Among the plots and subplots rushing the game toward the first Test of the summer is the nonsensical selection of Western Australian and fellow Aquinas College alumnus of Justin Langer in Cameron Bancroft.
The "best short leg in the world" has a terrible recent record, was terrible in England when he never should have been picked in front of Joe Burns or Kurtis Patterson, and has steadfastly maintained that form. It is the standard of form that has got him picked in Australian squads, so why change it?
Chief selector Trevor Hohns, whose current tenure comes to a conclusion on December 31, must be watching a Bancroft doppelganger if he has observed that "the improvement in his game is quite noticeable". It certainly isn't reflected in the only currency in which it counts – making runs.
We may as well cancel the Sheffield Shield as a proving ground for Test cricketers if this is the rationale to be used by the national selection panel, which at the moment constitutes only Langer and Hohns because Cricket Australia hasn't gotten around to making the third appointment even though they have had several months to sort it out ahead of the international summer.
George Bailey and Michael Klinger are reportedly the only two left in the race, one a current player and the other just retired from Western Australian cricket.
Usman Khawaja has had a statistically slightly better start to the Australian summer than Bancroft and averages 60 in home Tests but hasn't "improved quite noticeably", so he was cut from the squad even though the first Test is at his home ground.
Bancroft's scratchy 49 batting out of position at No.6 in the Australia A match versus Pakistan only came about because Nic Maddinson pulled out of the game for mental health reasons.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cri...ncroft-selection-baffles-20191116-p53b7b.html
