Not unusual in world sport but Australian cricket has many arcane, byzantine and non-quantitative rituals about selections.
Once a player is established in first class cricket for three seasons it’s generally considered they are technically good enough for a baggy green cap. Then it’s a matter of having good form coincide with an opportunity.
Batsmen need to have at least two shots, any more is an indulgence. Alan Border scored the majority of his runs with cuts and on drives. They need to be able to hit boundaries. An average of 50 and a strike rate of 140 but get ‘em by nudging and noodling simply doesn’t cut the mustard. Batsmen are allowed one weakness. Ponting was Harbijan Singh’s personal bunny, but vulnerability to the short ball is more lethal to career aspirations.
From that point, mental capability is generally what separates Test from the First Class. Batsmen need to been seen as “working hard”. You hear the chant/mantra all the way down to the lowest grades. (No batsman has ever been told to “work smart”). The absolute cream, those languidly gifted and elegant few who make batting look so dammed simple (Mark Waugh, Damian Martin, David Gower, Kumar Sangakkara etc) but look like they aren’t trying when they nick off to a delivery the merely world class would miss by a bat width are regarded with suspicion.
Bowlers need to take wickets with their stock ball. Preferably they either bowl at 140k plus or turn it square. The success of offspinning Gary Lyon as #GOAT is an aberration not understood most of the cricket community, and I include myself.
Then at the final hurdle they need to add an personal edge to the team.
The Powers That Be will usually allow one of the top six to have an unconventional technique. The ODI side has three (Smith, Handscombe and Maxwell) which is a source of considerable angst.
Most often the delta is graceless, boorish, antisocial sledging and abuse. Wade was selected as keeper over a technically better keeper in Neville specifically because he was more verbally aggressive.
Coulter-Nile is probably in the squad because he’s hirsute or colloquially has “great salad”. MarshM and Stoines have great pipes and rig. Carey is possibly the first teeth based Australian selection.
Leading into the WC2019 a semi-final spot for AUS would have been considered a very good result.
If Starc had bowled a tidy first over rather than conceding 15 they might have pinched the win vs SAF, finished top and demonstrably overachieved pre-tournament expectations.
For the conditions at Edgebaston the injuries might actually see a better team fielded than we have all tournament. The game vs the Poms is six to five and pick 'em. [evil]Though the potential for two days of rain would add a certain fraissonse. [/evil]
Whoever gets through to the final only need two good deliveries (one to Rohit Sharma, the other to Virat Kohli) and they’ll take the title.
Still ENG’s tournament to take the chocolates, imho.