Cricket Australian named its squad for the Ashes yesterday. Much has been made in the media, both traditional and social, about the make up of the squad. Pundits seem to be screaming that CA has performed a roundabout on its “Future Planning” policy. These are the same pundits who screamed when the touring party to India was named “what ever happened to winning?”. Sadly, those pundits have missed the point of this squad which will discuss below.

Let’s be clear here: I have been a strident cricket of the policy of selection of Cricket Australia over the last 12 months. I have been extremely negative about the “Future Planning” policy and even at one point declared “the day the cricket died”.

This is an Ashes squad though that I have limited negative statements to make: why? Because I think Cricket Australia have, finally, picked a team that can win!

Why do I think Australia can win? Because the squad selected is, finally, replete with players with significant experience batting in English conditions. Cowan, Rogers, Hughes and Khawaja all have experience at the top of the order in “Blighty” and, particularly in the case of Rogers and Hughes have scored mountains of runs in the conditions that Australia will face.

The sanity that has finally prevailed and seen Cummins and Maxwell NOT selected also adds to my confidence and shows me that Cricket Australia has learned from the experience of the Indian fiasco by selecting for the here and now and not the times to come.

As a side bar I find myself feeling a little bit sorry for the position that “Big Show” Maxwell finds him in: unmentioned by Inverarity in the interview as even being close to selection (cf. Henriques and Smith), not selected in the “A” squad and in India on a $1M deal but yet to play a game. If he is a “future project” player Cricket Australia needs to ensure that it circles the wagons around him to ensure he get the support he needs as he returns to state game. If you need an example of where this has not been done and the result: I present to you D Christian.

There are other things that need to fall into line for the Australian’s to win the Ashes: R Harris needs to be fit for more than 50% of the tests, J Pattinson similarly needs to stay fit and N Lyon needs to get his mojo back as he had no support.

All things considered though, I sit here feeling more confident about Australia’s chances than I have in the preceding 12 months.

It is our urn and we want it back!