Australia’s bowlers go back to the future with aggression

 
Benjamin Conkey Roar Pro

By , 4 Mar 2009 Benjamin Conkey is a Roar Pro

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Australia's pacer Mitchell Johnson, center, is congratulated by teammates after taking the wicket of Jamaica Select XI's batsman Nikita Miller, unseen, during the first day of a cricket tour match in Trelawny, northern Jamaica, Friday, May 16, 2008. AP Photo/Andres Leighton

In Perth, a little more than two months ago, Peter Siddle looked like another Scott Muller at the WACA. He was ordinary at best. But just when you thought he couldn’t bowl he found something in Melbourne, and now in South Africa he looks the real deal.

Mitchell Johnson is receiving most of the credit for Australia’s win (and rightly so), but it was Siddle who took it to South Africa with unrelenting aggression.

It takes courage to bounce the opposition’s best bowler and that’s exactly what he did to Dale Steyn.

He switched to around the wicket and pitched three balls in a row at Steyn’s throat, followed up by some even shorter words of wisdom.

It was a psychological ploy that said to the opposition “we hold no fear.” For Siddle can now expect to face similar chin music for the rest of the series from a fired up Steyn.

It brought back memories of Glenn McGrath in 1995 when he consistently bounced all of the West Indies tail-enders. During that re-building tour, it gave his fellow team-mates a tremendous lift because they knew McGrath would cop a hiding when he came out to bat.

But he didn’t care.

He wanted to send a message to the West Indies that Australia would not take their foot off the accelerator for one millisecond.

And that’s exactly what Australia is doing right now.

They are back to their ruthless best. No more mister nice guy. They put the squeeze on the Proteas batsmen through the best Australian bowling performance since Warne and McGrath.

It’s widely considered that this is really a six-Test home and away series, which means it’s now locked at two each.

The good news for Australia is that they could have won every match.

They had the upper-hand in Perth and Melbourne only to let it slip from their grasp. But with those harsh losses they seem to have learned the art of concentration, especially with the ball.

Johnson, a man so accustomed to taking wickets with the angle across the right-hander, is now swinging the ball, which means he is a potential weapon of mass destruction, not just for this series but the Ashes too, where the Duke balls tend to swing more in heavy English conditions.

Add Hilfenhaus to the swing list and all of a sudden Australia’s bowling stocks are looking rosier.

He didn’t take the wickets in this Test but he kept the runs down and made the ball consistently shape away from the right-handers, which would have impressed the captain and selectors.

McDonald, as the all-rounder, chipped in with a couple of wickets and went for just 1.65 runs an over in the match. He still needs to improve in the batting stakes to cement his position.

As for South Africa, they now need to win the last two Tests to steal the number one mantle from Australia.

Graeme Smith needs to think about changes.

Personally I think Albie Morkel should be in their side. He’s a handy bowler and a devastating lower order batsman, as we saw in the recent one-day series.

Sometimes you have to make a selection based on what the opposition would least like you to do and surely Australia would groan at the sight of Albie strolling to the crease.

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