By George, what a radical move!

A current player mdash George Bailey mdash becomes a national selector How radical is that Its not overly surprising from one front and that is such moves are expected in Australian cricket For the men from Down Under have always been at the forefront of change and almost every innovation in the game has emerged from the Southern HemisphereBailey is part of the threemember panel which also includes Trevor Hohns and coach Justin Langer and he adds value through his T20 experience Many pundits find no gain in being cynical of the move since Australia recognise that they have not done as well as they should have on the international arena in this format which is becoming increasingly popular thanks to their Big Bash league Also with the next T20 World Cup to be held on their shores next year they want to be counted as the team to beatAnything can happen with form and team requirements so I wonder whether their T20 squad will feel the need to include Bailey and what happens when there has to be discussion on him Hell probably leave the room and let Hohns and Langer discuss his meritsHas a selector been asked to play for his country Yes It happened in 1956 when Englands Cyril Washbrook was asked to leave the room by his coselectors Gubby Allen Les Ames and Wilf Wooller while discussing the squad for the third Ashes Test at Leeds after an Australian win at Lords Washbrook then 41 returned to find out that he was included in the side for the next Test He had last played for England five years earlier during the 195051 series in New Zealand He didnt take his customary position at the top of the order but batted at No5 to score 98 in his comeback innings which contributed to England winning by an innings and 42 runs He played two more Tests in the series scoring six and zero in the Manchester and Oval Tests respectively in an Asheswinning summerBack to Bailey His extensive experience across all formats and deep knowledge of T20 cricket will be invaluable as we head into a home T20 World Cup next year and beyond Australias head of national teams Ben Oliver said on WednesdayDoubtless Australias selection committee has an interesting look about it mdash a current player the coach and a chairman who has been around for ages The inclusion of the coach in the panel is highly debatable since if the coach doesnt see eye to eye with a player he can always bat for his ouster at the selection meetings Be that as it may the longevity of chairman Hohns is extraordinary The former legspinner who played seven Tests for his country mdash all in 1989 mdash first became a selector in 1993 before being appointed chairman in 1996 He held on to that post till 2006 and returned in 2016 He is expected to be around till 2020Hohnss first stint as chief selector coincided with a glorious period in Australian cricket that witnessed two World Cup wins in 1999 and 2003 a period in which they were the number one Test side too the only blots being the series losses to India in 1998 and 2001 I met Hohns at the Brabourne Stadium before the start of the 200405 Test series He was comfortable with the fact that he had played the least amount of Tests as compared to his coselectors Allan Border David Boon Andrew Hilditch who had a combined experience of 281 TestsHohns has taken some low blows in the form of criticism His unpopularity rose when he had to tell Steve Waugh that he was no longer needed in Australias oneday squad after a lukewarm show in the 200102 VB Series Mark Waugh too played his last game for Australia when Hohns was chairman When Hohnss committee dropped Brad Hodge and preferred Damien Martyn for the 20052006 Test series in South Africa Mark didnt hold back while talking to the Herald Sun and Sen Radio I think the board need to have a very hard look at Hohns thats where the issue is Hes been there for a decade which is a very long time to be in charge of picking our cricket teams There have been some funny selections lately said MarkHohns appears on 22 pages of Steves 801page autobiography Out of My Comfort Zone And while the author appreciated the fact that it was hard at times for Hohns to discuss selection issues with a former teammate Hohns and Steve were part of Borders 1989 Asheswinning squad he didnt resort to diplomacy while writing about his ODI ouster I fully realise selection is not just based on statistics but also on gut instinct but I felt cheated that they had strung me along to within 12 months of the 2003 World Cup and then terminated my career without so much as one discussion wrote SteveIn our 2004 chat I asked Hohns about the various attacks he had copped including one from the late cricketerturnedbroadcaster David Hookes who once said that when a player is given a New South Wales cap the selectors also slip in the baggy green Hohns put that down to a tongueincheek remark but on the other criticisms he said At the end of the day we are in a position to select teams People in pubs have got their own opinions as well but lot of times and at most times they dont know what goes on in the background and they make presumptionsLooks like Hohnss latest colleague in the selection committee will have no problems dealing with media barbs What better for Bailey than to have a fellow selector with a 16year experience in the jobmiddays group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates