Very pleased that he's shown he can grind it out when the chips are down and we're batting for survival. His defence is immeasurably better than it was in his first stint in the Test team. And now that I've said that he's a dead set certainty to get out in the next few minutes!So Mitch Marsh isn’t in any kinda hurry then, must be exciting cricket to watch lol. Any before you point it out, yes I know what the Aussies are doing.
Unfortunately I agree. I do like Cam, I think he has all the elements to be a successful test cricketer but his game just isn’t quite there yet. Sheffield Shield doesn’t seem to be preparing players for test cricket as well as it used to.Sadly, with that duck - unless he goes big in the second innings - I suspect this game will be the end of Bancroft's first stint in the Test team. I reckon there's something there to work with at Test level but he's got some technical issues which have been exposed by England's quicks. Assuming he's not picked for the South Africa tour, hopefully he can go back to the Shield, work on that technique, and come back sometime in the future better for the experience he's gained in this series.
If this is the 'new' Mitch Marsh, then he may certainly stay for a .ittle while longer.
Looks like tons of fun.
As usual you raise some very good points. I definitely do hope that the selectors do stick with Bancroft, at least for South Africa - however my gut feeling is that the selectors might send him back to the Shield for the time being, with his low scores in some innings combined with his failure to convert most of his starts to fifties so far to maybe prove to be his undoing. But, as you said he has contributed to some decent opening partnerships and set a platform for our middle order to capitalise on, which they have done in just about every game. He’s looked good in most of his innings at stages - certainly doesn’t look out of his depth - and I feel like he just needs everything to click again like it did at the start of this Shield season. If he is persisted with and it does click, hopefully we will have that stable pair of openers for the long-term that we haven’t for a while!I'm finding it hard to know what to make of Cam Bancroft's Test scores - 5, 82*, 10, 4, 25, 26, 27 and 0 - as in isolation they don't show the level of fight and application he has displayed so far. He HAS figured in opening stands of 173 (Brisbane) and 122 (Melbourne), as well as ones of 33 (Adelaide), 44 (Perth) and 51 (Melbourne, second innings).
You could argue that in five of his eight innings, Australia have been able to lay good foundations for the middle order to capitalise on. This is why I think axing him would be hasty and negligent by the selectors.
The other issue worth considering is the effect that changing opening partners has on David Warner, Australia's second best batsman. By my calculations, he has already batted with seven different opening partners in 71 Tests: Phillip Hughes (RIP), Ed Cowan, Chris Rogers, Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns, Matt Renshaw and now Cam Bancroft. Us oldies probably long for another Taylor/Slater or Hayden/Langer partnership to develop...and maybe it will if Bancroft is given time.
What about the redoubtable, immovable Steve Smith though? A match-changing century in Brisbane, a match-winning one in Perth and a match-saving one in Melbourne. So far, he has scored 648 runs at an average of 162.00. He currently sits in equal 14th place with John Edrich as the scorer of the most runs in an Ashes series. It should be noted that Edrich, Graham Gooch, David Gower and Mark Taylor (above Smith) made their runs in a six Test series...again that's something that @The Mad Hatter and myself (and others) would remember well!
I think Bangers is a natural opener - it’s certainly all he’s done for WA at first-class level. Comibined with the facts we had no obvious choice for the second opener and several guys pushing for spots in the middle order and I think him opening was the obvious choice - it just hasn’t quite worked yet. I can’t see him ever batting at 6 in the Test team to be honest.Cam should have been at 6 IMHO.
Too many good bats are being chewed up and spat out.
Burns, Renshaw, Handscombe and now Bancroft. Even Khawaja has been a victim. Something wrong somewhere in the production line.
It was a treat to watch the partnership between the Marshes yesterday and today. I’m so happy they have shown what they’re capable of this series, being the only two players from either team - apart from Smith - to score multiple centuries. The joy on their faces when they each reached 100 was brilliant to see. Hopefully they can continue on in SA - as you said though Brendan, it’s not going to be easy against that pace attack. Although, our recent record in SA is good, so it’s shaping up to be an intriguing series. Very glad it’s a four-Test series - not three like usual!Brilliant cricketing moment with both the Marsh brothers bringing up their tons together.
I also think Bancroft should stay despite his indifferent form. I hate the chopping and changing. I would love to see Renshaw get some good domestic runs, show some hunger before he gets a look in. I also hope Burns continues his run of form, creates great competition.
Whoever gets the nod to SA is in for it though. That four prong pace attack of Steyn, Philander,
Morkel and Rabada is brutal
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