Justin Langer has hinted that James Pattinson is likely to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood in the playing eleven for the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand while Australia’s head coach also defended the selection of Peter Siddle in the 13-member squad.
“With Josh Hazlewood going down, we had to replace Josh with someone to keep the consistency to 13. Peter Siddle helped us retain the Ashes, he’s got over 200 Test wickets, he’s a ripping person around the team, leads all our values and for the Boxing Day Test match, seemed like a simple solution,” said Langer about Siddle’s inclusion in the squad while adding that the veteran pacer is unlikely to slot in the playing eleven for the Boxing Day Test.
“You’d probably imagine a couple of guys have to get injured probably between now and Boxing Day. We selected James Pattinson and Michael Neser, they both haven’t played yet. But they’ll be in front of him (Siddle), it’s again about the consistency of selection. There’s been a lot made about someone else coming in to replace Josh Hazlewood but you’ve got to cover your bases, particularly around Christmas time and with Big Bash going on, you have to make sure you have enough players to cover if required. I’d say James Pattinson or Michael Neser, or both of them will play the Test match,” said Langer.
The former opening batsman added that Pattinson is the frontrunner to make it to the playing eleven for the second Test against New Zealand, reflecting on his MCG experience and the value he brings to the team.
“James Pattinson, we know what he brings to the team; he brings so much energy, bowls good pace, he’s played a lot at the MCG. While we’re not going to name the side now, he certainly will be a frontrunner. You’ve got to manage it as well. Michael Neser played the last Shield game, James Pattinson the one before that. You’ve just got to manage it,” Langer said.
A few days back, Shane Warne said getting the 35-year-old Siddle back in the Test setup would be a regressive step. But Langer backed the decision, stating that a lot of thinking has gone in before the selection.
“Everyone’s got a different opinion on it, that’s okay. I don’t think we should discriminate against Peter Siddle who played the last Ashes Test match. We’re all about winning this Test series and we believe, if required, he would be the person to do that. We’ve got some other young bowlers who are unavailable because of injury.
“For example, Sean Abbott, he’s going into the one-day side so we want to see him play Big Bash cricket. He got Man of the Match in the last T20 game, we want him to keep playing Big Bash so he’s playing white-ball cricket. A lot of thinking goes into these things, it’s not just what you see on the surface. A lot of thinking goes into it and we think Sidds is the right person for this Test match,” Langer said.
