Watson Axed In Selection Shift

The Age

Monday November 24, 2008

By ALEX BROWN, BRISBANE

RICKY Ponting closed the chapter on an undistinguished Test victory against New Zealand by placing his players on notice and revealing a radical shift in Australian selection policy.

Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark sealed a 149-run win over the Kiwis in just 47 minutes yesterday, but no sooner had the victory presentation ended than Ponting was outlining the need to expose more players to international competition ahead of crucial series against South Africa and England.

In detailing Australia's adoption of a "horses for courses" policy, Ponting effectively drew the curtain on the immutable selection stance favoured by former chairman Trevor Hohns and ushered in an era when few spots are guaranteed and the make-up of the Australian XI will be constantly reviewed.

Selectors showed their colours yesterday by demoting Shane Watson from the XII for the second Test and recalling Victorian paceman Peter Siddle, while spinner Jason Krejza will play in Adelaide. Siddle, who is playing for Victoria in Perth, said last night: "If I get a game, I get a game, but if not, it's just good to be back in the squad."

Ponting said of the Australian selection policy: "I just think we've got to be a bit more flexible on our selection in different places. If you look through the depth of Australian cricket, I think there are guys who are going to be able to give you more in different conditions around Australia.

"I think ... our selectors, have got to start looking at those sort of options, especially with some of the cricket coming up.

"We've got South Africa here, at the WACA - which will be a good place for the swing and quick bowlers - and then we've got Melbourne and Sydney, which will be the other way.

"Then we take (South Africa) on over there on wickets which we saw last time seamed all over the place," Ponting said. "We have to start looking at the guys that are going to be suited to those conditions and even look ahead to England as well. We're going to need people over there who can swing the ball and stand the seam up, and do that all the time.

"If we go to Adelaide on a wicket that's very flat and might offer a bit of reverse swing, we have to pick guys who can use those conditions better. We need to look at every way you can to have the most impact. They are some of the lessons we all learnt in India."

Chief selector Andrew Hilditch said he was happy with Watson's recent efforts, but confirmed that Krejza would take his place. "We have been very pleased with Shane's development, but for the Adelaide Test our intention is to play a specialist spinner rather than the make-up used successfully in the first Test," Hilditch said.

Ponting was hardly in a celebratory mood after Australia's victory yesterday, acutely aware that a more powerful foe than New Zealand might have exploited Australia's frailties.

Only the innings of Michael Clarke and Simon Katich provided Australia with an advantage over its seventh-ranked opponent, and had the tourists held their chances Katich might not have been in a position to rescue his side.

Victory was achieved in quick time yesterday, with Johnson claiming three of the four remaining NZ wickets to finish with 5-39.

Clark, too, was impressive in collecting 4-43, revelling in his return to bouncier, familiar surfaces after a vexing tour India.

"A lot of the younger guys came back from a long, hard tour of India and probably had their confidence knocked around a little bit. Even some of the more senior guys - someone like Brett Lee - probably got a lot out of this game," Ponting said.

For the Kiwis, the outlook is grim. A defeat in Adelaide would sink them to eighth on the Test championships, behind the West Indies and above only Bangladesh.

In a bid to bolster its ranks, NZ will consider replacing underperforming all-rounder Grant Elliott with batting specialist Peter Fulton, and spinner Jeetan Patel for Iain O'Brien.

"It's the easiest thing in the world to captain a winning side, but when you're losing it is hard," said Kiwis captain Daniel Vettori. "Not just the players, but management feel it as well, so you've got to juggle them and keep them going.

"It is a testing time when you're trying to captain a side that's put in a performance that you're not happy with, because there's 14 other guys that are feeling different things at any given time."

© 2008 The Age

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