Succession...

It plays out across sports teams at almost every level, from the grass-roots hopefuls to the glitzy, elite-level performers, who receive luxuries beyond reason.

The TV series, 'Succession' currently leads the Emmy Awards nominations list with 27 votes. I hear you; so what?

I haven't watched an episode, but it’s not hard get the gist. The beleaguered father leaves a 'drowning duck' to his son; the son breathes life into it, brings it to float, and then takes over the world. It has nothing to do with succession until succession becomes necessary, similar to our story here

From: Ideogram

And, our story?

One that plays out across sports teams at almost every level, from the grass-roots hopefuls to the glitzy, elite-level practitioners, who are afforded luxuries beyond reason.

How do we manage 'succession' when it becomes a reality? The Australian men's cricket team is one of many entities to grapple with this insidious problem.

It starts with a simple but convulsive sentence from George Bailey, national selector for the Australian men's cricket team.

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"There were plenty within the team who were pretty keen to go on record and say that they weren't keen to do it."

Bailey, after confirming Steven Smith will replace David Warner as Australia's Test opener in the upcoming series against the West Indies, Smith will partner Usman Khawaja at the expense of 'succession' hopefuls: Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and Matt Renshaw. Spare a fleeting thought for the optimists who have only done what the palm that feeds them has asked of them: score domestic runs consistently.

The recipient of such incestuous bias, Steve Smith, has never opened the batting in 16 years of first-class cricket, including 165 matches, 105 being tests.

Evidently, Smith is bored with his current lot and needs fresh challenges. It sounds akin to bigamy.

Not content with sounding like a selector from the weekend warrior tribe, Bailey went a step further, "So it was refreshing that Steve came forward and said he wanted it."

Yes, he wanted it! Still sounds like something untoward?

And, there's more, Bailey added:

"It was something that we've been chatting about in the background as a selection panel with the coaches as well.”

And more Bailey:

It's selfless that someone who's had such success in one position, or a couple of positions in the middle order, is open and willing and hungry to go and have a crack at something new and something different."

Where to start?

Firstly, Bailey has to be taken to task when he says, "It's something we've been chatting about in the background."

This current iteration of Australian selectors has never been more visible, training gear and all. Background, my arse!

The rest, well, there are several ways to dissect this; eventually, I decided on a tongue-in-cheek roleplay scenario. Here goes…

It's a balmy Friday night before a big game—actually, it could be any game. Fuelled by a few happy hour frothies (beer), the 'gun' batter (Steve Smith) gets on the blower to the captain/coach/selector (George Bailey)—a position known to many in clubland, in this case, selector; it goes down something like this:

"Hey George, it's a bit ruff Davey pulling the pin tomoz cos—what's her name (Candice)—wants him home on the weekend, don't you think?"

George, "Smudge, bloody oath, don't know what's with him or her, anyhow, we'll be right." "You on the mid-strength?"

"Nah mate, wagon tonight, work to do tomorrow, that's why I'm calling." Smudge offers confidently.

Continuing and not letting George back into the dialogue, "Now listen ol' mate, not sure who you're bringing up, like, the cupboards pretty bare? We both know the standard below isn't what it was, right? You keep telling me that?"

Smudge adds, "So, with that in mind, reckon I should open, what's ya read on that?" "Sorry Georgie, one more thing." "I've. done pretty much everything there is to do here, filling me boots and pockets, and reckon this might keep me from playing off scratch for a couple more years; we got that big face-off with the poms next year, what ya reckon, bro?"

"Smudge, you read my friggin' mind, our minds for that matter—the other selectors—we've been knocking this round for a while now; I even leaked it to the Tasmanian press—not sure it got to Sydney and Melbourne!" "I mean, Mitch (Marsh) stuffed things up, making those Ashes runs, remember?" "We want Greeny in—he's the tall dude from the West—you go up to open, and we slot him in at four. Done deal."

There you have it: George Bailey and his champion batter conversing on their version of 'succession.'

Hold on, George had one more gem to offer:

"Smudge, what about Trav (Head) opening? You stay at four, Mitch comes up to five, and Greeny slots back in at six?" "Trav's opened for the SACA, hasn't he? Pretty sure he has. He's captained also, and he's been pretty good for us the last 12 months." Smudge replied, "You on the heavies, George!"

As easy as that, Bailey and Smith thwarted a plausible plan for getting Cameron Green back into the side because one believed the other was drinking heavies the night before a game!

Seriously, what hope did the successors have? After canvassing opinions on the three hopefuls, I landed here:

Renshaw is a different cat with pommie heritage; Bancroft knows too much, and Harris is a little too orthodox for this caper. Oh, the joys of conspiracy.

George Bailey should be thrown in the Derwent with some heavy shoelaces tied firmly together. And, if that's too radical, his scriptwriter should be sent instead.

Steve Smith is, and has been, an extraordinary performer for Australia. I have no doubt he has the game to open. Cameron Green is as an exciting talent as there is in world cricket; there's plenty of work to do, particularly with the width of his skill set, but still, the ceiling is lofty. But, and a big but, the language used in relaying this decision has been abominable. There remains a persistent undertone of contempt in how the administrators or selectors share their strategies and thinking. What is wrong with laying your IP to bare? What is there to hide? Treat those at the end of your message like you do your own gremlins.

And, finishing, if in managing their team, Andrew McDonald and co. choose to focus on the ‘now’—which they are—then craft a message to this effect, rather than burying it in the classifieds—Murdoch-like.

As always, thank you for being here.