Career could end as 'impossible' quandary looms

1 year ago 88

Australia faces a fig of enactment headaches up of Friday's second Test against India successful Delhi.

Already reeling from the humiliation of the Nagpur thrashing, George Bailey's sheet faces an astir intolerable task identifying the champion eleven for what shapes arsenic a must-win match.

Wide World of Sports looks astatine immoderate of the problems confronting the selectors.

Opening batter

There's 3 options to spouse Usman Khawaja astatine the apical of the order. The easiest, and astir apt astir likely, is the retention of David Warner, simply due to the fact that the different 2 options impact perchance ending the vocation of the 102-Test veteran.

The different choices are a consecutive swap of Travis Head for Warner, oregon bringing Head into the middle-order and moving Matthew Renshaw to the top.

Both person merit - it's astir universally acknowledged that axing Head for the archetypal Test was a blunder, and Renshaw showed capable successful India successful 2017 to bespeak helium deserves a spot.

Dropping Warner would beryllium a bold move, and with a circuit to England connected the skyline - wherever helium averaged conscionable 9.50 successful 2019 - he'd beryllium nary certainty to return. But his grounds successful India, wherever helium averages 22.16 from 9 matches, means it has to beryllium earnestly considered.

Granted, Head's vulnerability against rotation successful these conditions has been good documented, but the 29-year-old deserves the accidental to beryllium otherwise.

Further complicating the contented is the information that making a alteration aft 1 lucifer would efficaciously beryllium an admittance they got it incorrect successful Nagpur.

All-rounder

Cameron Green appears improbable to play arsenic helium continues his betterment from a breached finger. That makes the batting concern a small simpler, but complicates the bowling line-up significantly.

If Australia is to play 3 spinners, they'd truly similar the enactment of Green's seamers to complement a azygous accelerated bowler.

His apt lack volition beryllium a large origin successful the make-up of the bowling attack.

Bowlers

This is wherever it gets truly tricky. There's small uncertainty Australia's bowling onslaught would beryllium improved by the summation of a spinner who takes the shot distant from the close hander, specified arsenic Ashton Agar oregon Matt Kuhnemann.

Agar's underwhelming red-ball form, arsenic good arsenic a disappointing Test successful Sydney successful January, makes him hard to select, but Kuhnemann would beryllium a useful addition.

His inclusion, however, would make a large problem. Todd Murphy can't beryllium dropped aft his heroics successful Nagpur, and portion Nathan Lyon had small interaction successful the archetypal Test his vocation numbers marque him intolerable to permission out.

So if Kuhnemann is to play, it would beryllium portion of a three-man rotation line-up, leaving country for lone 1 quick, due to the fact that you're not apt to driblet a batter and determination Alex Carey to fig six a week aft being bowled retired for 177 and 91.

There is simply a comparatively caller precedent for playing conscionable the 1 quick. In Bangladesh successful 2017, Australia's bowling line-up was Pat Cummins, Lyon, Agar and Steve O'Keefe. Granted, all-rounder Hilton Cartwright was besides successful that side, but helium bowled conscionable 5 overs arsenic 4th alteration successful the archetypal innings, and wasn't required astatine each successful the second.

Lyon, who claimed 13 wickets for the match, opened the bowling with Cummins successful some innings, a relation helium could easy reprise successful India. Additionally, Marnus Labuschagne, ever keen to get involved, could vessel immoderate mediums astatine a pinch.

Ultimately, Australia is apt to instrumentality the blimpish option, perchance making conscionable the 1 alteration to the squad that was thrashed successful the opening Test. That would beryllium Mitchell Starc returning from wounded astatine the disbursal of Scott Boland, who bowled good but without luck successful Nagpur.

But if the statement successful the Wide World of Sports bureau is immoderate indication, identifying a broadside that everyone agrees is Australia's champion eleven volition beryllium a situation the selectors person nary accidental of meeting.

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