The test team selection for the India tour turned out to be quite predictable in the end. Of the fifteen I had mind as per the previous post, there are thirteen choices in common. Though as far as the starting lineup is concerned it may well be a different story.
Interestingly, it looks like my assertion that McCullum should bat at three is shared by the management. Having two uncapped pacemen in the squad, Andy McKay and Hamish Bennett, smacks of desperation and I would have gone with a reserve opener instead. And, Gareth Hopkins gets to add to his solitary test cap at Nottingham two years ago; while I'm not a fan, he has a good attitude which may manifest itself better in the longer version.
The McCullum-batting-at-three idea sounds good in theory but is more a hunch than anything else. The man talks a good game and harbours big ambitions, but has rarely lived up to it all on the park. The decision to give up the gloves in tests is likely to have a major impact on the rest of his career, so how he fares with the bat should be one of the major talking points over the series.
Top Cricket From The Second Tier
13 years ago
2 comments:
Word on the street is McCullum also harbours some serious leadership ambitions, and feels stale in the Vettori regime. This move to 3 could be as much about placating him and giving hm the opportunity to show some much-needed maturity.
I forgot about McCullum's captaincy aspirations, that would certainly be an incentive.
If we're in a situation where McCullum can serve the team best only by getting the most out of himself, then fair enough. This doesn't seem like the best time to be continuously making statements in the press, as he's been doing.
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