Is Ponting’s Australia back on track?

 

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By Kersi Meher-Homji, 6 Jul 2010 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert

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 Australia, Cricket, England, Pakistan, Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Shaun Tait

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With wins over England in the last two one-day Internationals (ODIs) at The Oval and Lord’s last week, Ricky Ponting’s Australians appear to be back on track. But are they? That was in ODIs. Next week they start their two-Test campaign against Pakistan in England, a different kettle of fish.

What is unusual about this series is that it will be for the first time in 98 years that England will host a Test in which they are not involved.

In 1912, a Triangular Tournament was organised in England which involved Tests between England, Australia and South Africa. They played six Tests each, England winning the Tournament by being victorious in four Tests. Australia came second with two victories and South Africa failed to win a Test.

The Tournament kicked off in style between Australia and South Africa at Old Trafford, Manchester on 27 May, 1912. Captained by Syd Gregory, Australia won by an innings and 88 runs on the second day.

Australian leg-spinner Tom Matthews created a unique Test record by taking hat-tricks in each innings; both hat-tricks coming on the same day, 28 May. Even after 98 years, this record is not broken.

South Africa’s Tom, wicket-keeper Tom Ward, created an unenviable record. He bagged a ‘twin pair’, being the third victim of both the hat-tricks performed by his namesake Tom Matthews, out first ball both times. What a scoreline: Tom lbw Tom 0; Tom c&b Tom 0.

Tom Ward was born in Rawalpindi, then in India, in 1887 and died aged 49 when electrocuted in a goldmine in South Africa.

In this historic and dramatic 1912 Manchester Test, Australia totalled 448 (opener Charles Kelleway 114, Warren Bardsley 121, hat-trick ‘king’ Matthews 49 not out, medium-paced leg-spinner Sidney Pegler 6-105).

South Africa replied with 265 (G Aubrey Faulkner 122 not out, tall medium-pacer Bill Whitty 5-55, Matthews 3-16) and 95 (medium-pacer Kelleway 5-33, Matthews 3-38).

There were no Man of the Match awards then but quite a few candidates; Kelleway, Bardsley, Faukner, Pegler and Whitty. My vote would go for Matthews; two hat-tricks and an unbeaten 49.

Almost a century later Ponting’s men play a non-England team on English soil. How have the rivals fared against each other home, away and on neutral venues?

Of a total of 55 Tests, Australia have won 27 and lost 11 with 17 draws. But there is a marked difference in home and away results, Australia supreme in Australia, Pakistan having a distinct edge in Pakistan.

Australia won 21 of the 32 Tests played in Australia, losing four with seven drawn. In contrast, in Pakistan Australia won only three of the 20 Tests, losing as many as seven with 10 drawn.

On neutral soil, Australia has won the only Test staged in Sri Lanka and both Tests hosted in United Arab Emirates.
How will Australia fare against combative and unpredictable Pakistan in the Lord’s Test starting next Tuesday on the 13th?

Will the return of Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus put fear in the hearts of Pakistanis or will the do-or-die skipper Shahid Afridi strike back with his whirlwind hitting? And why is in-form fast bowler Shaun Tait not in the Aussie Test squad? He bowled with fire and brimstone against England in the last ODI at Lord’s on Saturday.

Ponting needs 26 runs to become the second most prolific run-getter in Test history after the West Indies master-blaster Brian Lara, and 72 runs to touch 12,000 runs.

For the statistics-minded, Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar is ahead with 13,447 runs at 55.56 in 166 Tests, Lara 11,953 at 52.88 in 131 and Ponting 11,928 at 55.22 in 144.

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