X-man delivers in dream debut; potential Warner replacement nails audition: MCG ODI Talking Points

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THE X-MAN DELIVERS A DEBUT TO REMEMBER

Debuting for an Australian team clearly considering the future, Xavier Bartlett’s brilliant start at the MCG against the West Indies on Friday ensured his name will be at the forefront of selectors minds over the next couple of years.

The 25-year-old, who excelled for the Brisbane Heat during the recent BBL series, posted the second best figures by an Australian on debut when finishing with 4-17 from nine overs, setting the tone for his nation’s domination from his first over.

Bartlett, who fell just shy of toppling the best debut performance for Australia by current selector Tony Dodemaide, removed Justin Greaves with a magnificent outswinger with his third ball for the day to the great delight of the family and friends who travelled from South Australia for the occasion.

Having received his national cap from Marnus Labuschagne prior to play, he continued to swing the ball in the infancy of the innings to remove Alick Athenaze and Shai Hope in a devastating six over spell.

Australian legend Adam Gilchrist said that after delivering “a peach” of a delivery to remove Greaves, Bartlett demonstrated he had “all the tricks” of the trade with his next two wickets.

The South Australian, who has 62 wickets in First Class cricket at an average of 26, said midway through the West Indian innings he felt like he was in the midst of a dream.

“It feels pretty good. It is a bit of a dream at the moment. It is very surreal to be out here,” he told Fox Cricket.

After earning Player of the Match honours, Bartlett said he felt some nerves early on, both due to the occasion but also because he had not played any form of ODI cricket in more than 16 months.

“I definitely just wanted to get the first ball out of the way and hope that it was not five wides,” he said.

“I’ve opened the bowling a lot with the Brisbane Heat, but obviously it is a different level opening the bowling in international cricket, and it is something I will look back on very fondly.”

Such was the promise Bartlett displayed, former England captain Michael Vaughan suggested he could have been useful in the pink ball Test won in thrilling fashion by the West Indies in Brisbane last week.

Fox Cricket analyst Kerry O’Keeffe said the performance of Bartlett, who opened the bowling alongside fellow debutant Lance Morris, was important for a couple of reasons.

Critically, he said, the ability of Bartlett to deliver on debut highlighted the depth in Australia’s fast bowling ranks at the moment.

The World Cup winning trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are sitting out the ODI series against the West Indies to freshen up for the Tests against New Zealand after a busy 2023 in all formats of the game.

“(Bartlett) has burst out of the blocks as an international bowler,” O’Keeffe said.

“It warms your heart to see the bench so strong. With the big boys resting, look at this lot.”

With the ICC Champions Trophy next year, and a new ODI cycle leading into the 2027 World Cup underway, Bartlett is among the faces looking to secure a future in the national team.

Given his deeds with the Brisbane Heat, he also shapes as a fringe candidate for the T20 World Cup in June.

The pairing of Bartlett and Morris marked the first time since Chris Tremain and Joe Mennie in South Africa in 2016 that two debutantes had opened the bowling for Australia.

The last time in happened in Australia was in 1997 when Andy Bichel and Anthony Stuart combined.

Bartlett returned to the attack in the latter stages of the West Indian innings and was able to dismiss Gudakesh Motie for three to complete a memorable Melbourne outing.

NOW TO THE FUTURE? WHERE DOES THE NEW BARTLETT ON THE BLOCK SIT?

As Australia experiments in this ODI series, Bartlett said he is not yet certain as to whether he will be playing in Sunday’s clash in Sydney or Tuesday’s outing in Canberra.

He is also mindful of his spot in the pecking order and said at the start of the summer he had not considered the prospect that he was in contention for a debut for his nation

“Definitely not. We have so many fast bowlers at the moment, obviously,” he said.

“(Mitchell) Starc, (Josh) Hazlewood and (Pat) Cummins are probably the top three to ever do it for Australia, or in that conversation. And I really only got my chance through Jyhe Richardson’s injury and Nathan Ellis was injured as well, so there is definitely a long list of people in front of me.

“I just have to keep doing my best for Queensland and if I get an opportunity at the higher level, I’ll just try to take it and obviously try to learn as much as I can as well along the way.”

In O’Keeffe, Bartlett has a fan. The former Australian spin bowler said he was mindful of the debutant’s efforts in all forms of cricket but that Friday’s outing was the first chance he had to take a more detailed look at Bartlett.

“This is a kid who has been on the radar for a little while now and, you know, his first class numbers are really good,” O’Keeffe told foxsports.com.au

“I had not had a long look at him, because you can’t in the BBL with four overs, but he showed he could move the white ball away and he had tricks in the Powerplays.

“But today, I had a look at his mechanics and they are so solid. He has a beautiful action, a strong snap, a brilliant presentation of the seam and he bowls easy outswing but has one that can go the other way. He was a revelation to me. I didn’t realise his skill level was so high and he bowled accordingly.”

West Indian captain Shai Hope said that while his side had only watched footage of Bartlett prior to his debut, he was clearly a player with a future.

“He has shown that he has got the ability to perform at this level,” he said.

“He is not the quickest, but as we have seen, you don’t need pace to be destructive. It was a very consistent (performance), I must say, and he looked like he belonged.”

O’Keeffe said he made contact with a friend during Bartlett’s opening spell to learn more about him and was impressed by the assessment of his source.

“I’m hearing through a mate of mine that he is a good egg, a good bloke, that they all like him,” O’Keeffe said.

