From burger flipper to big time

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FROM burger flipper to the big-time ... the transformation of George Bailey has been nothing short of miraculous.

The Tasmanian once almost universally ridiculed in cricket circles has suddenly become a lock for the Ashes and even the Poms can't help but admire him.

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"George Bailey has once again proved he has to bat at No.6 in the Ashes and should be vice-captain," England's former Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan tweeted when Bailey teed off with a big century before Australia lost Wednesday night's ODI in India.

Bailey's sparkling 156 against the Indians - coming off the back of a series of big scores - has almost guaranteed he has sealed the one vacant Australian batting spot for the Ashes.

But it wasn't long ago that Bailey was under siege with bullets coming at him from everywhere.

In the midst of an outcry about Australia fielding a second-string one-day side with Bailey as captain last summer, Channel Nine executives were in the process of negotiating a rich new TV deal.

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And they didn't miss Bailey, who publicly canned Nine for its none too subtle criticism of an Australian 'B-team' lacking star power.

"George should stick to playing cricket and leave (the TV) rights to the people who know what they're talking about," Channel Nine's executive producer of cricket Brad McNamara said.

"I reckon he's got his hands full as it is. He needs to concentrate on staying in the side.

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"Without the TV rights deal, George is probably working in a coalmine or flipping burgers at McDonald's."

Then came a verbal assault from former Australian Test skipper Ian Chappell, who claimed Bailey's selection as skipper in Australia's team for the World Twenty20 Cup in Sri Lanka was a handicap to the side.

"They (Australia) are handicapping themselves when they are leaving David Hussey out of the line-up," Chappell said at the time.

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"And the handicap has come about because they have picked a captain and then they have picked a team around the captain and that is not the Australian way of doing it."

Through it all, Bailey has kept his head down and his chin up. The 31-year-old from Launceston now averages an extraordinary 56.85 from 34 one-day matches and he keeps getting better.

Clearly, he thrives under intense pressure. And that is exactly what Australia needs in the Ashes after trying a series of batsmen who may have had the techniques but not the heart for the pressure-cooker of Test cricket.

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Most expected Bailey to be a fly-by-night fad in the Australian cricket team, dropped, discarded and forgotten.

One of the few men who saw what was coming was sacked Australian coach Mickey Arthur, who was perhaps Bailey's strongest supporter.

"You pick batting ability, fielding ability, but there needs to be a separate column for character and what the chap actually brings to the group," Arthur said when he was coach last year.

"That's massively important. But I can tell you from where I sit that what George Bailey brings to our team is phenomenal."

The burger flipper jibe was funny at the time but let's hope the joke is now on England this summer.

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