In the two Tests so far, on the pitch it’s been all about the batsmen. Therefore it takes a special bowler to seize the headlines – step forward, Mitchell Johnson! It’s a shame, however, that it was to announce his immediate retirement from international cricket.
I hadn’t realised he was already 34, maybe because of his stop-start career and continuing success in the Baggy Green. 73 Tests aren’t many these days, yet he still managed to capture 313 wickets at 28.4 apiece. His strike rate of only 51 is even more world-class but what Johnson brought to the game was not a welter of impressive stats but charisma.
There was also Mitch’s old left-arm slinger action to set him apart. To dismiss the old tag of wayward paceman, he remodelled it to something more conventional and, complete with Lillee-esque moustache, proceeded to destroy opposition batsmen with undimmed enthusiasm. His demolition of England a few winters ago was absolutely electric. However, it’s interesting to read on ESPN Cricinfo readers’ examples of his greatest hits. It wasn’t just about Brisbane and Adelaide in 2013; there were bursts at Centurion, in India; everywhere, really.
He even signed off with a creditable 2-20 in the final innings, ripping out the New Zealand openers. The pace may have been down a touch on his regular 90+mph boomers of a few seasons ago but, with fellow Mitchell, Starc, breaking the official world record delivery speed, Australia should continue to boast a formidable fast bowling attack at Adelaide and beyond.
In England, Johnson was always a figure of fun, a target for the Barmy Army. That was partly because he would rise to the bait very quickly. On the other hand, he could play along with humour, especially when returning to the boundary having taken a wicket or two! He was also generous to thirsty cricket fans in the stands on a sweltering day, chucking them his supply of cold drinks! We’ll all miss him.
As for the ongoing series, the run rate in both matches played to date have been amongst the top ten in Test history, boundaries flowing faster than the Foster’s. David Warner’s three consecutive centuries, including that 253 at the WACA, were incredible, taking his average above 51. Not bad for a former T20 specialist! And yet Ross Taylor went and trumped him with 290, which I think is the highest Test score ever made by an overseas player in Australia. With the ever-impressive Kane Williamson at the other end, it was also vital to maintain the Black Caps’ interest in the series after their capitulation at Fortress Gabba.
As for the finale, will Trent Boult and Tim Southee finally strike lucky? Boult, in particular, has suffered, with figures of 6-388, and he’s better than that. However, all the Aussie batsmen have looked strong, from Burns and Warner to Smith, Khawaja and Voges. While it’s great for audiences used to Big Bashes to wallow in a Test full of fours, I hope it’s more of an even contest between bat and ball at Adelaide. It’s just sad that it will no longer be Mitchell Johnson with the ball.
Showing posts with label Mitchell Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mitchell Johnson. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Sunday, 23 August 2015
5th Ashes Test: Clarke’s final victory but Cook’s Ashes
It has certainly been an extraordinary Ashes series. Not for the final result, but for the sequence of five one-sided encounters. Also, surely there has never been so few days of cricket played in a five-Test rubber, especially given the favourable weather most of the summer. Mind you, England fans were praying for a bit more rain on this Sunday afternoon with just two wickets remaining and well short of the follow-on target. However, the clouds parted long enough for Peter Siddle to mop up the tail-enders and give Michael Clarke a modicum of comfort after an awkward few months.
4-1 would have been a travesty, and even 3-2 was perhaps slightly flattering to England. Joe Root remains a beacon of talent for the home side but both Chris Rogers and Steve Smith outscored him across the series. Stuart Broad was the only Englishman to take more than 12 wickets while no fewer than four Aussies did so, led by Mitchell Starc with 18
The real difference between the sides was the pathetic performances by Australia’s middle -order. Michael Clark has been a magnificent run machine and adventurous captain, but he aggregated a paltry 132 from nine innings. Shane Watson was dropped after the Cardiff defeat, neither Marsh brother produced any score of note, Adam Voges managed a couple of 50s and little else, and there were no Brad Haddin heroics this time around.
Then there were the big match-winning bowling dramatics by England’s pacemen. Sometimes it takes just one big performance by one man to swing a game, and Jimmy Anderson, Steve Finn and Ben Stokes each delivered. And then there was Stuart Broad. Every year he seems so ordinary then produces one devastating spell. In 2015 it was that amazing 8-15 on the first morning at Trent Bridge. Matt Wood showed promise, Ian Bell saved his bacon at Edgbaston and Alastair Cook occasionally showed his charges how to bat in a Test match.
However, it was not the greatest summer for Gary Ballance (discarded after the Lord’s defeat), Jos Buttler and Adam Lyth. Following the New Zealand encounters, the Yorkshireman deserved his chance to last the Ashes series but he didn’t really convince as Cook’s long-term opening partner. Perhaps he should stay for the Pakistan series, if only because there are no other credible alternatives.
As for Australia, Clarke will be bitterly disappointed to lose the Ashes. Again! Nevertheless he will be missed. Smith’s arrival as the middle-order saviour must come as a relief, but who should occupy berths four to six? Chris Rogers has been a rock at the top since his rebirth for the Test team two years ago and now he has also called it a day, aged 37. He and David Warner looked an excellent partnership, their contrasting styles not harming their facility to get an innings off to a good start. Trent Bridge excepted, of course! Perhaps Michael Klinger could become the latest thirty-something to earn a green baggy?!
Mitchells Starc and Johnson still demonstrated the value of left-arm pace and swing, and the latter passed the landmark of 300 Test wickets. Josh Hazelwood took 16 wickets at 26, Nathan Lyon was a constant thorn in the side and Peter Siddle was almost impossible to score off at The Oval. I still don’t know why he wasn’t selected for the fourth Test but hindsight is a wonderful thing. He wouldn’t have made a difference in that crazy first innings at Nottingham, though.
Despite all these plus points, Australia contrived to lose overall and English cricket is enjoying the feelgood factor once more. Can they regain the number one position again? Well, South Africa may have something to say about that, and before that there is the small matter of the UAE, where Pakistan humbled England a few years ago.
Anyway, for a few months more, Cook and co can bask in the warm glow of Ashes success. ODI defeats probably won’t matter too much although given the ferocious criticism at the start of the summer, perhaps they should! Farewell, Clarke and Rogers. You’ll be hard to replace.
4-1 would have been a travesty, and even 3-2 was perhaps slightly flattering to England. Joe Root remains a beacon of talent for the home side but both Chris Rogers and Steve Smith outscored him across the series. Stuart Broad was the only Englishman to take more than 12 wickets while no fewer than four Aussies did so, led by Mitchell Starc with 18
The real difference between the sides was the pathetic performances by Australia’s middle -order. Michael Clark has been a magnificent run machine and adventurous captain, but he aggregated a paltry 132 from nine innings. Shane Watson was dropped after the Cardiff defeat, neither Marsh brother produced any score of note, Adam Voges managed a couple of 50s and little else, and there were no Brad Haddin heroics this time around.
Then there were the big match-winning bowling dramatics by England’s pacemen. Sometimes it takes just one big performance by one man to swing a game, and Jimmy Anderson, Steve Finn and Ben Stokes each delivered. And then there was Stuart Broad. Every year he seems so ordinary then produces one devastating spell. In 2015 it was that amazing 8-15 on the first morning at Trent Bridge. Matt Wood showed promise, Ian Bell saved his bacon at Edgbaston and Alastair Cook occasionally showed his charges how to bat in a Test match.
However, it was not the greatest summer for Gary Ballance (discarded after the Lord’s defeat), Jos Buttler and Adam Lyth. Following the New Zealand encounters, the Yorkshireman deserved his chance to last the Ashes series but he didn’t really convince as Cook’s long-term opening partner. Perhaps he should stay for the Pakistan series, if only because there are no other credible alternatives.
As for Australia, Clarke will be bitterly disappointed to lose the Ashes. Again! Nevertheless he will be missed. Smith’s arrival as the middle-order saviour must come as a relief, but who should occupy berths four to six? Chris Rogers has been a rock at the top since his rebirth for the Test team two years ago and now he has also called it a day, aged 37. He and David Warner looked an excellent partnership, their contrasting styles not harming their facility to get an innings off to a good start. Trent Bridge excepted, of course! Perhaps Michael Klinger could become the latest thirty-something to earn a green baggy?!
Mitchells Starc and Johnson still demonstrated the value of left-arm pace and swing, and the latter passed the landmark of 300 Test wickets. Josh Hazelwood took 16 wickets at 26, Nathan Lyon was a constant thorn in the side and Peter Siddle was almost impossible to score off at The Oval. I still don’t know why he wasn’t selected for the fourth Test but hindsight is a wonderful thing. He wouldn’t have made a difference in that crazy first innings at Nottingham, though.
Despite all these plus points, Australia contrived to lose overall and English cricket is enjoying the feelgood factor once more. Can they regain the number one position again? Well, South Africa may have something to say about that, and before that there is the small matter of the UAE, where Pakistan humbled England a few years ago.
Anyway, for a few months more, Cook and co can bask in the warm glow of Ashes success. ODI defeats probably won’t matter too much although given the ferocious criticism at the start of the summer, perhaps they should! Farewell, Clarke and Rogers. You’ll be hard to replace.
Sunday, 2 August 2015
3rd Ashes Test: Aussies Tamed and Test Cricket Shamed
A great result for England at Edgbaston but I don’t know which was worse: Australia’s capitulation or the longer-term impact on five-day Test cricket.
In terms of the competition between the Ashes adversaries, I’m not sure what this match means. So far this year, England have been on a recent rollercoaster ride in Tests: four wins but none back-to-back. All three in the current series have been one-sided affairs and none have lasted until the fifth day. Australia may have been seriously damaged by the Birmingham defeat but if the sequence continues, they could perk up at Trent Bridge. Unfortunately for them, that would mean England winning at The Oval and taking the urn 3-2!
