Australia's selectors deserve to shoulder the blame for much of the Ashes debacle, according to Test great Shane Warne who is mystified at the omission of young gun Pat Cummins at The Oval.
The injury-plagued paceman was overlooked for the fifth and final Ashes Test with selectors plumping for veteran Peter Siddle - with 192 Test wickets, but none since last December.
The decision left Warne flabbergasted, and triggered a stinging appraisal of the selectors, particularly chairman Rod Marsh.
Despite the green-tinged wicket and overcast conditions appearing to suit Siddle's steady style, Warne argued he'd been called on too late in the series, with the dead rubber providing the ideal opportunity to welcome Cummins back to Test cricket following a four-year absence.
"I don't think anyone thought Peter Siddle should have played in this Test match," a bemused Warne said in commentary after teams were finalised.
"I can understand the conditions where Peter Siddle would have played but, to me, it looks like it's a selection that should have been (made for) the last Test match and, while we got that wrong last Test match, (the selectors have said) 'let's play him this Test match'.
"I just can't understand why Pat Cummins is not playing in this Test match. Peter Siddle will do a good job - that's irrelevant because he should have played the (fourth) Test.
"For me, they've got the selection wrong again and Rod Marsh has to be accountable for that.
"There's been so many selection issues this series they've just got wrong. Someone has to be accountable."
Cummins is regarded as one of the brightest talents in the country but has been hampered by injuries, primarily to his back, since earning man-of-the-match honours in 2011 against South Africa in his only Test to date.
With the Test team in a state of flux, and a revealing tour of Bangladesh looming in October, Warne argued Australia would learn more about their options by playing Cummins.
"They've got Bangladesh coming up which Peter Siddle won't go to and you've got a 23-year-old Pat Cummins," he said.
"What an opportunity to look at him in a Test match here.
"I just can't understand it. I just could not believe it when the team was announced today."
The champion legspinner also pushed for the inclusion of uncapped 22-year-old batsman Cameron Bancroft to fill one of the spots vacated by the retiring Chris Rogers and Michael Clarke.
"It's not a bad place to make your debut," he added.
"Low, slow turners over there, so opening the batting is a good thing."
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