Is He ready?

Once again it looks like the selectors of the Australian Cricket team will be the topics at BBQ's all summer.

Now that they have named Patrick Cummins in the Test squad to tour South Africa it hasn't taken long for cricket to be in the news.  This 18yo may be a  tear-away success but is the risk worth it.  Australia is in a rebuilding stage, which means they have to carefully regain their status without making backward progress.

This young kid has plenty of potential and has showed it in the 20/20 matches.  At this stage he has only played 3 first class matches but everyone knows that 3 matches for NSW means 3 seasons for a player from any other state.  It may be that he makes it and it turns out to be a masterstroke or it will backfire and he will be like so many other players that the selectors have thrown in the heap.

If he is such a talent then after the 20/20 matches send him home to get some 4 day cricket under his belt before the home series.  Then let him rip on the safety of home soil with a big crowd behind him.  Don't throw him in the deep end on foreign soil where if it goes wrong there is nowhere to hide.  Some may say that keeping him with the squad he will learn a lot just by being around the experienced players, but there are plenty of experienced players in Shield cricket.  If he does not get a game though all the net sessions in the world will not help.  Hopefully he as not been sent over to be the next Andy Bichel - the perennial twelfth man.

Looking at the squad what is the chance of him playing:

• Michael Clarke (capt) - 1st picked and finally starting to play well again
• Shane Watson (vice-capt)- Always consistant but should be down the order
• Michael Beer - still not convinced
• Trent Copeland - Has the talent and deserves a run after Sri lanka
• Patrick Cummins - Behind a queue of bowlers
• Brad Haddin - Still dumbfounded as to why is is picked, needs to learn what 5 day cricket is about.
• Ryan Harris - Form bowler and hits the pitch hard.
• Phil Hughes - Needs to start scoring or this may be his last chance
• Mike Hussey - Back in form Mr Cricket is a Certainty
• Mitchell Johnson- Form is hard to gauge, media love to hate him but he is a match winner
• Usman Khawaja - Give this guy a good chance, the talent is there
• Nathan Lyon - Seems to be the spinner of choice at the moment
• Shaun Marsh - Has showed the temperament to play long innings.
• Ricky Ponting - Playing well again
• Peter Siddle - Not sure if he is the best option at the moment

There is no automatic eleven picked out of this squad and all options will be debated but here is my effort:

Marsh, Hughes, Watson, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Haddin, Johnson, Harris, Lyon, Copeland

I give it one game into the summer and the selectors will be hotly discussed.  Going on form though if the selectors get it right it is only by fluke.