Australia’s high-quality bowling attack had its worst series in a long time, while new captain Tim Paine and young quick Pat Cummins were the only Aussies to enhance their reputations during the 3-1 series loss in South Africa.
Here are my marks across the series for both sides.
Australia
Pat Cummins – 9/10
22 wickets at 21 from four Tests
The 24-year-old is now Australia’s best bowler and was the only Aussie, apart from Paine, who managed to flourish in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal that devastated the tourists. He’s quick, he’s skilful, he’s intimidating and, perhaps most impressively of all, he’s relentless.
Tim Paine – 9/10
215 wickets at 43, plus 16 dismissals from four Tests
It is phenomenal just how seamlessly Paine has adapted to Test cricket after only five months ago being unable to get a game for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield. In South Africa his leadership was excellent, his glovework likewise, but it was his batting that was of greatest value, as Australia’s most dependable batsman across the series.
Cameron Bancroft – 5.5/10
223 runs at 37 from three Tests
For these ratings I’m judging Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner purely on their cricket. The West Australian opener had a horror start to the series when he bizarrely walked down the wicket to Philander and nicked off cheaply. From then on he was impressive, finishing as Australia’s leading runscorer across the first three Tests.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
David Warner – 5.5/10
217 runs at 36 from three Tests
It was a series of wasted starts for the cavalier opener who, from six innings, made five scores of between 28 and 63. Superstar Kagiso Rabada really troubled him as the series wore on.
Mitchell Starc – 5/10
12 wickets at 34 from three Tests
The left armer was outstanding in the first Test, befuddling the hosts with reverse swing en route to winning Man of the Match. But across the following two Tests he routinely wasted the new ball and struggled to either build pressure or make breakthroughs. Finished the series injured yet again.
Mitch Marsh – 4.5/10
176 runs at 22, plus four wickets at 42 from four Tests
Marsh played easily the best innings of the series by an Australian, with his 96 in the first innings of the first Test setting up a victory for the tourists. He also took several crucial wickets in this series. But after that 96 his batting fell apart, especially his defence, which by the end of the series was leaking like a sieve.
Josh Hazlewood – 4.5/10
12 wickets at 39 from four Tests
Hazlewood entered this series as the number two ranked Test quick in the world, after only England’s James Anderson, but finished it with his tail between his legs. While he was impressively economical, Hazlewood lacked for penetration which was, at times, the result of bowling a shade too wide.
Nathan Lyon – 4/10
16 wickets at 43 from four Tests
After enjoying a brilliant 12 months of Tests leading into this series, Lyon again flopped in South Africa. The conditions as a whole across the series were good for spinners, particularly for a bowler of Lyon’s style, given the generous bounce which was often available. Yet he was easily outbowled by his opposite number, Keshav Maharaj.
AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
Joe Burns – 4/10
46 runs at 23 from one Test
The Queensland opener, like his batting partner Matt Renshaw, was on a hiding to nothing after a last-minute, 18-hour flight to South Africa landed him amid the biggest controversy to rock Australian cricket in more than 30 years. He failed in the first dig, but batted nicely second time around, particularly with his assertive play against Maharaj.
Steve Smith – 3/10
142 runs at 24 from three Tests
Comfortably the worst series of Smith’s astonishing Test career. He made batting look so exceptionally easy in both innings in the first Test that it was a shock when he was dismissed. From then on he had an awful run, making 25, 11, 5 and 7. Maharaj and Morne Morkel both found chinks in his armour.
Usman Khawaja – 3/10
165 runs at 20 from three Tests
Khawaja’s woeful form on the road continued this series – he’s now averaged just 18 with the bat from his last eight away Tests. If Warner and Smith had not been banned for the next year, this may well have been the last time we ever saw Khawaja play a Test away from home.
Shaun Marsh – 2.5/10
147 runs at 18 from four Tests
With a highest score of 40 in eight innings for the series, the elder Marsh was a massive disappointment after his wonderful Ashes performance. Like Khawaja, there are now major question marks over his ability to succeed away from home.
Chadd Sayers – 2.5/10
Two wickets at 73 from one Test
Sayers was brought in to bowl something like Vernon Philander, but it wasn’t to be. While Sayers took 2-146, Philander collected match figures of 9-51. The South Australian was comfortably the least threatening bowler on display in the fourth Test.
