Chris Rogers and Adam Voges in reckoning for Ashes

He has vast experience of playing in England

Australia’s selectors are in a dilemma o select the Ashes squad duo to the poor batting quality available to them. However, they ensured that Chris Rogers and Adam Voges in contention for Ashes duty.

Today, Cricket Australia announced centrally contracted 20 players. They have expanded the contract players from 17-20. Steve Smith, Jackson Bird, and Moises Henriques have been omitted from the contract 2013-14, due to poor quality performance. Cricket Australia selector Inverarity said that Rogers and Voges have been recognizable with the conditions in England, and therefore he said that they’re possible Ashes tourists.

Actually, Voges and Rogers have the ability to handle swing deliveries nicely. They have also got the experience of playing in England in County matches, which should help support him a lot. Rogers has 9230 first-class runs in England studded with 28 centuries. Voges however, has 2736 first-class runs with four centuries, but comparatively has low average of 45.60 while Rogers has 53.97.

Inverarity was extremely disappointed by the Australian’s horrible batting performance displayed in India, and therefore, he had been forced to make the changes so as to decide on the best 17-member squad for the Ashes.

“We do not have the batting depth in Australian cricket now that we enjoyed 15 years ago. We just don’t. That’s something that cricket in Australia really needs to address and we need to get more batsmen making runs prolifically,” Inverarity said. “We thirst for players who do really well across all formats.

“That’s a concern for Australian cricket, as we’ve said consistently in recent times. We are looking for consistent, prolific run-scorers in all forms of cricket. Those players to whom it doesn’t matter whether it’s white ball, red ball, Twenty20, whatever it is, they go out and they churn out the runs.

“There has been an absence of that in recent years in club cricket, domestic interstate cricket, and international cricket, and that needs to be a real focus of coaching and development in Australia. It’s just got to be done, it needs to be done. That involves technique but mindset as well. That’s what we need.”

Surprisingly, Bailey has got the node and has been contracted for the year 2013-14. He’s generally a fabulous player in shorter-format of the game, but now has a significant task at hand to prove worth his place in the Test squad as well. “George Bailey has been one of our most successful ODI batsmen since he debuted in that format in March 2012” Inverarity said.

Inverarity compared Bailey with Doolan, who had been a central domestic batsman as he peaked with a spectacular century for Australia A against South Africa, and subsequently, had commitments with the Big Bash league from December to January. A player who would have emerged victorious at international level, failed.

But, Khawaja had been a reserve batsman for Australia during the series against India because of which he had missed Sheffield Shield tournament for Queensland including the final. When asked about this to Inverarity he said “He worked very hard in India and did well, and he will be well prepared,” Inverarity said. “He’s strongly in contention for the Ashes, but it is a concern [the lack of first-class matches]. It’s certainly not an ideal preparation, him not playing more red-ball cricket.”