Blight that sealed axed Test batter's downfall

1 year ago 77

Marcus Harris' failings with the bat successful Test cricket are good documented, but Mark Taylor believes inadequate fielding sealed the Victorian's destiny erstwhile the Australian squad was selected for the circuit of India.

While Harris was included arsenic a spare batter for this summer's Test bid against the West Indies and South Africa, the left-hander was dropped and replaced by Peter Handscomb for Australia's sojourn to India implicit February and March.

Taylor says helium was intrigued that George Bailey, Australia's seat of selectors, noted Handscomb's "exceptionally good" fielding adjacent to the wicket worked successful his favour erstwhile the squad was picked.

Harris has spent clip nether the lid successful Test cricket, but it would beryllium a agelong to picture the 30-year-old arsenic a beardown fielder.

"The occupation with Marcus Harris is helium brings thing other to the array isolated from his batting," Taylor told Wide World of Sports.

"He's not a large fielder and he's not a large catcher, and I fishy that's 1 of the reasons that he's not connected the circuit (to India)."

As a accordant subordinate of the Australian Test broadside betwixt 2016 and 2019, Handscomb was a menace astatine silly constituent oregon abbreviated leg.

Ed Cowan is simply a dependable illustration of a antheral who struggled with the bat successful Test cricket but was potent for Australia arsenic a close-in fielder.

Taylor suspects Usman Khawaja's mean fielding goes immoderate mode to explaining wherefore he's lone played 56 Tests.

"One of the reasons, I think, that Khawaja hasn't played arsenic galore games arsenic helium could person is due to the fact that if he's not making runs he's got thing to autumn backmost connected to accidental they're contributing," Taylor said.

"That's wherefore I deliberation if you're a batsman, an out-and-out batsman, you've got to beryllium a bully fielder somewhere. And peculiarly with catching. The aged saying that catches triumph Test matches is precise true."

But Taylor doesn't deliberation Harris enjoyed a fortunate thrust with selectors betwixt 2018 and 2022; the erstwhile Australian skipper says the opener is simply a "good player", and pointed to his grounds successful English region cricket.

Harris compiled 655 runs astatine 54.58, including 3 centuries, successful the 2021 English region cricket season, and 726 runs astatine 42.70, including 3 tons, successful the 2022 competition.

Those numbers could unafraid him squad enactment for the Ashes circuit of England this year, which volition apt beryllium preceded by Australia competing successful the World Test Championship last astatine The Oval.

"I deliberation helium was perchance connected telephone if David Warner oregon Khawaja missed out, but they've present some made runs and evidently volition unfastened the batting for Australia successful India," Taylor said.

"They don't truly request a batch of screen successful the apical bid anymore, truthful that's the crushed that Harris is nary longer needed.

"And evidently (Matthew) Renshaw, too, has travel successful arsenic imaginable for an Ashes tour.

"So there's a spot of contention going connected there, which is simply a steadfast thing."

Handscomb was axed from the Australian Test broadside aft the 2019 New Year's Test, but helium clawed backmost a spot successful the squad implicit 2 prosperous Sheffield Shield seasons.

He tallied a competition-high 697 runs astatine 49.78 successful the 2021-22 summertime and has registered an unmatched 571 runs astatine 81.57 truthful acold this summer.

Taylor is delighted for Handscomb but said the re-selection of the 31-year-old exposed a deficiency of extent successful Australian batting.

"The information is he's gone distant and made runs and enactment his sanction backmost up determination with selectors," Taylor said.

"It's disappointing determination hasn't been a younger batsman coming done who could person grabbed that spot. Ideally it would person been bully for a 23-year-old oregon a 24-year-old to to beryllium that idiosyncratic arsenic the adjacent batter in. So that's astir apt the disappointing happening and the interest for Australian cricket ... I deliberation it's a interest of extent of our batting successful Australia astatine the moment."

Handscomb's Sheffield Shield mean of 81.57 truthful acold this summertime is considerably higher than the averages of South Australia's Nathan McSweeney (43.71), NSW duo Jason Sangha (25.50) and Baxter Holt (28.75), and Western Australia's Aaron Hardie (26.83).

"A batch of the sides are inactive relying connected those elder players to marque astir of the runs. If you look astatine NSW cricket, a batch of those younger guys who person been selected successful caller times haven't made large runs — and that's of concern," Taylor said.

"NSW, if I usage them arsenic an example, are inactive looking for Moises Henriques to people the runs.

"Now, ideally, you privation to spot Baxter Holt, Jason Sangha, these benignant of guys making the runs, becoming the adjacent procreation of batsmen successful Australia. At the infinitesimal I'm not seeing that ... there's not a batch of young guys coming done who are belting the doorway down with large runs successful Shield cricket to beryllium that adjacent feline successful the Australian side. And that's a interest with our extent of batting."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!