On the previous occasion that Australia’s cricketers prepared for an Ashes series by contesting a one-day tournament and then squeezing in a couple of red-ball encounters prior to the opening Test, an unlikely headline grabber emerged.
Bailey steps out from the shadows
That was in 2006 when, fresh from their Champions Trophy triumph on the sub-continent, Australia’s finest made rare appearances in the Sheffield Shield (then known as Pura Cup) competition to warm-up for their historic 5-0 Ashes whitewash.
And it was an even more infrequent showdown between Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne that drew a sizeable media pack to an otherwise low-key November fixture between Victoria and Tasmania at the MCG.
By the end of the third day it was clear that any potential fireworks would remain unlaunched.
Ponting compiled a tidy but brief half century, while Warne’s three wickets came at roughly 50 runs apiece. And his national captain was not among them.
As the deflated press pack made its way to the basement media room in the subterranean section of the newly-finished Members Stand, they were joined in the lift by a freckle-faced, mop-topped young man who was clearly having trouble finding the appropriate exit point.
When the lift arrived at the lowest level and the interloper looked around curiously, one helpful journalist pointed out that “we’re here for a media conference, so I’m not sure you’ve got the right floor.”
“That’s okay,” replied 24-year-old George Bailey who had completed a patiently accomplished century earlier in the day, “I’m the guy that you’re here to interview”.
Outside of his childhood hometown of Longford in northern Tasmania (where he grew up on the family sheep farm), it’s fair to say that Bailey remains an unheralded figure.
That is despite serving in the 50-over and Twenty20 international arena as Australian captain, a job that (certainly at Test level) has long been regarded as the second-most visible in the nation.
However, with today’s elevation to the Australian Commonwealth Bank Test squad for the first Ashes Test his recognition factor is about to rise exponentially.
Indeed, given his batting exploits as skipper during Australia’s recent one-day series in India, there’s a chance Bailey would be better known to folk on the streets of Bangalore than in Brisbane where the Ashes opener begins on November 21.
In a tournament characterised by some remarkable batting feats, Bailey headed his team’s return with 478 runs at an extraordinary 95.6, with one century and three scores of 50-plus.
It means that among all batsmen to have played more than 30 one-day internationals, his career average of 54.96 is bettered by only one man – for trivia buffs, he is South African-born Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate (currently averaging 67).
The question remains whether Bailey can translate the crisp hitting and canny placement that defines his short-form batting into the game’s most technically demanding level.
Some critics, most volubly former Australian captain Ian Chappell, have already questioned his competence against short-pitched bowling and others have predicted he will be targeted by England’s tall quicks on bouncy Australian pitches.
But true to his honest, unflappable nature, Bailey has shrugged off the criticism and maintained he can only continue playing the way he has thus far in his career, pointing to a technique and a temperament that has served him well.
In 96 first-class appearances, mainly for Tasmania, he has scored almost 6,000 runs at a respectable 38.30, including 14 centuries.
However, in a team that continues to undergo scrutiny for its dressing room culture as much as its on-field exploits, it’s the sense of calm and camaraderie that he exudes, and which was demonstrably evident during the recent India series, that might prove just as valuable as middle-order runs.
“He’s just a normal gut who plays cricket, rather than a guy who’s played international cricket his whole life and has been living in that bubble,” his Tasmanian teammate Ed Cowan noted recently.
Dan Marsh, Tasmania’s current coach and the man who Bailey replaced as captain of that team, was even more succinct.
“He’s just a very good bloke. A genuine, honest bloke and he’s a great leader of men,” Marsh said.
And it was an even more infrequent showdown between Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne that drew a sizeable media pack to an otherwise low-key November fixture between Victoria and Tasmania at the MCG.
By the end of the third day it was clear that any potential fireworks would remain unlaunched.
Ponting compiled a tidy but brief half century, while Warne’s three wickets came at roughly 50 runs apiece. And his national captain was not among them.
As the deflated press pack made its way to the basement media room in the subterranean section of the newly-finished Members Stand, they were joined in the lift by a freckle-faced, mop-topped young man who was clearly having trouble finding the appropriate exit point.
When the lift arrived at the lowest level and the interloper looked around curiously, one helpful journalist pointed out that “we’re here for a media conference, so I’m not sure you’ve got the right floor.”
“That’s okay,” replied 24-year-old George Bailey who had completed a patiently accomplished century earlier in the day, “I’m the guy that you’re here to interview”.
Outside of his childhood hometown of Longford in northern Tasmania (where he grew up on the family sheep farm), it’s fair to say that Bailey remains an unheralded figure.
That is despite serving in the 50-over and Twenty20 international arena as Australian captain, a job that (certainly at Test level) has long been regarded as the second-most visible in the nation.
However, with today’s elevation to the Australian Commonwealth Bank Test squad for the first Ashes Test his recognition factor is about to rise exponentially.
Indeed, given his batting exploits as skipper during Australia’s recent one-day series in India, there’s a chance Bailey would be better known to folk on the streets of Bangalore than in Brisbane where the Ashes opener begins on November 21.
In a tournament characterised by some remarkable batting feats, Bailey headed his team’s return with 478 runs at an extraordinary 95.6, with one century and three scores of 50-plus.
It means that among all batsmen to have played more than 30 one-day internationals, his career average of 54.96 is bettered by only one man – for trivia buffs, he is South African-born Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate (currently averaging 67).
The question remains whether Bailey can translate the crisp hitting and canny placement that defines his short-form batting into the game’s most technically demanding level.
Some critics, most volubly former Australian captain Ian Chappell, have already questioned his competence against short-pitched bowling and others have predicted he will be targeted by England’s tall quicks on bouncy Australian pitches.
But true to his honest, unflappable nature, Bailey has shrugged off the criticism and maintained he can only continue playing the way he has thus far in his career, pointing to a technique and a temperament that has served him well.
In 96 first-class appearances, mainly for Tasmania, he has scored almost 6,000 runs at a respectable 38.30, including 14 centuries.
However, in a team that continues to undergo scrutiny for its dressing room culture as much as its on-field exploits, it’s the sense of calm and camaraderie that he exudes, and which was demonstrably evident during the recent India series, that might prove just as valuable as middle-order runs.
“He’s just a normal gut who plays cricket, rather than a guy who’s played international cricket his whole life and has been living in that bubble,” his Tasmanian teammate Ed Cowan noted recently.
Dan Marsh, Tasmania’s current coach and the man who Bailey replaced as captain of that team, was even more succinct.
“He’s just a very good bloke. A genuine, honest bloke and he’s a great leader of men,” Marsh said.