Hogg and MacGill battle it out
Australia named their squad for the first Test on Thursday – and included 13 players who are in line to take on Sri Lanka
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
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Australia named their squad for the first Test on Thursday – and included 13 players who are in line to take on Sri Lanka. The inclusion of both Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill raised eyebrows across the media, although it is generally agreed that only one slow bowler will make the XI.
Robert Craddock, writing for Fox Sports, reckons that Hogg's inclusion is “a sobering slap in the face” for MacGill, who had been thought of as the front runner prior to the recent Pura Cup matches in which Hogg impressed. But, he says, the decision to give them both the chance to impress in the nets was the correct one.
Ricky Ponting, Australia's captain, told The Australian however that they weren't going to be assessed in the nets at all, and that the inclusion of both was to allow them to choose the best bowler for the conditions at the time.
Either way, he is keeping his cards close to his chest on the issue: "There is going to be a tough call, but I'm sure the selectors will make the right one."
Peter Roebuck, in the Sydney Morning Herald, merely thinks that to take a second spinner is a waste of an airfare.
Perhaps the panel is trying to be gentle with deserving players unlikely to make the final cut. But Stuart MacGill and Brad Hogg have not emerged from a delicatessen. They are battled-hardened warriors produced by a rugged system. They know the score and await the verdict. MacGill realises he has wickets on the board but needs to show form. Hogg understands that his stocks are rising but senses, too, that he is the challenger. There is no need to soft-soap them. Either they are in the team or not.