Numbers don’t stack up for Hughes’ non-selection
Redbacks opener Phil Hughes has every reason to be miffed at his non-selection for the Zimbabwe ODI tour.
The Adelaide-based run machine keeps getting told by selectors to “go out and make runs”; and when he does, he still misses out.
Last summer he was on the edge of the Test team during the Ashes.
He was then selected to go to South Africa – but when Shaun Marsh passed a fitness test back in Australia, he was named in the first match ahead of Hughes, despite a lower average and aggregate.
Undaunted, Hughes opted against playing County cricket this winter, and stayed home to play with Australia A.
Last Wednesday in Darwin, he became the first Australian batsman to score a one-day match double century, and backed it up with two half-centuries in the series that included India, South Africa A and the National Performance Squad.
He did that despite arriving late after attending his grandfather’s funeral.
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Australian cricket coaching staff in Darwin told InDaily on Friday they expected Hughes to return to the national side given his form and the absence of David Warner (family reasons) and Shaun Marsh (injury).
But again, he’s missed out.
National Selection Panel (NSP) chairman Rod Marsh explained the decision thus: “With Warner missing we had a choice between Steven Smith and Phillip Hughes, because if you have a look at the rest of them they pick themselves.
“George Bailey is number two in the world, Michael Clarke is the captain and you can’t drop him, you’ve got (Aaron) Finch, who has been extremely successful, you’ve got (Shane) Watson, who’s an allrounder and then you’ve got Steven Smith, who for the same reason hasn’t been playing one-day cricket as Nathan Lyon; we wanted to establish him as a Test match player.
“I think we’ve done that; he’s been terrific and I think everyone knows his capabilities in the short form of the game – both 50-over cricket and 20-over cricket.
“It was a tough decision, I promise you. We agonised over that because we want to reward blokes who do well.
“We pick an Australia A side, the kid gets 100, 200 and two 50s, in between that his grandfather dies and he still doesn’t get picked.
“That’s tough love, but the love is that we do have him in our notebook.
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“He’s a good player, we know he’s a good player and his time will come.”
Perhaps Marsh needs a new notebook; the last time we checked, Smith is yet to make a double century in one-day cricket.
Hughes averaged 110.66 in four matches in the Top End series last week, and is the only Australian to score a century on ODI debut, scoring 112 against Sri Lanka in January 2013 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
South Australia’s Redbacks coach summed it up yesterday;
“We were a little disappointed this morning here in South Australia that Phillip Hughes’ name wasn’t on there,” Berry told cricket.com.au.
“I fully understand selection is not an exact science, and I respect the position the Australian selectors have.
“It’s never easy to fit everybody in. I’ve heard from Rod Marsh and spoken to the coach (Darren Lehmann) very openly, (with) good forthright discussion between Darren and I.
“He said, ‘Mate, we love how he’s going, it’s all positive but we couldn’t fit him in’.
“His recent form we felt was excellent and we felt as though this morning we’d have (fast bowler Kane) Richardson and Hughes in, (but) it wasn’t to be.
“There’s one simple answer when not selected and that’s for Phillip to once again come back to the Redbacks and dominate, and I’m sure that’s what his state of mind will be – to pile on the runs for South Australia.
“I know he has ambitions to represent Australia at all levels, not just Test level, all levels, and his record is good at all forms.”
But seriously – how many runs does he have to make?
Steve Smith has scored 399 ODI runs for Australia at an average of 21. Hughes has 660 at 36.7 runs.
It’s a selection argument that just doesn’t stack up.
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