Hilditch's Surprising Taste for Beer

Andrew Hilditch was long gone from the Australian side by the time of the 1989 tour of England, undone by hios fondness for the hook shot, but his recent performances as Chairman of Selectors suggests that he was paying close attention to the panic stricken activities of Peter May et al that summer, not as a cautionary tale but as a work of reference.

Having jettisoned Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus in the wake of the second innings at Brisbane he and his panel have now restored them to the party for Perth, the events of the second test having exposed Doug Bollinger’s lack of fitness and Xavier Doherty’s lack of ability. Hilfenhaus was a little unfortunate to be jettisoned in the first place, but Johnson has had a dismal year and hasn’t played any cricket outside the nets since the first test, so what exactly they are expecting to have changed is difficult to fathom. Perhaps they have been swayed by his batting – he is, after all, the only player in the series to have lasted for more than one ball at number eight.

The really eye catching selection, however, is that of Michael Beer, a twenty six year old left arm spinner who moved from Melbourne to Perth earlier in the year in order to forge a career with Western Australia. With sixteen wickets from five first class matches he at least has the virtue of a first class bowling average below forty, but his selection seems to be part of a continuing campaign to pick just about anyone except for Nathan Hauritz who, apparently, Ricky Ponting doesn’t want in the side. Announcing Beer’s selection, Hilditch was keen to point out that he had taken five wickets in the tour match against England but neglected to mention that he had also gone at over five an over. With a batting average of 3.6 he is hardly likely to bolster the tail either, so the logic of the selectors is almost impossible to fathom.

On the plus side, the selection of Steve Smith over Marcus North will improve the fielding, give a good extra bowling option and hardly weaken the batting and Phillip Hughes will feel that he has a lot to prove at the top of the order, but given that one of these changes was forced upon them it is difficult to give Hilditch and friends too much credit. If they lose at Perth then it will be fascinating to see where they go from here, but they may like to consider that the events of 1989 cost Peter May his job.