It is hard to lose with 'A' games, even if your team doesn't score the most runs in the match. Regardless of the run, everyone is simply interested in the contest to see who played well & may make the transition to the National side.
In this way, 6's aren't expected but applauded, wicket-tally's are held in high-esteem rather than expected and everyone can simply enjoy the game for the entertainment it provides. Should a player not perform well, they can always go back to their first-class side and do well there to be considered for National selection, 'A' games aren't the last chance saloon.
Looking at this particular game in detail, I was quite taken aback when I looked at the Australian team card, which was almost as shocking as the 47th over of the Australian innings (bowled by Kulkarni):
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| A Quokka-like effort, if every there was one. |
For those of you unfamiliar with Australia's second-string players, the names on this team card won't mean much. For those of you more familiar with the players picked after Darren Lehmann has chosen his preferred mob; these names would be more than familiar.
That is, there is hardly any youth or inexperience in this side at all.
Phil Hughes may be only 25, but he has already played 26 Tests and been dropped more times than the Millenium Falcons Hyperdrive failed to work.
Similarly, many in the team have already played for Australia's Test, ODI or T20 side, but haven't been seriously considered, or "in the mix", for some time.
Starting with the "C's": Cameron White, Callum Ferguson, Clint McKay all have (at least) ODI experience and have performed well (at least) at first class level, but none seem like the future of an Australian team.
Alex Doolan is the Test teams incumbent first-drop, so questions really need to be asked why he is playing in a 50-over game that means nothing when he could be getting more long-form experience elsewhere (e.g. in County Cricket). If Aaron Finch, who seems to be in contention for the Test sides top-order, isn't playing in this match - there is no reason Doolan should be.
Cameron Boyce (another "C", but in the "D" category) spent the last week watching his first class wicket average move over the 40-mark after getting trashed by the Indian A team, which must really beg the question of where the young spinners are. Or whose wife Steve O' Keefe has slept with.
Of the rest; Mitch Marsh and Chris Lynne have done well at domestic T20 competition, so should possibly be given a go, though Marsh may not have the aptitude or desire to play Tests.
This leaves Josh Hazelewood, Kane Richardson and Peter Neville, all good players who may represent Australia one-day, but the team selected is hardly a glimpse into the future.
If the majority of this team isn't in serious consideration for playing for Australia in ODI or Test Cricket in future, the question has to be asked; why pick them at all?
Perhaps a lesson can be learnt here from The Galactic Empire. Sure, they weren't very good at prioritisation, but they did know a lot about succession planning.
From Star Wars Episode I (shudder), Palpatine is looking at Anakin Skywalkers development "closely", while working with and developing other Sith Lords to do his bidding, until such time as they are played out.
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| In this instance, "played out" and "had your hands cut off" are interchangeable. |
Now, I am by no means suggesting that Lehmann begin making his players fight each other to the death for selection in an "A" game (the games are interesting enough as is, thank you), or that older players have their arms severed off by young players, but that 'A' games are used for the point intended; to give the future players more experience against other international teams.