Jimmy Anderson was supreme on the first day, nabbing 6-47, then the returning Steve Finn ripped the heart out of Australia’s batting on the second. A great achievement for England’s seamers, but the contribution of Ian Bell cannot be forgotten. His selection was derided by many but, like me, the selectors hoped the home pitch would bring out the old Belly. It did. And he did it not by careful consideration but by counter-attacking.
First time out he struck ten boundaries to make 53 from 56 balls, then on day three he scored an unbeaten 65 from 90. In such a low-scoring contest, two half-centuries must be admired. Ian Bell must also have rescued his Test career, at least for this summer.
Adam Lyth failed twice but, without any obvious replacement, could be given another chance. Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes (second ball) were despatched by snorters from Mitchell Johnson so Jonny at least can’t be written off just yet, especially after his prolific season for Yorkshire. The Durham all-rounder might be more vulnerable but, with Trent Bridge likely to be prepared for another three-day seam-fest, he may be safe.
But what about Australia? Michael Clarke was honest when admitting his batting woes had left his team playing ten against eleven. However, he is unlikely to be jettisoned mid-series. Adam Voges looked poor once more while Chris Rogers (first innings) and David Warner (second) provided more backbone. Steve Smith had an off-week, but Clarke should be thanking his wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc for at least taking the fight to the third day.
It wasn’t just England’s bowlers outplaying the opposing batsmen; it was the way the Aussies got out. It looked as if they were playing one-day cricket, not five-day stuff. Mind you, that was what England did at Lord’s! In summary, I would be seriously worried had I bought a ticket for a fourth or fifth day in either of the next Tests. It’s a shame because in the past year the world has witnessed some excellent Test matches, including those played between England and New Zealand a few months ago.
I gather that Ricky Ponting has advocated doing away with the toss and allowing the away side to choose whether to bat or field. I think that could be a good way forward without compromising the integrity of Test matches. I don’t want to see a game of two 600-4 declareds but neither do I want two-and-a-half-day affairs. Batsmen also need to remember how to bat, not merely throw the bat. They could do worse than watch and learn from Joe Root! Taking a T20 approach to the fifty-over format is one thing; applying the same attacking ethos to Tests is frankly ridiculous. David Warner, like the Sehwags and Gayles, can get away with it, but he needs Smith, Clarke and co to provide solid support. That didn’t happen at Edgbaston but it needs to happen at Trent Bridge, or the Ashes are lost.
In terms of the competition between the Ashes adversaries, I’m not sure what this match means. So far this year, England have been on a recent rollercoaster ride in Tests: four wins but none back-to-back. All three in the current series have been one-sided affairs and none have lasted until the fifth day. Australia may have been seriously damaged by the Birmingham defeat but if the sequence continues, they could perk up at Trent Bridge. Unfortunately for them, that would mean England winning at The Oval and taking the urn 3-2!
Jimmy Anderson was supreme on the first day, nabbing 6-47, then the returning Steve Finn ripped the heart out of Australia’s batting on the second. A great achievement for England’s seamers, but the contribution of Ian Bell cannot be forgotten. His selection was derided by many but, like me, the selectors hoped the home pitch would bring out the old Belly. It did. And he did it not by careful consideration but by counter-attacking.
First time out he struck ten boundaries to make 53 from 56 balls, then on day three he scored an unbeaten 65 from 90. In such a low-scoring contest, two half-centuries must be admired. Ian Bell must also have rescued his Test career, at least for this summer.
Adam Lyth failed twice but, without any obvious replacement, could be given another chance. Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes (second ball) were despatched by snorters from Mitchell Johnson so Jonny at least can’t be written off just yet, especially after his prolific season for Yorkshire. The Durham all-rounder might be more vulnerable but, with Trent Bridge likely to be prepared for another three-day seam-fest, he may be safe.
But what about Australia? Michael Clarke was honest when admitting his batting woes had left his team playing ten against eleven. However, he is unlikely to be jettisoned mid-series. Adam Voges looked poor once more while Chris Rogers (first innings) and David Warner (second) provided more backbone. Steve Smith had an off-week, but Clarke should be thanking his wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and Mitchell Starc for at least taking the fight to the third day.
It wasn’t just England’s bowlers outplaying the opposing batsmen; it was the way the Aussies got out. It looked as if they were playing one-day cricket, not five-day stuff. Mind you, that was what England did at Lord’s! In summary, I would be seriously worried had I bought a ticket for a fourth or fifth day in either of the next Tests. It’s a shame because in the past year the world has witnessed some excellent Test matches, including those played between England and New Zealand a few months ago.
I gather that Ricky Ponting has advocated doing away with the toss and allowing the away side to choose whether to bat or field. I think that could be a good way forward without compromising the integrity of Test matches. I don’t want to see a game of two 600-4 declareds but neither do I want two-and-a-half-day affairs. Batsmen also need to remember how to bat, not merely throw the bat. They could do worse than watch and learn from Joe Root! Taking a T20 approach to the fifty-over format is one thing; applying the same attacking ethos to Tests is frankly ridiculous. David Warner, like the Sehwags and Gayles, can get away with it, but he needs Smith, Clarke and co to provide solid support. That didn’t happen at Edgbaston but it needs to happen at Trent Bridge, or the Ashes are lost.
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Aussies Back with a Vengeance at Lord's
After England’s triumph at Cardiff, I was expecting a bit more fight from the Aussies at Lord’s, but surely nothing as emphatic as what Michael Clarke’s men delivered this week. The First Test result had a lot to do with crushing the confidence of Mitchell Johnson, first by providing a wicket to neutralise sheer pace and second by the partisan crowd goading him on the boundary whenever possible.
I’m no expert on the art and science of the groundsman’s skills but the match proved simply to be a one-sided affair where the Australian batsmen dominated the English bowlers, and their seamers routed the home batsmen, especially in the second innings.
Chris Rogers’ recent record-equalling run of Test fifties and Steve Smith’s fabulous couple of years weren’t mere accidents, and their 284-run second-wicket partnership sucked the life out of Anderson and co, with both achieving their highest scores so far in Test cricket. If the 37 year-old opener can aggregate more than 200 runs with a bad head, what could he have produce when in full health? Meanwhile, Smith seemed to be toying with the England attack in the manner of Viv Richards in his pomp!
Australia’s first four wickets posted 426, England’s a mere 30. At least Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes produced a resilient stand of 145 to keep things interesting. Nevertheless, Clarke showed shrewd determination by not enforcing the follow-on, allowing Rogers and Smith (again) and a grateful David Warner to rub Cook’s nose in the guano. It obviously worked because the England second innings didn’t even last two sessions, let alone the five needed to survive the match.
Steve Smith deservedly won the Man of the Match award but credit should also be shared amongst the five main bowlers. Josh Hazelwood and Johnson claimed eleven wickets between them, more than the entire England attack. Starc, Lyon and Mitchell Marsh – recalled in place of Shane Watson - also weighed in with handy performances. Johnson’s run out of Stokes on the last afternoon added to the humiliation. Stuart Broad’s jaunty ‘nothing to lose’ knock of 25 proved to be the top score in England’s second innings, more than Lyth and Bell managed between them in both attempts.
Australia have rarely enjoyed a margin of victory as wide as the 405 runs at Lord’s. Only Graham Gooch (against India) has produced a superior aggregate to Steve Smith’s in a Test at the same ground. Jimmy Anderson’s match analysis of 0-137 must be amongst his worst. It all amounts to a miserable four days for Bayliss, Cook et al; a severe reality check after the recent buoyant mood amidst the soaring strike rates.
So what now for Edgbaston? Obviously England will be down and the opponents in great spirits but it’s still 1-1 with three matches to go. Will England make changes? Ian Bell’s persistent failure to get past one must be making him vulnerable, although he must fancy his chances of rediscovering old magic on his home turf. The Yorkshire trio of Lyth, Root and Ballance had a disappointing match but could yet be joined by county colleague Jonny Bairstow next week given his scintillating form in the Championship. James Taylor’s huge innings for Notts puts him in the frame but he has lacked the consistency needed to displace the middle order incumbents.
Amongst the bowlers, the selectors must have been looking at Derbyshire’s Mark Footitt. For all his left-arm seam credentials and plentiful wickets, I can’t see any of the four playing at Lord’s making way for a man plying his trade – however successfully - in Division Two for one of the least fashionable counties. Even without changes, it will make for an interesting contest.
I’m no expert on the art and science of the groundsman’s skills but the match proved simply to be a one-sided affair where the Australian batsmen dominated the English bowlers, and their seamers routed the home batsmen, especially in the second innings.
Chris Rogers’ recent record-equalling run of Test fifties and Steve Smith’s fabulous couple of years weren’t mere accidents, and their 284-run second-wicket partnership sucked the life out of Anderson and co, with both achieving their highest scores so far in Test cricket. If the 37 year-old opener can aggregate more than 200 runs with a bad head, what could he have produce when in full health? Meanwhile, Smith seemed to be toying with the England attack in the manner of Viv Richards in his pomp!
Australia’s first four wickets posted 426, England’s a mere 30. At least Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes produced a resilient stand of 145 to keep things interesting. Nevertheless, Clarke showed shrewd determination by not enforcing the follow-on, allowing Rogers and Smith (again) and a grateful David Warner to rub Cook’s nose in the guano. It obviously worked because the England second innings didn’t even last two sessions, let alone the five needed to survive the match.
Steve Smith deservedly won the Man of the Match award but credit should also be shared amongst the five main bowlers. Josh Hazelwood and Johnson claimed eleven wickets between them, more than the entire England attack. Starc, Lyon and Mitchell Marsh – recalled in place of Shane Watson - also weighed in with handy performances. Johnson’s run out of Stokes on the last afternoon added to the humiliation. Stuart Broad’s jaunty ‘nothing to lose’ knock of 25 proved to be the top score in England’s second innings, more than Lyth and Bell managed between them in both attempts.