“He has learned about swing through a fella called Chris Swan and he has come from a strong sports school, so there are a lot of background stories which suggest this kid is the real deal. But he is a bench player because the big boys are not going anywhere.

“But he is probably ahead of a few because he looks strong and if he stays sound, he is going to be ideal.”

INGLIS STAMPS HIS CLAIM FOR VACANT OPENING SPOT

Prior to the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey declared he still believed he had a future in short-form cricket after being dropped during the World Cup. That may be the case, but dislodging Josh Inglis will be a significant challenge.

Inglis delivered the firmest of responses on Friday night in a stunning display as he turned Australia’s chase of the West Indies tally of 231 into a breeze with a rapid 65 and might just have solved another problem for national selectors.

In playing with power and poise, the wicketkeeper-batsmen also demonstrated why he is a leading candidate to replace David Warner at the top of the order in long-term calculations with his dashing effort.

The Western Australian rattled off his half-century in just 28 balls, which is the equal-third fastest 50 scored at the MCG in the format.

It prompted former English captain Michael Vaughan to declare it a strong audition for the vacant opening role.

“He has played great. He is a class player. He has got the game to hit the ball 360. He has the power game. He has the finesse,” Vaughan said on Fox Cricket.

“And he has a great opportunity to grab that opening slot. It is the perfect start in 50 over cricket at the top of the order for him.”

Mike Hussey declared it “a treat” of an innings while Kerry O’Keeffe said it was a superb audition to open alongside Travis Head in the ICC Champions Trophy.

Australian great Mark Waugh concurred, stating Inglis is particularly hard to bowl to given the array of shots he has in his arsenal.

But he believes Inglis got too cute late in the innings and missed the chance to make a massive statement when edging Gudakesh Motie to Alick Athanaze.

O’Keeffe, for his part, said Australia might have been wasting Inglis by batting him lower in the order in previous outings.

“He played a couple of little cameos in the World Cup, Josh Inglis, that suggested this guy has got a temperament and a skill set (to succeed), but was he wasted at numbers five, six and seven?” he told foxsports.com.au

“He reminded me of Michael Slater at his best with how still his head was at contact, how quick his hands were and how strong he is. From the point of contact, his bat speed is stunning and he picks up length really well.

“I know this is not the best attack in the world … but if tonight was an audition for him, he has passed it with honours. The others have got to go better than him.

“I’m sure Matt Short will be given opportunities, but Inglis has set the bar high and I am excited about what he might do as an opener.”

A HOMECOMING SUCCESS BUT FAR FROM A MASSIVE CELEBRATION

The sun was shining in Melbourne on a day that was perfect for cricket, yet Friday scarcely seemed like a triumphant homecoming party for a champion Australian team which was robbed of a wild party after their World Cup success in India last November.

There were no tickertape parades for the successful squad when they returned home ahead of a busy summer, nor a proper opportunity to celebrate as the Australians split immediately after the triumph over India.

Scheduling quirks ensured Australia’s first ODI outing since the stunning World Cup success did not occur until more than two months later, by which time the nation had played Test series against Pakistan and the West Indies and also completed a Big Bash League season.

And as a result of differing priorities in the months ahead, only five Australians who contested the final were in action with senior team members rested after a busy summer. Not even coach Andrew McDonald was required for the outing.

While the West Indies stunning triumph in the day-night Test at the Gabba last month boosted interest in the summer, it did not translate into a monster crowd in Melbourne.

Hopes that 30,000 would filter into the MCG for a match played after the school holiday period seemed optimistic.

The whisper before play was that about 17,000 were expected, with the MCC opting to close the Ponsford Stand and the entire upper deck of the ground.

It is questionable whether 10,000 were in attendance initially to witness the brilliant burst from Bartlett, although the crowd started to fill out a little at the completion of working hours.

The atmosphere differed sharply from Australia’s last ODI outing at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, despite Pat Cummins effort to reduce the partisan Indian crowd to silence.

COOKING KEACY CARTY

The jerk chicken on offer in the MCG dining room was on point during the innings split as the smell of an old-fashioned barbecue lingered over the ground.

Keacy Carty had batted superbly to push the West Indies towards a semi-competitive total and was within range of what would have been a well-deserved century when he was cooked by a poor decision by partner Hayden Crease.

The body language of the pair told the story as accurately as Sean Abbott’s throw to run out Keacy for 88 at the end of the 40th over, which stalled the West Indian momentum.

As Carty gestured in frustration while leaving the MCG to a round of applause, Walsh knelt on his haunches about 15 metres from the pitch, his chin resting on his bat as he pondered the shocker.

Such was his despair at “barbecuing” the top-scoring West Indian, to borrow from Kerry O’Keeffe, Walsh did not move a muscle as Carty walked off the MCG in great disappointment.

“He played some beautiful shots, but he was absolutely burned, wasn’t he?” Fox Cricket expert Mike Hussey said.

“It is a horrible feeling when you run your teammate out.”

After a slow start, a target of at least 250 seemed possible at that stage given the solid work from Carty and Roston Chase, who was bowled by Zampa for 59 in the middle stages.

Former Australian great Mark Waugh described the run-out as unforgivable. But he also said Carty should have had the good sense to send his partner back.

“That run out was so crucial to the score that they could possibly make,” Waugh said.

“It was an horrendous run. Horrendous. But I suppose the one thing Carty could have done was send him back, because it was never close to a run.

“I just don’t know what Hayden Walsh was thinking. It was a great bit of fielding to hit the stumps, but he has hit it straight to him. (Abbott) did not have to move a muscle.”