Ashes 2013
A Tale of Two Dual Nationals
August 16th
[10:00 CEST]
Fawad Ahmed is about to make his long-expected debut in England, replacing
Xavier Doherty in the Australian squad for the ODI series after the Tests. Although
the move was expected, there has been a certain amount of ribaldry about that
the fact that his elevation has come at the expense of a spinner who played in
the 2010 Ashes in Australia: the Australian habit of dropping a spinner to
present the latest sensation. Doherty played two Tests on the tour of India,
with some modest success and has been an ODI regular, although he had few
opportunities in the Champions Trophy campaign. However, the fact that, after a
successful pair of games in the First Class matches of the South African tour
(figures of 4-54 and 4-23 v Zimbabwe Select, 3-177, 4-80 and 0-6 v South Africa
A) Fawad Ahmed was much less successful in the unofficial ODIs against India A
and South Africa A, taking just two, expensive wickets, including a return of
1-73 in the second game against India A has put a bit of a dampener on this,
although he reportedly bowled better than his figures of 2-274 in the ODIs suggest.
For
Australia this is a good piece of theatre as it will take some of the pressure
off other members of the squad and will serve as a low-key introduction to the team,
with expectations low after the Ashes defeat. There is also the not
inconsiderable issue that, quite often, the introduction of just one new player
can suddenly change the fortunes of a side. Adding Fawad Ahmed to the winter
Ashes squad may just give them the X-factor that they need to back up their
impressive new ball attack and stop England from constantly recovering from bad
starts.
Another
interesting move, especially due to England’s failure to pick Sam Robson for
today’s Lions game is that Cricket Australia have made it possible for the
numerous dual passport-holders in Australian cricket to play Shield cricket in
the winter as well as county cricket in the summer. One typical reaction by Australian supporters to the
suggestion that Australia had picked the wrong Middlesex opener for the Ashes, was
to say that, as he had never proved himself at the top level by playing Shield
cricket, he could hardly be expected to succeed for Australia in international
cricket.
Now there is
the interesting possibility that something akin to the Andrew Symonds situation
might arise. Symonds was born in Birmingham, so British by birth, but his
parents emigrated to Australia when he was still very young and he became a
naturalised Australian. He signed for Gloucestershire on his British passport
having guaranteed his availability for England allowing him to play as a
domestic, rather than an overseas player. However, when offered an “A” tour –
the precursor to the Lions – he turned it down and declared for Australia instead,
making himself ineligible for Gloucestershire, being called-up almost at once
by Australia. Sam Robson’s mother is British and British nationality passes through
the mother (I have personal experience of how this works with two close members
of my family with two different second nationalities, so I have seen the system
from the inside), so Sam Robson was automatically entitled to a British
passport and, as he has played almost all of his serious cricket for Middlesex
(being ineligible for State cricket he can only play club cricket in Sydney).
Robson has not declared either way even, it seems, confidentially to people
around Middlesex. The
most that he is prepared to say is, apparently, “I know which I have decided
for”. There is a real possibility that he could be picked both by
the Lions (he is not eligible for the full England side until next spring) *and*
for Australia to play in Australia this winter. If that happens, he will have
to decide one way or the other and will end up making the other side very
unhappy.
It is always
possible that Robson was not picked for the Lions because he had indicated,
privately, that he would refuse an invitation until the situation in Australia
became clearer. If so, England might be about to lose a prodigious talent if
they do not make a counter-offer quickly.
England know
that they must make on change at The Oval. Tim Bresnan has been diagnosed with
a stress fracture of the lower back. After going under the knife for a second
time to make good what looks alarmingly like a first, failed operation, that
left him down on pace and a shadow of his former self, he has bowled at a high
level against the Australians, taking valuable wickets and bowling some fine
spells when little was happening. England’s win in the 4th Test owed
a lot to how he cleaned up David Warner, opening an end completely for Stuart
Broad’s final spell. A series total of 103 runs in 3 Tests and 10 wickets at
under 30 hugely underestimates his contribution to the team.
With Graeme
Onions’ fitness in doubt due to a broken finger, there is a possibility that
Chris Tremlett might go straight into the side, as the local man who knows the
ground. However, Tremlett’s performances have not been totally convincing this
summer and he was, for a time, dropped and unable to get back into the Surrey
side. Recent word is that he is getting back to his best, but the crazy gap in
the County Championship during the Ashes makes it very hard to assess anyone’s
form. However, as Surrey are involved in Finals Day (albeit it looks like the
weather may be the only winner), he could make a late bid for selection, if he
can lead Surrey to victory. A second option is Boyd Rankin, widely expected to
be England’s reserve this summer. The wild card though could just be Liam
Plunkett, re-born in Yorkshire, who has Test experience and looks to be getting
back to the sort of form that caught Duncan Fletcher’s eye back in 2006. He is
also a more like-for-like replacement as a swing bowler and hard-hitting
batsman who would slot in as 3rd seamer in Bresnan’s #8 spot. A big
performance for the Lions in today’s game could just get him the nod.
[16:30] Just
a random thought on Sam Robson. With the possibility, remote as it may be, that
the selectors could give Jonny Bairstow a game off to recuperate with some runs
for Yorkshire in their County Championship run-in, an alternative to restoring
Nick Compton as opener, with Joe Root moving back down to #6 for the Oval Test
would be to play Sam Robson as opener. It would be a big tempter for him to
play a Test and would test his desire to play for England and reaction to a big
match. There is just one small problem: as stated above, unfortunately even
though he is eligible for the Lions, he cannot play a Test for England until
the spring series next year.
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