Player Selection: why the intrigue?
When was the last time Australia went into a home Test series with a settled opening pair? And some Ryder Cup commentary.
Because it’s topical.
American Ryder Cup captain, Keegan Bradley, confirmed what many golfing pundits got wrong; he chose not to pick himself for the upcoming Ryder Cup matches in New York.
I thought he would. Why? I punted on him being the egotistical, polarising person he once was. If anyone could do this it was Keegan. So, it was encouraging to hear the captaincy had helped him grow as a person and golfer, and to become more connected with his peers, those comrades he has always chosen to keep at arms length.
“I used to go to the course to do my job and disappear, a life in the shadows.” A refreshing change of course for the 39-year-old New Englander.
SpeakingCricket is made possible by your subscriptions. If you're still a free subscriber, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Your support truly makes a difference.
I was going to continue with, “That’s not going to help you Bradley, the Euro’s will come and kick your ass all round Bethpage Park Black.
Yes, I did. Why not, there are so many numpty’s on the U.S. team—I doubt half of them could pass the, “No dickheads test.”
This week, it is Europe's captain, Luke Donald's, turn to select his six picks. The local media (London) say Donald will enjoy a relatively stress-free sleep tonight in comparison to his opposition. Europe look set to field the most settled/predictable team in Ryder Cup history. Projections show 11 of the same players as Rome, with the only change being Rasmus Hojgaard replacing his brother, Nicolai.
The matches start September 23, in a New York State public park. I, for one, cannot wait.
Team selection is a complicated dance between ego and unity, individual skill and cohesion, particularly the higher up the chain you go. One of the first books I read post-playing was Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings—thank you, Hector. Not knowing what to do, coaching was an obvious path to take. I still read it over.
Jackson still maintains that the best teams are those where each member knows their role, embraces it, and most importantly, understands that their individual story is just one part in a larger narrative. I wont bore you with Michael Jordan stories, but I would recommend the book to anyone who plays in this space.
What makes Bradley's evolution fascinating is that he's experienced both sides of this dynamic - from being the lone wolf to now becoming the shepherd. Jackson said on this, “The beautiful paradox of team sports is the moment when an individual transcends their individual ego.”
Parochially, it is easy to argue that the Europeans enjoy a more lucid responsibility with the challenges of leaving egos on the team bus. Their resurgence through the eighties was founded on Jackson's team-first principles; they continue this as a matter of course, where the Americans flit in and out of that space like an absent-minded schoolboy.
These selection dynamics—the intricate balance between individual ambition and team cohesion—play out even more dramatically in cricket, where careers are decades long and statistics tell only part of the story.
As we approach another Australian summer, we find ourselves wrestling with the same fundamental questions that Bradley and Donald face: how to mould unity from individual talent, when to set free and evolve, and when to hold firm.
When was the last time Australia went into a home Test series with a settled opening pair? Never—in recent times. You would have to trawl back to the Hayden/Langer period. I fear Sam Konstas will be back in school for a while longer—in my view, not a bad thing for the young Sydneysider. His time should come again.
This top-order hole will be the focal point of the Australian early-summer debate.
Spots four, five, six, and seven are locks. Steve Smith needs no greater motivation than the current form of his counterpart, Joe Root, to steel his resolve. The Travis Head/Harry Brook face-off looks irresistible. Cam Green will be back in situ at six. Beau 'Slug' Webster has done nothing wrong. And Alex Carey has some Ashes demons that need burying.
As a refresher, here's how the last Australian Test XI lined up:
Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood.
Why is Usman Khawaja not a lock? Fair question.
Khawaja turns 39 during the third Test in Adelaide, with his recent record trending downward—not unusual at this stage of a player's career.
2024 yielded 415 runs from 18 hits, averaging 25. And in 2025, Khawaja has 461 runs at 38 with a career high of 232 in Sri Lanka. Stand the double-hundred out, and he averages under 20. Combine that with a declining strike rate, and it doesn't offer much solidity and confidence, which is needed against this England team.
As mentioned, Sam Konstas appears to have surrendered his spot with a run of low scores and no real signs of improvement in his learning/problem-solving.
Typically, Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw would be offered as possibilities; however, that ship has sailed. Nathan McSweeney will start the Shield season playing for a second chance—which I believe he should get—and other notable names could be Jake Weatherald, Henry Hunt, and Jason Sangha. That said, none of them averages 40 in first-class cricket. I would punt on Sangha over the rest.
And then Marnus Labuschagne. Much might rest on his slumping shoulders. At his fiesty best, Labuschagne is a highly effective top-order player who can endure pressure and counterpunch as needed. Like a golfer who won majors, hitting a draw, who then decides a fade works better, more recently, Labuschagne abandoned his modus operandi for both a clone of Steve Smith and then an old-fashioned English blocker. He needs to get back to being Marnus and be comfortable with that. His team needs that to.
So, there's the cast on the Australian side of the aisle, minus a couple of left-fielders, which I might keep up my sleeve for now.
Later this week we can intro the English cast.
As always, thank you for being here.
