Forget the loss of the Ashes last summer, forget 47 all out at Cape Town, I think yesterday marks the bottom of the barrel for Australian cricket.
To lose a Test at home to the 8th ranked NZ side – only Bangladesh are ranked below (Zimbabwe are no longer ranked given their long absence but would then be ranked 10 if they were on the listings) has to go down as one of the poorer efforts.
Yes, I will hear all the talk of a bowlers pitch and so on – but both teams played on the same pitch, and Australia’s line up should have had the talent to out gun the Kiwis.
Anyways, enough looking back – time to look forward to four big Tests coming up. Obviously there will be some long, deep and very hard discussions to take place over the next two weeks. The easy part will be the bowling department.
For me, Mitch Starc is the only bowler who is likely to face the axe. Pete Siddle has lead the attack very well and I think is revelling in the role, so leave him there to take charge. After a nervy first innings in Brisbane, James Pattinson has introduced himself as another fine prospect who, along with Pat Cummins shapes as the future of the attack for the next decade.
Nathan Lyon continues his meteoric rise to be the best of the spinners since Warney’s retirement – helped as well by playing under a captain who seems to have a better grip on how to use his spin bowlers.
The next question would be however – who is pressing to come back in? Obviously Ryan Harris will be at the forefront, however despite his excellent performances, I am now less inclined to pick him given the ongoing failure of his body.
Can we have faith that his body will see out the match? Do we take the risk and have him break down like he did in Melbourne last year and leave the attack a bowler short? But then again, what other bowlers are fit and pressing for selection?
The batting lineup is going to take up a lot of the selectors time in the next 14 days, as well as plenty of column space in the printed and online media. How do we work this out? Lets start at the top.
After the outstanding effort in the second innings, combined with his excellent recent form that earned him his call up, David Warner has not just pencilled himself in for Boxing Day, he has put his name there in big letters with permanent marker.
His ability to show the doubters that he has the temperament for Tests was on full show today. Lets salivate at the showdown of Sehwag v Warner at the top of each order, which will be an unusual display of fireworks from the top.
Next we have to figure out who joins Warner, and who follows at number 3.
Two things here can probably be locked in – Phil Hughes will sent back to state cricket, while Shaun Marsh will return. The question is – will it be at opener or first drop? How do Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting, Usman Khawaja and Ed Cowan fit into the equation?
Watson will definitely return given he is the vice captain, as well as his value to the team with both bat and ball. The not so definite part is whether he opens or bats lower down.
His performances since opening have been nothing short of outstanding and have seen him break out to be the player many knew he could be for years. But can he keep doing it when his bowling workload increases?
Already we have seen that the increase in his bowling has limited his batting output and also put more strain on his fragile body – the right balance needs to be found and found quickly.
If Watson opens, then it is likely that Marsh bats at first drop – leaving Ponting and Khawaja to battle for 4.
If Watson bats lower, do we open with Marsh? Do we open with Ed Cowan who is banging down the door with plenty of runs at state level? Who from the middle is then sacrificed to allow Watto to fit back in?
Obviously Michael Clarke will stay – not just because he is captain, but because he has also scored centuries in three of his last five Tests and is the only other batsman to show anything resembling form.
Usman Khawaja has shown that he has the temperament for the big time as well as a solid technique – but with only one score above 40 in his six test matches to date, has he done enough? It might not be his time now, but he has time on his side.
Mike Hussey was the dominant force in Sri Lanka but has struggled since. Will his efforts in the Ashes and Sri Lanka give him enough credit, or has the time come for Mr Cricket to take his bow? Will his recent knack of taking wickets help his cause? 12 months ago he was all but done, before saving his career in the Ashes. Will he be given the same leniency a second time?
Then that brings us to the topic everyone is talking about – Ricky Thomas Ponting. It is the topic around the water cooler at the moment and speculation will only be more rife in the coming weeks. This is the man who had the unenviable task of trying to keep Australia at the top after losing a team filled with once in a generation players. The man who is our best batsman since Bradman, and one of the greats of the modern era. The man who has not scored a century in 30 innings and has been out LBW 5 out of his last 7 innings. His recent efforts would have most on the cusp of being dropped, but the man has more credit than any bank given all he has done for Australian cricket.
The irony of all of this will not be lost on one man – Simon Katich. Dropped from the contracted players list, Andrew Hilditch at the time said that the move was done with the Ashes 2013 on the agenda and giving the opening pairing of Hughes and Watson two years to get ready.
Yet here we are six months later – Watson is out injured, Hughes is about to be dropped and the opening pairing for 2013 couldn’t even survive 2011.
The new selection panel has already made its mark, but was given some scope with a number of injuries. With the injured now healed, the Indian series presents the opportunity to really make their impression on Australian crickets Generation Next.
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