Australian cricket legend Ricky Ponting has endorsed Aaron Finch, Peter Siddle and Mitch Marsh for new roles in Australia's upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan.
When the Test squad was announced , many pundits were surprised with a number of selections that new coach Justin Langer had made .
Namely, the inclusion of veteran Peter Siddle and exclusion of Glenn Maxwell raised eyebrows in the cricketing world, but Australia's all-time leading run scorer has supported the controversial selections made by Langer and his staff.
Aaron Finch revealed that he thought his Test dream was slipping away , but the mainstay in the Aussie-coloured clothing was backed to make his debut in the baggy green since the ball-tempering sanctions were handed down to precious first-choice openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
MORE: Australian cricket needs Steve Smith, but it will take time to recover from ball-tampering says Steve Waugh
Punter believers the 31-year-old will excel in the conditions of the UAE at the top of the order because of his continued success in international cricket.
"Although his (Finch’s) red-ball numbers aren’t outstanding, he has been in real good form in other formats of the game all around the world for the last few years," Ponting said at the launch of Cricket Australia's partnership with BKT on Tuesday.
"The conditions in that part of the world in the UAE, I don't think the new ball should do too much.
"It will probably be more like starting an innings against the white ball, which Finchy is very very good at."
While Finch's introduction into the Test squad was praised by most, Siddle's was met with confusion.
It would appear he was taken from the wilderness and picked by selectors in the absence of injured New South Wales duo Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, but his stellar form in England was what got him in the mix.
Siddle, now 33-years-old, hasn't played a Test since late 2016 when he took on South Africa in Perth. However, the paceman recently took 37 wickets in 16 County cricket matches in the UK following on from his productive Sheffield Shield season in 2017/18.
His consistency and partnership with another leader of the attack was why Ponting believes the 62-Test veteran can be relied upon against Pakistan.
"One thing you know about Siddle is that he’s not going to give too many easy runs away,” Ponting noted.
“With guys like Mitch Starc and Mitchell Marsh, those guys are probably more likely to leak runs on a consistent basis as they are wicket-taking bowlers.
"If you’ve got Siddle operating with Nathan Lyon you can guarantee that things will dry up pretty quickly."
While the squad was announced, no deputy for Tim Paine was revealed by Langer. Obviously, Steve Smith and Warner are unavailable because of their bans.
The obvious option appears to be all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who has captained Western Australia and was recently named skipper of Australia A in a two-match tour of India.
Ponting said selectors would probably select the 26-year-old with an eye towards the future.
"I think they (selectors) will go quite young and think Mitchell Marsh is the one they will lean towards," Ponting said.
"And I am thinking not only about Test cricket.
"I am thinking also towards the World Cup that's not far away and there's probably not a standout captain for our 50-over team right now.
"I think the way Mitchell has developed over the last couple of years, we all saw his Test summer in Australia last year was outstanding and he captained Western Australia last year and did a very good job."
AUSTRALIAN TEST 11 ACCORDING TO RICKY PONTING
Aaron Finch
Matthew Renshaw
Usman Khawaja
Shaun Marsh
Travis Head
Mitch Marsh (vc)
Tim Paine (c)
Mitch Starc
Peter Siddle
Nathan Lyon
Jon Holland