Peter Handscomb – 2/10
24 runs at 12 from one Test
Handscomb is a fine player of spin but again looked vulnerable against pace.
Matt Renshaw – 1/10
13 runs at 6 from one Test
Renshaw looked shaky in both innings, but he’ll likely never face more onerous circumstances.
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South Africa
AB de Villiers – 9/10
427 runs at 71 from four Tests
Kagiso Rabada – 9/10
23 wickets at 19 from four Tests
Aiden Markram – 8.5/10
480 runs at 60 from four Tests
Vernon Philander – 8.5.10
16 wickets at 17 from four Tests
Dean Elgar – 7.5/10
333 runs at 47 from four Tests
Morne Morkel – 7/5/10
15 wickets at 20 from three Tests
Keshav Maharaj – 7/10
17 wickets at 34 from four Tests
Quinton de Kock – 7/10
223 runs at 32 from four Tests plus 19 dismissals
Temba Bavuma – 7/10
136 runs at 68 from two Tests
Lungi Ngidi – 7/10
Five wickets at 15 from one Test
Hashim Amla – 3.5/10
196 runs at 24 from four Tests
Faf du Plessis – 3/10
175 runs at 25 from four Tests
Theunis de Bruyn – 2/10
58 runs at 19 from two Tests
levi
Guest
Paine got a nice few wickets there, should bowl more I reckon.
Rob
Guest
I don't know if we have improved. From 26/7/2016 Australia have an 11-11 win loss record. They drew the series 1-1 in Bangladesh 6 months ago. They won the 1st Test in India but lost the next 2 to lose the series. They did the same thing in South Africa. Beating England 4-0 and Pakistan 3-0 at home in the last 12 months have been highlights, but Australia beat England 5-0 in 2014 and England were a much stronger team then. Renshaw's form at the top of the order and Smith's amazing numbers against England and Pakistan have been the catalyst for good recent Test results at home. I think the team has to start picking the most talented players and stop the good mate policy. Maxwell and Burns are some of the talented players in the country but have been given little opportunity to this point.
Matt H
Roar Guru
No actually. We create flat pitches for test matches, but the Shield pitches are generally more sporting, except the MCG this season which was a cement slab.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yeah, I do find that, in Australia, players tend to get the "good player of spin" tag simply if they like to use their feet and get down to pitch to the ball. But also, playing spin in Australia is really different to lots of other places. Regularly, visiting world class spinners leave Australia with their tails between their legs having been smashed everywhere. It's not so much spinners the Aussies can't handle, it's conditions that provide lots of natural variation, which you don't tend to get in Australia. Here, you can often just read the ball out of the hand and play what you see. It will almost certainly spin the direction it looks like it's going to. But in many other countries you get a lot more natural variation, and you see what appears to be the same ball pitching in the same spot, and one will shoot straight on and the other grip and turn. So in those conditions you can't read it early, you either need to play back to give yourself time to react, cover the most dangerous line happy to miss it if it does something different, or play shots that will effectively smother, and nullify the spin. So methods of play that can dominate against spin in Australia often just don't work in most other parts of the world.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Depends how well the "reserves" go in his absence. I would expect Steve Smith to be like Shane Warne and pulled straight back into the test squad the moment his ban ends. He's earned that much. The talk of a toxic Warner might make that harder for him, but a lot of that might depend on how well the guys filling those positions do in his absence. If Burns and Renshaw take those positions for the Australian summer and one or both fail miserably, he may well be quickly brought in. As this isn't dropped for form, there's not necessarily the need to have them "prove form" in some way before returning. It's whether they think he needs to prove a "new attitude" that can fit with updated team cultures that's more the issue. As far as his form being ordinary, Warner and Bancroft were the only two Aussie batsmen to average in the 30's for the series. All the rest averaged in the low-20's or lower. So while he didn't have a great series, in comparison to the rest of the team he was actually one of the stand-outs.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
But he's form throughout this series was pretty ordinary. So we have someone who culturally will need to prove himself over a period of time that he can actually be of benefit to the team, and play himself back into form - again, over a period of time. And the problem for him is that he can't start that process until April next year. So, best case scenario is that he gets himself an English county gig next year, starts the 19/20 Shield season in superb touch and is an absolute choir boy on and off the field. And he'll be 33 then. Personally I can't see him playing Test cricket again.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Except that Smith (and Bancroft) have already said they'll accept their punishments. They will serve out their full bans.
