The National Selection Panel - Still Work To Do

This week's announcement by the National Selection Panel regarding the team for the next group of ODIs left more than a few cricket followers scratching their heads, and inspired a number of esteemed cricket figures and current players to make public comment about the team, about the leadership of the team, and the current state of Australian cricket in general.

There's no doubt that, despite the aberration in Hobart, that Australia, so far, have had a very successful summer of cricket. Defeating the Indians 4-0 with a growing dominance over their opponents and an effective leadership of the team by Michael Clarke restored confidence in our national side. And while the resurrected tri-series has continued Australia's winning ways, Clarke's hamstring injury and the treatment of wicketkeeper and fill-in vice-captain Brad Haddin has again raised questions about the group selecting the teams.

Now, no one outside the playing group would suggest that Haddin had a good summer, or that is form clearly warranted a spot in the ODI side. However, the selection panel, in initially leaving Haddin out of the ODI squad in favour of Matthew Wade, stated that Haddin was being rested, rather than being dropped. This is a characterisation with which Haddin, to some extend, disagreed.

Well, Haddin has had some rest, but it seems now the selectors have forgotten about him. He's still not in the side, and there is now an additional reason to have him in the side.

With Michael Clarke to miss Friday's game against Sri Lanka, someone needs to captain the team. Ricky Ponting's presence in the side is clearly warranted on this year's form, but having a former captain in the side is territory Australia has not traversed in a very long time, bar Greg Chappell's swansong in 1983-84.

Brad Haddin was Michael Clarke's vice captain through the test series against New Zealand and India this summer, in the absence of Shane Watson. It is fair to assume that if Haddin was in the side on Friday, he would be leading it. But we won't, and he won't.

For some reason Michael Hussey is not considered for such a role, and the selectors have stated that David Warner, who was vice captain for the first three ODIs in the tri-series, is not ready to lead the side. So they have gone back to Ricky Ponting for at least one match. It appears now vice captain is some sort of honorific title, rather than an actual designation that if the captain is off the ground or not playing, you will lead the team.

In addition to all this, for this season at least, there seems to be a lack of planning towards the end of the ODI cycle, which is the 2015 World Cup. Preparations should clearly have begun to construct the 15 man squad who will play in that tournament. There is plenty that will happen in the next three years, to be sure, but players should be being tried and tested in international cricket now. And players who are clearly not going to be playing in three years time should be transitioned out of the side.

Yet we see an ODI side with Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey who, while probably all being in Australia's all time ODI team, will not play at the 2015 World Cup. While Ponting and Hussey may not be keeping any players who are currently demanding selection out, selectors in the past have taken punts on playing players before their records demand such a selection. And Alisdair McDermott is certainly putting together a record that demands selection, while Peter Siddle is rested and bowling superbly. Yet the selectors have gone with Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus.

All this shows that despite the changes to the National Selection Panel, and the obvious progress that has been made during the summer, they haven't got everything figured out just yet.