What’s the difference between excellence and achieving greatness? How the wheel has turned. Gone are the days when Australia’s Test team were feared or when they stood firm and dominated their visitors on home soil.
Despite leaving their mark on opposite sides of the world, in months and years to come, both Australia’s Test team and the cricket-loving public will thank the wonderfully varied South African and English teams for pushing them to the edge of greatness.
South Africa left a timely reminder that never was the gap between one and three more large than in the series just passed.
The Aussies went into this series with the Test No. 1 ranking within reach, but in a matter of days it was gone and the Aussies were left to lament what could of been as Clarke’s men, not seemingly going that badly, saw their lapses in concentration and failures at critical moments punished.
The Perth win saw the Proteas become the first team in two decades to defeat Australia in Australia on consecutive tours, with the West Indies the previous team to manage it in 1992-93. England is the only other country to have done so.
Michael Clarke’s side is No.3 – better on a good day and worse on a bad one and when it mattered, the Australians went missing.
On the other side of the world, England is on the brink of a remarkable series victory against India after clinching the third Test.
For India, it was a first defeat since the last millennium at Eden Gardens and it now leaves England 2-1 up heading in to the fourth and final Test.
Alastair Cook sublime form continued while Jimmy Anderson shone with new ball and old. His mastery of reverse swing left India in tatters.
On posting his 23rd hundred on the second day of the third Test, Alastair Cook became England’s all-time leading Test century maker. Remarkably, he has achieved this feat at the ripe old age of 27.
Of all the stories to come from this series though, plaudits must lie with crowd favourite, Monty Panesar. No less incisive, Monty intelligently dispatched a number of men who were supposed to be accomplished players of spin.
It has been outstanding performance which is to be continued during the fourth Test in Nagpur.
If England can at least draw the last match in Nagpur, they will become the first tourists since 2004 to win a Test series on India’s soil.
What’s the difference between excellence and achieving greatness? The continued success of Test match cricket around the world will go a long way in determining that.
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