As Australia search through the rubble of their embarrassing Ashes annihilation, they will wonder, what next? Australian cricket has been in decline ever since the crushing 5-0 Ashes whitewash in 2006/07. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer all retired after that series. Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist followed soon after. The fact that they have coped so admirably in the last couple of years is credit to Ponting, who has held the side together in the interim with his sparkling batting performances.
It seems however that now, as Ponting’s powers seem to have deserted him. Australia have finally, and quite understandably, collapsed into free-fall. The new generation of Australian cricketers quite simply have not been good enough to replace their illustrious predecessors. The most obvious struggle has been the quest to replace Shane Warne. Since his retirement, 10 spin candidates have been tested. 10 have been unceremoniously dumped. They have also struggled to find a new attack leader in the absence of Glenn McGrath. Mitchell Johnson looked like taking up the mantle but his star has fallen dramatically in the last year due to an incredible lack of consistency and accuracy. Two things that could never be leveled at McGrath.
Whilst Ponting has held the batting together with the odd bit of help from his supporting cast, they have been incapable of replacing the runs which Hayden, Langer and Gilchrist provided. The loss of Hayden and Langer (one of, if not the best opening partnership in Test history) was especially brutal as they did such a fantastic job of shielding Ponting from the new ball. Recently, as Ponting has come to the crease earlier and earlier, he has failed more and more as his slowing reflexes have struggled to cope with the new ball. This was best demonstrated in this Ashes series when he was constantly exposed to the new ball and England’s bowlers made sure he had a torrid series. Australia could no longer count on their captain to bail them out, and whilst Mike Hussey briefly took up the mantle, it proved too much for him to handle as he failed in the final two Tests. As Australia’s last means of resistance faltered, England surged through the gates to record two emphatic innings victories to rap up the series.
Many pundits have said that the reason Australia lost the series was because they played poorly, it was suggested they had made England look better than they were. In reality, England brutally exposed the weaknesses that Australia have been getting away with in the last two years. In truth, Australia did as well as could be expected with the resources they had available. Throughout the series England’s bowlers made Australia’s batsmen look like fools. They poked outside off stump, showing no patience or willingness to fight for the cause. They were branded as a team of young pretenders, a team brought up on a diet of Twenty20 which left them incapable of stomaching the battle of a Test Match.
In the wake of this humbling defeat. Surely the Australian domestic structure must change? Surely they should focus on playing more 4 day cricket and 2 day club cricket? Apparently not, there are plans for reducing the amount of 4 day games in the Australian calender whilst increasing the amount of Twenty20 games. This attitude can even be seen at club level. The club I am currently playing for in Australia is far more interested in Twenty20 cricket than the longer form. From the president to the players, they all want to play more Twenty20 and less 2 day cricket. They see Twenty20 as the future, this attitude may consign Australia’s Test team to the garbage heap. Australian club cricket is the foundation of their national side. All the best young players play grade cricket against men at a high standard. This is where they hone their game, where they become the players they are. So how do you think these ‘Stars of the Future’ will turn out if the clubs are playing less 2 day games and more Twenty20’s? Look at the likes of Phil Hughes and Steve Smith and you will get an idea. For years Australian club cricket has been famed as the reason for their extraordinary success in the Test arena. For some reason they think changing it will return them to their glory days.
Whilst the foundations of Australian cricket are changing for the worse. Changes at the top for the better seem to be non-existent. The selectors, coaches and players have all come under serious criticism and yet none seem to be under any pressure. The selectors maintain they did a good job yet the 3-1 scoreline and poor performances by nearly all the players would suggest otherwise. Tim Nielsen has looked like a water boy when compared to England’s Andy Flower. Whilst England’s coach has meticulously planned every aspect of England’s preparation, Nielsen hardly seems fit to coach a junior club side. He seems to think that the players will do just fine with the minimum effort. Nets and fielding practice. There is seemingly no thought into tactics or plans. Something the England side executed to perfection.
Then we come to the players, at the end of the day it all comes down to them. The selectors and coaches can do their absolute best (which they clearly didn’t) but if the players aren’t good enough then there’s not much they can do. The players that represented Australia throughout this series weren’t good enough. There were a few promising signs but hard work must be done to turn those promising signs into Test wins.
There need to be wholesale changes to this Australian side. Similar to the ones in the aftermath of Australia’s last home Ashes defeat. Changes that brought about a decade of dominance for Australia. Now I’m not saying these changes will have the same effect but it can only get better for Australia so what do they have to lose?
My side for their next Test match in August in Sri Lanka would be thus:
1 P Hughes
2 S Watson
3 U Khawaja
4 C Ferguson
5 M Clarke (C)
6 M Hussey
7 T Paine (VC) (WK)
8 S Smith
9 J Faulkner
10 P Siddle
11 P George
Assuming it would be a 15 man squad. The remaining four players would be; M Henriques, J Hazlewood, S O’Keefe, M Cameron. As you can see, there are wholesale changes in this side. In order for this side to move forward, it needs a new leader. Whilst I do not see Clarke as the ideal choice, in my opinion he is the only choice. I have included Paine as I see him as a potential captain, something Australia are very much lacking. His batting is similar to Haddin’s and his glovework is better so I do not see much of a problem with him replacing Haddin. Steve Smith plays as a spinner. I do not think his bowling is up to standard yet but I don’t think any spinners in Australia are. He is young and he has potential, he must learn on the job and be given some faith. If he concentrates on his bowling, he could become a genuine Test spinner for Australia. The inclusion of George and Faulkner are both choices for the future, they have both had strong domestic seasons and have plenty of potential.
I very much doubt this is the side that will represent Australia in August but I truly believe this is what they need in order to get back to the upper echelons of Test Match cricket. Whether they will or not, that is very much in question.
Feel free to suggest your own views on Australian cricket and a potential XI below.
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