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There’s no greater sight than watching a maligned cricketer like Shane Watson knock his knockers like he did with a superb unbeaten century against India at the SCG last Sunday.
And the timing was perfect.
The 124* made Watson hot property for the latest IPL auction at the end of the week, and it made certain he will be on the flight to India for the Twenty20 World Cup next month.
It was a man-of-the-match performance and he deserved to finish on a winning side.
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But apart from Watson’s 1-30, the other Australian pacemen found the middle of the Indian bats for the tourists to cruise home by seven wickets and complete the whitewash.
Tomorrow it’s back to the ODI series against the Kiwis, starting at Eden Park, where Watson will enjoy the addition of Steve Smith, David Warner, Shaun and Mitch Marsh, George Bailey, and Glenn Maxwell.
The biggest problem Australia faces will be in relation to their pace attack.
It’s time for Josh Hazlewood to become the metronome and be wicket-taking and cheap, because the rest of his quick mates are well below international standard.
The likes of Kane Richardson, Scott Boland, and Andrew Tye are no Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, or Pat Cummins – not by a long shot.
Expect the bat to dominate.
The result of the three-game series will rest with how the Kiwis’ world-class batting trio of Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson deal with the Australian tyros, and how Smith, Warner, Maxwell, Shaun and Mitchell Marsh combat Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Doug Bracewell, and Corey Anderson.
Boult is the world’s top ranked ODI bowler and four Kiwis are ranked higher than any Australian – Henry (7), Adam Milne (33), and Tim Southee (37) who missed the recent Pakistan series through injury.
Hazlewood is Australia’s top ranked at 61, Maxwell 62, with Mitchell Marsh and Watson sharing the 89th ranking – hardly what you’d call devastating.
The two main spinners will be interesting to watch.
The 23-year-old left-arm orthodox spinner Mitchell Santner will be the Kiwis spin spearhead, still a rookie with just 12 ODIs behind him but a very good prospect.
Australia will have another 23-year-old in leggie Adam Zampa on debut. He too is an exciting prospect.
This could be a very entertaining series, with the Kiwis the better balanced side and very keen to farewell their popular skipper Brendon McCullum on a positive note.