While England's tour Down Under has turned into a cricketing nightmare for all concerned, the spotlight has been re-focussed onto some of Australia's fringe Test players and one-day specialists. As mentioned in previous blogs, I feel the 'all-rounder' label is thrown around far too liberally these days. However, in limited-over matches, it is far easier to shine with bat and ball; not necessarily in the same game but certainly in the same series.
In yesterday's losing team at the SCG, all six of England's bowlers have a first-class century to their names, and Chris Jordan's top score is, at 92, not far short. For the victors, Maxwell and Christian have reached three figures, yet it is James Faulkner who has made the headlines in the past week. Towards the end of 2013, he thrashed 116 in an almost impossible run chase in Bangalore after Rohit Sharma had produced that blistering double-century. However, the innings which brought him to global attention came a few weeks earlier in Mohali. In reply to a brilliant Dhoni hundred, Faulkner struck 64 in a mere 29 balls, including 30 off one Ishant Sharma over, to conjure an incredible triumph.
Now in Brisbane, the Tasmanian proved that Mohali miracle was no one-off. Alastair Cook must have been rehearsing his winner's speech when McKay joined Faulkner for the last wicket still 56 wickets adrift. Stokes and Bresnan are no cannon fodder but the number nine batsmen made them look pretty ordinary with his ability to reach the boundary at will. It wasn't all cow corner slogs either, but English fielders had the appearance of disinterested cattle out to pasture as the ball was frequently propelled past or over them. Earlier, Faulkner had captured the vital wickets of centurion Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara but his 73 runs conceded meant this wasn't one of those genuine all-rounder performances. Nevertheless, this was a true match-winning innings for someone who may yet add to his single Test match at The Oval alongside an assured World Cup place.
Over in the Middle East, Sri Lanka have reminded us that, despite their inactivity last year, they remain a Test-playing nation, and a useful one at that. The captaincy baton has been passed frequently from one superstar to another before resting with the man with the greatest superstar potential, Angelo Mathews. For a man with a first-class batting average of 51 and a career-best 270 to his name, it seems odd that he has perhaps a reputation for being a one-day all-rounder rather than a Test batsman of genuine class. He is certainly no Test all-rounder. Sure, he bowls a few overs here and there, but in 35 matches 12 wickets at 70+ runs apiece makes him statistically worse than Joe Root in terms of that average.
In a five-year career at the top, he has rarely made big innings but when you have the likes of Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawardene batting ahead of you, that's not necessarily a problem. A brisk 40 or 50 can be just the ticket in certain circumstances. In this series against Pakistan, he has sometimes found himself in the unusual situation of coming in fourth wicket down with Sri Lanka struggling. In the First Test at Abu Dhabi, he relished the responsibility for rescuing his side from potential disaster by striking 91 against Junaid Khan and Saeed Ajmal. This was followed in the second innings by an impressive 157 not out, although in hindsight he maybe delayed his declaration for a shade too long.
At Dubai, he contributed a useful 42 en route to a Second Test win and in the current fixture, he again made 91. For someone with such a one-day reputation, Mathews has shown he can grind out an innings, too, demonstrated by his paltry six boundaries in 256 deliveries faced. Second time out, with victory looking unlikely, he again battened down the hatches, scraping a measly 14 runs in 99 balls. By this time tomorrow, we'll learn whether or not this patience was wise.
Either way, Angelo has proved his worth at Test level with the bat to go with his ODI and T20 all-round ability, which must be reassuring as Sanga and Mahela head towards the end of their glittering careers. James Faulkner is only 23 and, like most Aussies, has modest experience at first-class level. However, Australia must hope that he can develop into that rarity, a genuine all-rounder. For now, a decent fast-medium bowler who can swing the bat so powerfully and smoothly in ODIs will be more than enough for Aussie selectors and fans.
