To lose a Test match or series is disappointing. But for Australia to lose to South Africa – without their best batsman, AB de Villiers, and best bowler, Dale Steyn – by huge margins is humiliating.
Steve Smith’s jittery team was thrashed within eight days: by 177 runs in the first Test in Perth and by an innings and 80 runs in the next Test in Hobart (within two and half days of playing time).
And that too on home soil, favouring both batsmen and bowlers.
A catastrophe, no less!
Australia lost 8 for 86 in Perth last week, then 10 for 85 and 8 for 32 in Hobart. Thus they lost 26 wickets for 203 runs, a shameful 7.8 runs per batsman.
Meanwhile, South Africa scored a total of 242 and 8 declared for 540 in Perth, and 326 in Hobart.
These two heart-breaking defeats reminded me of the trouncing Australia received from the touring West Indies team under Clive Lloyd in the first two Tests in 1984-85.
Do you remember Kim Hughes tearfully resigning as Australia’s captain on 26 November 1984, at the conclusion of the second Test in Brisbane?
It was a divided Australian team, with Hughes being roundly criticised by the World Series Cricket supporters Rod Marsh and Ian Chappell, among others.
Despite Hughes’ brave words, Australia lost the first Test to the mighty Windies by an innings and 112 runs in Perth. In reply to the Windies’ total of 416 (Larry Gomes 127, Jeff Dujon 139, Terry Alderman 6-128) Australia collapsed for 76 (Michael Holding 6-21) and 228. Kim Hughes made only 4 and 37.
The second Test in Brisbane was just as disastrous, as Australia lost by eight wickets, with Hughes scoring 34 and 4, then resigning as skipper.
In an emotional post match press conference he said, trying to hold back his tears, “The constant criticism, speculation and innuendo by former players over the last four or five years have finally taken their toll.”
Hughes continued as a player under Allan Border but scored a first ball duck and 2 in the next Test in Adelaide, which Australia lost by an innings and 191 runs, and a pair in the drawn Melbourne Test, his final match. What a tragic farewell!
As a consolation, Australia under Border won the final Test in Sydney by an innings and 55 runs, highlights being Kepler Wessels’ 173 and a ten-wicket haul for spinner Robert ‘Dutchy’ Holland (6-54 and 4-90).
Will Australia turn it around in 2016 as they did in 1985?
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