Australia have rarely enjoyed a margin of victory as wide as the 405 runs at Lord’s. Only Graham Gooch (against India) has produced a superior aggregate to Steve Smith’s in a Test at the same ground. Jimmy Anderson’s match analysis of 0-137 must be amongst his worst. It all amounts to a miserable four days for Bayliss, Cook et al; a severe reality check after the recent buoyant mood amidst the soaring strike rates.
So what now for Edgbaston? Obviously England will be down and the opponents in great spirits but it’s still 1-1 with three matches to go. Will England make changes? Ian Bell’s persistent failure to get past one must be making him vulnerable, although he must fancy his chances of rediscovering old magic on his home turf. The Yorkshire trio of Lyth, Root and Ballance had a disappointing match but could yet be joined by county colleague Jonny Bairstow next week given his scintillating form in the Championship. James Taylor’s huge innings for Notts puts him in the frame but he has lacked the consistency needed to displace the middle order incumbents.
Amongst the bowlers, the selectors must have been looking at Derbyshire’s Mark Footitt. For all his left-arm seam credentials and plentiful wickets, I can’t see any of the four playing at Lord’s making way for a man plying his trade – however successfully - in Division Two for one of the least fashionable counties. Even without changes, it will make for an interesting contest.
Sunday, 12 July 2015
First Ashes Test: Bayliss 1 Boof 0
After all the hullaballoo, the latest of an increasingly frequent Ashes contests finally got under way with a straightforward England victory. Given that it’s very rare for a side leading 1-0 to lose an Ashes series, New England are already looking a good bet to regain the urn.
It does seem odd to hear an Antipodean accent playing up England’s chances but, even though Jason Gillespie ruled himself out, fellow Aussie Trevor Bayliss has made a best possible start to his reign. I’ve no doubt that the confidence developed during the recent series against New Zealand under the fledgling Strauss/Farbrace regime played its part. There will be strategies, grand and individual, but batsmen will enjoy having the opportunity to go for their shots without fear. The return of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad on home pitches is also vital not only to a harmonious England dressing room and fanbase, but also to upsetting the opposition.
England pretty much led from start to finish, or at least from the time Joe Root came in at 43-3 to accompany Yorkshire colleague Gary Ballance. Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon were clearly targets for the strokemakers, and Joe Root led with finesse. I said it four years ago and will say it again: Joe Root is the real deal at Test level. His proven ability in ODIs and T20 is a bonus. In 28 Tests, he has aggregated well over 2,000 runs at 56. Ballance’s averages also stands above 50 but I suspect that will decrease in time, just as Ian Bell’s has. I fancy Root to advance to three in the order, nudging Bell and Ballance down a slot.
There were breezy half-centuries from Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, surely the best number eight in recent memory, as England advanced to 430 at more than four an over. Only Mitchell Starc’s five-for gave Australia much to shout about, but at least they didn’t let England get out of sight. Chris Rogers responded in the right manner, and was unfortunate not to reach a deserved hundred. He fell to a Buttler catch from a Mark Wood delivery that moved and bounced.
Aussie coach Darren Lehmann cannot have been pleased with the rest of his batsmen. No other man managed 40 in the first innings. Needing 412 to win, and Sunday heading for a likely washout, all Michael Clarke and co needed to do was bat out the fourth day to ensure a draw and re-group for round two. Given all the reports of a ridiculously placid Cardiff pitch, this shouldn’t be too difficult for a classy, experienced team. Yet they failed. Badly.
England bowled and fielded with admirable discipline, while the batsmen generously threw away their wickets at regular intervals. David Warner did at least get to 52 before Ali trapped him just before lunch. Johnson had suffered a miserable match with the ball but he could now open his shoulders and counter-attack. That’s fine, but he needed the top order to provide the ballast at the other end to ensure they had wicket in hand come close of play. They didn’t. Clarke, new old boy Adam Voges and 2013 hero Brad Haddin fell in single figures and Shane Watson’s LBW trials persisted. Game over.
I’d be surprised if Mitchell Marsh didn’t replace Watson at Lord’s but there’s no real need for England to tinker very much. Leave Cook and Bell alone but I’d promote Ali to six ahead of Stokes and Buttler. The bowlers stuck to their task although there may be a case for introducing Steve Finn on his home ground. Having a ‘Dad’s Army’ isn’t necessarily a weakness for Australia but the old heads and hearts need to be more in evidence if they are to salvage the Ashes in the next few months.
It does seem odd to hear an Antipodean accent playing up England’s chances but, even though Jason Gillespie ruled himself out, fellow Aussie Trevor Bayliss has made a best possible start to his reign. I’ve no doubt that the confidence developed during the recent series against New Zealand under the fledgling Strauss/Farbrace regime played its part. There will be strategies, grand and individual, but batsmen will enjoy having the opportunity to go for their shots without fear. The return of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad on home pitches is also vital not only to a harmonious England dressing room and fanbase, but also to upsetting the opposition.
England pretty much led from start to finish, or at least from the time Joe Root came in at 43-3 to accompany Yorkshire colleague Gary Ballance. Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Lyon were clearly targets for the strokemakers, and Joe Root led with finesse. I said it four years ago and will say it again: Joe Root is the real deal at Test level. His proven ability in ODIs and T20 is a bonus. In 28 Tests, he has aggregated well over 2,000 runs at 56. Ballance’s averages also stands above 50 but I suspect that will decrease in time, just as Ian Bell’s has. I fancy Root to advance to three in the order, nudging Bell and Ballance down a slot.
There were breezy half-centuries from Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, surely the best number eight in recent memory, as England advanced to 430 at more than four an over. Only Mitchell Starc’s five-for gave Australia much to shout about, but at least they didn’t let England get out of sight. Chris Rogers responded in the right manner, and was unfortunate not to reach a deserved hundred. He fell to a Buttler catch from a Mark Wood delivery that moved and bounced.
Aussie coach Darren Lehmann cannot have been pleased with the rest of his batsmen. No other man managed 40 in the first innings. Needing 412 to win, and Sunday heading for a likely washout, all Michael Clarke and co needed to do was bat out the fourth day to ensure a draw and re-group for round two. Given all the reports of a ridiculously placid Cardiff pitch, this shouldn’t be too difficult for a classy, experienced team. Yet they failed. Badly.
England bowled and fielded with admirable discipline, while the batsmen generously threw away their wickets at regular intervals. David Warner did at least get to 52 before Ali trapped him just before lunch. Johnson had suffered a miserable match with the ball but he could now open his shoulders and counter-attack. That’s fine, but he needed the top order to provide the ballast at the other end to ensure they had wicket in hand come close of play. They didn’t. Clarke, new old boy Adam Voges and 2013 hero Brad Haddin fell in single figures and Shane Watson’s LBW trials persisted. Game over.
I’d be surprised if Mitchell Marsh didn’t replace Watson at Lord’s but there’s no real need for England to tinker very much. Leave Cook and Bell alone but I’d promote Ali to six ahead of Stokes and Buttler. The bowlers stuck to their task although there may be a case for introducing Steve Finn on his home ground. Having a ‘Dad’s Army’ isn’t necessarily a weakness for Australia but the old heads and hearts need to be more in evidence if they are to salvage the Ashes in the next few months.
Sunday, 1 February 2015
World Cup ODI Warm-Ups: What have we learned?
The Carlton Tri-Series has ended with a trophy for Australia but does this merit the World Cup favourites tag? Well, yes, in my view. They are top of the ICC rankings, unbeaten in this series and hosting the tournament, so what can go wrong?
Complacency is one possibility, injuries to Steve Smith or the Mitchells Starc and Johnson another. Of course, 50-over matches can be won and lost in a few overs, but the Aussies must be highly fancied to reach the semis. Smith, Maxwell and Marsh have made useful runs, Finch, Warner and Watson are always dangerous, and they have the bowlers to exploit the bouncy pitches Down Under. Oh, and Michael Clarke hopes to return from injury, too.
What about England? Reeling from the Pietersen saga and the sacking of captain Alastair Cook, I'm unconvinced by the promotion of Eoin Morgan to the leadership role. One good hundred, two ducks and a 2 don't build confidence following a poor 2014 in ODIs. On the plus side, I'm pleased to see Ian Bell show what he's capable of, finishing the tournament's top scorer. James Taylor produced two good half-centuries, James Anderson remains one of the most dangerous and economical fast bowlers in one-day cricket and Steve Finn's woes may be behind him at last. Nevertheless they were soundly beaten twice by Australia, once batting first, then in a doomed chase during the final. Johnson still seems to possess the fear factor, at least where England are concerned.
It's easy to forget India are the reigning champions. They lost all three of their completed matches, twice easily dispatched by England. Virat Kohli endured a nightmare few weeks, and his colleagues fared little better. Nevertheless I'd expect them to pick up when the World Cup excitement kicks in later this month.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka 4-2, and like the Aussies the men in black have a new-found confidence thanks to some great Test results and now coming out on top against Sangakkara and co in Sri Lanka's preferred type of cricket. Williamson, McCullum, Southee and Boult are capable of mixing it with the best of them, but never write off South Africa....
Complacency is one possibility, injuries to Steve Smith or the Mitchells Starc and Johnson another. Of course, 50-over matches can be won and lost in a few overs, but the Aussies must be highly fancied to reach the semis. Smith, Maxwell and Marsh have made useful runs, Finch, Warner and Watson are always dangerous, and they have the bowlers to exploit the bouncy pitches Down Under. Oh, and Michael Clarke hopes to return from injury, too.
What about England? Reeling from the Pietersen saga and the sacking of captain Alastair Cook, I'm unconvinced by the promotion of Eoin Morgan to the leadership role. One good hundred, two ducks and a 2 don't build confidence following a poor 2014 in ODIs. On the plus side, I'm pleased to see Ian Bell show what he's capable of, finishing the tournament's top scorer. James Taylor produced two good half-centuries, James Anderson remains one of the most dangerous and economical fast bowlers in one-day cricket and Steve Finn's woes may be behind him at last. Nevertheless they were soundly beaten twice by Australia, once batting first, then in a doomed chase during the final. Johnson still seems to possess the fear factor, at least where England are concerned.
