02:59
‘We can build something new together’ – Hazlewood
While a few metres away Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb collected their bags for the very first time as Australian Test cricketers, Callum Ferguson reflected on how he had been picked and discarded in the space of a single week.
The scenes at Adelaide Airport – apart from the scuffle between South Africa’s support staff and an eager television reporter – reflected these strange and tumultuous times for Australian cricket. Handscomb and Matthew Wade arrived from Melbourne a few minutes before Renshaw and Usman Khawaja jetted in from Brisbane.
They were accompanied by the South Australian side that failed by 12 balls to eke out a draw against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba. After the travails of the past two weeks it isn’t hard to imagine numerous figures at Cricket Australia hoping the Test team can be that competitive against South Africa this week.
The last man out at the Gabba, Chadd Sayers, wandered through the arrivals hall in an Australia team polo Ferguson had donned only a few days before. Though he had every reason to be upset, even bitter about his treatment, Ferguson put on a commendably brave face, befitting the even temperament of a man who has retained his perspective and hunger to perform even in the face of two knee reconstructions.
Asked whether he was confused by how he had been dumped so rapidly, Ferguson did not bite: “Just disappointed at this stage, as you are whenever you get left out of a team. It is disappointing anytime you get left out of a side, so it’s back to the drawing board. Make runs for South Australia, win games and hopefully fight my way back in.
“It was certainly a really exciting week but a disappointing one. We had a really tough week on the field. I’m backing the Australian side to bounce back after this, it has been a tough few months but certainly they’ve got the quality in the side so I think they can bounce back.”
The interim selection chairman Trevor Hohns had offered Ferguson a slight glimmer of hope for the future when informing him that his services were no longer required – there has been talk of taking him to India. “I spoke to Trevor the other day and he said the door is certainly not shut,” he said. “Get out there, make runs and certainly you’ve got an opportunity to get back in there if you do put them on the board.”
The sheer turnover of Australian players was not lost on Josh Hazlewood, formerly a young bowler in the team yet now one of the more senior members. “I think with such a young group, it is exciting,” he said. “We get to build something together. I think there is not as much pressure because it’s everyone’s first game. We need to start from a point moving forward and hopefully this group gets an opportunity to do that, not only in one game but over a period of time.”
Later in the afternoon, Renshaw trained at Adelaide Oval for the first time, and in practice occupied the first slip post that had until last week belonged to Adam Voges. All connected with Australian cricket, even Ferguson, will hope the revolving door stops here.
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo