Having impressed in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka, 33 year old George Bailey is in line for a return to the Australian Test squad when they travel to India in early 2017. Bailey wasn’t part of the Test team that crumbled against spin in Sri Lanka, losing 3 – 0.
The Australians’ trouble against spin goes back for a while now, having lost 9 consecutive matches in Asia in row now. There is a review going on to look into the performance in Sri Lanka, but there are large calls for improvement.
The review is set to focus on a ‘spin based approach’ going into the future, with ‘horses for courses’ being the selection policy. Bailey scored a 70 not out and a 90 not out in the third and fourth ODIs in spinning conditions in Dambulla.
Bailey has really impressed with his ability to handle spin, opting to play the sweep shot at will to counter the spin. It is a strategy that the Sri Lankans largely used in the Test series, and Bailey seems to have studied it closely and incorporated it into his game.
He has impressed his Tasmanian state coach Dan Marsh with his performances."If they're looking for someone who can play spin well in the subcontinent, I'm sure he's got his name up there. That's what driving George. He wants to play Test cricket again. It's the ultimate test and he wants to get back there."
George Bailey has played only 5 Tests for Australia so far, all coming in the 2013-14 whitewash of England, where he failed to impress, scoring a total of 226 runs. He has been a constant in the Australian ODI setup and has registered nearly 3000 runs at an average of 42.
At 33, this is the perfect time for George to enter the Australian Test setup. And thrive.
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