It's easy to forget India are the reigning champions. They lost all three of their completed matches, twice easily dispatched by England. Virat Kohli endured a nightmare few weeks, and his colleagues fared little better. Nevertheless I'd expect them to pick up when the World Cup excitement kicks in later this month.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka 4-2, and like the Aussies the men in black have a new-found confidence thanks to some great Test results and now coming out on top against Sangakkara and co in Sri Lanka's preferred type of cricket. Williamson, McCullum, Southee and Boult are capable of mixing it with the best of them, but never write off South Africa....
Sunday, 26 October 2014
Pakistan off to a flyer in Dubai
There's been a lot of water under the bridge - and a lot of prison time served - since the last time Pakistan met Australia in a Test match. That came at Headingley when a side captained by Salman Butt and featuring other fine, upstanding cricketers like Danish Keneria, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir upset Ricky Ponting's tourists by three wickets. That was Pakistan's first win against these opponents since November 1995 and ended a sequence of thirteen consecutive defeats.
This week, Misbah-ul-Haq's men came to their adopted cricketing home of Dubai to face the number two side in the world - and enjoyed a convincing 221-run victory. Maybe it was the debut of someone called Imran Khan which evoked the spirit of probably Pakistan's greatest ever captain and all-rounder, but it was a useful combination of batting and bowling which did for an out-of-sorts Australia.
Michael Clarke had a miserable time on his return to the big time but Mitchell Johnson and David Warner did at least show some fight. Johnson and Siddle removed both Pakistan's openers for seven and Azhar Ali and Younis Khan had to knuckle down and rebuild the innings. Fortunately for them, they succeeded, laying the foundations for Misbah and Asad Shafiq to consolidate and then Sarfraz Ahmed to biff a run-a-ball century. Lyon and Smith took a pasting but credit to Johnson. His first-innings figures of 31-18-39-3 were astonishing for a strike bowler.
David Warner scored his ninth Test hundred in response but nobody else reached 40 as the Aussies subsided to 303 all out, 151 runs behind. Pakistan compounded their misery by declaring on 286-2 after Ahmed Shehzad and then Younis Khan reached three figures, the latter for the second time in the match. Zulfiqar Babar (aged 35 yet in only his third Test) and new boy Yasir Shah spun their side to victory on the final day, with only Smith and Johnson making 50. What Saeed Ajmal would have done we'll never know but Australia's spin duo of Steve O'Keefe (another debutant) and Nathan Lyon certainly struggled to extract the same from the pitch as the Pakistani twosome.
Clarke and Alex Doolan contributed only ten runs from their four attempts while Mitchell Marsh's red-ball debut in the green cap didn't exactly set the world alight. The Aussies need to restore their form in Tests quickly if they are to topple South Africa from their perch. Meanwhile, it's looking good for Misbah-ul-Haq. Another win next week would give them three in a row against Australia for the first time in more than three decades, in the era of Imran, Abdul Qadir, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad. It will also mean a first series win since crushing England in the Middle East three years ago. Misbah is 40 now but, with Younis Khan's solid middle-order batting, he has done well to bring Pakistani cricket back into the fold. This may be a Test series but a defeat of Australia will bring renewed confidence going into the winter and the 2015 World Cup.
This week, Misbah-ul-Haq's men came to their adopted cricketing home of Dubai to face the number two side in the world - and enjoyed a convincing 221-run victory. Maybe it was the debut of someone called Imran Khan which evoked the spirit of probably Pakistan's greatest ever captain and all-rounder, but it was a useful combination of batting and bowling which did for an out-of-sorts Australia.
Michael Clarke had a miserable time on his return to the big time but Mitchell Johnson and David Warner did at least show some fight. Johnson and Siddle removed both Pakistan's openers for seven and Azhar Ali and Younis Khan had to knuckle down and rebuild the innings. Fortunately for them, they succeeded, laying the foundations for Misbah and Asad Shafiq to consolidate and then Sarfraz Ahmed to biff a run-a-ball century. Lyon and Smith took a pasting but credit to Johnson. His first-innings figures of 31-18-39-3 were astonishing for a strike bowler.
David Warner scored his ninth Test hundred in response but nobody else reached 40 as the Aussies subsided to 303 all out, 151 runs behind. Pakistan compounded their misery by declaring on 286-2 after Ahmed Shehzad and then Younis Khan reached three figures, the latter for the second time in the match. Zulfiqar Babar (aged 35 yet in only his third Test) and new boy Yasir Shah spun their side to victory on the final day, with only Smith and Johnson making 50. What Saeed Ajmal would have done we'll never know but Australia's spin duo of Steve O'Keefe (another debutant) and Nathan Lyon certainly struggled to extract the same from the pitch as the Pakistani twosome.
Clarke and Alex Doolan contributed only ten runs from their four attempts while Mitchell Marsh's red-ball debut in the green cap didn't exactly set the world alight. The Aussies need to restore their form in Tests quickly if they are to topple South Africa from their perch. Meanwhile, it's looking good for Misbah-ul-Haq. Another win next week would give them three in a row against Australia for the first time in more than three decades, in the era of Imran, Abdul Qadir, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad. It will also mean a first series win since crushing England in the Middle East three years ago. Misbah is 40 now but, with Younis Khan's solid middle-order batting, he has done well to bring Pakistani cricket back into the fold. This may be a Test series but a defeat of Australia will bring renewed confidence going into the winter and the 2015 World Cup.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Aussies continue their hot streak
Michael Clarke must be wondering what all the fuss was about prior to November 2013. This Test cricket lark is actually a doddle! It doesn't matter who wins the toss; just rotate the centuries amongst the batsmen, tie the opposition down with Harris and Siddle, then let loose Mitch Johnson....
Against the undisputed number one side in Test cricket at fortress Centurion, the Aussies came, saw and conquered with surprising ease. A dispirited, tired, imploding England touring party is one thing but a full-strength (if Kallis-less) South Africa in their own backyard is surely another. Surely the world-class attack of Steyn, Morkel and Philander would prove too much for the recalled Shaun Marsh and debutant Alex Doolan? No chance.
Marsh's prevous six Test innings, at home against India, had yielded the magnificent total of seventeen runs. Last week, he made 148 and shared a 233-run stand with the increasingly impressive Steve Smith. OK, so the rest of the Aussie side failed miserably but, once Mitch Johnson, his Ashes moustache (almost) fully restored, tore into Smith, Petersen, Faf et al, the first innings of 397 looked more than adequate. Second time around, it was David Warner and new boy Doolan who produced a double-century partnership to set the home team a near-impossible target of 482.
Amla and AB De Villiers showed some resilience and strokeplay but it was another brilliant display of hostile fast bowling from Johnson who mixed the short stuff with some nagging off-stump deliveries and even a slightly slower ball which did for the dangerous AB. Harris and Siddle did the rest, accompanied by some fine catching, notably another brilliant reflex short-leg grab by Doolan off Duminy.
Suddenly the focus of the world's critics has shifted from Cook, Pietersen, Anderson and co to the previously solid Saffer squad. When Dale Steyn shuffled off after a tame edge to slip, his eyes suggested that, OK, while this game has gone, I'll be back to do a Mitch come next week, so watch out! If this series wasn't already a fascinating one, the manner of Australia's victory in the series opener has made it even more gripping than the winter Ashes contest. Australia have become genuine contenders for South Africa's mace but somehow I don't see Smith, Amla, AB and co folding like England did. I look forward to seeing what the home side are made of.....
Against the undisputed number one side in Test cricket at fortress Centurion, the Aussies came, saw and conquered with surprising ease. A dispirited, tired, imploding England touring party is one thing but a full-strength (if Kallis-less) South Africa in their own backyard is surely another. Surely the world-class attack of Steyn, Morkel and Philander would prove too much for the recalled Shaun Marsh and debutant Alex Doolan? No chance.
Marsh's prevous six Test innings, at home against India, had yielded the magnificent total of seventeen runs. Last week, he made 148 and shared a 233-run stand with the increasingly impressive Steve Smith. OK, so the rest of the Aussie side failed miserably but, once Mitch Johnson, his Ashes moustache (almost) fully restored, tore into Smith, Petersen, Faf et al, the first innings of 397 looked more than adequate. Second time around, it was David Warner and new boy Doolan who produced a double-century partnership to set the home team a near-impossible target of 482.
Amla and AB De Villiers showed some resilience and strokeplay but it was another brilliant display of hostile fast bowling from Johnson who mixed the short stuff with some nagging off-stump deliveries and even a slightly slower ball which did for the dangerous AB. Harris and Siddle did the rest, accompanied by some fine catching, notably another brilliant reflex short-leg grab by Doolan off Duminy.
Suddenly the focus of the world's critics has shifted from Cook, Pietersen, Anderson and co to the previously solid Saffer squad. When Dale Steyn shuffled off after a tame edge to slip, his eyes suggested that, OK, while this game has gone, I'll be back to do a Mitch come next week, so watch out! If this series wasn't already a fascinating one, the manner of Australia's victory in the series opener has made it even more gripping than the winter Ashes contest. Australia have become genuine contenders for South Africa's mace but somehow I don't see Smith, Amla, AB and co folding like England did. I look forward to seeing what the home side are made of.....
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Advance, Australia Fair!
5-0! Even the most patriotic Australian cricket fan could not have predicted such an incredible turnaround in his/her side's fortunes. In England, the home side triumphed 3-0 but the key difference was not overall quality but experience and determination at crucial moments - brilliant sessions by Broad here, Swann there big innings by Bell and Root - together with occasional well-timed weather intervention. There wasn't a chasm between the two nations, but perhaps it was a battle-hardened squad and, yes, home advantage which delivered the Ashes to Cook, Flower et al.
