Selectors’ disdain for Sheffield Shield is sabotaging the Test team

October 25, 2026 — 8:30am

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In an attempt to put the crushing second Test loss to South Africa into perspective, Pat Cummins said the result might be a good thing if it could “kick the side into gear”, and that perhaps the victory in Durban the previous week had papered over some hefty cracks.

Was the captain trying to do an England on us and claim a moral victory when the scorecard told a very different story?

I can’t remember a loss by an innings in what was effectively a three-and-half-day match – after winning the toss, sending the opponent in and getting the best of both the bowling and batting conditions – having been presented as having an upside.

Cummins was correct about the wallpaper, though.

“Bowlers win games, batters save them” has been a cricket adage since WG Grace replaced the bails, and this Australian squad has worn that maxim out. And why not, when you have four or five of the world’s best doing their thing?

Temba Bavuma batting with the lower order saved South Africa from a sub-200 innings, and then his bowlers did the winning.

Australia’s decision to pick a bespoke attack sans Nathan Lyon and his 573 Test wickets proved to be an error of judgment.

As Bavuma dug in with his lower order, Cummins searched for variety and had to settle for the truly part-time spin of Matt Renshaw, Nic Maddinson and Marnus Labuschagne. It did not work. Beau Webster kept the........

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