Follow UsWith Lance Morris being named in the 14-man strong squad for the Perth Test, there were calls for Australia to pick the speedster for the first Test against Pakistan. Morris was the only uncapped player in the 14-man squad, with it being a reward for his efforts over the past year.
However, Australia’s chairman of selectors, George Bailey insisted that the Kangaroos don’t necessarily need to do future proofing in the longest format.
"I don't think you necessarily have to do too much future proofing in Test cricket," Bailey told Cricket.com.au.
Australia are currently the champions in the longest format after their win against India in the 2023 World Test Championship. Bailey wants them to not take the upcoming series against Pakistan lightly, stating that every Test has points on the line.
"The way that World Test Championship points are set up where each Test is critical, and each Test has points on the line, I think you've got to respect the players desire to play Test cricket.
"Looking one of those players in the eye and telling them that they're not playing a Test, or you're devaluing a Test because of the perceived (weakness of an) opponent, I don't think you ever know what an opponent is going to be like until you're playing.”
"You've just got to respect the fact that everyone who plays Test cricket is desperate to be there,” he added.
However, there is a possibility that Morris could sneak in to be part of the Australian XI, given how the workload has been for Australia’s front-line pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Last year, an opportunity presented itself for Scott Boland, who took it with both hands.
With seven Tests in the next three months, three against Pakistan, two against West Indies and later two against New Zealand, there is a strong possibility that the pacers could be rotated, considering the short turnaround time between the Test series.
"We've seen across the last couple of years there's often opportunities that do open up in the fast-bowling space," he said.
"If or when they do, we're really comfortable with the guys (like) Scott and Lance in this squad and a number of other guys that have been in and around that Test squad for a number of years."
Bailey has kept a close eye on Jhye Richardson’s progress, with the Western Australian speedster just returning from injury, with five wickets against Queensland and also scoring a vital 35 with the bat.
"So there's clearly a high skill level there that we like and we're as excited, as I'm sure he is and Western Australia and all the Jhye Richardson fans out there are, that he's back playing.
"So you throw him into that bunch of guys who are in the frame for opportunities going forward that includes Scott, Lance, Jhye and Michael Neser, they've all had opportunities and we're excited about the opportunities they may get in the future."