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Australian cricket's recovery starts now

Roar Rookie
10th August, 2011
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Roar Rookie
10th August, 2011
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Ricky Ponting of Australia plays a shot before being dismissed on day one of the Fourth Ashes Test

Ricky Ponting of Australia plays a shot before being dismissed on day one of the Fourth Ashes Test match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010. The traditional Boxing Day test is expected to draw a record crowd by the end of play. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

Australia will look to start their long climb back up the world Test rankings when they take on Sri Lanka in the first of three Test matches later this month

It has been a dramatic turn of events for the once power nation of cricket, who have lost the past two Ashes campaigns, plus a Test series in India and an embarrassing 1-1 draw with Pakistan in England.

The most recent Ashes series saw Australia lose three of the five matches, with all of them being an innings defeat. Before that, they also lost to India two-nil, after squandering a possible one-nil lead in the first Test by not being able to clean up India’s tail-enders.

These losses saw Australia slip from the reasonable position of third to the lowly ranking of fifth, its lowest since the ranking system was introduced in 2003.

The ongoing England versus India Test series in England was built up as the top two cricketing nations fighting for the number one ranking, which is a timely reminder for Australians, that they are not the force they once were.

This opening Test against the Sri Lankans, on August 31 will be the first time Australia has played a Test match since the calamity of the last Ashes series.

Hopefully, the selectors have picked a side that has a balanced mix of talent, experience and grit, in contrast to the past year.

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And more importantly, they pick a team and stick with them, so they will be able to build their confidence and skill level for the future.

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