Is this the start of another Golden Age for Australian cricket?
Columnist By Kersi Meher-Homji, 13 Jan 2012 Kersi Meher-Homji is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Australian Cricket, Cricket, Indian cricket, Michael Clarke, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Test cricket, VVS Laxman
Australian cricketers embrace James Pattinson, but he won't bowl again during the Test cricket season through another injury (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
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From October 1999 to March 2001 and from December 2005 to January 2008, Australia had won 16 Tests in a row each time, with not even a draw to break the winning sequence. Those were the golden years for Australian cricket.
The best they have achieved since 2008 is seven wins on the trot, from December 2009 to July 2010. But after that they have not won more than two successive Tests.
Will Michael Clarke’s men achieve this in the Perth Test starting today and win the Test series? After losing narrowly to New Zealand at Hobart last December, they have won the first two Tests against India in Melbourne and Sydney by big margins.
If they win in Perth, it will be the first time in 18 months that Australia will win more than two Tests in a row.
It will be worth remembering that Australia’s 16 victories on the trot sequence from 2005 to 2008 was broken in the January 2008 Perth Test when India won by 72 runs after trailing 0-2 in the series.
Freakily, Australia’s 16 consecutive win sequence from 1999 to 2001 was also disrupted by India, who won the March 2001 Kolkata Test by 171 runs after following on 274 runs behind.
More freakily, some of the current Indian team members had participated in those matches; Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan had played in the 2001 Kolkata topsy-turvey Test and Virender Sehwag, Dravid, Tendulkar, VVS, MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma in the 2008 Perth shocker.
The heroes of the Kolkata 2001 Test were skipper Steve Waugh (110), Matthew Hayden (97), Glenn McGrath 4 for 18, Dravid (180) and Laxman (281), who put on 376 marvellous runs for the fifth wicket in the second innings and the ‘Turbanator’ Harbhajan Singh, who captured 7 for 123 and 6 for 73.
Will India turn the tables again as they had done in 2007-08, after losing the first Test in Melbourne by 337 runs and the second in Sydney by 122 runs?
A daredevil century by Sehwag can change the pitiable scenario presented by Indian batsmen (Tendulkar excepted) in the series so far. India has the batsmen to tackle Australia’s pace trio or quartet.
But have their bowlers recovered from the pounding received from the blades of Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey? One hopes the Go-Karting has improved their lethargic running and reflexes!
On form Australia should go up 3-0 in the series to claim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy early next week. Ryan Harris for injured Pattinson is a certainty.
But will Australia go for a four-prong pace attack, including quickie Mitchell Starc for off-spinner Nathan Lyon? Clarke could be the only spinner and a surprise weapon against India’s top batsmen, eh?
Also this could be the do or die Test for Shaun Marsh. But is anyone knocking on the door for the no. 3 position? We need Sheffield Shield matches right now to answer this question, not BBL.
Kersi is an author of 13 cricket books including The Waugh Twins, Cricket's Great All-rounders,Six Appeal and Nervous Nineties. He writes regularly for Inside Cricket and other publications. He has recently finished his new book on Cricket's Conflicts and Controversies, with a foreword by Greg Chappell.
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January 13th 2012 @ 9:29am
Brett McKay said | January 13th 2012 @ 9:29am | Report comment
Toss is vital this morning, Kersi. She still looks a bit green over there in the west…
January 13th 2012 @ 10:39am
Will Sinclair said | January 13th 2012 @ 10:39am | Report comment
Not so sure Brett…
I reckon if the Aussies win the toss they’ll bat, but if the Indians win they’ll bowl (they’ll be absolutely desperate to avoid batting on anything with a touch of green).
My tip – Australia will be batting first either way.
January 13th 2012 @ 10:41am
Brett McKay said | January 13th 2012 @ 10:41am | Report comment
Will, I’m trying to remember what happened last year, whether Ponting won the toss, or whether Strauss sent him in. Either way, I know I took a picture of Ponting batting before 11am, with 7 behind the bat!!
January 13th 2012 @ 12:40pm
jameswm said | January 13th 2012 @ 12:40pm | Report comment
Brett – just checked and Strauss won the toss and put us in.
If there is movement, we should just bowl first. The first 1-2 sessions is when the wicket is at its worst, so why win the toss and bat? Pitches don’t break up like they used to, and the WACA can be a road on days 3 and 4.
We’ve gone well in many tests where the opposition have won the toss and batted, so why don’t we consider winning the toss and bowling?
Bear in mind we really should have won that test against NZ, and that would have had us looking for our 5th win on the tros. And if we hadn’t been bowled out for 47, then we’d be looking for win no.7 on the trot, with Adelaide and the Windies to come.
Two ifs I know, and two great batting collapses, but with even moderate batting performances in those innings, rather than abject disasters, we’d be looking for win no.7 on the trot.
Would that mean we’re going OK?
Fast bowling really is sorted (injuries aside) – just need to work on spinner, keeper and batting. Not much.
January 13th 2012 @ 12:48pm
Brett McKay said | January 13th 2012 @ 12:48pm | Report comment
Cheers James, thanks for confirming. Cam Sutherland, the WACA curator and esky carrier (it seems) has made mention that though the WACA has been a green deck all year, it’s more to do with the variety of grass holding its colour, rather than moisture, and that while there’s been a bit of sideways movement, it’s not pronounced, so it perhaps might not do as much as we think.
Might be a good toss to lose..
January 13th 2012 @ 5:31pm
sheek said | January 13th 2012 @ 5:31pm | Report comment
Brett,
I’m trying to remember what happened last week…..
January 13th 2012 @ 7:32pm
Brett McKay said | January 13th 2012 @ 7:32pm | Report comment
Sheek, I can’t wait to have a glass of red with you one day!
January 14th 2012 @ 11:12am
sheek said | January 14th 2012 @ 11:12am | Report comment
Well Brett,
It WILL happen one day. Kersi, Bayman & I try to meet at least once each quarter for lunch. Bayman is so hard to get since he is so ‘thick’ with almost anyone important in cricket!!!
Short drive up from Canberra, sleep overnight, drive home!
January 14th 2012 @ 11:46am
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 14th 2012 @ 11:46am | Report comment
Brett,
You are most welcome to join the “terrible trio” of Sheek, Bayman and me, whenever you are in Sydney. Just let us know a fortnight in advance.
Will David Warner score 335 today or will Clarkey declare when David is on 320?
January 13th 2012 @ 1:22pm
Will Sinclair said | January 13th 2012 @ 1:22pm | Report comment
Goes to show what I know!
January 13th 2012 @ 11:54am
langou said | January 13th 2012 @ 11:54am | Report comment
I actually think the grass wicket could help India. I know this goes against what most cricket experts predict but I am basing this on two things. Firstly, Australia over the last few years have had some devastating batting collapses on wickets that have done a bit. No doubt there are still some doubts in their minds. Secondly a low scoring game is a real leveller in cricket. So far this series India’s pace bowling has looked weak compared to Australia. The gulf between the two attacks became more noticeable on the flat track at the SCG. A pace bowling friendly track should help tighten the gap between the two attacks.
January 13th 2012 @ 12:06pm
Vas Venkatramani said | January 13th 2012 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
Langou, you may be right on Australia’s inability to survive on difficult tracks.
But I think what you may neglect is the quality of bowling that forced such collapses to occur. An attack of Zaheer, Sharma and Yadav are capable, but don’t hold a candle to Steyn, Morkel and Philander, nor even to the NZ quartet of Martin, Southee, Boult and Bracwell that did us over in Hobart.
Zaheer is a good operator, but his ability to keep charging in and bowl long spells is an issue. Ishant bowls killer balls that will reap success but bowls plenty of hit me ones too, and Yadav is similar to Ishant, but will bowl more bad balls that will get hit.
While India’s bowlers may succeed, I question the likelihood given their consistency is not at the same level to either SA or NZ…
January 13th 2012 @ 12:11pm
Brendon said | January 13th 2012 @ 12:11pm | Report comment
Absolutely true.
Khan, Yadav and Sharma have good looked at time during this series but that was when conditions favoured bowling. They have looked quite dangerous at times. It was only when they needed to do a lot of hard work did they fall down at the SCG.
If the pitch is very helpful and the bowlers don’t have to work as hard for wickets then I can see the Indian attack doing well (maybe).
January 13th 2012 @ 2:05pm
JohnB said | January 13th 2012 @ 2:05pm | Report comment
Perhaps in a good example of the danger inherent in slavishly looking at stats, Perth is equal with Adelaide as being the regular home ground at which Australia performs worst against all comers in the past 10 years (see http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/team/2.html?class=1;home_or_away=1;orderby=win_loss_ratio;spanmin1=01+jan+2001;spanval1=span;template=results;type=team;view=ground)
And those 2 grounds have been India’s best in Australia in that period – indeed they’re undefeated, with a win from the only start in Perth, and a win and a draw in Adelaide. Lies, damn lies etc
January 13th 2012 @ 12:39pm
Olddantucker said | January 13th 2012 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
Geez, a couple of victories against a below par Indian side and it could be a new golden era? Gotta love that Aussie ability to talk themselves up. You just got beaten by the Kiwis. The Kiwis! And were rolled for 47 in South Africa. Let’s give it a little longer before breaking out the bunting…
January 13th 2012 @ 1:23pm
Will Sinclair said | January 13th 2012 @ 1:23pm | Report comment
Commenting on the headline and not the article.
Schoolboy error, that one.
January 13th 2012 @ 4:47pm
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 13th 2012 @ 4:47pm | Report comment
Olddantucker,
My title of the story was “Can Australia make it to three Test wins in a row”. It had appeared in The Roar with this title in the morning. But it was changed by the editors to “Is this the start of another Golden Age for Australian cricket?” later on.
I agree, it is too soon for Golden Age but it’s promising all the same.
January 14th 2012 @ 12:00pm
Ian Whitchurch said | January 14th 2012 @ 12:00pm | Report comment
Johnno and ItsCalledFootball are pretty bad, but I swear the worst posters on this board are the guys who write the headlines …
January 13th 2012 @ 5:43pm
sheek said | January 13th 2012 @ 5:43pm | Report comment
Hi Kersi,
It is too early to know how this team is going to turn out. Often great bowlers rather than great batsmen will determine a team’s status. The portents are good with guys like Cummins, Pattinson, Starc, etc.
Armstrong’s 1920/21 team had a pace attack made up variously of Gregory, McDonald, Kellaway, Ryder & Hendry.
Bradman’s 1947/48 team had a 4 pronged pace attack of Lindwall, Miller, Johnston & Toshack, with Loxton in the wings.
Chappell’s 1974/75 team boasted Lillee, Thomson, Walker, Gilmour, Hurst & Dymock.
Of course, Waugh in 1999-2001 & Ponting in 2005-07 had McGrath & Warne as their bowling king-pins.
Between 1975-95, the Windies rolled out a production line of super quicks & still pretty quicks – Roberts, Holding, Boyce, Holder, Daniel, Croft, Garner, Clarke, King, Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop, Patterson, the two Benjamins.
In 1970, Saffie captain Bacher could toss the ball to any number of quicks & semi-quicks – Peter Pollock, Procter, Trimborn, Barlow, Goddard & Lance.
While a strong batting line-up is helpful, it’s the pacemen who will determine Australia’s greatness in the coming years. The portents are good…..
January 13th 2012 @ 5:44pm
The Bush said | January 13th 2012 @ 5:44pm | Report comment
Kersi,
Does make you think what would have been possible if they’d beaten New Zealand… They’d currently be on four (4) and looking for six (6) by the end of the series. Then it is off to the West Indies where it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they could whitewash them.
Having said all that, as pointed out above; this is the same team that did lose to New Zealand and were rolled by South Africa for forty-seven (47), so lets try and keep it together for a little while.
On another note – it’s facsinating that for all the talk that 2005 was a “defining” series, history clearly shows that Australia dusted themselves off and again became by far the most dominant team in world cricket for well over two (2) years.
Furthermore, those seven (7) wins in a trot without any of the Golden Genearation, bar the skipper himself, is pretty amazing. Who did we beat again – West Indies were at least one (1), Pakistan for three (3) I think and then who?
January 13th 2012 @ 6:34pm
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 13th 2012 @ 6:34pm | Report comment
Sheek,
Nice analysis of Aussies past and current.
The Bush,
The seven wins in a row from December 2009 to July 2010:
v. WI, Perth by 35 runs; v. Pak, MCG by170 runs; v. Pak, SCG by 36 runs; v. Pak, Hobart, by 231 runs; v. NZ, Wellington by 10 wickets; v. NZ, Hamilton by176 runs; v. Pak, Lord’s by 150 runs.
January 13th 2012 @ 9:56pm
Kersi Meher-Homji said | January 13th 2012 @ 9:56pm | Report comment
Is this a record?
Following Australia losing only one wicket for 622 runs (after being 3-37) in the Sydney Test last week, they have scored 0-149 at stumps on day-1 of the Perth Test.
So combining the two mega innings, India has managed to take only one Australian wicket while conceding 771 runs!
What a slaughter!
Will the carnage continue tomorrow?
January 14th 2012 @ 1:47am
Jason said | January 14th 2012 @ 1:47am | Report comment
Hi Kersi
I was thinking the same thing earlier today. England seemed to score lots of runs for not many wickets last season but 1/771 must be close to unsurpassed.