When one flips through the pages of Australian cricket’s history, it is easy to spot individuals’ remarkable efforts, with heroes like Don Bradman having guided Australia from underneath the shadows of English dominance.
Particular matches and series also shine on the page, like the second Test at Lord’s in 1972, where a young Greg Chappell made his finest century against the likes of John Snow and Basil D’Oliveira, and Bob Massie took 16 wickets on debut to tie the series 1-1.
Or that one ball in the second Test in 2014 against India on the fourth day, where as soon as I sat down at the Gabba, the wickets exploded and the whole crowd erupted with anger and jubilation as they watched Mitchell Johnson see Virat Kohli off to the sheds for 1. The rest of the day was pure carnage as Johnson and Mitchell Starc bowled like madmen.
That madness is still in the two Mitchells’ eyes, but has only been let out of the cage in flashes over the past three Test matches. They have been slinging bullets in an erratic fashion, with Johnson showing a little more consistency with his line and length as the series wears on.
When the cage bursts open, the English may as well be strung up empty-handed to suffer the stoning, the only crime being that their reflexes are only decent and not excellent.
There has been plenty of feeling in the series, with a new rivalry developing between Moeen Ali and Steve Smith, and the confirmation of an older schism between Stuart Broad and Johnson, as they continue to try and bowl each other’s block off.
Australia needs a hero, or a couple of them.
We thought we had one in Smith, but the number one batsman only shone in the second Test, with those weirdly elegant waves of the bat.
We thought we could find one in Starc, but he hasn’t hit the spot.
We thought this could be Adam Voges’ chance to replicate the brilliance he displayed in the West Indies.
We thought this could be Mitchell Marsh’s chance to dance on the big stage, but he has only tripped over his own feet thus far.
Then there is Michael Clarke, the man who outgrew his nickname. Old Pooch can see the sun setting on his career from under the UV-friendly sunglasses.
The only way to lift the sun is to lift yourself, and when the captain rises, the lieutenants follow.
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