Zozza
Guest
Yes, I hope the Kiwis do start using the Duke. In fact, I think ICC should stipulate the Duke for all Test playing nations. It's now a superior ball in all respects to the K'Burra, which has gone downhill in quality in last 10 years. Stops swinging after four overs, and sometimes not all. The bowlers need some encouragement as almost all test pitches are flat as pancakes these days.
Chris
Guest
I wonder if Hazelwood and Starc weren't carrying niggles after first test. Morkel was poor in the first test, was rested for the second and bowled really well thereafter. The ozzie bowlers have bowled a lot of overs this summer and will definitely benefit from finding a reliever bowler so the frontline troops are easier to rest.
Fox
Roar Guru
The quality of the opposition is taken into account – A lower ranked side gets more for beating a higher ranked side than the other way round and rankings are based on most recent form and the consistency of performance allow you to hold on to your ranking longer as you have more points – as it should be in any sport. I actually think they are pretty fair. However, Australia needs to stop making roads for test cricket to serve TV Networks. Their batsmen were found out in SA on more bowler friendly wickets and where the ball swung on occasions as well – including Smith. The Duke ball and the swinging conditions in England has also seen them in trouble as well in recent away Ashes series. Let’s be honest, Australia’s middle order flattered to deceive in Australia. It is not a world class test middle and lower middle order by any stretch. Smith has carried them on many occasions in recent times. The days of Haden, Langer, Ponting, Gilly, Damien Martyn and co are long gone and it has shown for some time now.
Fox
Roar Guru
No GS Paine faced the world's best attack and this series proved that.
Fox
Roar Guru
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
“Australia have improved massively in Tests”. Firstly, that's called a headline Rob. But what I wrote in the article was on the money at that time. As I wrote, Australia were in a heap in late 2016 having just suffered 5 consecutive Test thrashings, and since that time had recovered to register an 11-3 win-loss record, including their first two decent series performances in Asia in a long time and a 4-0 Ashes pounding. If that's not very significant improvement then I don't know what is.
ColinP
Guest
I think marsh seems like a solid bloke, and did scores runs in the ashes but we were awful. I think if you just look at his technique and consider any other Australian side of the past.....it's a bit laughable he's in the top six (all rounder or not)...same with handscombe. Surely there are better players in shield cricket
ColinP
Guest
Average also inflated by not outs. Paine is ok, but scares no one in world cricket, you can afford the just let him sit at one end and attack the tail at the other, as SA did. If you have de kock or bairstow in then you have to try and get them out, or they will take you apart....Paine just sat there scoring 25 no
ColinP
Guest
Pitches are flat though......most would agree would they not? So is this not a reflection of batsmen quality than bowler quality
ColinP
Guest
You have presented no evidence here.....kohli has been respectful to opponents, I see his celebrations as just that.... celebrations with his team, rather than send offs. Unfortunately it doesn't matter how you try and spin it, the Aussies are the worst offenders, its in built. I guess there's nothing wrong with it, although it's not how I would play, but stop pretending your something you're not and accept it. You'll never be considered bastions of sportsmanship. CA have been happy to let it continue until the underbelly has been exposed, think back to what Warner said to bairstow in the ashes....yes we haven't forgot, Bairstow didn't go fully public, but you can bet the ECB reported it to CA and they have done nothing about it, same with Lyon acting like trash throughout the ashes. CA essentially condoned it and then cut them loose when it turned bad it SA
Chris
Guest
I wonder if Hazelwood and Starc weren't carrying niggles after first test. Morkel was poor in the first test, was rested for the second and bowled really well thereafter. The ozzie bowlers have bowled a lot of overs this summer and will definitely benefit from finding a reliever bowler so the frontline troops are easier to rest.
ColinP
Guest
This is a good point Chris.....will the team leaders be strong enough though
ColinP
Guest
Agreed....in Australia "playing spin well" constitutes dancing down the wicket and looking good doing it. In reality the best non-Sub continental players of spin have simple techniques and nudge ones and make huge scores....alistair cook and amla are prime examples. Substance over style