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Australia’s Ashes winning streak against England shows signs of ruthlessness hiding beneath the surface. But are Michael Clarke’s men the real deal or is this an illusion?
Let’s get real here. The England team suffered such a sucker punch in the first Test, when Mitchell Johnson and David Warner blew them away, that they couldn’t get back off the canvas.
Throw in Jonathan Trott’s early return home and Graeme Swann’s surprising retirement after the third Test and they have found it nigh on impossible to stem the tide.
It wasn’t that long ago – think back to March – that Australia’s Test team was in a state of real flux.
Despatched by India 4-0 on the subcontinent, the fallout saw the appointment of a new coach and Shane Watson’s career at a crossroads.
Darren Lehmann’s head coaching reign didn’t start as planned either, with the English smashing his beleaguered team 3-0 in the winter Ashes series.
One of his x-factor players, David Warner, was pulled up for an off-field discretion, while promising young speedsters like Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc succumbed to injuries throughout the year.
Even though the scoreline suggested otherwise, the Australians performed better as a unit in that first Ashes series, with Roarers writing that the revival was to come.
So when England arrived on Australia’s shores in November, there were more than just murmurs of optimism.
Former skippers Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh hinted of a vast improvement by the home side; that the Australians were about to deliver a surprise.
Ian Botham predicted a 5-0 whitewash to the English.
And a surprise certainly lay in wait. Enter Mitchell Johnson.
Still not considered a certain selection for the Australian Test team, Johnson had a big point to prove to the selectors and his teammates, but most importantly himself.
In my 20 years of cricket watching I have never seen a single bowler dominate over four Tests as Johnson has.
Most pleasingly for Australia, it has allowed Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, previously the spearheads, to settle into a consistent line and length and be the benefactors, rather than the aggressors.
Nathan Lyon also reaped the reward of his colleagues’ dominance by picking up his first five-wicket bag on Australian soil in Melbourne.
Shane Watson, David Warner, Chris Rogers and Brad Haddin have all contributed at different times with the bat. In a team where until very recently Clarke has had to score heavily to keep Australia in the contests, the other batsmen have contributed.
Australia’s fans should look back on 2013 with satisfaction at the way they have finished the year. But the thrashing at the hands of both India and England left them in the realms of a “pass mark”.
Michael Clarke said a record of four Test wins out of 13 is not good enough for any Australian team. For his current troops, however, I’d say it is an improvement from the depths of where they have been this year.
The true test of where this Australian Test side is will be in 2014, when they must continue with the same level of ruthlessness on display at Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne over the past few weeks.
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