Over the past few months, the closer we have got to the much anticipated Australia-India Test series, more often have the names of Steve Smith and David Warner, two men who should not be seen on the field during this series, been mentioned.
That by itself is not surprising. They have been the two pillars of Australian cricket in recent years, and the possibility, indeed certainty, that the team will have to do without them in this crucial series is causing understandable heartburn.
Smith and Warner are eight months into their one-year bans, while Bancroft will be eligible to return in December.
Whats’s causing the ‘noise’?
What is worrying is that the noise that started several months ago questioning the length of their bans is now not only becoming a crescendo. The closer we get to the summer and the India series, the Australian Cricketers Association is using the weakened position of Cricket Australia, which is in the midst of management turmoil to push for earlier reinstatement of the duo.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association had lodged a submission calling for a rethink in the wake of the Longstaff review, which the ACA says provided new and compelling evidence that CA – and not just the players involved – contributed to the atmosphere that prompted the events of the Cape Town Test in March.
The Longstaff Review released late last month exposed the many cultural failings of Cricket Australia in recent years that conspired to create the environment that led to the Cape Town ball-tampering saga.
The review found the organisation was perceived as “arrogant and controlling” and that players lived in a “gilded bubble”. CA’s chairman David Peever resigned in its wake.
Steve Smith and David Warner in happier times (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Not everyone is convinced
While the likes of Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Doug Walters would like their bans reduced, many others are not convinced. Among more contemporary cricketers, Mitchell Johnson has been very vocal, consistently tweeting his angst at calls for the reduction in their bans. Ian Chappell agrees.
Chappell went right to the core of the issue when he said: “Do I think that some of the bans should have been reduced. No, I don’t think they should, because of the things that came out of the Longstaff review was that they felt the attitude was to win and don’t count the cost. If they would have brought Smith, Warner and Bancroft back into the team against India, then they would say ‘here we go again’, don’t count the cost let’s just make sure we win. So I think let the bans be as they are.”
But as Chappell rightly goes on to say that while the player bans are right and they should stay, “some of the other people [administrators] should have been banned at the same time with Warner, Smith and Bancroft.”
Be that as it may, the question is why exactly are the voices for reinstatement becoming a clamour at this particular point of time? Is it because people genuinely feel the ban was too harsh on three individuals whereas it was the system and culture itself which needs to be blamed?
Or is the reason for this sudden increase in noise much more to do with the fear of defeat at the hands of a team that has increasingly in the past few years looked more Aussie in their approach to the game than the Aussies themselves?
Australian captain Steve Smith chatting to the umpires. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Life since South Africa
On the surface there seems little reason to panic. Since the ill fated South Africa series when the three were banned, Australia has only played one Test series, against Pakistan in the UAE. They lost the two-Test series 0-1, surely not a result that would send a nation into mourning.
The problem however goes beyond the result itself.
When the contracted list of players came out after the ball tampering scandal, it consisted of an eclectic group that The Roar’s Geoff Lemon, writing in The Guardian, described as “A hodgepodge of T20 bowlers, all-rounders and white-ball batsmen, along with an excellent Test bowling quartet and a couple of batting discards.”
They were not too far off the mark. The only batsmen with any reasonable Test experience were Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, and Mitchell Marsh with 92 Tests between them.
The selections of the last two had long been questioned by Aussie fans, often attributing it to the position of power their father Geoff Marsh enjoys. By the time the Pakistan series ended, the situation had only become worse.
While Khawaja had one century to his credit in the series, he had also damaged a ligament in his knee and may not be available for the series against India. The Marsh brothers between them had scored 44 runs in eight innings.
It can’t be worse than 2013
In 1977-78 when Australia itself had been severely weakened by the Packer desertions, it had managed to prevail 3-2 against Bishan Bedi’s full strength side at home under the able leadership of Bobby Simpson, coming out of retirement to serve his country. The bench strength had helped at the time. Rodney Hogg, Kim Hughes and Gary Cosier would serve Australia well in the coming years, and the bowling was led by the fearsome Jeff Thomson.
On the other hand, in 2013 when Michael Clarke’s Australian side toured India, they had arrived on Indian shores having gone undefeated in seven successive Test series. Unlike Steve Waugh or Ricky Ponting’s sides, they had indeed lost a few Tests, but not a series since the 2010-11 Ashes 1-3 defeat.
When the shattered team limped off the Indian shores four months later, they had been whitewashed 0-4 for the first time since a similar loss to South Africa 1969-70 in a Test series.
In both those instances, Australia itself had not been a weak side. They had lost to a better side which outplayed them.
But 2018 is different. Just like in 1977-78, the Australian bowling is a mix of experience and talent, but it is the batting that has a gaping hole. There is no Bob Simpson to ride to the rescue on a white horse.
There is no new Kim Hughes on the horizon. On the other hand, they will face up to an Indian pace attack the likes of which has not been seen down under. Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are all supremely talented and bowl at well over 140 clicks. Complementing them will be the experienced Ashwin and Jadeja and adding mystery to the mix with his Chinaman, will be India’s latest spin sensation, Kuldeep Yadav.
