Cameron Green will play his first day and night first-class match at SCG on Friday
Adam Gilchrist believes the Australian selectors should seal Joe Burns’ spot in the Test lineup ahead of the pink ball warm-up game against India at SCG to allow him to play with a freedom that can help break his racing drought.
It’s a conversation that may well have taken place and Burns has had a lot of backing in recent weeks from selectors and teammates, but two more low scores at Drummoyne Oval for Australia A: caught behind trying to drop a ball and then dragging on one drive – left him with a 61-run tally in seven innings for the summer.
The subsequent concussion suffered by Will Pucovski and the injury to the groin that has ruled out David Warner have added to the questions about the starting positions of the day-night event in Adelaide.
The wording of national coach Trevor Hohns’ comments on Wednesday, where he said Burns had enjoyed “excellent” preparation and that Australia A’s second game “would end very well”, did not suggest a player about to be ruled out.
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“It might be the smart thing to do, let’s just say don’t worry you’re going to walk around Adelaide and now you’re going to gain some exposure against Bumrah and whoever the Indians serve under the light,” Gilchrist said at a Fox Cricket BBL pitching event. .
“That would be a good, sensible approach to clear up any doubts, that he’s got the backing, that he’s not playing a test game, he’s just having a practice game to improve for Adelaide.
“Nothing seems to be a perfect science. You can get knocked out and go to the Test with a big negative mind because you don’t have the runs, but 10 balls in your Test innings you can, that’s what it feels like and you’re far away.”
The selectors have yet to add batting reinforcements to the squad, but Marcus Harris, who will start with Burns for Australia A, is expected to be added as a cover for Pucovski. However, they may need to consider more than one additional hitter given that last minute additions are not yet possible under Covid-19 protocols for the tour.
That could open the door for a seasoned player like Usman Khawaja, although there was no indication that he was about to leave the Sydney Thunder BBL team currently in Canberra.
“If you were to go to Khawaja, I don’t think I would see it as one game, I would say it would make it difficult to leave me now and look at a few more years on the Australian team,” Gilchrist said. . “Marcus has had some experience in testing, he’s done a lot of things well in Shield’s season. I don’t think we’re deprived of solid options, we’re just deciding which one is right.”
Australia A’s second match will also be another opportunity for Cameron Green to impress in what will be his first pink ball cricket experience. It remains unlikely that he will make his way on the test side for Adelaide, but his unbeaten 125 and a pair of wickets at Drummoyne continued to make his case. He will likely face Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami as they prepare for the test series.
“I’ve never faced it [the pink ball] Before, for whatever reason, I keep dodging the day and night games in domestic cricket, so I will have a training session today and it will be my first time facing or playing him, so it will be quite interesting. “Green He said: “There are a lot of guys on the team who have played pink ball before, so I’ll try to get them bouncing as many ideas as I can.
“I’ve talked to some guys, they say if you’re hitting at night but you’re already in, it seems fine, only when you’re new to the box, it’s very difficult to get in.”
Of the Indian attack he faced in the first game, he highlighted Umesh Yadav’s “world-class skill” as the most challenging of bowlers. “I was blowing the breeze off a wicket that had a bit of it, so it was incredibly difficult,” he said.
As for bowling, Green said he was headed where he and the coaching staff had hoped to be, as it remains limited to a handful of spells over four. Expect that level to hold for at least a couple of weeks before any increase is considered.
Andrew McGlashan is deputy editor of ESPNcricinfo
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