Advance a few months and to the other side of the globe, and that home advantage would again be a factor. Nevertheless, it was still pretty much the same England team which just a short while earlier had been the number one Test side in the world and proud victors over Darren Lehmann's charges. Australia were still relying on thirty-somethings with dodgy knees, shoulders, attitudes and the massive weight of media and fan expectations that sweet revenge would be wrought. It couldn't possibly happen, surely?!
But it did. Commentators, pundits and journalists have pontificated over culpability of the English. Is it Cook's captaincy? Is it just the failure to win tosses? Is it a fractured dressing room? Is it the whole England set-up under Andy Flower? To put it bluntly, Australia were heads, shoulders and moustaches above England in just about every conceivable facet of the game. Their only weakness was arguably in the top five batsmen, so often bailed out by Haddin and the lower order. Yet that top five delivered between them nine centuries. England's top five produced precisely none. Indeed, England's only centurion was the belatedly selected all-rounder Ben Stokes, whose second-innings 120 merely delayed the inevitable defeat at Melbourne.
In six out of ten innings, England failed to muster even 200. No England batsman aggregated 300 runs whereas for the Aussies all bar George Bailey did. So was it all down to the frailties of English batting and/or the illness of Jonathan Trott? I find it hard to accept that recent worldbeaters could all suddenly become useless. No, here the prime factor must be the brilliance of the Australian attack. As skipper Clarke says, it's one thing to have a strategy, but it has to be executed by all team members, and that was carried out to perfection.
Mitchell Johnson was deservedly named Player of the Series, his 37 wickets coming at an average of under 14, but it was the nature of those performances which destroyed English confidence from day one. Fearsome pace, uncompromising attitude and excellent use of the short ball, seam and bounce all did for Cook and co. At first England squealed about the sledging, yet even some of their players admitted that they had done the same thing back in England so 'all's fair....' Australia also had weather on their side and a back-up team able to keep Ryan Harris's body together, David Warner focussed on his job and not extracurricular naughtiness, and everybody's eye on the prize. Johnson and Harris were ably supported by the dependable Peter Siddle, Shane Watson medium-pace and, for once, some accurate spin in the hands of Nathan Lyon. From nowhere, Australia have finally produced possibly the best all-round attack in world cricket!
On the other side of the coin, England's bowlers have slipped from their peak in spectacular fashion. Jimmy Anderson, labelled the world's best exponent of fast-medium swing, captured a measly 14 wickets at more than 40 apiece. Stuart Broad did at least achieve a 'six-for' and series average under 30. Graeme Swann's three-match haul of seven wickets at 80 (80!) not only embarrassed England but also caused the bowler himself to desert the sinking ship and retire immediately. Sydney gave the selectors the opportunity to blood Ballance, Borthwick and Boyd Rankin, as well as restore Bairstow to Matt Prior's once-impregnable wicket-keeper role, but all too little, too late.
The original selection of Rankin, Finn and Tremlett was surely flawed from the outset and the big men were barely used at all, even on pitches supposedly made for their pace and bounce. That alone does not explain the annihilation England suffered in every one of the five Test matches, or should I say mis-matches. It is right that Cook should feel bad about the result, and that a post-mortem should be carried out to cover the whole set-up. I don't agree that Flower and Cook ahould resign straightaway. Nevertheless, the new men at the top must be honest with their appraisal of the situation, from coaching selection and tactics to individual performances.
England will bounce back and have a great chance of maintaining their good record against India this coming summer. Meanwhile, Australia have leapfrogged them into third place and have a real chance of threatening South Africa's current status as top-dogs. Provided the old guard of Harris, Johnson, Haddin and Clarke remain healthy, fit and focussed. Both sides deserve a bit of a rest and it will be fascinating to see how each go forward from what has been an incredible couple of Ashes encounters.
Advance a few months and to the other side of the globe, and that home advantage would again be a factor. Nevertheless, it was still pretty much the same England team which just a short while earlier had been the number one Test side in the world and proud victors over Darren Lehmann's charges. Australia were still relying on thirty-somethings with dodgy knees, shoulders, attitudes and the massive weight of media and fan expectations that sweet revenge would be wrought. It couldn't possibly happen, surely?!
But it did. Commentators, pundits and journalists have pontificated over culpability of the English. Is it Cook's captaincy? Is it just the failure to win tosses? Is it a fractured dressing room? Is it the whole England set-up under Andy Flower? To put it bluntly, Australia were heads, shoulders and moustaches above England in just about every conceivable facet of the game. Their only weakness was arguably in the top five batsmen, so often bailed out by Haddin and the lower order. Yet that top five delivered between them nine centuries. England's top five produced precisely none. Indeed, England's only centurion was the belatedly selected all-rounder Ben Stokes, whose second-innings 120 merely delayed the inevitable defeat at Melbourne.
In six out of ten innings, England failed to muster even 200. No England batsman aggregated 300 runs whereas for the Aussies all bar George Bailey did. So was it all down to the frailties of English batting and/or the illness of Jonathan Trott? I find it hard to accept that recent worldbeaters could all suddenly become useless. No, here the prime factor must be the brilliance of the Australian attack. As skipper Clarke says, it's one thing to have a strategy, but it has to be executed by all team members, and that was carried out to perfection.
Mitchell Johnson was deservedly named Player of the Series, his 37 wickets coming at an average of under 14, but it was the nature of those performances which destroyed English confidence from day one. Fearsome pace, uncompromising attitude and excellent use of the short ball, seam and bounce all did for Cook and co. At first England squealed about the sledging, yet even some of their players admitted that they had done the same thing back in England so 'all's fair....' Australia also had weather on their side and a back-up team able to keep Ryan Harris's body together, David Warner focussed on his job and not extracurricular naughtiness, and everybody's eye on the prize. Johnson and Harris were ably supported by the dependable Peter Siddle, Shane Watson medium-pace and, for once, some accurate spin in the hands of Nathan Lyon. From nowhere, Australia have finally produced possibly the best all-round attack in world cricket!
On the other side of the coin, England's bowlers have slipped from their peak in spectacular fashion. Jimmy Anderson, labelled the world's best exponent of fast-medium swing, captured a measly 14 wickets at more than 40 apiece. Stuart Broad did at least achieve a 'six-for' and series average under 30. Graeme Swann's three-match haul of seven wickets at 80 (80!) not only embarrassed England but also caused the bowler himself to desert the sinking ship and retire immediately. Sydney gave the selectors the opportunity to blood Ballance, Borthwick and Boyd Rankin, as well as restore Bairstow to Matt Prior's once-impregnable wicket-keeper role, but all too little, too late.
The original selection of Rankin, Finn and Tremlett was surely flawed from the outset and the big men were barely used at all, even on pitches supposedly made for their pace and bounce. That alone does not explain the annihilation England suffered in every one of the five Test matches, or should I say mis-matches. It is right that Cook should feel bad about the result, and that a post-mortem should be carried out to cover the whole set-up. I don't agree that Flower and Cook ahould resign straightaway. Nevertheless, the new men at the top must be honest with their appraisal of the situation, from coaching selection and tactics to individual performances.
England will bounce back and have a great chance of maintaining their good record against India this coming summer. Meanwhile, Australia have leapfrogged them into third place and have a real chance of threatening South Africa's current status as top-dogs. Provided the old guard of Harris, Johnson, Haddin and Clarke remain healthy, fit and focussed. Both sides deserve a bit of a rest and it will be fascinating to see how each go forward from what has been an incredible couple of Ashes encounters.
Sunday, 29 December 2013
2013 Test Cricket Players of the Year
For many, 2013 was about two all-time greats: Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis. Both took their bows from Test cricket, albeit in very different circumstances. The Little Master's departure was choreographed along the lines of a British royal wedding while, typically, the South African all-rounder signed off with much less fuss, a sedate century, his 200th catch and plaudits of cricket fans worldwide. But because neither really took the eye on the pitch, neither make my Test XI of the year. Indeed, it's not necessarily the best eleven players, either, and doesn't follow the ICC rankings. After all, Sri Lanka played virtually no Test matches at all. But for me the team are those who produced the most consistent run-scoring, wicket-taking, etc at the top level during 2013.
It wasn't a great year for openers. David Warner and Alastair Cook probably scored more runs than anybody else in this position but both had very mixed years. I have therefore plumped for two men currently in opposition and who played relatively few matches. Graeme Smith continues to be a successful skipper and run maker for the world's number one ranked team, South Africa, while Murali Vijay has made some decent scores against boh Australia and South Africa. He can also bowl a few overs to keep the attack leaders fresh.
Candidates for the middle-order are much thicker on the ground. Dhawan and Rutherford made sensational debuts last winter, Ian Bell had a superb home Ashes series, Virat Kohli finally demonstrated the maturity to excel at the most demanding form of cricket and Hashim Amla also averaged more than 50. However, none manage to squeeze into my team of the year. Instead, I have included India's number three, Cheteshwar Pujara. Besides amassing huge innings in domestic cricket, he contributed more than 800 runs and, at the time of writing, three hundreds for the national cause. First defeated, then victorious Ashes captain Michael Clarke was one of only two batsmen to compile more than 1000 Test runs in the calendar year (Bell being the other) whilst coping with the considerable mental pressures of leading his side in the most gruelling of series. New Zealand's Ross Taylor marked his return to the fold with centuries in three successive Tests against the West Indies. Then there's the incomparable AB De Villiers. Officially the best Test and ODI batsman in the world, AB has delivered almost a thousand runs at an average of 90+, whilst taking the gloves. He's hardly ever off the field of play!
Nevertheless, I want a specialist wicketkeeper in my team and Brad Haddin's combination of glovework and vital lower-order runs throughout the year, at the age of 36, fit the bill superbly.
The retirement of Kallis hits home the dearth of international all-rounders in the modern game. I can think of nobody in Tests capable of delivering match-winnng batting and bowling on any consistent scale. Vernon Philander may have the potential and Ravi Ashwin hit 124 against the Windies at Kolkata a few months ago. However, Ashwin earns his place for his spin demolition of Australia and the Windies. Will he be able to reproduce such form on away pitches, I wonder?
