Petersen’s rise has been a revelation

In the past few weeks wersquove witnessed opposing aspects of Test cricket First itrsquos been shown in all its glory and then wersquove seen many of the gamersquos flaws fully exposedThe Australia versus England series has often been frustratingly onesided It was apparent again when the ebullient Travis Head aided by Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green launched a defiant counterattack in HobartIn the first three Tests it was mainly the home side displaying the grit and application that fiveday cricket requires That led to a frustrating 12 days where Australia steam rolled their way to a series victory while English cricket was exposed for all its ineptitudeEnthralling cricketIt was only when Joe Rootrsquos batting skill was duplicated and England finally applied some bowling nous that a Test was saved Even then it was a close call At the SCG Australia were still by far the better side expertly led and prepared to expend the desired energy but at least England unearthed some much needed fight Some nine hours away South Africa surprisingly defeated India in an old fashioned dog fight that included some enthralling cricket It also involved ample emotion which was notably missing from a surprisingly uncontroversial Ashes contestThe South African series involved bowling domination This came on pitches which were probably too much in favour of the fielding side but also included some exquisite batting Because the defiant batting wasnrsquot so prevalent gutsy innings by Dean Elgar Temba Bavuma KL Rahul and Virat Kohli stood out The exhilarating shot making extravaganzas played by Rishabh Pant and Keegan Petersen proved that aggressive batting with scoring in mind could be achieved even on testing surfacesIn particular Petersenrsquos sudden rise to fame has been a revelation and begs the question ldquoWhere has he been hiding all this timerdquoThis example exposes one of the mysteries of Test cricket do some selectors know what they should be looking forPetersen is in his prime aged 28 but hersquos only played five Tests Despite lacking experience he has all the requirements of a Test No3 including a wide range of shots which hersquos prepared to play plus a solid defence So why is he only playing nowSometimes players deserve an opportunity on potential and temperament alone and this is where good selection stands outThe England side contains further selection mysteries Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are two talented young batsmen who have the credentials to be longterm successes at Test level Sure theyrsquove had their failures and like many before them they need a confidence boost but technically they are far better equipped than the stylechallenged Dom Sibley or Rory BurnsTherersquos always a temptation to choose gritty players and there are times when this can be a wise selection On the other hand fans expect to witness a few aggressive young selections and when these players come off they provide great entertainmentEver since the introduction of T20 cricket wersquove been told that Test batting is now more aggressive and fielding has improved Well how come the public is often being told ldquothatrsquos a good leaverdquo and ldquothat ball was left on lengthrdquoCommentary statements should be qualified so that outfielding is described as more entertaining slip catching has regressedAlso I wouldnrsquot mind betting that of late more balls are being allowed to pass When a classy strokemaker like Kohli fails to score off nearly 40 balls itrsquos time to sensibly apportion the aggression in the gameDetermination and disciplineThere is a time for determination and discipline However Test cricket has for a long time been included in the entertainment bracket and this has to be part of the selection processA good Test selector is capable of including both considerations in his choices and that is why they are highly regarded When it comes to financial rewards cricket should start valuing selection more highly than coaching it would make a pleasant and worthwhile change