Cricket: Bombshell pick puts ODI side on notice

Don't be surprised if the James Hopes selection bombshell heralds the start of a general re-shaping of the Australian one-day side.

The 26-year-old Queenslander was stunned this week when he learned of his selection in the one-day squad to tour New Zealand, at the expense of injured team-mate Shane Watson.

Hopes was such a bolter that he was rendered speechless after the squad announcement, and neither his father nor girlfriend believed him when he broke the news.
However, former Australian batting great Greg Chappell said yesterday that the selection of the rookie all-rounder was a vote for the future, and an indication that the Australian selectors were ready to make the tough decisions.

Chappell, himself a former Australian selector, said the axing of Darren Lehmann was a clear sign that the powers-that-be were preparing to rejuvenate the side before the 2007 World Cup tournament.

"They're looking to the future again," he told the Weekend Herald. "To me it looks like more than a form thing; it's more like a generational change, looking ahead and making sure there's time to give the up-and-coming guys some reasonable opportunities.

"History shows that they've tapped Allan Border, David Boon, Ian Healy, Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh on the shoulder and have basically told them, 'Right, guys, it's time to move on and let the next generation through', and I think this is pretty similar."

Chappell subscribed strongly to the theory that ODI cricket was a young man's game, and that when so many rising stars were knocking on the door, it was necessary to open it occasionally.

He said the shock selection of Hopes and the ruthless omission of Lehmann would make it clear to the incumbents that no one was indispensable, and that plenty of young turks were in the wings waiting for their chance.

In fact, he said, Hopes might just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of new faces.

"A lot of guys in that squad will be on the wrong side of their 30s by the time the next World Cup rolls around, so there may well be other changes as well," he said. "I think it just puts everyone on notice. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past, it's all about your performance now and looking to the future."

Chappell described Hopes as a useful cricketer; an intelligent one-day bowler, a lively fieldsman and an aggressive lower-order batsman, in much the same mould as Ian Harvey. He said Hopes was arguably a better one-dayer bowler than Watson - the man he replaced - on account of his ability to change his pace and tailor his bowling to the conditions. "He isn't as quick [as Watson] but he hits the deck when he needs to, and changes his pace frequently, and I think he's a more versatile cricketer. Hopes has come from the furthest back and there would have been a few others that the selectors must have considered.

"But if you talk to the players, Hopes is pretty well respected, and they feel he has what it takes to make the next step up."

A business/marketing graduate, and single-handicap golfer, Hopes was struggling to retain his place in his state side at the start of summer, due to fellow all-rounders Watson and Andrew Symonds. But he enjoyed an impressive summer, scoring 513 Pura Cup runs at 46.63 and taking 13 wickets at 28.92, thanks largely to a more aggressive approach.

"It was more about trusting the way I try to play," Hopes said.

"I got to play for Queensland by being fairly aggressive, but I never trusted it at the next level. When I bat I don't like knocking the ball around and seeing how long I can bat for. I like to play my shots."

PROFILE

JAMES REDFEARN HOPES

* Age: 26

* Right-hand bat

* Right-arm medium-pace

* Teams: Australian Under 19s, Queensland, Australia

* Domestic one-day batting: 811 runs at 23.85 (strike-rate: 82.92)

* Domestic one-day bowling: 68 wickets at 25.58 (eco rate: 4.41)