Dean Jones lets rip at selectors

Former Australia Test player Dean Jones has questioned the logic behind Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel (NSP) replacing injured allrounder James Faulkner with Moises Henriques in the Test squad for the tour of South Africa, and placed himself firmly in the pro-Phil Hughes camp.

Henriques was today announced as Faulkner’s replacement, after the recent hero of the Carlton Mid ODI at the Gabba was ruled out with a knee injury that requires surgery.

Before launching his broadside, Jones acknowledged Henriques’ two half centuries on debut Test against India in 2013, but believes the New South Welshman doesn’t have the consistency to warrant selection.

“I just can’t believe Henriques has been called in, I really can’t,” Jones told Fairfax Radio station, 3AW, on Tuesday night.

“The problem is I can sort of go with the selectors a little bit because there’s not too many other guys around, and he had a good first Test against India … but he has this tendency in the history of his career to make one good score and then he goes to sleep for two months and we don’t see him.

“This is my point (regarding) why Shaun Marsh was picked. I was livid with that. The guy’s averaged 25 over his last three years. So our selectors are picking guys on mediocrity. See, for some reason they don’t like Phil Hughes. He looks weird, he hits the ball in funny spots but the kid averages 50 in first-class cricket. Let’s not forget the three Test centuries he’s made against South Africa on that South African tour.”

NSP chairman of selectors, John Inverarity, explained Henriques’ inclusion by saying: “Moises Henriques has shown some good form recently with both bat and ball and he provides a good fit when looking to replace James (Faulkner).

For his part, Henriques admitted his only hope of being picked in the first Test against South Africa is through an unforeseen injury to another Australian player and it’s feasible to argue he is headed overseas partly to learn from senior members of the team and also to prepare for his likely inclusion in the T20 squads for the South Africa short-form series and the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh after that.

In regards to Hughes, Jones’ sentiments are shared by former Australian skipper Allan Border, who said prior to the squad being announced that he was baffled as to why Hughes seemed to be out of favour with selectors.

“(Hughes) is just so far in front of any other contender it’s not funny, so I’m hoping they’ll take Hughes on the plane (to South Africa). It looks like (Alex) Doolan’s jumped in front of him and I’m not 100 per cent sure why,” Border said, on January 17.

Jones had more to say though, and really let rip when analysing the Marsh selection and wondering aloud (on a national radio network) as to how some decisions are made by the NSP.

“What sort of example are we trying to show for all our batsmen around the country? ‘Go back and make some runs’ and then you pick this guy who’s 29 and had a few tries,” Jones continued.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve known Shaun Marsh since he was two… but that’s not the right example we want for our young guys going through. I’m worried about stereotyping and loving guys for who they look like and having this glamour and a good-looking fella that goes out and plays a couple of good shots and makes a soft 30 and gets out.

“Would we have ever picked Lasith Malinga, for example, with the weird technique and would we have allowed him to go through our system? I think we’re over-coaching our guys and pigeon-holing our guys a little bit too early.”

Jones also said that Marsh’s recent ODI half centuries for Australia may have been over-rated.

“Our pitches in 50-50 cricket are completely different to what we get on Test pitches and they’re built for batsmen to make runs,” said Jones. “You do get occasional soft fifties and sixties.

“Haven’t we learnt that the George Bailey experiment didn’t work? He hasn’t got a great first-class average; mind you George is one of the great blokes you’d ever want to meet in your life. He’s a fantastic fella and he’s done a great job with the team, (he's) a very good captain for Australia in the one-dayers, but he does play on a sporting deck.

“That’s why I’m happy for Alex Doolan and I said it from the get-go and ‘batpad’ told me two months ago that he will be the next No. 3 on the South African tour. But something has happened in the last couple of weeks and then all of a sudden Marsh got in front of him.

“Maybe they’re just unhappy about him (Hughes) going to South Australia and playing on a ground that’s got short boundaries square and getting some soft runs. But we just saw in the one-day matches that it’s pretty hard to get runs there isn’t it?”

On the day Australia’s South Africa tour squad was announced, Inverarity said the decision to axe Bailey was a difficult one, but it was made because Doolan and Marsh – both top order specialists – have games that will be better suited to South African conditions where seam bowling will dominate.

“This was a difficult decision, but on this occasion we felt Alex and Shaun have games that are well suited to facing South Africa in South Africa,” Inverarity said, at the time.

“We consider that both are strong players of pace bowling which is important given the strength of South Africa’s attack.

“Alex was on standby for the recent fifth Test in Sydney and scored a most impressive 165 not out against South Africa for Australia A last season.

“Shaun is a talented batsman who is striking the ball very well at the moment. He has the technique and potential to do well.

“On this occasion these two batsmen were preferred to Hughes who we feel is best suited to a top order position. Phillip remains a highly regarded batsman whose time will come.”