Test coach goes in to bat for Joe’s spot
Langer backs out-of-form opener
JUSTIN Langer has given the strongest indication yet that Joe Burns may hold off Will Pucovski’ s compelling bid for a first Test de but in Adelaide.
The Australian coach reiterated the words of national selector Trevor Hohns by declaring it should be harder to drop out of the Test team than it is to get in.
Langer, pictured, indicated his personal inclination might be to back in players who had lifted Australia back to No.1 in the world, although he stressed things could change over the coming weeks and nothing was set in stone, with two other selectors also on the panel.
Either way, selectors have committed to making an early call on Burns v Pucovski in their race to partner David Warner — with a decision to be made more than a week out from the series opener.
It’s a massive conundrum for selectors. Past greats like Michael Clarke, Mark Waugh and Kim Hughes have strongly advocated for Pucovski to be thrust straight in on the strength of his record-breaking start to the domestic summer. Many would consider it a shock if Burns holds offPucovski, but selector s consider the Queen slander to bean unsung hero behind last summer’s climb back to the top of the worldrankings—andmayfeel regret for pruning him from last year’s Ashes when he’d made 180 in his previous Test.
“There used to be a saying that it’ s harder to get out of the side than it is to get into the Australian cricket team,” Langersaid.
“When guys have done areally good job for us—like in this case what Joe and Davey did for us last summer — there’s a reason we’re ranked the No .1 team in Test cricket.
“Those sorts of partnerships are really important, so we should never underestimate that. Will Pucovski is doing everything possible to play the first Test match, but that’s what we have to weigh up.
“We went through a period when there were lots of in sand out sand in my view, we should back the guys in there.
“We loved the combination of Joe Burns and David Warner. They work well together. So at this point I’ll say that that’ ll remain the same .”
Plenty of stock is being put in Burns’ proven combination with Warner, despite the fact he has struggled of late, at a time when generational talent Pucovski has barged the door down with consecutive double- hundreds for Victoria.
But whether selectors ultimately decide to honour the past, or back in the future, both candidates will be put out of theirmiseryearly.
While the Australia A tour match against India A from December 6-8 at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney will not be a “bat off” between Burns and Pucovski, it will be the point when selectors make their call on who goes on to partner in the first Test in Adelaide more thanaweeklater.