Watching him and his hapless team-mates struggling in Australia in the past few weeks, it is har to remember the impact Stuart Broad made earlier in 2013. He has by far the most Test wickets in the year (62), including five five-fors, and all atr an average of 25.80. When he's poor, he looks very average but when the modd and fancy takes him, he is almost unplayable. Even Jimmy Anderson was knocked from his pedestal as England's best bowler. The contrast with Mitchell Johnson is stark. His career having hit the doldrums after previous Ashes horrors, he stormed back with a vengeance to destroy English hopes and batting with a twirl of a new moustache and a renewed line in aggression. He claimed 34 wickets in only six Tests at under 18 apiece. His colleague Ryan Harris would have joined him but for a certain Mr Dale Steyn. He may have been displaced at the top of the ICC tree by Philander but he continued to exude skill and venom on the friendliest of batting pitches, amassing 48 wickets (with a day to go). Like Johnson, his average sits below 18 and his economy rate of 2.49 is one of the best around of the major wicket-takers.
If my Team of the Year has to play on a pitch requiring five front-line bowlers, then I'd drop Haddin for New Zealand's left-arm seamer Trent Boult, who took 46 wickets at 25 against a range of opposition, home and away. No Pakistanis make the XI but I hope their dominance of my ODI side of the year is adequate compensation!
To summarise, here is the Test Team of 2013: Smith (SA), Vijay (Ind), Pujara (Ind), Clarke (* Aus), Taylor (NZ), De Villiers (SA), Haddin (+ Aus), Ashwin (Ind), Broad (Eng), Johnson (Aus), Steyn (SA).
My overall players of the year, taking in all senior cricket, will be revealed shortly....
It wasn't a great year for openers. David Warner and Alastair Cook probably scored more runs than anybody else in this position but both had very mixed years. I have therefore plumped for two men currently in opposition and who played relatively few matches. Graeme Smith continues to be a successful skipper and run maker for the world's number one ranked team, South Africa, while Murali Vijay has made some decent scores against boh Australia and South Africa. He can also bowl a few overs to keep the attack leaders fresh.
Candidates for the middle-order are much thicker on the ground. Dhawan and Rutherford made sensational debuts last winter, Ian Bell had a superb home Ashes series, Virat Kohli finally demonstrated the maturity to excel at the most demanding form of cricket and Hashim Amla also averaged more than 50. However, none manage to squeeze into my team of the year. Instead, I have included India's number three, Cheteshwar Pujara. Besides amassing huge innings in domestic cricket, he contributed more than 800 runs and, at the time of writing, three hundreds for the national cause. First defeated, then victorious Ashes captain Michael Clarke was one of only two batsmen to compile more than 1000 Test runs in the calendar year (Bell being the other) whilst coping with the considerable mental pressures of leading his side in the most gruelling of series. New Zealand's Ross Taylor marked his return to the fold with centuries in three successive Tests against the West Indies. Then there's the incomparable AB De Villiers. Officially the best Test and ODI batsman in the world, AB has delivered almost a thousand runs at an average of 90+, whilst taking the gloves. He's hardly ever off the field of play!
Nevertheless, I want a specialist wicketkeeper in my team and Brad Haddin's combination of glovework and vital lower-order runs throughout the year, at the age of 36, fit the bill superbly.
The retirement of Kallis hits home the dearth of international all-rounders in the modern game. I can think of nobody in Tests capable of delivering match-winnng batting and bowling on any consistent scale. Vernon Philander may have the potential and Ravi Ashwin hit 124 against the Windies at Kolkata a few months ago. However, Ashwin earns his place for his spin demolition of Australia and the Windies. Will he be able to reproduce such form on away pitches, I wonder?
Watching him and his hapless team-mates struggling in Australia in the past few weeks, it is har to remember the impact Stuart Broad made earlier in 2013. He has by far the most Test wickets in the year (62), including five five-fors, and all atr an average of 25.80. When he's poor, he looks very average but when the modd and fancy takes him, he is almost unplayable. Even Jimmy Anderson was knocked from his pedestal as England's best bowler. The contrast with Mitchell Johnson is stark. His career having hit the doldrums after previous Ashes horrors, he stormed back with a vengeance to destroy English hopes and batting with a twirl of a new moustache and a renewed line in aggression. He claimed 34 wickets in only six Tests at under 18 apiece. His colleague Ryan Harris would have joined him but for a certain Mr Dale Steyn. He may have been displaced at the top of the ICC tree by Philander but he continued to exude skill and venom on the friendliest of batting pitches, amassing 48 wickets (with a day to go). Like Johnson, his average sits below 18 and his economy rate of 2.49 is one of the best around of the major wicket-takers.
If my Team of the Year has to play on a pitch requiring five front-line bowlers, then I'd drop Haddin for New Zealand's left-arm seamer Trent Boult, who took 46 wickets at 25 against a range of opposition, home and away. No Pakistanis make the XI but I hope their dominance of my ODI side of the year is adequate compensation!
To summarise, here is the Test Team of 2013: Smith (SA), Vijay (Ind), Pujara (Ind), Clarke (* Aus), Taylor (NZ), De Villiers (SA), Haddin (+ Aus), Ashwin (Ind), Broad (Eng), Johnson (Aus), Steyn (SA).
My overall players of the year, taking in all senior cricket, will be revealed shortly....
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
England surrender to rampant Aussies
Well, who'd have thought it? After the flattering yet nevertheless emphatic 3-0 win in England, a closer contest on southern hemisphere pitches was widely predicted. But 3-0 to Australia? After only 3 matches?! Just about everything that could have gone wrong for Andy Flower's charges has, while Darren Lehmann could happily have written this script for Walt Disney only for it to have been rejected as being too sugary and fanciful.
AFter his superb batting last time out Down Under, expectations were high on Alastair Cook although three years ago he had none of the additional responsibilities of captaincy. Of course, he hasn't delivered and his first-baller to a brilliant Ryan Harris delivery yesterday was he nail in the coffin of England's defence of the little red urn. The loss of Jonathan Trott to a bout of depression was cruel but losing the form not only of the normally reliable opener but also the formerly world-class Matt Prior and Jimmy Anderson in particular suggests it wasn't just England who have been responsible for the hammering in the past three weeks. What on earth would they have done without the 82-page list of dietary requests which so amused the Aussie public?!
Brisbane was an unmitigated disaster but maybe that was down to unfamiliarity with a reinvigorated Mitchell Johnson, a lack of practice and losing the sledging battle. Adelaide saw another huge defeat but of course that was down to a lost toss, Trott and a fierce moustache or two. At Perth it would all be different. All England's towering seamers, seemingly picked with the WACA in mind, would extract the pace and bounce required to scare the hell out of Clarke, Warner et al. So what happened? Neither Finn, Rankin nor Tremlett were even considered, and in came the barely-fit, medium-pace ex-talisman Tim Bresnan to give the side a 'better shape'. D'oh!! And to put the tin lid on it, the tiny 6 ft 5 inch Stuart Broad has his foot broken by a Johnson yorker.
Yet the Australians have been absolutely brilliant in almost every aspect of the game. The only slight negative has been Chris Rogers, although he, too, scored a half-century in the Perth second innings while at the other end, feisty David Warner flayed the once invincible English attack to all parts for his second century of the series. Michael Clarke's captaincy hasn't affected his batting in the same way as Cook's and even Steve Smith won the Man of the Match award in the decisive third game. What's more, when you need to go for quick runs and rub Pom noses into the dirt, who better to turn to than Shane Watson and George Bailey who delivered to perfection.
Mitch Johnson has been a revelation, of course, but Ryan Harris has shown what a world-class swing and seam merchant he can be when fit, and the ever-dependable Peter Siddle has put the hex on Kevin Pietersen to such an extent that KP can only hoik the ball unerringly to a fielder. And Nathan Lyon has chipped in, too, unlike the supposedly superior Graeme Swann.
The Aussie fielding has been far better, too, with the wicketkeeping of Brad Haddin particularly impressive, adding eight catches to his tally in Perth. The 36 year-old, in only his sixth year as a Test player, has also excelled with the bat in a mirror image of Prior's decline. He has accumulated 325 runs in five innings, passing fifty four times. Crucially his main contributions have come when the middle-order have wobbled early on during the first two Tests, and he has brilliantly added valuable late-order runs supported by Johnson, Harris et al.
Let's not forget that, for all the Aussie celebrations (and no pissing on the pitch unlike England's infamous drunken antics at The Oval) and Cook's downbeat press conferences, there are still two matches yet to play. Even though the Ashes are lost, Cook's side must fight to restore a little pride. Some of the grit demonstrated by new boy Ben Stokes in his 120 today would be welcome for a start. Jonny Bairstow deserves a starting place with the gloves, not because Prior is finished but because he is dreadfully out of form. The Yorkshire-Durham axis may give England's dressing room a boost, too, and I'm sure Bairstow could give as good as he gets in the banter stakes.
Melbourne and Sydney have been kinder to England on previous tours but psychological and physical recovery from the first three fixtures will be a tough ask. Cook winning the toss with an obvious decision could provide assistance but who would bet against England opting to bat first only for Watson, Siddle and Smith to rip through them by teatime? Just as the teams of Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting would have done, Clarke's squad will not rest until they have achieved a whitewash. This is payback, and humiliation of the old enemy - and the inevitable Test retirement of KP - will be the icing on the cake!
AFter his superb batting last time out Down Under, expectations were high on Alastair Cook although three years ago he had none of the additional responsibilities of captaincy. Of course, he hasn't delivered and his first-baller to a brilliant Ryan Harris delivery yesterday was he nail in the coffin of England's defence of the little red urn. The loss of Jonathan Trott to a bout of depression was cruel but losing the form not only of the normally reliable opener but also the formerly world-class Matt Prior and Jimmy Anderson in particular suggests it wasn't just England who have been responsible for the hammering in the past three weeks. What on earth would they have done without the 82-page list of dietary requests which so amused the Aussie public?!
