From bigstarcricket.com Jon Pierik Australia may have made a surprise exit in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup but that has been the least of their recent concerns, with player issues to sort out. Another soft tissue injury to Shane Watson and the behavioral woes of leg-spinner Stuart MacGill in Pakistan are far more concerning. There's great hope this summer MacGill can go a long way to filling the substantial void left by Shane Warne. Finally given a chance to prosper without Warne's imposing shadow hovering over him, MacGill knows home Test series against Sri Lanka and India could be the start of a prosperous year which could extend his 40-Test career by 22 matches. Already with 198 wickets, he could easily be nudging 300 in 18 months time and have proved he is one of Australia's greatest spinners. That is, of course, is if he can control a fiery temperament which has ensured a chequered disciplinary record. MacGill, at 36, pledged through the Australian off-season to do that but the early indications unfortunately add weight to the old adage that a leopard cannot change his spots. This brings us to Pakistan and an Australia A tour MacGill had said would give him the chance to prove to officials he would be a positive influence on an impressionable next generation of talent. So much for that. In his first match, against Pakistan A in Faisalabad, the big-ripping leggie was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for verbally abusing a batsman. The sanction has clearly put his Test future in jeopardy as new coach Tim Nielsen had said any more dummy spits would not be tolerated. The worry is this. If MacGill cannot control himself in a relatively meaningless series how will he go when Australia returns to Pakistan in March when the pressure really is on in a Test series and he is expected to take wickets? A major reason why Australia surged to its breakthrough series win in India in 2004 was because the players had pledged to keep their cool in conditions which always test even the calmest of characters. Can MacGill be trusted to buy into that in a four-Test series there next October and not jeopadise a session, let alone a full day's play or series, by losing his mind and control of how he bowls? Australia needs MacGill, as young off-spinner Daniel Cullen and his South Australian leg-spinning partner Cullen Bailey are not yet ready to handle the hotbed that is international cricket. But if MacGill cannot control his anger, the national selectors won't hesitate in taking the youth route. MacGill's temperamental behaviour was a major issue for former chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns, who publicly had to lecture him on the importance of team harmony. So great were these concerns that there were times MacGill was not chosen as the second spinner on overseas tours primarily because Australia felt he would be a potentially disruptive influence, particularly with so much time on his hands. MacGill also had a fractured relationship with former coach John Buchanan and was quick to launch an expletive-laden spray when he hurt his knee while orienteering during last year's pre-Ashes camp. An argument with an umpire in Sydney grade cricket led to a two-game suspension last season. The list rolls on and on. If MacGill is serious about his Test future, it's now time to show it. While MacGill battles his mind, the hapless Watson appears to be facing a losing fight with his body. He was forced to return home from the Twenty20 championship with a strained hamstring, the fourth time since November last year he has suffered a soft tissue injury. Australia must now say to him he needs to complete a full summer of domestic cricket before he is again considered for an international call-up. While Watson's talent cannot be questioned, it's unfair on him - and his team-mates - to continually wonder whether he can remain fit from ball to ball, let alone manage successive matches. Australia's selectors have been desperate to field a bowling allrounder _ namely Watson - in the Test and one-day teams since Andrew Flintoff ran amok in England two years ago. But injuries have conspired to allow the Queenslander to finish just two Tests - he required shoulder surgery after injuring himself during his third, since he made his international debut in 2002. At the tender age of 25, Watson's career is at the crossroads. Clearly, both MacGill and Watson have much thinking to do. © Copyright bigstarcricket.com |