Peter Handscomb’s low returns Australia’s only middle-order concern
Two out of five Tests of the 2017-18 Ashes are gone and Australia are 2-0 up with history at home favouring them. Thus far, all of David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja have hit a half-century each; their captain Steven Smith has already got one of the most adamant Ashes hundreds in recent memory; the number six gamble Shaun Marsh silenced his critics by compiling a dogged century himself; Tim Paine, perhaps the most shocking selection across both sides, responded with a fifty and sharp wicket-keeping; and all four of Australia’s bowlers – most impressively the ascending Nathan Lyon – are among the top five wicket-takers of the series.
Peter Handscomb, the only one left, has a top score of 36 so far. A total of 62 runs in three innings is not a warning bell – great players have endured a worse run through their eventually successful careers – but a deeper inspection of Handscomb’s past might act like a caveat for Australia.
Two of his first six Test innings brought him hundreds – he went past fifty in another two of those, including the one on debut – but in sixteen innings since, has passed the half-century mark only twice.
Inducted into the middle-order following the Hobart horror against South Africa last summer, Handscomb was a part of a trio of debutants in the day-night Test at Adelaide that followed – the others, Matt Renshaw and Nic Maddinson, have been already sent back to the domestic circuit to find form again – as a year later, Australia boast of a brittle yet more dependable line-up.
But Handscomb has been found short of runs amidst Tests in India, Bangladesh and also those against England so far in the home season post the end of the 2016-17 summer. A fluent right-hander with pleasing cover drives and deft leg glances, Handscomb’s low scores stretch back to early 2017. Out of eight innings on spin-friendly surfaces in India, he fell six times to spin and once to pace with his highest contribution of a stubborn 72* amidst a reluctant stand of 124 with Marsh at Ranchi saving the Test for Australia.
Handscomb displayed a fine technique and impressed fairly on his first tour sporting the Baggy Green, keeping a more experienced Khawaja out of all four Tests, and when consecutive visits to Asia demanded that he batted with an equal, if not more, poise and determination as at Ranchi, he answered the call notably well five months later in Bangladesh.
Though he fell to left-arm spin both times in the first Test at Dhaka after getting an impressive start in the first innings, he responded with a gritty 82 at Chittagong. Handscomb succumbed to the cruel heat of the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium and was seen wearing a wide-brimmed hat – modern batsmen scarcely do that in the days of protective helmets or comfortable caps – but the hot and humid conditions trapped him badly. Nevertheless, he went on to strike valuable runs which brought Australia level in the series; that was his highest Test score since the 110 against Pakistan at Sydney in January this year.
At Brisbane in the first Ashes Test, he was foxed by a James Anderson cutter which came much slowly than he expected; in the first innings at Adelaide, he was again hit plumb on the back foot which remained stuck in the crease and his stay in the second innings was ended by Anderson when while poking outside off with stationary feet sent a catch to third slip.
But as much as the dearth of decent contributions and mode of dismissals will bring Handscomb worry, so will the inclusion of Mitchell Marsh in the squad for the Perth Test against England to follow.
Fresh and fitter than before post shoulder surgery, the presence of Marsh’s pace-bowling all-round skills will come handy considering the temperatures and the track at Perth – his return to the playing eleven would mean more of a break between spells for the frontline fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – as well as bringing an in-form player into the mix.
The younger Marsh amassed 402 runs for Western Australia this Shield season at 44.67 besides raking up 338 runs in the JLT Cup, where he was dismissed only twice out of the six times he batted, thus swelling his average to 169.
Promoted to captain his state in first-class cricket this season, Marsh was even hailed as a man who could captain his country in the future by his coach at Western Australia, Justin Langer. The former opener was keen to see Marsh back into the eleven despite knowing it would be difficult to alter with a winning combination in a series as grand as the Ashes.
“He's also captain of Western Australia now, showing great leadership and doing a very good job of that. And he's bowling again, so you can understand it's zero surprise to me, as it has been throughout his whole career, that he's an attractive player for the selectors. It's a no-brainer really,” reasoned Langer. “Whether he forces himself into the team, time will tell. From an absolutely biased Western Australia cricket coach point of view, I hope he does. But it means someone will have to miss out – and probably nobody deserves to miss out when they're 2-0 up – but he's certainly done everything he can to knock hard to get into the team."
Pressure will now be on Handscomb to retain his place for Perth, and as per Langer’s former teammate and incidentally, Australia’s current coach, Darren Lehmann, Marsh is not far away from getting his place back which he had lost after the Bangalore Test against India earlier this year. “We've got all the reports back and JL [Langer] has been really impressed with him," Lehmann said as Australia gathered to gear up for the third Test against England.
“His batting has been exceptional all summer and he's led from the front as captain. He deserves his chance. Other people might be unlucky to miss out but Mitchell fills the role we need for this particular Test match. As a batter he was in some good form. But we needed his bowling as well. Now he's bowling, we can consider him."
For someone like Handscomb, who was even considered as a frontline wicket-keeper for the Chittagong Test before Matthew Wade eventually retained his place, it would mean an axe from the Test side a year after Test debut. That would be hurting after commencing a career where he was not dismissed under fifty in any of his first seven innings – a world record for any international batsman – and one where he still averages over 47.