Aus vs Ind | Sean Abbott: The new string in Australia's bow

You can count on your fingers the number of all-rounders who have donned the baggy green for Australia in the last decade or so. Shane Watson straddled both lines but can hardly be spoken of in the same breath as Jacques Kallis. The joke on whether Ashton Agar can even turn a doorknob isn't dead just yet. And Mitchell Marsh when not sparkling to deceive is found unleashing the wrath of his iron fists on a concrete wall. Since the legend that was Keith Miller hung up his boots in the 1950s, Australia and all-rounders have remained two parallel roads that never seemed to meet. 

Throughout their world-beating sprees, barring the dire lull in the 80s, the Aussies haven't quite lost sleep over the vacuum of utility cricketers who could score centuries with the bat and pick five-wicket hauls with the ball. Or he's always felt like a spare part to their engine. They've preferred adhering to Test cricket's own version of football's 4-4-2, with six batsmen, a wicket-keeper bat and four top-notch bowlers cracking the whip. Nevertheless, they haven't gone cold turkey on experimentation either. Be it Cameron White, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith chucking pies in vague adventures to fit in the two-dimensional mould or James Faulkner and Moises Henriques pushing the envelope on their limited skillsets, there has been a sincere quest to bring the merry-go-round to a standstill. 

All's not lost though. It was only a matter of when than how as Australia dug deeper in their pursuit to unearth the rare specimen from their fertile bedrocks of domestic talent. Early days to proclaim that they've struck gold here, but something is always better than nothing. 

The very mention of Sean Abbott teleports the mind to the ghastly horrors of 2014 when his well-directed bouncer, unfortunately, spelt Phil Hughes' doom, but as they say, time is a remarkable healer. Though it took him ages to claw his way out of the rabbit hole of guilt and despair, understandably so, Abbott's progress with regards to his lesser-known calibre extends an olive branch to the Kangaroos' all-rounder paradox. Despite managing a solitary fifty in the Sheffield Shield during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 first-class seasons respectively, the New South Wales' pro wiped the slate clean in the 2019-20 edition with a healthy average of 33.28. The bangs on the selection gate quadrupled in might this season as he compiled his maiden first-class ton against Tasmania, averaging a robust 130.5 in the ongoing Sheffield Shield tournament to plant the cherry on his 17 wickets' cake at a nudge under 18. His 6 for 89 against Western Australia earned him player of the match honours in a damp squib where willows did most of the talking. 

No prizes for guessing, Abbott is now an esteemed member of the 17-man squad that'll lock horns with Virat Kohli and his troops in the fiercely contested Border-Gavaskar Trophy scheduled to begin on December 17 in Adelaide. 

Abbott's partner-in-crime in the Blues' camp, Trent Copeland is ecstatic about his colleague's promotion. "It's been really impressive to watch him go about his business with bat and ball. The hard work he's put into his batting paying off. It's a real value add for the guy who can play in a Test team and bat at seven or eight when they want to go with a certain balance," he opined. 

"I've no doubt he's ready to be in the Test hub if that was to come his way. His bowling, as a cricket nuffy myself, his planning and execution, his ability to go over and around the wicket and be exactly on the money, bumpers around the wicket, he's become a very well-rounded bowler at a good pace and he stands the seam up perfectly. He's as ready as anyone else if need be."

Given the resurgence of behemoths David Warner and Steve Smith, it's rather evident that Abbott's bowling will be the deciding parameter for a crack in the eleven come December. But for the moment, Australia would be licking their lips at the sight of an employee flexing both the credentials in his resume. Hopefully, it's not another flash in the pan.

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