Ex-Test player savages Aussies over Cartwright selection
A former Aussie Test player has taken aim at selectors over their decision to hand Hilton Cartwright his ODI debut against India.
Cartwright was picked to open the batting with David Warner in the first one-dayer on Monday.
The young all-rounder could only manage 1 before he was castled by Jasprit Bumrah, as the Aussies went on to lose the rain-affected match by 26 runs.
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Ex-Test batsman Ed Cowan has since slammed the Cartwright selection, saying selectors are treating the national side 'like a development squad'.
“India is No.3 in the world, we’re No.2 in the world yet we’re treating our national team like a development squad at times,” Cowan said on Fox Sports.
“This is not the series to be blooding players.
“Pick your best team every game and there will be chances through the year because of injury, because of playing a weaker country where you can bring guys in.
“But to turn on the TV and see — and this is no offence to Hilton Cartwright who’s a fine player — but there are people who bust their guts in the domestic competition and blow it out of the water, they get one or two chances and then they’re sacked off."
Cartwright has played two Tests for Australia, averaging 27.5 to go along with a 45.05 mark in first-class cricket.
However he's struggled in the shorter form of the game, averaging just 16.83 in last summer's one-day domestic competition.
Cowan said Usman Khawaja should have been opening with Warner instead, while guys like Moises Henriques and Callum Ferguson would feel themselves hard done by.
“I’m using him (Cartwright) as an example — he’s a fine cricketer, nice guy — but averaged 16 with the bat. One hundred runs at 16 for the whole competition yet he’s the guy that opens the batting for Australia,” Cowan said.
“There are guys who averaged 40 or 50. (NSW all-rounder) Moises Henriques has averaged 70 twice and he plays two games in the Champions Trophy and is out the door.
“This guy (Cartwright) will play a lot of cricket for Australia and he will do very well, but now is not the time.
“He is a fine four-day player, but this is a completely different format. In Test cricket I don’t mind him batting at six. In one day cricket, opening the batting — there are guys queuing up to do that.
“They (the selectors) are picking guys based on who they want to pick. There’s no structure based around performance a lot of the time.”
