As the first Test against Sri Lanka commences, Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke may be wishing Rodney Hogg had kept his mouth shut.
The former Australian fast bowler didn’t make any allowance for tact mid-week, when he declared online that Sri Lanka’s pace attack for the Australian series was the worst ever to arrive in this country.
Given Australia’s newly-shaped and utterly untested batting order, you would forgive Clarke for feeling nervous.
News outlets followed up the statements with Hogg who, far from tempering them, decided to expand.
“Zimbabwe [in 2003/04] had Heath Streak and he had over 150 Test wickets. They at least had a frontline fast bowler. This mob hasn’t got a No. 1 bowler. They haven’t got a No. 2 bowler.”
The comparison is tough, considering that Zimbabwean attack conceded 735 to Steve Waugh’s side in the first innings in Perth, where it fell to the sizzling offies of opening batsman Trevor Gripper to snuff out Matthew Hayden’s then-world-record 380.
Gripper aside, Streak was supported across two Tests by the modest seaming talents of Sean Ervine, Andy Blignaut, and Blessing Mahwire.
The unflattering comparison won’t have escaped the notice of the touring Sri Lankan team, and one would presume they would be affronted at Hogg’s assessment, and the prominent publicity it has received.
Admittedly their bowling averages don’t make inspiring reading. Nuwan Kulasekara and Shaminda Eranga clock low 30s, Chanaka Welegedara low 40s, Dhammika Prasad a touch under 60, and Nuwan Pradeep has the unfortunate statistical distinction of taking one wicket for 345 conceded runs.
But before resting your case, consider that the grand old men of the pace attack are Kulasekara and Welegedara with 17 and 18 Tests respectively. Prasad has played 10, while Eranga and the apparently generous Pradeep each have a tally of three.
Inexperience, it must be noted, needn’t equal a lack of ability. Just ask Patrick Cummins, or any of the six South Africans he got rid of on debut.
Admittedly most of the aforementioned Zimbabweans didn’t rack up too many Tests either, but we can attribute much of that to the banishments following Streak’s player revolt against the corrupt Zimbabwean board, and to Zimbabwe’s subsequent self-imposed exile from Test cricket.
It’s also worth factoring in that Kulasekara’s and Welegadara’s Tests were largely accrued as fill-ins, scattered over the last eight and five years respectively. Their only consistent runs at Test level have come recently, Kulasekara’s since mid-year, and Welegedara’s between mid-2011 and March 2012, when he was injured.
In the meantime, Kulasekara has crafted a strong ODI career, with 136 wickets from 126 matches. (Nor is he a slouch with the bat, as anyone who saw his devastating 73 against Australia last summer can attest.)
There’s also the small matter of Rangana Herath, the world’s leading wicket-taker over the past 12 months with 64. Given he bowls left-arm orthodox, it’s no surprise Australia’s ex-paceman didn’t bother factoring him in.
The real unknown, though, is whether Hogg’s barbs will prick the skins of the Sri Lankan bowlers. No one likes to be dismissed in such a fashion, and some righteous indignation among the touring team might inspire some dismissals of their own, on a green Hobart wicket the likes of which subcontinental seamers rarely get to enjoy.
With Australia’s new-look batting order unproved down to No. 5, the last thing the chap occupying that spot would have wanted is to provide extra motivation for a bowling side vulnerable to being overawed.
But Clarke may just find Sri Lanka taking the field with more of a point to prove, or at least a point on which to focus their energy.
And while complacency could be inspired by the idea of taking on a bunch of no-names, one thing that no-names have up their sleeve is their anonymity. When Australia’s batsmen take guard, they won’t have much idea of what to expect, especially if they end up facing rarely-sighted slinger Pradeep.
It remains to be seen whether the worst attack ever can show Hogg up to be an equally poor judge of capability. One can’t help feeling there’d be a bit of justice if they did.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
If you utterly want to destroy test cricket, its a good plan. It will ensure that the WICB never ever ever has the money to run a four-day competition. It will ensure that every New Zealand player heads to the IPL as quickly as possible. And so on and so forth.
ambanwala
Roar Rookie
Oh.. Just for the record, Aussies lost to New Zealand here at Hobart if you didn't notice and that was not so friendly for batting.
jabba
Guest
Malinga? More like 'Malingerer'... Injured, in the Tony Modra "Gonna go surfin' instead", maybe? If only I had Moe Szyslak, and his bag of clues, I could get to the bottom of this...
k77sujith
Guest
Johno...correction - India in Tier 3!
