Hats off to Ponting’s professionals
Columnist By Kersi Meher-Homji, 9 Nov 2009 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Cricket, India, One day cricket, Ricky Ponting
Australia's captain Ricky Ponting celebrates after reaching 100 on the second day of the first cricket test match between England and Australia in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday July 9, 2009. AP Photo/Jon Super
I know, I know. In the past I have been critical of Ricky Ponting’s leadership and of the Australian selectors’ wisdom. But their performances in the series against India on foreign soil against all odds show that Australia is a champion cricket nation.
Losing nine players through injuries, besides Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist, in the last year and still winning this series against India after being 1-2 down shows the resilience of the Aussies.
And what a see-sawing series it has been; 1-0, 1-all, 1-2, 2-all, 3-2 and now 4-2. Two of the matches were cliff-hangers, Australia winning by four runs in Vadodra last fortnight and by three runs in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Not only has Australia won the series, the future of Fifty-50 cricket appears assured. Besides the high quality of cricket in the current series, the lack of bitterness and controversies has made it more enjoyable.
In retrospect one can surmise that India’s skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni erred in deciding to bat on a dodgy surface in Guwahati yesterday. But this should not detract from the superb bowling of Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson. Also India’s top order batted irresponsibly.
Perhaps Sachin Tendulkar’s magnificent innings (175 runs off 141 balls with 19 fours and four sixes) in Hyderabad was the icing on the cake in the series. But the cake was the gallantry of Ponting’s men. If Australia’s virtual second XI can beat India’s top XI it just shows the high standard of the Sheffield Shield competition.
The return to form of Mike Hussey is the most encouraging aspect of the series.
With one match still to go (in Mumbai on Wednesday), he leads the batting with a century average. Also he is the only one to top 300 runs (313 at 104.33 at a strike rate of 97.50).
The top three wicket takers are all Australians, Shane Watson 10 wickets at 22.00 in six matches, Bollinger and Johnson 9 wickets each at 19.33 and 32.22 in four and five matches, respectively.
Bollinger is the only one to capture five wickets in an innings in this electrifying series, 5-35 in Guwahati. Johnson and Bollinger were behind India losing their top five batsmen for 27 runs.
Watson has established himself as an all-rounder by scoring 256 runs at an average of 42.66 and a strike rate of 91.10 besides capturing 10 wickets at 22.00.
Will the much under-rated Watson take over from where Andrew Symonds left off as an all-rounder? Or this is a false promise?
The Test series against the West Indies and Pakistan in the coming season should give us an answer.
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November 9th 2009 @ 6:17pm
vinay verma said | November 9th 2009 @ 6:17pm | Report comment
Kersi…Australians love an underdog and the Windies are the biggest underdogs apart from Zimbabwe..if current Test match form is anything to go by. Australia is playing with confidence and the only thing they have to guard against is complacency. I believe Johnson,Katich and Hauritz will be the stars for Australia. I am also going for Jacues to partner Simon Katich at the top. After all he scored a ton in his last testr..and I think against the Windies.
November 9th 2009 @ 6:42pm
Freud of Football said | November 9th 2009 @ 6:42pm | Report comment
I see your still championing Hauritz Vinay, unfortunately I missed the last match.
If Haurtiz can add a wicket-taking string to his bow then I’m all for him being included, Australia doesn’t have a plethora of options in this department and none of the one’s we do have have done enough to warrant selection, just because Warne talks up Holland for example doesn’t mean he should get a run.
My lineup:
Katich
Hughes
Ponting
M Clarke
North
Watson
Haddin
Johnson
Lee (if fit)
Hauritz (on turning tracks only)
Hilfenhaus
Siddle
Vinay noted earlier that Hilfenhaus is more suited to the longer form of the game with which I must concur, I remember when the team was first “split” and all the commotion about Tubby Taylor, the Australian captain not being in the ODI side even though he was so ordinary and not suited to the 50 over format that it took him almost 100 games to reach 100.
The selectors must not be afraid to have one-day and test specialists, in modern cricket there is nothing wrong with this and for mine they have been trying to put too many square pegs in round holes.
Symonds is the perfect example, the man was a one-day dynamo but not a test player but the selectors persisted with him. His 2 centuries in 26 tests and meagre bowling average of 37.33 tell the story.
November 9th 2009 @ 6:22pm
Brett McKay said | November 9th 2009 @ 6:22pm | Report comment
Great wrap-up Kersi, as usual.
I wonder now if Mike Hussey has kept the growing pack at bay for the moment – 313 runs at 104.3 and a 97.5 SR??
November 13th 2009 @ 6:29pm
Dave1 said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:29pm | Report comment
It seems the selectors have given Hussey a guarantee he will play.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26341063-23212,00.html
“……….Mike Hussey’s spot in the first Test team against the West Indies later this month appears safe after national selectors directed him to sit out a Sheffield Shield match next week………”
November 9th 2009 @ 6:56pm
Kersi Meher-Homji said | November 9th 2009 @ 6:56pm | Report comment
Very Tonge-in-cheek, Sheek! Very clever.
November 10th 2009 @ 8:41am
Jameswm said | November 10th 2009 @ 8:41am | Report comment
I agree with Freud’s team with three exceptions
1. The 2nd opening slot should come from Hughes and Jaques. Jaques is a terrific player and may be back in form. Hughes and Jaques may be competing for the one spot in the next 4 day game for NSW, which is against Tassie and finishes 6 days before the first test.
2. I still think Krejza is the one to groom for the test spinner’s role and this is the perfect time to give him a decent crack at it. His control has improved and his stock ball is better than Haury’s. I think Hauritz has done very well this year and I’d keep him for the one-dayers and T20 games. As for playing without a spinner – it’s risky, and with Watson it would mean having 5 quicks. Still, Katich’s bowling is underrated (especially by him) and there is also Clarke and North, though they are part-timers. North did bowl well against NSW last week, though his no.5 spot will come under firs if he doesn’t perform. They are queueing up to challenge for the spot.
3. I still think a place has to be found for Stuey Clarke, who I rate as our 2nd best test bowler behind Johnson. If you play only three quicks, you’d have Siddle, Hilfy and Lee vying for that 3rd slot.
November 13th 2009 @ 6:33pm
Dave1 said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:33pm | Report comment
The problem with Stuart Clarke is that he only averaged 44 in the Ashes and Hilfenhaus, Siddle and Johnson were the top three in the averages.
http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=4249;type=series