Virat Kohli and India failed to fire in England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The Indian batting, stunning on paper, inconsistent off it, may yet be good enough to face up to whatever Australia hurls their way. While the Aussies had the measure of Kohli in the India series a couple of years ago, since then he has been in imperial form.
In England he threw away the cobwebs in his mind from the previous series and put in a performance for the ages. There is no reason to believe it will be any different in Australia. Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane have been in form recently and Murli Vijay with his performance for Essex and KL Rahul with the century against Oval will be looking to make a statement.
Che Pujara yet again would want to prove that he is effective overseas and young Prithvi Shaw at the top of the order will be keen to prove he belongs there.
Given the difference in quality and experience between the two teams, if the ACA does not succeed in reducing the bans on Smith and Warner, India will in all likelihood celebrate their first series victory in Australia since 1947.
The Aussies can however draw comfort from the fact that no matter how badly this goes, in all probability it wont be worse than 2013.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
1-0. Bumrah bowled at 150.6 kmph (just a wee bit faster than a couple of Bangla brothers on this forum I am told). Just saying.
JayG
Guest
I was wondering if there was a misunderstanding about the units we are measuring speed in but I cannot think of any which would give similar numbers as km/hr
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
No man, you are misunderstanding, emoji is not a "comment, its an expression, that is why its been named "emo"ji :-D
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
The criticism is always 'obtuse'...like Kopa's smiley face emoji that he thinks is a comment but always in the wrong context.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
No. That was a powerful and fluent 44. He was dominating. You obviously didn't watch or listen to the commentators that included Blewett and Nielsen.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
LOL,yes i know he can be "very quick", but there is a difference between bowling once and consistently maintaining it. For example,umesh being fast,operates at 137-138 with fastest being 142-143. And in case of "can be". i can give example of Rubel and Taskin,both of them clocked near 150kph,faster than any indian bowler listed here.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Next time be careful commenting on things you didn't see. Centurion was flat? cape town pitches are normally slow before getting quick,and india played SA in time of drought. " sport24.co . za / Cricket / Proteas / cape-drought-could-result-in-slow-newlands-pitch-20180102 " Second pitch is mentioned above. third one is , " sportskeeda . com / cricket / south-africa-vs-india-2018-wanderers-pitch-third-test-rated-poor-by-icc " it made pace bowlers look like spinners at first before exploding up with uneven bounce. Throughout the entire series no quick bouncy pitches SA is known for. All are either flat batting surface where even your team hailed it as "true surface" or slow except that 3rd test pitches that got rated poor. Next time attach documents rather than giving serial dialogues of TV channel "go here,go there", got it?
Sumit
Guest
Centurion was flat. Go and bat on Cape Town or Joburg - green mambas. Good luck. Stop selectively picking articles. 1 of the 3 was relatively flat.
Sumit
Guest
The averages of between 21 and 32 have been on green decks in SA and swinging decks in England. But yes Kohli needs support. Rahane was long the man doing it with Kohli, he averaged more away than at home but he has fallen off. Watch out for Prithvi Shah and Vihari. Vijay could well be dropped.
Sumit
Guest
Bumrah can be very quick. Don't equate him with Muztafiz.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Not absurd,totally "over brilliant" :-D First two gentle bloke is trying to convince me hard that, if you can bowl 1 140k then you are starc, if you can bowl 2 140k then you are Steyn+ Rabada :-D It is not only impossible,but completely unpossible for a normal gym going bloke to throw a ball at 140k sometimes!!. Maintaining that logic,if you can kick a football you are messi. and if you can hit a tennis ball apparently you are Rafael nadal!! :-D And the last gentle bloke Don bhai is trying his best to convince hard that Mitchell Marsh is global savior of World cricket.......or World savior of global cricket,however you put it :-D I have been trying to process this vast amount of shupa dupa kewl knowledge throughout the day :-D
s1kabir@yahoo.com
Guest
Not entirely. Umesh is a touch faster than Taskin,but then Taskin is more younger. Shami is in same cartel. Ishant is more fast-medium like Rubel. Bumrah & Mustafiz bowl at same speed.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
I am sure you saw that in a indian news channel. As far as the speed is concerned , if we can break needles i am sure stronk indian "fast" bowlers can take a chunk out of those machines :-D
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
A good tone down answer preceded by arrogant kind of start. :-D so many different tangents in my response was in response to your response in different levels. For the rest of the part, i am no doctor, my dad is,may be i need to ask him about the red muscle thing you have just mentioned as i have no idea what they are or what they do. The only part i am skeptical about is "145kph is an area that not many humans can ever touch whether consistently or a one-off". Human body can do many things, for example,i can touch my wrist with my thumb stretching it downwards. That is noting. One of my friend can touch his wrist with his index finger backwards!!. But as i said, i am in computer field,not in medical,so you will know better than me about those. And for witnessing my speed,anytime :-D Though i don't know if i have same speed after two years, still i think i can reach 135-137 easily :-D
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Is that so? May be too much coding is making me a little "computer"istic :-D I thought i was clear to draw the line between your freedom to ask & my patience of taking questions per day.
