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Our cricketing summer of discontent is finally over

8th January, 2016
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Look at that face. Is this whole fiasco really his fault? (AAP Image/Carol Cho)
Roar Guru
8th January, 2016
28
1009 Reads

A summer of Tests has come and gone, and good riddance some will say, apart from the clear highlight of the day-night Test in Adelaide it has been a summer of discontent.

The underdone New Zealanders arrived in the afterglow of the Spring Racing Carnival, with even the most ardent supporters of the game heard asking ‘is there a Test on?’

The first Test had an inevitability about it, the wicket was placid and the ball didn’t swing for the Kiwis. Warner scored a century and Khawaja made the perfect return. Williamson a highlight for the visitors, but overall it was a game that didn’t capture the imagination and the crowds didn’t flock.

So to Perth and 1672 runs spread over five days of bat dominating ball. Mitchell Johnson decided to retire, you couldn’t blame him.

But then Adelaide. Thank god for Adelaide. A tick on most fronts, the crowds flocked and there was a match, albeit only going the distance of three days but it engaged and the summer of Test cricket had reached its peak.

What followed was simply depressing.

There used to be a time when any series against the West Indies would truly excite but alas those days are gone.

The fare offered by the West Indies 2015-16 must surely go down as one of the lowest points in the proud tradition of West Indian cricket.

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It should make all cricket lovers weep.

Hobart, let’s not discuss Hobart. Men versus boys. Painful to watch.

Melbourne was up next. It was the same script as Hobart for the first two days, some signs of an improvement in Days 3 and 4 but to put it in perspective after two Tests Australia had scored 1313 runs for 10 wickets, the West Indies 924 for 40 wickets.

And then if the nail was not already in the coffin for Cricket Australia, the rain came to save the West Indies from further embarrassment in what must be one of the limpish ends ever to a summer of Test cricket.

Yes, Warner scored a century but your average second XI Grade cricketer and no longer in his pomp may have fancied his chances. And the series averages told us all, no Australian batsman averaged under 40 and no Australian bowler over 30. Surely a first in any series.

So there it ended. Channel Nine rushed to do some quick on-field interviews.

Mark Nicholas advised us Adam Voges would pick up the Richie Benaud Medal and Warner was man of the match.

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Nicholas parted by reminding us that Adelaide has been the highlight of the Test summer and looked forward to us all turning on for the first ODI.

You could sense in his voice that he was pleased it was all over.

And then before we knew it, an episode of Golden Girls (or whatever it was) filled my screen. No presentation ceremony, no visual of the Australian team celebrating their success.

Channel Nine symbolically nailed it, the Golden Girls was more important than the memory of Worrell and Benaud (the Golden boys of their era) being honoured on this sorry occasion.

It was the perfect end to a summer of discontent.

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