Australian chief selector George Bailey has responded to criticism from former Test opener Ed Cowan, who questioned the selection of Nathan McSweeney as an opener for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener against India. Cowan labeled McSweeney’s promotion as “a guess” due to his limited experience opening the batting.
Last week, Cricket Australia revealed the 13-man squad for the series opener in Perth, starting November 22nd. The announcement confirmed McSweeney would open the batting with Usman Khawaja.
Despite captaining South Australia, McSweeney usually bats at No. 3 or No. 4. He had never opened the batting until this week’s Australia A match against India A at the MCG.
McSweeney’s first outing as an opener saw him score 14 and 25, leading to criticism about his selection.
Cowan, who played 18 Tests for Australia between 2011 and 2013, spoke on ABC’s Grandstand Cricket podcast. He argued that McSweeney’s recent form and lack of experience opening the batting made his selection questionable.
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“The data would suggest at the moment in his career, he doesn’t have the technique nor the temperament to do it. Do you know what a selection, when the data doesn’t support your point of view, is? It’s a guess,” Cowan had said.
Australian chief selector George Bailey defended McSweeney’s selection. Speaking on SEN, Bailey expressed confidence in the 25-year-old’s abilities.
“I’d like to think it’s a little more than a guess. I guess we could all run our fingers down the list of leading run-scorers or leading wicket-takers and just work our way through the top, but that’s not necessarily how cricket teams work,” Bailey said.
Bailey emphasized the potential he sees in McSweeney to succeed at the Test level, highlighting his technique and temperament.
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“We like his technique, temperament; we think he’s got the game to succeed at Test level. Conscious that it’s unlikely that it will be linear here. I don’t think there’s many people that go through their Test career where that is,” he added.
Bailey pointed out that McSweeney’s inclusion is about more than just individual stats. He believes McSweeney’s selection brings balance to the team’s composition.
“We think he complements the team, and that’s an important factor too—the balance of what you want your make-up of your XI to look like,” Bailey said.