Ozibatla
Guest
Yawn, too exhausting to comprehend that statement let alone giving a response!
Ozibatla
Guest
Right, a reply on one topic as there are so many different tangents in your response, one doesnt know where to start effectively. By mentioning those names, I was making a subtle point that it takes a rare talent to bowl 145ks+, whether consistently or just once. This region of velocity where a ball is bowled is stretching the body towards its limits, biomechanically speaking. The human body is not designed to perform movements typically found in a bowling action. Therefore, tweaking, refining, strength conditioning and repetition is required. The often missed variable when determining a fast bowlers pace limit is their muscle twitch fibres and specifically the amount of red muscle fibre they posess. The more red muscle fibre, the quicker these fibres can twitch and inturn the quicker they allow the bodies levers and joints to move back and forth in a rapid manner. This is a key determinent in allowing one to propel the ball through the air. Of course this is all reliant on a fluent action where the biomechanics are functioning in unison. Ultimately, the vast majority of cricketers who play the game arpund the world will be "capped" greatly in their set speed of bowling. So 145kph is an area that not many humans can ever touch whether consistently or a one-off. Their genetics, biomechanics and technique determines what speed they can potentially reach. Their strength conditioning, fitness, repetition exposure, and refining determines how consistent they will be in reaching their optimal speed. Im sorry mate, without witnessing you bowl, I cannot totally dismiss your speed potential but in my dealings with cricket I know what is required to reach such rarified air in terms of high bowling speeds recorded. Hence I am sceptical to say the least.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Indeed you are free, did i say anything about you shouldn't ask? I said you have asked as many that is enough for me :-D That is sad. What kind of injuries? Back injuries i assume? Wow, i am blown out of the water,i did not see that coming.So you are coach sir. At first let me say that, my respect for you is clear as i respect any teacher. The thing that has really bemused me is that, after i said i can deliver some 140+, and i have seen few blokes who can deliver 145+,you compared them with Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn, Umesh Yadav, Marc Wood and Kagiso Rabada. This part is really really bothering me, because i can not believe a coach and talent development manager can make this kind of silly argument. This is kind of Marnus Labuchagne's run out in UAE which is hard to digest. The difference between an athlete and me is not that , i can not do it. The basic difference is that, he can do it far better than me because of properly maintained strength,longevity targeted for one purpose. A bowler has to deliver 60 balls in a ODI game, 20 overs in a test match a day. The difference between me and starc is, i can deliver a 140, and to deliver another 140 i will need a gap of minimum 5(actually more) minutes unless i want to end up with a broken back. A bowler get near about 220-240 sec to deliver 6 deliveries.He must have a compact and smooth delivery action. That is difference between general bloke like me and a professional athlete,their gym time,nutrition & bowling actions are properly maintained. And here when i said i can deliver "some" 140+ you end up comparing me with Starc,Rabada!! I am very sure if i say that i can kick a football and made 5 goals in 5 penalties you would end up tagging me CR7. Once our teacher said "we are drowning in data,but starving for knowledge. Everyone can manage data,but to extract knowledge out of data requires skills". You said you are talent development manager tracking fast bowlers, players like James pattinson,Jason behrendorff comes to mind who are struggling to get a go in international cricket because of injury. Do you pick blokes because they can throw a ball at 140+? Because in that case, i wouldn't be so sure to have a cricketing future. I do not know how fast bowling management is done there as i have never visited there for that purpose except some govt level visit. May be next time it will be about some cricket. And i am no coach or manager of cricket,never played professional cricket,but have been with top level cricket long enough to know at least something :-D Another thing coach sir, before even i asked the question about your role, i guessed i will get coach type answer. :-D
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Personal dig that too "slight" made me "insecure"?Oka, I am speechless :-D Though i missed that personal dig part somehow, all i was doing was mentioning the similarity between cricketer and general public. I am confused about the "confused analogy" you have mentioned here about what exactly made you confused.Anyway. You have mentioned this is a blog forum,thank God for that,some people were saying if someone was trying to take "credit" :-D You assumed i play social level cricket - Congratulations :-D You said i quoted your quote that was exactly my quote, hmm, ever heard the phrase "out of context"? You quoted "145+ on net" "about my brother then asked me what level of cricket i play? It is safe to assume that you thought me and him play same level of cricket,isn't that correct? Yet in my quote it was clearly mentioned "in net" ,i never said i bowled in net, did i? :-D Touche!! You have requested to elaborate "credit bars" as you were lost there. Don't worry,let me find it. That was in response to your statement "Your vernacular suggests you might be trying to convince yourself more than the rest of us" It is you who just mentioned above this is blog forum,even thinking that someone is trying to "convince" anyone of anything is simply giving over importance to thyself who is thinking it,don't you agree :-D Another thing, about the "fragmented" part, each and every statement i made is either direct sentence to sentence reply or simply stats if posted first. There is nothing personal. If my reply is fragmented, so is your statement which has been replied to. Thanks.
Maxwell Charlesworth
Roar Rookie
Travis Head is a batsmen who bowls part time offies to make up overs. Definately not an allrounder.