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Just as once-great eras end, new eras begin. Sunrise, sunset, and all that. A new era is upon us in Australian cricket, and its first public outing begins Thursday at what will hopefully be a return to tradition with a green ‘Gabba deck in Brisbane.
It matters not that the trans-Tasman rivals are struggling in the longest, purest form of the game; Australia is not all that flash either.
A lot has happened since my keyboard last had bemused words punched through it regarding cricket. There were a lot of bemused rugby words for one.
At the same time, reviews were commissioned, reviews were handed down, reviews were rather surprisingly adopted in full. A rugby man was put in charge, selection panels were overhauled, and just-extended coaching arrangements were cast aside like yesterday’s news.
The captain stood down and was succeeded by his long-anointed protégé. Cheering and jeering emanated in equal quantities.
The Chairman of Selecting Lawyers was advised he had to make a choice, and the law won. This time, the cheering had no competition. “We think we’ve done a good job” was still ringing in dumbfounded, Ashes-less ears.
About the only thing left unchanged was the abundance of strong opinion. Sadly, two of the strongest purveyors of such opinions departed this mortal world, and left the discussion of cricket in this country all the poorer. Cricket discussion on the other side is the big winner since the arrival of Messrs Verma and Roebuck.
But life goes on, and cricket schedules a stop for no-one.
As was the case when I first discovered Test cricket in the early to mid 80s, we may or may not be currently at rock bottom. The papers screamed “Our Worst XI” back in January, but even that “worst” got past 50 every time it batted (though sure, it fell short of 100 a couple of times). If Cape Town was not rock bottom, I shudder to think how much worse it can get.
Michael Clarke is making a good fist of this captaincy caper, happily.
I’m not as surprised about this as others might have been; I’ve always thought he did a good job with the (c) next to his name when he deputised in the past. Even better, his batting is flourishing with the extra responsibility.
His predecessor hasn’t been having such a happy time of it though. Just as Phillip Hughes can pretty much just concentrate on short balls going across his body, Ricky Ponting’s final days in Test cricket will likely be spent playing balls out of the block-hole on middle and leg.
South Africa unashamedly bowled Ponting yorker after yorker in Johannesburg, which when considered alongside his ability to survive another onslaught on the final morning, actually makes his fighting second innings all the more impressive. Even before the injuries took hold, it was always going to be enough to keep the wolves at bay.
Speaking of wolves, back when the proverbial hit the fan in May, after Simon Katich was left off the list of Cricket Australia contracts, I found myself almost on my own in agreeing with the move.
In fact, in among all the Ashes post-mortems, I suggested that while it would be incredibly tough on three able and willing servants of Australian cricket, maybe then was the time to make the hard call on Ponting, Katich, and Mike Hussey.
Katich’s only fault in all this was to be injured at precisely the wrong time in his career. 36-year-olds can afford injuries even less than they can afford run droughts.
Nevertheless, it was the right call and as much as plenty of you won’t like to admit it, all this talk of recalling Katich is an exercise in futility. And even as much as the opening combination is still a work in progress, Katich is clearly no longer part of the solution.
The Ponting equation is not so simple. If following the Ashes series, or even prior to the South African tour, was the right time to move him on, suddenly injuries within the camp mean he’s needed more than ever.
Ponting said when he stood down as captain that he wanted to play on, and assist bringing younger players through. Maybe he could or should still do that once his playing days are done; indeed, he was essentially doing that in South Africa.
He surely couldn’t be any worse a batting mentor/coach than the former teammate who currently holds that job.
At the other end of the career scale, David Warner’s is about to start. I’ll happily admit that he’s converted my opinion of him as a batsman, and his first class run onslaught over the last six months have shown me that he’s not just a clear-the-front-leg Twenty20 slogger, but rather a proper Test-ready batsman.
He’s done everything asked of him, and though I do feel for Ed Cowan a touch, I sincerely look forward to seeing Warner bat in Brisbane.
And Warner’s not alone, of course. Young quicks Ben Cutting, James Pattinson, and leftie Mitchell Starc have all been named too, and are in line for their debuts. I say “in line” because I think only two of them will play, with Nathan Lyon staying in the XI for his sixth consecutive Test, something of a triumph for post-Warne spinners.
Cutting certainly deserves a Baggy Green based on his current Shield form. But much as I like Pattinson as a bowler, I have a sneaking suspicion the hierarchy might go with Starc as a like-for-like for Johnson (in the sense that they both hold the ball with their left hand, not that Starc also sprays it around like a loose hose).
New Zealand will not be the easy-beats that various pundits have assumed. Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, and Jesse Ryder are all coming off hundreds in the tour match against Australia A – Ryder’s particularly brutal – and will be looking to do well against their traditional rivals.
In fact, New Zealand always punches above their weight when it comes to lining up for the Trans-Tasman trophy. Never mind that they haven’t seen the trophy since Sir Richard Hadlee was accused by Australian crowds of being a banker, the Black Caps will still back themselves in this series against a suddenly green Australian side.
Whatever the result, it’s just great to see the international cricket season starting on home soil again. Actually, forget “whatever the result”; I’ve had quite enough of New Zealand beating Australia of late, thanks very much.