Just when the Ashes series appeared to be heading towards the dull end of the competitive spectrum, the Australian selectors did something extraordinary.
They have named a barely believable squad for the first Test, which starts on Thursday in Brisbane.
It is so left-field that one could be forgiven for reckoning that they want to give England a chance, perhaps fearing the public disengaging with the five-day format having been starved of competitive action at home on that front for yonks. Well, that’s what the conspiracy theorists will say anyway.
Yet it has been stunning enough to see the Aussie odds drift to win the series – previously bombproof they are now -175 with Paddy Power.
So what have they actually done?
Well, for some time Australia have worried about their No 6 batsman and their wicketkeeper. Indeed, we have written about it before on these pages. Now they have hit the panic button.
Shaun Marsh, who has been a tried and trusted failure at this level, is back for the umpteenth time. Injury plagued and an T20 specialist, it is a gamble. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with one pick of risk? Sure. But there’s more. After a break of seven (yes, seven) years Australia have recalled keeper Tim Paine. No one saw this coming, not even Paine himself when he was asked to be a fielder so the man he has replaced, Matthew Wade, could get glove time for Tasmania.
And yet there’s more. Matt Renshaw, the opener, has been ditched in favour of Cameron Bancroft, who is actually a wicketkeeper. Renshaw was solid and Bancroft, despite good domestic form, is completely unproven.
Confused? Don’t be. These picks expose Australia’s insecurities. They are so bizarre and so ‘out there’ that for some strange reason England have them worried.
The tourists will be delighted. Criticised for sending a weak batting line-up Down Under – rightly so – England can barely believe their luck. In a stroke the Aussie selectors have nullified the supposed batting advantage they had. They are now inferior in terms of lower-order runs. Paine hasn’t scored a first-class ton since 2006.
Moreover it proves Australia are worried about England’s attack. By picking specialist batter Marsh at No 6 they are minus an all-rounder and signalling they need as many runs as they can get. By contrast England are blessed with two genuine all-rounders in Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes.
England are shortening across the board from on our green listed bookmakers +400. They are +300 with Betfair. That could soon look huge with a much tighter series expected.
And that’s great news for us punters. The Ashes is five matches long. That’s a potential 25 days of action. Those will be fascinating and exciting if the sides are much closer in terms of ability than previously thought.
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