Looking forward to the next Australian summer, the question must be asked: Can Australia win back the Ashes against England? I hasten to say, no.
The Australian cricket team have had a highly successful summer. Both test series were won 3-0, the one-day series against Pakistan was a whitewash and they have won the current one-day series against a sorry West Indian side.
However, previous to the current summer, Australia lost 3 out of 4 test series, including the precious Ashes series in England. Was anyone held accountable for these failings?
The selectors were given renewed two-year contracts for their efforts in selecting sides incapable of beating England, South Africa and India. Not a bad reward for incompetence.
And although Australia have comprehensively beaten both touring sides in the test format, the fact remains that both West indies and Pakistan presented sub-standard teams – teams which quite possibly would have difficulty playing against any one of the Australian state sides.
The lack of accountability, coupled with a lack of decent competition, has hidden the fact that the current side is incapable of beating the world’s leading cricket teams of South Africa, India and most importantly, England.
So, what needs to be done?
Firstly, Watson needs to bat at six. Yes, he’s been highly successful as an opener this summer, but against stronger attacks that move the ball prodigiously, he may be found wanting. It has been documented that he is susceptible to in-swinging deliveries, which have led to a high occurrence of LBW decisions going against him.
At No. 6 the pressure would be off and he would have more fuel in the tank to bowl more overs. Also his ability to bowl reverse swing could prove crucial. He could easily be replaced at the top of the order by Chris Rogers or Phil Hughes, both worthy of an opening spot.
Michael Hussey needs to go. He’s had his time in the sun and he’s lost his swagger.
Realistically he should’ve been dropped after the tour of England, but his battling century in the last test at the Oval saved his proverbial bacon. Also, the century he chalked up against Pakistan in the second test was extremely lucky – being dropped by a wicketkeeper 3 times in an innings is one for the ‘interesting facts’ books.
His newfound tentativeness in high pressure situations doesn’t bode well.
It might be early days, but Mitchell Marsh could be the perfect replacement. He may be young, but he has the talent to slot straight into the test side.
Recently it was announced that Peter Siddle has been ruled out for 5 months with stress fractures in the back. Although I feel for the guy, this is a good thing for the Australian side and he should be replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus. I know this sounds harsh, but for all the heart and guts he displays on the field, Siddle just doesn’t take a lot of wickets and tries to bowl too fast.
Mitchell Johnson needs to rebound to his best and if he does, the fast bowling line-up of Johnson, Doug Bollinger and Hilfenhaus could prove fruitful.
Nathan Hauritz, quite frankly, is a boring bowler to watch and would be largely ineffectual against a decent batting line up. For all the wickets he has taken this Australian summer, the reality is that he has been one of the main beneficiaries of tragic West Indian and ill-disciplined Pakistani batting.
I shudder at the thought of Kevin Pietersen sizing him up and letting go of massive sixes.
His replacement should be Jason Krejza. Sure he can leak runs but he also has the ability to take wickets without relying on poor batting. Steve Smith could be another potential replacement, who is also a very capable batsman.
Finally, and reluctantly, I offer that Ricky Ponting remains as captain – only simply because there is no one else to do the job. I’m not sure that Michael Clarke would be any better, and Simon Katich doesn’t have the political clout.
Ponting’s inept captaincy is highlighted by his poor decision making, weird declarations and poor body language. However, there is no denying that Ponting is a magnificent and tough batsman, and as such commands enough respect to be the leader of the Australian cricket team.
It seems unlikely that the current selectors will change the Australian test side significantly by the time the English test side arrives on our shores. I can only hope they prove me wrong.
My proposed Australian Test line-up:
Simon Katich
Chris Rogers
Ricky Ponting (c)
Michael Clarke
Mitchell Marsh
Shane Watson
Brad Haddin
Mitchell Johnson
Ben Hilfenhaus
Doug Bollinger
Jason Krejza
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