Brisbane was an unmitigated disaster but maybe that was down to unfamiliarity with a reinvigorated Mitchell Johnson, a lack of practice and losing the sledging battle. Adelaide saw another huge defeat but of course that was down to a lost toss, Trott and a fierce moustache or two. At Perth it would all be different. All England's towering seamers, seemingly picked with the WACA in mind, would extract the pace and bounce required to scare the hell out of Clarke, Warner et al. So what happened? Neither Finn, Rankin nor Tremlett were even considered, and in came the barely-fit, medium-pace ex-talisman Tim Bresnan to give the side a 'better shape'. D'oh!! And to put the tin lid on it, the tiny 6 ft 5 inch Stuart Broad has his foot broken by a Johnson yorker.
Yet the Australians have been absolutely brilliant in almost every aspect of the game. The only slight negative has been Chris Rogers, although he, too, scored a half-century in the Perth second innings while at the other end, feisty David Warner flayed the once invincible English attack to all parts for his second century of the series. Michael Clarke's captaincy hasn't affected his batting in the same way as Cook's and even Steve Smith won the Man of the Match award in the decisive third game. What's more, when you need to go for quick runs and rub Pom noses into the dirt, who better to turn to than Shane Watson and George Bailey who delivered to perfection.
Mitch Johnson has been a revelation, of course, but Ryan Harris has shown what a world-class swing and seam merchant he can be when fit, and the ever-dependable Peter Siddle has put the hex on Kevin Pietersen to such an extent that KP can only hoik the ball unerringly to a fielder. And Nathan Lyon has chipped in, too, unlike the supposedly superior Graeme Swann.
The Aussie fielding has been far better, too, with the wicketkeeping of Brad Haddin particularly impressive, adding eight catches to his tally in Perth. The 36 year-old, in only his sixth year as a Test player, has also excelled with the bat in a mirror image of Prior's decline. He has accumulated 325 runs in five innings, passing fifty four times. Crucially his main contributions have come when the middle-order have wobbled early on during the first two Tests, and he has brilliantly added valuable late-order runs supported by Johnson, Harris et al.
Let's not forget that, for all the Aussie celebrations (and no pissing on the pitch unlike England's infamous drunken antics at The Oval) and Cook's downbeat press conferences, there are still two matches yet to play. Even though the Ashes are lost, Cook's side must fight to restore a little pride. Some of the grit demonstrated by new boy Ben Stokes in his 120 today would be welcome for a start. Jonny Bairstow deserves a starting place with the gloves, not because Prior is finished but because he is dreadfully out of form. The Yorkshire-Durham axis may give England's dressing room a boost, too, and I'm sure Bairstow could give as good as he gets in the banter stakes.
Melbourne and Sydney have been kinder to England on previous tours but psychological and physical recovery from the first three fixtures will be a tough ask. Cook winning the toss with an obvious decision could provide assistance but who would bet against England opting to bat first only for Watson, Siddle and Smith to rip through them by teatime? Just as the teams of Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting would have done, Clarke's squad will not rest until they have achieved a whitewash. This is payback, and humiliation of the old enemy - and the inevitable Test retirement of KP - will be the icing on the cake!
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Thanks, Mitch! It's great to see pace back
Fast bowlers. Don'tcha just love 'em? Well, maybe not if you're an Englishman and definitely if you're not one of the XI out there in Adelaide and contemplating what might happen on a pitch that is actually beter suited to pace and bounce. For the last few years, Mitchell Johnson had been ridiculed by the Barmy Army for his tendency to spray the ball ove the place with a wild slinging action. All credit to the Queenslander for remodelling his action and coming back faster and more accurate than ever to put England virtually out of the Ashes running after only eight days.
Pace bowling is nothing new, of course. From Larwood and Lindwall, Truman and Thomson through to Lee and Shoaib Akhtar, there have been some storming characters to put the wind up batsmen and stir the blood of cricket fans across the world. And I didn't even mention the stream of West Indians in the seventies and eighties. In some ways, Holding, Clarke, Daniel, Marshall, Ambrose et al were so successful at mixing toe-jangling yorkers with neck-jerking bouncers, especially the latter, that they set back fast bowling for years. Why? Because we ended up with limits on short-pitched bowling and, perhaps more welcome, minimum over-rates in Tests.
Spin bowling came back in fashion thanks to Warne, Murali and Kumble, and the advent of T20 has extended that revival well into the 21st century. Seam and swing still feature strongly, led by arch-exponents Anderson and Steyn, but men who can consistently deliver at 90mph without sacrificing accuracy are rare talents indeed. They always were, of course. Hostile environments also motivate 'quicks' to bend their backs just a shade more. Some are easily riled but not necessarily to the benefit of their bowling. Just think of Devon Malcolm in the '90s or indeed Johnson in recent years. Shoaib, Shane Bond and others are also examples of very fast bowlers whose careers were punctuated and finally ended by injury. Dennis Lillee was originally ferociously fast but a serious back injury forced him to ease off and instead become one of the most controlled and thoughtful of fast-mediums in history.
In he past few decades, Brett Lee stands out as one of the few 90+ mph bowlers who enjoyed a lengthy international career comprising 76 Tests and 221 ODIs but even his Test average was the wrong side of 30, unlike ex-colleague Glenn McGrath. Sticking with the Aussies, it is also interesting to see how all the fast young guns like Cummins and Pattinson have succumbed to niggles or worse, it's the 30-somethings leading an attack causing England so many problems. Whie it may be tempting to bowl Johnson as much as possible, Michael Clarke must know that you should use him as an old-fashioned strike bowler. Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle can tie 'em down then that extra zip from Johnson can wreak havoc. From the other angle, there's the potential for batsmen to see the support bowlers as 'light relief', only to come a cropper.
Yesterday's 7-40 is the best Ashes performance for years and for all the fuss about sledging, perhaps all you need is a heavily-tattooed arm and a menacing moustache to induce panic in England batsmen. If an accomplished opener like Alastair Cook can be so comprehensively beaten for pace, what hope do the likes of Root, Stokes and the tailenders have? Confidence also counts for a lot, of course, and the events of the first two Tests must have destroyed England mentally so soon after their victories last summer. It could all change with a few big innings from KP or Bell, or a dazzling display from a Swann or Broad but for now Mitch Johnson seems to have England all hot and bothered. Nice to see pace is king once more.
Pace bowling is nothing new, of course. From Larwood and Lindwall, Truman and Thomson through to Lee and Shoaib Akhtar, there have been some storming characters to put the wind up batsmen and stir the blood of cricket fans across the world. And I didn't even mention the stream of West Indians in the seventies and eighties. In some ways, Holding, Clarke, Daniel, Marshall, Ambrose et al were so successful at mixing toe-jangling yorkers with neck-jerking bouncers, especially the latter, that they set back fast bowling for years. Why? Because we ended up with limits on short-pitched bowling and, perhaps more welcome, minimum over-rates in Tests.
Spin bowling came back in fashion thanks to Warne, Murali and Kumble, and the advent of T20 has extended that revival well into the 21st century. Seam and swing still feature strongly, led by arch-exponents Anderson and Steyn, but men who can consistently deliver at 90mph without sacrificing accuracy are rare talents indeed. They always were, of course. Hostile environments also motivate 'quicks' to bend their backs just a shade more. Some are easily riled but not necessarily to the benefit of their bowling. Just think of Devon Malcolm in the '90s or indeed Johnson in recent years. Shoaib, Shane Bond and others are also examples of very fast bowlers whose careers were punctuated and finally ended by injury. Dennis Lillee was originally ferociously fast but a serious back injury forced him to ease off and instead become one of the most controlled and thoughtful of fast-mediums in history.
In he past few decades, Brett Lee stands out as one of the few 90+ mph bowlers who enjoyed a lengthy international career comprising 76 Tests and 221 ODIs but even his Test average was the wrong side of 30, unlike ex-colleague Glenn McGrath. Sticking with the Aussies, it is also interesting to see how all the fast young guns like Cummins and Pattinson have succumbed to niggles or worse, it's the 30-somethings leading an attack causing England so many problems. Whie it may be tempting to bowl Johnson as much as possible, Michael Clarke must know that you should use him as an old-fashioned strike bowler. Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle can tie 'em down then that extra zip from Johnson can wreak havoc. From the other angle, there's the potential for batsmen to see the support bowlers as 'light relief', only to come a cropper.
Yesterday's 7-40 is the best Ashes performance for years and for all the fuss about sledging, perhaps all you need is a heavily-tattooed arm and a menacing moustache to induce panic in England batsmen. If an accomplished opener like Alastair Cook can be so comprehensively beaten for pace, what hope do the likes of Root, Stokes and the tailenders have? Confidence also counts for a lot, of course, and the events of the first two Tests must have destroyed England mentally so soon after their victories last summer. It could all change with a few big innings from KP or Bell, or a dazzling display from a Swann or Broad but for now Mitch Johnson seems to have England all hot and bothered. Nice to see pace is king once more.
Sunday, 24 November 2013
Mitch sends Aussie confidence sky high
After yesterday's blog about the curse of Brisbane, Mitch Johnson's 5-42 was instrumental in maintaining the Gabba hoodoo for visiting countries. After ten winless Tests, Australia badly needed this victory and as a launchpad for Ashes revenge, a 381-run drubbing was almost as good as it gets. I say almost because back in 2002, the margin was 384 in favour of Steve Waugh's men.
That remains the tenth greatest winning margin in runs terms in Test cricket. Interestingly, four of the fifteen highest have come in Brisbane and eight in Ashes clashes. In 1928, an England side boasting Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Tate, Hendren and Larwood smashed the Aussies by an incredible 675 runs in the Queensland capital. A young Aussie batting at seven made his debut in that game but he was to be a thorn in the side of England, and everbody else over the next two decades. He was, of course, Don Bradman. At The Oval in 1934, he struck 244 and 77 to set up the second highest win of all time, by 562 runs.
