In a recent chat with journalists in Abu Dhabi after Australia’s second Test defeat, coach Justin Langer went on an extended exploration of Australia’s batting woes.
One comment that stood out for me came after Langer had talked about the usual batting issues that have afflicted the recent crop of Aussie batsmen, technique and footwork, and then turned to scheduling.
“Just this week: We’ve got a Test match here, then we’ve got some T20s coming up, then some one-dayers. So, the schedule is what it is.”
Well, there’s no more hackneyed, useless expression in modern Australian slang than “it is what it is.” It’s crept in everywhere, it’s sort of the modern stressed-out version of “no worries.”
Online definitions throw up a raft of meanings for this term – as far as I’m concerned, it’s not only a truism that can’t be argued with, it suggests that one is powerless.
It seems that in Australian cricket, even one of the most influential staff on the books, Justin Langer, is powerless to do anything about Australia’s packed schedule of different formats and mini-series.
At the moment, Australia’s batsmen are bearing the brunt of this endless stream of game format changes as they stumble from one collapse to the next.
Just weeks ago Australia’s top six contenders were training to bat longer innings, pacing themselves with conservative and measured shot selection. This applies to state cricketers that were preparing for the JLT Cup final, like Glenn Maxwell or Ben McDermott, and also Test batsmen like Travis Head and Aaron Finch who were getting ready for the Test series in UAE.
Still, in the back of their minds, would have been an upcoming T20 series against some of the most formidable short format players on the planet, Pakistan.
If technique is forged by repetition, and your technique helps you deal with match stress almost automatically, Australia’s batsmen must be heading to the crease very confused at the moment. Their batting performance in the powerplay of the first T20 against Pakistan seems to confirm that.
What we are asking them to do at the moment is difficult for any athlete.
By way of comparison, if you had short and long soccer formats, could you train a defender to tackle aggressively one week – because the risk of a send-off is less damaging to his team – then tell him to hang off the tackles in preparation ahead of longer games?
His defensive instincts would be ruined.
That’s what we are seeing with Australia’s batsmen at the moment. In the Test format, we flay at balls that don’t need to be hit and leave balls that we should be defending. In T20 cricket we attack with such vigour, we forget to bat the 20 overs.
Moments after Langer had said “it is what it is” he also said that the great players are able to adapt, because of their run-scoring skills.
The problem is, with the bans on Steve Smith and David Warner, and the potential injury absence of Usman Khawaja, great batsmen in Australia are thin on the ground in our national team at the moment.
The best thing we could do is streamline their schedule, so they can get their heads right. It won’t be easy with all the stakeholders involved, but it would make a difference.
Andre Leslie
Roar Guru
I love this answer. Sums up modern sport completely.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
What do you have Doran's Shield average as last season? How about refuting Harris? Doesn't suit? Who's making up the figures?
Theo
Roar Rookie
I'm 55 years old and back in my day cricket and sport for that matter, there was fewer media coverage (nowadays foxtel, internet, mobile phones, ipads, etc.), fewer formats, and the sport was more defined and felt fresh. The drift towards corporation style revenue collection has been at the expense of the soul of the sport.
Bobbo7
Guest
Yet Williamson, Kohli etc excel in all formats. Williamsin is a great Test, odi and t20 player, top scoring in the IPL this year. Not an excuse. The Aussies need to man up and stop making excuses.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Doran wasn't the second highest run scorer last shield season. He was 5th behind Renshaw, Labuschagne, Ferguson and Weatherald. Don't talk of context. You can't even get basic facts right. Shaun Marsh's test average for 2017 was 33.85 and for 2018 is 24.38, yet in your mind his average for that period is 50 or higher. That explains how you see such great depth in our batting. You think 30 is 50.. it all makes sense now.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
What a step forward it has been for Oz cricket to see Howard step down. I suspect he might get some kind of award from the NZ government for his disservice to Australian cricket.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Because the bowlers are outstanding too. Averages are for people who read books about 4 and 5 seasons ago. Even 2 seasons ago provide irrelevant stats for now. If Head's average is low, it's not because of his past 2 seasons. It's because of his teenage years. Is Doran going to be shackled by his scores as an 18 and 19yo. He is not that age any more. Go on last year when he was the second highest run scorer in Shield cricket. Even veterans like Shaun have averaged close to (might be over) 50 in his past 2 years of test cricket. If you are going to decry Harris' early average, why not mention that he was the youngest player to ever score 2 Shield 150s? Not convenient? Is that suddenly irrelevant? His start to this season is outstanding...as he was last season. How long do you think Weatherald has been on the scene? Context John...not webstats. There is great depth.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
If stocks aren't thin, where are all the domestic batsmen averaging 45+. There should be heaps because most of our pitches have been less lively in recent years than they were prior to 2013/14. We now celebrate players averaging 35 because they are ahead of most of their peers. Harris couldn't average 30 until moving to Victoria and playing half his games on a road. Weatherald's best season averaged 38. The reality that they both are absolute candidates, as you state, reinforces how thin our stocks of good batsmen are. We should be excited by the young players you have mentioned but CA need to address the way shield cricket is viewed and the pathway to test selections. If not, these promising young players, will be set up to fail, rather than succeed.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Cricket Aust must shoulder some blame the way they have treated Shield Cricket. I hear Pat Howard is standing down. Was he High Performance Manager or LOW Performance Manager? Just wondering.
