legends that the selectors should be willing to carry through poor patches of form. If Hussey were a good player, I might be upset. But he's not. David Hussey averages 32.65 in his ODI career - that's a touch under the average of all top 6 batsmen since the 2011 World Cup (33.56 -
Batting records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo ) So he's essentially an average player. Why should the selectors settle for an average, mediocre David Hussey who won't improve into anything better when they could try and develop a better player? Especially when Hussey showed some weaknesses that international bowlers will be happy to jump on - not just swing, but the short ball early in his innings.
Disagree really, now way is dussey an average player. When looking at career you can't judge him on his overall average - since his career had two distinct phases, like so many players tend to have.
From the 2008 windies tour - to a one-off odi vs scotland in 2009, hussey was just in and out of the team. He was just called up in dead rubbers or insignificant series when australia looked to rest players & never played in a settled position.
He was then recalled just before the 2011 world cup during the home odi's vs england where during this extended run batting down @ # 6 where he has averaged
35, which is very solid given the position he played.
Gilchrist averaged 35 as an opener & we all know how he is great, which just highlights how good hussey's average is proportionately.
Plus his issues vs certain type is quick bowling which has been there is hardly relevant now even if it never goes away - since it was prevalent all the time. Indian batsmen like raina & yuvraj have had this problem forever, but yet while it bothers them in tests, they still get away with it in odi's.
Hussey could be undone by short-pitched bowling in odi's again no doubt - but that doesn't mean he will be incapable of making runs & being a key member of the odi/t20 en route to the 2014 & 2015 cups.
And I certainly see he and Maxwell as competitors - neither are good enough technically to bat top 4, so they have to be a 5,6 or 7. Consider that Wade and Henriques (or other pace bowling AR) need to be fitted in those spots as well, and suddenly you've got 1 spot for 2 people. Both bowl part time off-spin, both are best as 'finishers' with the bat - why so implausible that they should compete for a spot?
They should not be battling for the same spot because australia don't have a odi quality spinner of the level of a swann, ajmal, narine, herath, vettori, sakib who can either be a sure wicket-taking force or spinner who can be depended on to block up an end effectively.
Doherty is a joke & o'keefe is essentially a non-wicket taking threat with the ball - but can slog with the bat.
So Hussey in combo with maxwell with clarke should combine as spinners similarly to how india would use, yuvraj, raina, sehwag over the years & just let our army of solid quicks be the main wicket taking threats.
Best odi team imo:
warner, watson, hughes, clarke, hussey, wade, maxwell, henriques, cummins, starc, harris. bailey, m marsh, johnson, mckay
