I am Number Three - The Boxing Day Spectacular!

With eyes off Phil Hughes' selection, this blockbuster takes place

“Number 3 batsmen are the key element in stabilising the team’s innings, they can make or break and innings through scoring runs or starting a collapse”

Three of the best First Class players in the country, one spot, Boxing Day, India. That’s the equation that the Australian selection panel is left to figure out on who will bat at number 3 on Boxing Day and subsequently for the rest of the Indian series this summer. Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Ed Cowan all boast exceptional qualities as suitable candidates to fill the position, but with the predicament currently faced after Australia’s loss to New Zealand in Hobart and inadvertently the  middle order collapse, the right decision must be made simply on who will score the most runs and become the best asset to the team. With Shaun Marsh nursing an injured back, and therefore doubtful, the selection is made a little harder when playing the second best test team in the world who have the batting firepower of an atomic bomb through Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.

Shaun Marsh is the logical and first choice player to take the number 3 spot but through this persistent back injury that has clouded his career, he finds himself in doubt for the Boxing Day test. If picked Marsh most likely not be at 100% but can the selectors deny the chance for a player who has made 284 runs from 5 innings at an average of 57 including 141 on debut. Pulling out of the Chairman’s XI game might give him some much needed rest to recover but there is still the serious doubt, taking this is into consideration .Since his inception into the Australian One Day International team in 2008, I thought for a very long time that Shaun Marsh was the man to take Matthew Hayden/Simon Katich’s reigns after a fairly decent run in the opening position. Although this was not the case I believe that Marsh, after being held back a little longer than expected, has the big chance to flourish this summer and cement his spot, hopefully at the top of the order.

Usman Khawaja, Mr consistent. The statistics in test match cricket he has acquired probably don’t tell the full story. An average of 29.5 doesn’t indicate that Usman has faced an average 75 balls per innings in which from 11 innings he has failed to make double digits twice, in which he has only gotten out once for 7. The key to Khawaja is going on with his innings, because you can be pretty confident in saying that he will shape a start to his innings. All Khawaja needs is a big score to silence the critics as he did for NSW where he holds a solid average of 45 and over 2000 runs in Sheffield Shield. Personally, I see Khawaja as a more solid version of Marcus North, in that if he can build a solid foundation and click over a score of 30-40, he will go on to make 100+. I think Khawaja has drawn the short straw for the predicament that he is in, being seen as the weak link in the batting order that may be dropped for the Boxing Day side because the selectors have faith in veteran players that are not pulling their weight. One big score for Khawaja and he will be assured 10+ more test matches.

A solid inclusion for the Australia A squad for the past 5years, Ed Cowan has now become the big fish in the little pond that is the Sheffield Shield. Amazing form this season in First Class cricket with 5 scores of 65 or more within his last 7 innings (3 being over 134) and injuries has seen Cowan rocket to the top of the Baggy Green waiting list. I’m not too sure about what to say with Cowan in terms of being selected for Boxing Day, I see him as an outside chance but serious doubt would have to be cast over the ability of Khawaja and an injury to Marsh would have to sustain him for Cowan to don Test Cap #427 from my point of view. I like Cowan and it definitely is only a matter of time or an injury away from his debut on the test scene. I think that when/if he does debut, he will rocket out of dominating Shield cricket much like Brad Hodge did back in 2005.

After due consideration has taken place from my point of view in selecting who I think should bat at number 3 on Boxing Day, Shaun Marsh would take my vote. In saying this, the serious doubt over Marsh back will most likely restrict him and keep him out of this one. If Australia is going to be playing the second best test team in the world, all players should be 100% fit and ready to score runs and take wickets. I’d have Khawaja as the replacement for Marsh, on the grounds that he is retaining his spot from Hobart. Cowan is an outsider chance, probably more than Daniel Christian although he is in the squad, but a lot of luck would have to rest with Ed for him to get the nod. Between Usman and Ed during the Chairman’s XI match, if one fails and the other shines...that could sway the selector’s decisions.

Once Ricky Ponting (and then Hussey) eventually retires; the space will be freed up for another one of these three batsmen to land a permanent spot in the side. I think that ultimately, to fit these batsmen in, Marsh will open the batting and Watson will slide down the order.

Second Slip,