Forward almost eighty years, and cricket is a very different game. Sledging, social media and hysterical hype have given the Ashes the feel of warfare, and the frontline trops have been happy to fire their share of verbal bullets. It's all a bit tame compared with the days of Merv Hughes, Rod Marsh and even Nasser Hussain's infamous welcome to Muttiah Muralitharan; "Here comes the f*!*ing cheat". Indeed, Michael Clarke was being perfectly hones by admitting there was "mutual respect" off the field, but he refrained from saying the same was true on it, too.
Of course, these are two experienced cricketing sides now very familiar to each other. Clarke v Cook, Pietersen v Watson, Broad v Johnson, Swann v Lyon, etc, etc. They may not share beers with each other any more, perhaps the odd punch. However, once the cricket started it was England who made the strongest start. Stuart Broad may be the world's most reluctant walker (apart from a few students I could mention!) but his 6-81 put the hosts in trouble before Brad Haddin and Mitch Johnson batted the side to respectability.
Broad himself said the pitch was actually great for batting, only for his team-mates to prove his words were just propagandist blather, sinking to 136 all out in the face of Johnson, Harris, Siddle and Lyon. Second time out, the restored David Warner continued his recent first-class form with an excellent 124 and Clarke put his back problems behind him with a brisk 113. Haddin made another half-century to set England 561 to win in two days. They didn't make it, and bogeyman Mitch was the pick of the bowlers combining consistent 90mph pace, aggression and not a little hostility towards Jonathan Trott.
No fairytale 100th Test for KP, nor a great personal debut for George Bailey but at least the latter could share in the post-match celebrations. Johnson was the rightful match award winner but all the bowlers could hold their heads up high. A stonking victory, and yet Rogers, Watson, Bailey and Smith could afford to misfire. England must hope that their own attack ups their game at Adelaide. However, recent games at the new-look stadium suggest the drop-in pitch tends to favour batsmen. Trott, Root, Carberry, Prior and co can therefore play themselves back into form. Cook is right to remind journos that there is time to fight back and retain the Ashes. However, the Aussies have the upper hand physically and mentally, so Adelaide will be a big test for England in the mind as much as on the field. It's one they can win and if so, they will take a lot of beating thereafter.
That remains the tenth greatest winning margin in runs terms in Test cricket. Interestingly, four of the fifteen highest have come in Brisbane and eight in Ashes clashes. In 1928, an England side boasting Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Tate, Hendren and Larwood smashed the Aussies by an incredible 675 runs in the Queensland capital. A young Aussie batting at seven made his debut in that game but he was to be a thorn in the side of England, and everbody else over the next two decades. He was, of course, Don Bradman. At The Oval in 1934, he struck 244 and 77 to set up the second highest win of all time, by 562 runs.
Forward almost eighty years, and cricket is a very different game. Sledging, social media and hysterical hype have given the Ashes the feel of warfare, and the frontline trops have been happy to fire their share of verbal bullets. It's all a bit tame compared with the days of Merv Hughes, Rod Marsh and even Nasser Hussain's infamous welcome to Muttiah Muralitharan; "Here comes the f*!*ing cheat". Indeed, Michael Clarke was being perfectly hones by admitting there was "mutual respect" off the field, but he refrained from saying the same was true on it, too.
Of course, these are two experienced cricketing sides now very familiar to each other. Clarke v Cook, Pietersen v Watson, Broad v Johnson, Swann v Lyon, etc, etc. They may not share beers with each other any more, perhaps the odd punch. However, once the cricket started it was England who made the strongest start. Stuart Broad may be the world's most reluctant walker (apart from a few students I could mention!) but his 6-81 put the hosts in trouble before Brad Haddin and Mitch Johnson batted the side to respectability.
Broad himself said the pitch was actually great for batting, only for his team-mates to prove his words were just propagandist blather, sinking to 136 all out in the face of Johnson, Harris, Siddle and Lyon. Second time out, the restored David Warner continued his recent first-class form with an excellent 124 and Clarke put his back problems behind him with a brisk 113. Haddin made another half-century to set England 561 to win in two days. They didn't make it, and bogeyman Mitch was the pick of the bowlers combining consistent 90mph pace, aggression and not a little hostility towards Jonathan Trott.
No fairytale 100th Test for KP, nor a great personal debut for George Bailey but at least the latter could share in the post-match celebrations. Johnson was the rightful match award winner but all the bowlers could hold their heads up high. A stonking victory, and yet Rogers, Watson, Bailey and Smith could afford to misfire. England must hope that their own attack ups their game at Adelaide. However, recent games at the new-look stadium suggest the drop-in pitch tends to favour batsmen. Trott, Root, Carberry, Prior and co can therefore play themselves back into form. Cook is right to remind journos that there is time to fight back and retain the Ashes. However, the Aussies have the upper hand physically and mentally, so Adelaide will be a big test for England in the mind as much as on the field. It's one they can win and if so, they will take a lot of beating thereafter.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
At last a trophy for Australia
It was maybe fitting that Shane Watson collected the last Man of the Match award of a long and gruelling Australia tour. For someone so derided, he bore by far the greatest workload of the various different squads, from the Champions Trophy warm-ups through the Ashes Tests, T20s and finally the ODIs. Of 23 games, he played in 20, accumulating over 1000 runs although only eight expensive wickets. Amongst those runs were some pretty special centuries, including that 176 at The Oval and this week's 143 at Southampton. That's one England's spinners Tredwell and Root won't forget in a hurry.
The highest individual score was Michael Clarke's memorable 187 at Old Trafford, and he demonstrated that you don't have to slog your way to thre figures. On the other hand, Aaron Finch produced one of the most incredible batting blitz in history at the Rose Bowl. 156 in 63 balls produced a world record for T20 internationals, but could he temper those instincts to make a Test player? Averaging sub-30 in 33 first-class cricket at the age of 26 suggests otherwise. George Bailey seems to be progressing from T20 specialist to very capable 50-over performer but at 31 his career is limited. Not as limited as Chris Rogers' but the latter proved he can do the business as opener, if only until someone else comes through the system, or Phil Hughes rediscovers the form of five few years ago. Steve Smith's debut hundred at The Oval did his cause no harm either, although his bowling is short of what should be expected of a genuine all-rounder.
Considering the Aussies' 0-3 Ashes defeat, it was remarkable how well their bowlers performed. Graeme Swann was the series' leading wicket-taker but Ryan Harris, just behind him, averaged under 20, a world-class statistic in a major Test series. Unlike Harris, James Faulkner was another very busy man this summer. His left-arm pace was quicker than first appeared and he provided useful late-order runs, too. Clint McKay's hat-trick at Cardiff was the highlight of his tour, Mitchell Starc had his moments and Peter Siddle was his usual reliable self in Tests, although perhaps less incisive than usual. Mitchell Johnson demonstrated in the past week that there are no faster bowlers in world cricket, and in the Southampton finale managed to combine that raw speed with control, menace and economy. The jury's out on Pattinson, Bird and Coulter-Nile but next winter's bowling line-up will probably be determined by who's fit. Nathan Lyon looks to have secured the spinner slot but if teenager Ashton Agar can rip the ball as well as he let rip with it in that record-breaking tail-end 98, he may mature into a rival.
Behind the stumps, Darren Lehmann and his team probably have it right with Brad Haddin playing the Tests and Matthew Wade in the shorter formats. It is probably correct for a selection policy involving watching how all the players perform in the Sheffield Shield. There are still several spots to nail down in the Test side, and it will be interesting to see whether David Warner returns to the fold to do battle - maybe that's not the best choice of phrase! - with all the England team and the Barmy Army can throw at him.
I'll no doubt return to the issue as the Ashes return gets closer....
The highest individual score was Michael Clarke's memorable 187 at Old Trafford, and he demonstrated that you don't have to slog your way to thre figures. On the other hand, Aaron Finch produced one of the most incredible batting blitz in history at the Rose Bowl. 156 in 63 balls produced a world record for T20 internationals, but could he temper those instincts to make a Test player? Averaging sub-30 in 33 first-class cricket at the age of 26 suggests otherwise. George Bailey seems to be progressing from T20 specialist to very capable 50-over performer but at 31 his career is limited. Not as limited as Chris Rogers' but the latter proved he can do the business as opener, if only until someone else comes through the system, or Phil Hughes rediscovers the form of five few years ago. Steve Smith's debut hundred at The Oval did his cause no harm either, although his bowling is short of what should be expected of a genuine all-rounder.
Considering the Aussies' 0-3 Ashes defeat, it was remarkable how well their bowlers performed. Graeme Swann was the series' leading wicket-taker but Ryan Harris, just behind him, averaged under 20, a world-class statistic in a major Test series. Unlike Harris, James Faulkner was another very busy man this summer. His left-arm pace was quicker than first appeared and he provided useful late-order runs, too. Clint McKay's hat-trick at Cardiff was the highlight of his tour, Mitchell Starc had his moments and Peter Siddle was his usual reliable self in Tests, although perhaps less incisive than usual. Mitchell Johnson demonstrated in the past week that there are no faster bowlers in world cricket, and in the Southampton finale managed to combine that raw speed with control, menace and economy. The jury's out on Pattinson, Bird and Coulter-Nile but next winter's bowling line-up will probably be determined by who's fit. Nathan Lyon looks to have secured the spinner slot but if teenager Ashton Agar can rip the ball as well as he let rip with it in that record-breaking tail-end 98, he may mature into a rival.
Behind the stumps, Darren Lehmann and his team probably have it right with Brad Haddin playing the Tests and Matthew Wade in the shorter formats. It is probably correct for a selection policy involving watching how all the players perform in the Sheffield Shield. There are still several spots to nail down in the Test side, and it will be interesting to see whether David Warner returns to the fold to do battle - maybe that's not the best choice of phrase! - with all the England team and the Barmy Army can throw at him.
I'll no doubt return to the issue as the Ashes return gets closer....
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