Before 23 million Aussies commit hari kari, could we just take stock for a minute – Australia finds itself 2-0 down in a four Test Series.
That means we have two Tests to play, so cheer up!
And yes, we lost by an innings and 134 runs.
Other than that, I thought the spin lessons from India with bat and ball went swimmingly in sunny Hyderabad.
Not having been to India, but being married to a lady of Indian descent, I can see the swell of pride in Indian players and fans, and it is a very positive thing.
MS Dhoni has assembled a spirited group of assassins for this series. But even they looked a trifle embarrassed at the procession of wickets.
Maybe they had misgivings about the amount of spin and bounce the wicket took.
India’s spirit might not have been so high when England came back from losing the first Test in January to claim the series 2-1, so it is a timely boost of confidence for India.
Does this mean Australia will come back and draw this series 2-2? Of course we can (well, mathematically anyway).
So, what did we learn?
We learnt it is not good to be 0/74 and all out for 131.
We learnt that Watson and Henriques were dead unlucky and that we have exposed two more players to Indian conditions, and they came through very nicely.
We learnt that Australian batsmen are fairly limited when it comes to playing spin on a track that was very tough to score or defend on, provides up and down bounce, and spins sideways at 45 degrees.
We learnt that we have only passed 300 with the bat once in four innings, and India has spanked us for 500 runs in both their first innings.
We learnt that preparation of wickets in India could come under scrutiny from the ICC.
And we learnt that Australian cricket is going through a rebuild, but that it has some fine young talent to work with.
The question I would pose is this – if we transported these same two teams to Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide or perhaps even Sydney, would Australia do a lot better, and would India do a lot worse?
I think we know the answer is yes on both counts.
Unfortunately we do not have that luxury. We must bite our lip and soldier on.
I can’t remember the last Australian team which played spin like India plays spin. Maybe 1948. And the current crop need a crash course today!
Spin has been a very dirty word in Australia since Shane Warne retired. We like real men bounding in and hitting batsmen in the goolies or the helmet, not some lithe Swami bamboozling batsmen with bountiful breakers.
To heck with Bill O’Rielly, Richie Benaud, Jack Iverson, Tim May and Johnny Gleeson – and you too Warney.
All we need now is two Indian wickets which are green and seam sideways. Shouldn’t be a problem!
I’ll just send Curator Cam Shepherd over from Perth to do the job in the Punjab and at Kotla Stadium.
jameswm
Roar Guru
??? Bearfax is the one telling everyone to calm down.
Red Kev
Guest
Small victories Disco - I have a lot of English relatives, I need to get my sledging in now because I don't hold a lot of confidence for the Ashes.
Rumplestiltskin
Guest
Perhaps if you had a life Bearfaxyou wouldn't have to be so wound up about this.. How old are you anyway?
Disco
Roar Guru
Or you're not bright enough to think.
Disco
Roar Guru
So you've ruled Swann out have you? Do you mean the old swing tactics that helped England win three Tests by an innings last Ashes series?
Disco
Roar Guru
He'll get the Bird-Hazlewood-Cockley-Cummins treatment.
Disco
Roar Guru
Haha.
Disco
Roar Guru
After one bad day? I recall England dominating the first day of their recent series against South Africa and go on to lose the series. I recall England getting thrashed by India in the first test and going on to win the series. It's how teams respond to bad days that really matters. Seems as if England's batsmen didn't knuckle down properly. That's not usually the case. Whereas with Australia it's more the norm than the exception.
Harsh Sinha
Roar Guru
Everything looks like a big mess for OZ at the moment. Shane Watson, i believe need to show his true talent in the subcontinent pitches and if he can score a big ton, India might not get an easy win in the remaining matches. Clarke, Henriques and Watson are still very dangerous and can cause some panic in the Indian bowling unit.
Bee Bee
Guest
Agree +1 People are saying this result means we will get smashed in England. English curators were watching our uselessness against spin reading books like "How to prepare a Dustbowl for Dummies" until Swann broke his wing. Now they will have to return to the old Swing tactics. The bad news for England is we have been preparing an arsenal of Gangly young nasty swingers for a few years now. And it doesnt matter how many get injured because there are about ten back ups. Best advice for England (pray for a drought and keep preparing your dust bowls) Only Monty can save you now.
Bee Bee
Guest
No finger spinners allowed (WHAT?) Anil Kumble and Dan Vettori have 979 test wickets between them (probably over 1000) before the years out as Dan is still playing. As a former finger spinner I take great offence.
Bee Bee
Guest
Sydney Kiwi
Guest
Hes' 77 not out overnight so great work from the young man. The pitch isn't doing much at all just a bit of spin. I think maybe due to the hot weather NZ has had while Oz has been hit with all the wet stuff so less green stuff and less humidity in the air helping the ball swing- Of course we never got a chance to see if the old ball would reverse, England got out too early!.
aussie1st
Roar Pro
Maddinson made some runs, looks like he has finally decided to start scoring runs again. He looks good against the spin, uses his feet but has gotten stumped a few times. None the less that is a better sign then what we have seen from some of the guys over here atm.
Bearfax
Guest
At last some sanity being stated. Thank you Art. I've been saying this over and again. Stop the panic. This is a learning process all top cricketers have to go through. And this is a particularly inexperienced side. Give them time to develop. Cut out this knee jerk reaction. This has happened so many times before but we didnt notice because before the sides usually had more experienced players than inexperienced players. This time we have only four experienced players in Clarke, Watson, Siddle and Johnson. The rest are novices and that hasnt happened for over 30 years. Give them space. let them learn their skills. And facing this bowling is how they do learn, not in the comfortable nets in Oz. Play the best and you know what you then have to do to be up there. And these kids are a tough bunch who will learn. They wouldnt be the cream of the youth we have if they werent.
Red Kev
Guest
I saw Wells in the Ryobi semi against Queensland last year and he looked really good, but that is like the one innings he's performed in any format over a couple of seasons. Hopefully he'll develop nicely over the next four years (he's only 24).
Rellum
Roar Guru
Actually, I think I got him and Paine mixed up for a bit there.
Renegade
Guest
Told ya mate, it's not all doom and gloom....we'll be fine!
Rellum
Roar Guru
I have to say Wells looks a decent player, good technique, plays all the shots. Has handled Harris well.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Some things never change - pulling before he's ready