Ian Chappell urges Oz selectors to leave Bailey out of winter Ashes

Sydney: Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has said that leaving ODI captain George Bailey out of the first Test of the winter Ashes series is the correct move for Australian selectors, despite Bailey`s mountain of runs in one-day cricket.

Chappell called for Australian selectors to ignore the clamouring from Cricket Australia (CA) and a public that are desperate for victory over England and choose a combination that gives the side their best chance of winning. According to News.com.au, Chappell said that a selector has to look past the number of runs and see the batsmanship, adding that Bailey is a batsman who is restricted through the cover region, can be stifled by good spinners and is troubled by well-directed short-pitched bowling. Stating that facing a quality England attack on bouncy Australian pitches is a far cry from what Bailey has been relishing in India, Chappell also said that Bailey`s moderate first-class record and those limitations are not a good template for a Test batsman. Chappell also mentioned that there is also a vast difference between batting against a pedestrian attack hoping to contain and top-class bowling predators seeking wickets with field placings to reflect those widely varying approaches, adding that the five main batters should be David Warner, Chris Rogers, Watson, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith.