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Among the countless names written into Test match scorebooks, that of Cyril Washbrook
is one of the most evocative. It rolls off the tongue and instantly
summons a sense of time and place, of English cricket after the war, and
of batting bravery in a period when pitches and skulls alike remained
unprotected. Most relevantly, Washbrook's is an enduring example of
short-term selection thinking making all the difference in an Ashes
series.
Short-termism is the sort of concept politicians love to rail against.
By pinning the label on their opponents they can tar them as lacking in
vision, even verging on the myopic. National selectors can be similarly
targeted if they are said to lose the balance between the present and
the future. Countless England panels were lampooned for recycling older
players when their Australian counterparts pushed aggressively for youth
at almost every possible juncture.
So it is seldom popular, in politics or team selection, to press for the
short-term option. Strategic thinking, with the "bigger picture" in
mind, is considered the best path, usually with good reason. There seems
little point in granting the older batsman another season when there
are young striplings pushing up from beneath. Still less in plumping for
the older bowler who has lost some of his earlier pep when an
aggressive firebrand, not yet 25, has made his presence felt. The future
must be planned for, always.
But as Australia's selectors enter their final deliberations on the
composition of an Ashes squad that will be named this week, Washbrook's
England recall as a 41-year-old in 1956 can provide a reminder that when
the most important series is the next one, an older head or two can
prove invaluable. That summer is most commonly associated with Jim
Laker, Tony Lock and spitefully spinning pitches. But before Washbrook
returned to the team for the third Test at Leeds, Australia led the
series, and uncertainty had enveloped England's batting.
The most outlandish element of Washbrook's return was the fact he did it
when a member of the selection panel. In the meeting to decide the
Leeds team, his colleagues asked Washbrook to leave the room temporarily
while his name was discussed. Returning to the table with drinks,
Washbrook was told he had been selected. Boys Own Annual stuff, this,
but less significant than the difference his presence made to England's
other batsmen.
A little less than an hour of the Headingley Test had elapsed when
Washbrook walked to the middle at No. 5, his team a precarious 3 for 17.
Before this point Washbrook had been known primarily as a bold opening
partner for Len Hutton, but five years since his last England appearance
he was now cast as a bulwark for the middle order. Benefiting from his
rich experience of batting, Washbrook was to construct a patient 98,
while cajoling a young Peter May to 101.
In the words of Alan Ross it was the innings of a "Master Builder",
tilting the match and series towards Laker and England. Writing in Cape
Summer, Ross summarised the effect: "So Washbrook, pertinently surveying
the hitherto silent and raincoated Headingley crowd … came down the
steps bringing with him an unmistakeable renewal of confidence. It was
going to be all right: from the very first he made it seem so."
In the current muddled state of Australian cricket, such a reassuring
presence must be sought for the Ashes tour. The next 12 months feature
10 Tests against England, followed by a tour of South Africa. These 13
matches are as rigorous an assignment as any Australian team has been
set, and the squad that limped from India, a week after their captain
Michael Clarke had already exited due to his troublesome back, look
ill-equipped to survive it, let alone thrive in it.
What India exposed so mercilessly was that the balance of the team had
been thrown out so comprehensively by the retirements of Ricky Ponting
and Michael Hussey that it virtually ceased to function. Those players
expected to step into the breach as batsmen and senior players - Shane
Watson in particular - failed almost completely to do so.
A sore and weary Clarke spoke of feeling like he had added a coaching
component to his roles as captain, batsman and selector. The suspension
of four players, Watson included, for failing to complete basic tasks
reflected the hole opened up in the team's psyche without the reassuring
sights of Ponting and Hussey as exemplars of all that is required of an
Australian cricketer.
The selectors are now aware that the team they selected for India was
incapable of forming an effective combination, and needs to be
strengthened by additional leaders. None may be found quite so
dramatically as Washbrook, by drafting in a member of the selection
panel. Nonetheless there are senior names available, players that have
it in them to contribute tellingly over the next year, if not much
further beyond it.
| Haddin's best two series for Australia happened to be the past two Ashes bouts. For the next 12 months, Haddin should don the gloves and the vice-captaincy | |||
Brad Haddin's
has already been noted consistently. Twelve months since he gave up his
Test place to be with his ill daughter, Haddin has punched out a strong
season for New South Wales and been conspicuous by his absence from the
national team, as both a leader and a gloveman. In India he found
himself promoted to de facto captain when Clarke left the field due to
his back problems. Matthew Wade is the future, but his keeping and
batting have strained beneath the weight of three formats. Haddin's best
two series for Australia happened to be the past two Ashes bouts. For
the next 12 months, Haddin should don the gloves and the vice-captaincy,
in Test matches at least.
Within the bowling ranks, Ryan Harris
can be expected to play a key role. Returning to the crease after an
elongated recovery from shoulder surgery, Harris impressed all who faced
or observed him in the latter rounds and final of the Sheffield Shield.
Possessing a method well suited to England, Harris also has the gift of
an equable temperament and universal respect among Australian
cricketers. With Queensland he has worked increasingly as a mentor as
well as a bowler, concerned with the team as much as himself. While
allowances for his body may not allow five Tests, he can play a critical
role on the field in two or three, and a unifying one off it in the
rest.
Lastly, the batting should be buttressed by the inclusion of Chris Rogers.
At 35 he has become as well versed at batting in England as any member
of Alastair Cook's team, and moreover has shown himself to be a
team-builder and captain of some distinction in his time with Middlesex.
Arguments may be raised against his presence in the squad on the basis
of age and also his station as an opener, when at least another four
such top order types are likely to be named. Yet his familiarity with
the moving ball and methods to counter it would provide much-needed
solidity and knowledge to the Australian order. And with only one Test
cap to show for all his run scoring, Rogers will be hungry.
John Inverarity's panel do not have a Washbrook among their number, but
in Haddin, Harris and Rogers they have a trio of players capable of
making a difference over the next 12 months. All are products of an
earlier time, when Australian cricket functioned rather better than it
does at present. By this time next year they may all be ready to retire,
but it is the time in between that is of most import. Short term
thinking is needed.
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here
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© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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