Neuen
Roar Rookie
Because South African conditions are very bowler friendly.. Even the Windies won a test there in last few years.
ambanwala
Roar Rookie
Last year when they traveled to South Africa Kepler Vessels claimed that they can't even match South Africa A team. Yet they managed their first test victory on South African soil out of nowhere...Now this comments by Mr.Hogg.. oh Sri Lankans will surely be feeling offended!
dasilva
Roar Guru
I agree Funny enough there was a time where Australia reluctance to play the minnows (zimbabwe, Bangladesh) came and bit them in behind when South Africa was ranked number 1 in the world even though Australia dominated world cricket because Australia hasn't played a series more than 1 test series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and therefore Australia were missing 8 easy points out of the total 36 points available in the ranking. In the end though Australia manage to get the ranking system change to bring Australia back to number one which was a big shame as the old ranking system was much better than the current convoluted system. the idea of two points for a test series victory and one point for a draw with all teams being equal is much better, easier to understand and can create a good ladder. Also it would be poetic justice for Australia not playing the lower tier sides
Johnno
Guest
I see test cricket split up now into 3 divisions or Tiers: Tier 1: - Australia,England,India,STH Africa Tier 2: -New Zealand,Sri Lanka,West Indies Tier 3- Bangladesh,Zimbabwe Wildcard: Pakistan- the talent of a tier 1 team, but so many match fixing problems, political problems(kinda like the Fiji rugby of cricket, decline due too so much internal problems but the obvious talent is there), so only occasionally will they be able to get it together to compete with the Tier 1 cricket sides now. And that's test cricket. Irleand is now getting a first class comp going, and Irleand should really be looked at as a test cricket nation there developing some good players and need some more assistance, being right next to England from a revenue side could be really good for cricket too.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Its this kind of attitude that reassures me the first time Australia helps Test cricket develop in another nation will be the first time. This kind of attitude has ensured that cricket has the same support base - measured by bodies through the gate - as Fremantle and Port Adelaide, or Canterbury and Brisbane Broncos. Cricket is dying, and its that attitude that has killed it.
Bob
Guest
Should play South Africa and England every third year. If any country wants to show they are serious about test cricket- not just palying continual short form matches (like the sub-continental countries do), we should consider the odd one -off test. India's test team is the same as their T20 team- thats hows how seriously they take test cricket.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
And Taposh is STILL better than Australia's post-Warne slow bowlers, who are all in the Khaled Mahmud class ... and Masri was a racehorse, made to do the work of a cart-horse, as the other option was bowlers like Taposh. Or worse.
The Kebab Connoisseur
Guest
Why do attendance dip for Test Cricket? The Sri Lankan tour is why. We should only have serious test match nations here for the tests. Sri Lanka has always been a 2nd division test team and the attendances reflect that reaity. Should have been South Africa for the full tour. A wasted summer. I guess we still have the tennis to look forward to and going to the beach. The cricket will be a slow, drawn out massacre.
Geoff Lemon
Expert
So what do we reckon? No-one has set the world alight, but Welegedara has picked up a couple of top order wickets. 3/185
Geoff Lemon
Expert
Ah yes! Now I understand you. Brydon Coverdale pulled those stats up for us earlier today - Bangladesh's touring team of 2003. Check these numbers: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/64037.html?view=averages
Rhys
Guest
That's a shame. He's such a game changer when he's 'on'. That spell he produced in the BBL the other night was phenomenal. At least the Australian top order doesn't have to worry about Malinga causing chaos in a four over burst of brilliance.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
The best decision my Tigers ever made was to sack old, fat and useless.
Dasilva
Guest
I think after a wicket less series against Australia the captain khaled Mahmud bowling average rose over 400 and was the worst bowling average in test cricket
Dasilva
Guest
I was referring to the Bangladesh side that tour Australia and not the current side. No shakib back then
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Sri Lanka's quicks cracked the opening partnership. They did their first job.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc9Zo_jqu08 Sharapova bowls a bunch of crap, but he has heart. This is him breaking The Wall.