Brian
Guest
But in reality Pakistan had the same issues. They played a Test batted for a long time and then thrashed us in the T20. How are their batsman adapting. Is there any proof in the scheduling that our batsman are being forced to switch formats more often then our opponents? Seems to me its just that an average batting order propped up by Smith's amazing performances is now a poor one without him.
Rellum
Roar Guru
There is no overlap at all in domestic cricket. You have to play International cricket to have the constant changing of formats.
anon
Roar Pro
Every team in the world deals with a schedule that flits from one format to another. 25 years ago the Test summer would start early November and end late January. In between players would play the World Series Cup, domestic one dayers, maybe some Shield cricket. What's more, 25 years ago there was more player crossover between the formats. Langer's not impressing me so far. I feel like we should have got Ponting to coach the national side.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I think this is becoming less and less of an excuse, though, because the teams we field in the different formats don't have anywhere near the amount of overlap that they used to have. If you look at the test side that just lost to Pakistan, only Finch went on to play the recent T20I. Every other player (bar Agar, who was with the squad) had prepped for the series via the JLT Cup. If you go back to Australia's winning side in the T20I tri series vs England and NZ, only Warner went on to play in the SA series (to his detriment). Sure, there is plenty of overlap at domestic level but that shouldn't be an issue. Players still need to be able to score runs in the Shield to get picked for the test side, regardless of what other formats they're playing. At least, that's the theory. It doesn't seem to play out that way in reality sometimes. I think one way that CA could mitigate the challenges faced by changing formats is by better aligning the international summer schedule with the domestic schedule. There hasn't been much of link across formats between those two levels.
Paul
Roar Guru
Andre, the game against Pakistan probably supports your view if you look at the Pakistan innings. But for the fact they got off to a flier, they're batting collapse was nearly as bad as Australia's. The root cause of the batting issues though stem from not having a simple coaching plan in place. Coaches nationally, at what ever level, have to coach guys in the basics first till they have these down pat. Once they do, THEN start to adjust technique for short form cricket. Part of this coaching plan HAS to include a batting plan; that is, teaching batsmen to bat for long periods so if needed, they can bat for a day. This is far harder to do than teaching someone to swing hard for an hour. Right now these to fundamentals are being completely ignored so guys aren't batting long (because they've never been properly taught how) and they've got poor techniques because they're not being taught how to survive in bowlers friendly conditions. Get these two issue right, THEN build down to short form cricket. Doing it the other way around is lazy coaching resulting in substandard long form batsmen
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
The stocks are not thin. The Shield season has just started and already some batsmen are raising their hands (and bowlers). Jake Weatherald and Marcus Harris (Harris in particular) are absolute candidates, Marcus Stoinis' personal distractions with his dad's health are now past him and he is on the way. He is a top 3 batsman. It does annoy me that they play him at 6 just because he can bowl. Head has already grasped his opportunity. Labuschagne is on the cusp. Let the Shield season unfold. It has already thrown up kids who began to make their mark in the last two seasons and are now adding the exclamation marks. Pucovski, Doran, McDermott, Phillippe...
Will Knight
Expert
Agreed Dre, the scheduling is all over the place like Lloyd Pope's hair. But it's hard to feel sorry for the players. They want to be paid more which naturally means playing more. And all international players are pretty much in the same boat - they roll from format to format in different countries often within a few short weeks. They should be willing to adapt and not make excuses. For a lot of the Aussies that demanded more during the pay dispute, they are the same cricketers that moan about the packed schedule. They can't see the link?!?
Andre Leslie
Roar Guru
Hmm...Perhaps the headline should have been "It's not JUST the batsmen, it's the formats" As mentioned towards the end, only Smith, Warner and Khawaja are really of the requisite standard for mine. S Marsh has innings of brilliance but lacks consistency. The stocks are thin, there is no doubt. Not trying to "sugarcoat it" as JL would say.
Brian
Guest
I thought the heading was a joke but turns out your serious.
Junior coach
Guest
Well said Matt, it starts from juniors, the coachs are taught to show kids this way to bat so the big strong kids thrash the ball through point instead of moving their feet and driving straight. They all pull of the front foot instead of rocking onto the back foot to cut and hook. These kids get picked for reps, never get dropped and then struggle as they climb the ranks as they cant cope with lateral movement or change of pace. the parents buy them massive bats and the edges fly. This method of coaching is pushed down from CA and it doesnt work!
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
T20 has ruined test batting for many, the same way touchscreens have ruined handwriting for many.