Windies Laughing At Test Selection
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday April 16, 1992
The West Indies' fast bowlers are laughing in their Mount Gay rum and dry gingers in Barbados where they have gathered for the Test against South Africa.
Their mirth has nothing to do with the historic Test against Kepler Wessels's men. It has everything to do with their defence of the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy in Australia next summer.
The Australian selectors have played into West Indian hands with their choice of the 13-man team for the three-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August-September. One decision of short-term expediency has resulted in long-term impairment to Australian cricket.
When the selectors conferred during the Adelaide Test and made their three changes to a 38-run winning team against India, omitting Geoff Marsh, Mark Waugh and Shane Warne for Wayne Phillips, Tom Moody and Paul Reiffel, it was assumed it was done as a long-range plan designed for the West Indies'five-Test tour of Australia and then the Ashes defence in England next year.
Phillips, the 29-year-old Victorian opener, was chosen to replace the 50-Test veteran Marsh as Mark Taylor's new partner.
There was significant high-level concern about Marsh against the most hostile fast bowling, reflected in disillusion about his Test career after last year's 2-1 losing tour in the West Indies.
Marsh began well enough with innings of 69 in the Jamaica Test and then 94 and 22 in the second Test in Georgetown. But then his form deteriorated badly
Without any prominent young opener to challenge for his position, Marsh held his place in the Australian side for the Indian series, making 185 runs at 26.43 in four Tests.
Phillips became the selectors' choice on the strength of an impressive unbeaten 91 against NSW in the 1990-91 Sheffield Shield final and a convincing 51 for the Australian XI against the West Indies in Hobart against the swiftly venomous Jamaican, Patrick Patterson, last December.
Patterson is regarded as one of the game's three fastest bowlers with Pakistanis Wasim Akram and Waqar Younus, and Phillips acquitted himself well. It was hard to go past him when it was decided Marsh should go.
Ultimately, in his Test baptism-of-fire in Perth, Phillips failed. He made eight and 14. Now, having resisted the temptation to use David Boon as opener throughout the five Tests, although he regularly opened in the limited-over games, the selectors-Laurie Sawle, Bob Simpson, John Benaud and Jim Higgs-have turfed Phillips out.
In effect, after one Test, they have announced their initial judgment was wrong. Boon and Taylor will open in the Sri Lankan Tests.
Presumably, having chosen paceman Reiffel for his maiden Test in Perth-he claimed 2-80 from 28 overs-and having ditched him for Sri Lanka, their assessment of him was also wrong.
Moody may be the new No 3 in Sri Lanka, and Australia will probably get away with it.
Against the West Indies such a move would be a disaster. Moody could not handle it. He is a No 5 or No 6 against their fast men. Boon will be No 3 again next summer. There is nothing surer.
That leaves the selectors back where they started, considering Geoff Marsh as Taylor's opening partner or some young innocent like Matthew Hayden or Justin Langer-or Phillips-to open the batting against Patterson, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and some new bomb-thrower like Kenneth Benjamin.
The selectors should have had the courage of their convictions. Chairman of selectors Sawle was in Perth and saw Langer's magnificent 149 when Western Australia were 3-3 in their second innings, and facing death in the Shield final.
They have botched it, and botched it badly. And the West Indians are laughing.
© 1992 Sydney Morning Herald
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