Selection headache as Bangladesh approaches

It isn't your traditional selection headache but Trevor Hohns and his panel face a major challenge in the coming weeks as they seek to settle on a Test squad amid uncertainty from the ongoing pay dispute.

Chairman of selectors Hohns and coach Darren Lehmann are among the many stakeholders awaiting an end to the pay scrap between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA).

The previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) expired on June 30. Players and administrators are at odds but both parties have tried to keep things as close to 'business as usual' as possible.

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The cancellation of an Australia A tour – which would have started in South Africa on Wednesday – denied the chance for the likes of pacemen Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers, Jason Behrendorff and Chris Tremain to push their claim for the final spot on Australia's Test tour of Bangladesh.

It also made life harder for selectors Hohns, Greg Chappell and Lehmann.

The selection panel is yet to decide on which bowler will be added to the 13-man squad that was picked for the upcoming trip to Bangladesh. Mitchell Starc is unavailable because of a foot injury.

With no recent evidence for selectors to study, the pair of four-day clashes in South Africa were meant to be a virtual bowl-off between the fast bowlers. Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson, who had also been due to face South Africa A this month, also remains in the mix for a call-up.

Swepson toured India earlier this year with the Test squad but was restricted to drinks duty and bowling in the nets.

Hohns may wish to summon the young tweaker and a handful of quicks to Darwin, where the Test squad is set to assemble on August 10. They would then have a chance to impress in a three-day intra-squad match that starts on August 14 before selectors make a call.

Players have made it clear they want a new MoU in place, or at least genuine progress in negotiations, before touring.

CA and the ACA are both upbeat that protracted pay talks will advance before the squad, including on-duty selector Hohns, is due to land on August 18 in Bangladesh.

The tour comes after a previously planned visit in October 2015 was postponed at the last minute by security concerns. Current advice from Australia's Foreign Affairs department is for citizens to "reconsider" their need to travel to Bangladesh.

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CA's executive general manager of team performance Pat Howard said when announcing the squad CA was happy with the current security arrangements, which have been promised to be at levels akin to a presidential or royal visit.

"The Bangladesh Cricket Board and the Bangladesh Government have provided satisfactory levels of assurance and security for this tour to proceed at this stage, and we’re very grateful to them for this," said Howard.

"We will continue to work with them to finalise plans but also monitor advice from Government agencies and our own security advisors about the security risk. Our number one priority will always be the safety and security of our players and support staff when travelling to any country.

"Players selected for this tour will continue to receive regular security status updates prior to travelling."

Australia in Bangladesh 2017

AUSTRALIA TEST SQUAD FOR QANTAS TOUR OF BANGLADESH: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Wade (plus one fast bowler TBC)

FIXTURES

18 August Australia arrive

22-23 August Tour match,Fatullah

27-31 August First Test, Dhaka

4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong