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Australian cricket coach Mickey Arthur and selection chairman John Inverarity have to lift their game if the baggy greens are to compete against India.
Michael Clarke is the only world class cricketer in the side. He makes batting and slip fielding look easy, and when he deigns to bowl, that looks pretty easy as well.
Paceman James Pattinson has fire in his belly, and providing his body holds up he will trouble every Indian batsmen.
But that’s it, the rest chip in every now again as Matt Wade (62) did with Clarke (91) to help the Australians past 200 on a perfect Hyderabad wicket after Clarke won the toss.
That was a 400-plus strip wasted.
So it begs the question, what is wrong with the Australian mindset?
The top four in the order – David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phil Hughes, and Shane Watson – have all scored Test tons, yet could only scrape together 52 between them yesterday.
And they struggled scoring that many.
They don’t look at ease batting with each other, and this us where Arthur has to step up to the plate to correct the jerky running between wickets.
The sure way to create tension is the poor judge of a run. Only Clarke and to a lesser extent Warner are good judges, the rest are ball-watchers.
And that makes them prime candidates to be run out.
Hughes is a serial offender and when he’s batting with Watson, another serial offender, it’s a nightmare to watch waiting for the “yes, no, yes, no – oh s*** sorry” call.
Arthur should get a tape of Bill Lawry and Bobby Simpson batting together – pure poetry in motion.
They were the very best runners between wickets I have ever seen from any country. They were instinctive, rarely a word spoken and they were off, running every run fast, and they were speed merchants.
That’s one of the major reasons why they were such an outstanding opening batting pair for Australia – they trusted each other 100%.
In 62 digs together they accumulated 3596 runs at an average 60,94, with nine three-figure partnerships and 18 over 50.
The best of them 382 against the Windies at Bridgetown in 1965 – Lawry 210, Simpson 201 – against the likes of Wes Hall, Charlie Griffiths, Gary Sobers, and Lance Gibbs.
It’s also worth saluting Matt Hayden and Justin Langer, as well as Mark Taylor and Michael Slater. Neither pair was as good between wickets as Lawry and Simpson, but they both gave Australia many a top start.
Hayden-Langer – 113 digs, 5655 runs, average 51.88 with 14 three-figure and 24 over 50 stands.
Taylor-Slater – 78 digs, 3887 runs, average 51.14 with 10 three-figure stands, and 16 stands over 50.
Which brings me to Shane Watson who must open from here on in.
He’s averaging 43.67 as an opener in 24 of his 39 Tests and just 28,50 at three, 33.80 at four, 24.28 at six, and 14.50 at seven.
And he prefers to open.
The decision is obvious John Inverarity, leaving Cowan and Hughes to battle out the three-four slot. For the moment.
And tell us Inverarity, was Mitchell Starc dropped, rested, rotated, or injured to be replaced by Glenn Maxwell for this Test?
Starc is the more productive bowler, and I’d back him to get more runs than Maxwell in any series.
Let’s see how Maxwell goes today with the ball, the pressure is right on.