Time may change me, but I can’t trace time

Because naming a post ‘C-C-C-Changes’ was too obvious, I thought I’d take the opportunity to use a few lines from the same Bowie song which reflect rather nicely on the situation faced by Australia in their selection for the looming Adelaide Test.

With the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval looming, the rumours in current circulation reckon that Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus will be making way for Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris in Australia’s bowling lineup.

Mitchell Johnson must certainly wish he could trace back to his series-winning performance in South Africa last year, as the ‘once-in-a-generation’ turned ‘no-wicket-in-a-match’ seamer has spent virtually every series since then looking like a shadow of previous shadows of himself.  It’s hard to imagine him looking any worse in his next match, wherever that might be.  At least he can get rid of that ‘tache.

Fellow cack-hander Bollinger offers a less erratic bowling action and has the distinction, like Ryan Harris, of not having faced England in Test matches before, therefore lacking baggage like Johnson has from the 2009 series.

That Cricket Australia may be considering replacing the hamstring troubled Hilfenhaus with Harris, who’s only just returning from his own layoff, gives a pretty good idea of what they thought of Johnson’s showing at the Gabba.

I would like to express my own disappointment with Mitchell Johnson.  I’d hoped he’d spread his levels of shite-ness across the entire series for extended comic value like last year, instead he’s put most of it into a a single cataclysmic cricket catastrophe.