September is a strange old time for cricket in Australia.
Without a definitive start to the season like the football codes, the sport sputters into life, building slowly with domestic one-dayers, then four-day cricket, some T20 internationals and finally Test cricket. To whet the appetite, I’ve compiled a list of seven things to get excited about this summer.
1. A generational pace quartet
After months of UK cricket where nuance and subtlety can often win out over raw pace – although Jofra Archer may disagree – we return to the dry, barren lands down under, where there’s only one thing that matters: pace.
A fit Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc present Australian cricket fans with possibly their best ever pace quartet. Sure, Australia’s had incredible duos. Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson are the two that first come to mind. There’s been amazing trios: Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie, for example.
But have we ever had four bowlers of this ability available for selection at one time? Unlikely.
Naturally, all four won’t be picked in the same Test match. And with Cummins and Hazlewood the now premier pacemen, it appears the selectors could rotate Starc and Pattinson in bursts throughout the summer. Heady days.
2. Steve Smith
There’s not really much more to say about the Australian run machine. It’s a joy to watch his idiosyncratic style dominate a sport which, at least in this country, was wedded to an almost cast-iron way of playing.
Smith crabbing across the crease and whipping a fifth-stump length delivery through backward square leg might just be the enduring image of 2019 for Australian cricket fans, who are only just returning to a sleeping pattern resembling normality.
Smith is a marvel – a player whose presence at the crease allows one to leave the couch anxiety-free. Because upon returning, he’ll still be there batting, and batting. He loves it, and us him.
(Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
3. Women’s T20 World Cup
This is a summer without a showpiece series or tournament for the men. For the women, however, the world is coming to town as Australia plays host of the T20 World Cup for the first time.
Going in as favourites, the Aussies will look to translate their dominant T20 form into further success. Since the start of 2018, they’ve played 23 T20 internationals and won an incredible 20, picking up the 2018 T20 World Cup along the way.
Importantly, the usually cluttered cricket schedule is deliberately open during the tournament, which runs from February 21 to March 8. With the men’s team in South Africa and the BBL concluded, the World Cup will have its best chance breathe, and garner maximum eyeballs.
4. Babar Azam in Australia
If Virat Kohli is the best white-ball player in the world, then Babar Azam is surely number two. Averaging an astonishing 53.6 and 54.2 in ODI and T20Is respectively, Babar is the new darling of Pakistan cricket.
And for good reason. A faultless technique and unflappable temperament has some already predicting the 24-year-old as a future great.
More immediately, his place in the touring Pakistan side this summer is a boon for cricket fans on these shores. Yet to prove himself in the Test arena, he’ll have few better examinations than Australia’s strong bowling line-up on home soil.
5. Kane Williamson in Australia
Speaking of cricketing darlings, you’re hard pressed to find a more likeable player on the international circuit than New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson. He received credit worldwide for his sporting response to this year’s heartbreakingly cruel World Cup final.
(Photo by Action Foto Sport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
More importantly for cricket lovers, he’ll likely be the biggest stumbling block in Australia’s quest for success in the three-Test series against the Black Caps.
Last summer it was Cheteshwar Pujara’s stoic, unflinching concentration at the crease that won over Aussie cricket fans. Could Williamson be that man this time around? Last time he was here, in 2015, he scored 428 runs at 85.6, including centuries in Brisbane and Perth. An ensuing battle with Pat Cummins – who he has never played at Test level – could well be the best of the summer.
6. Better pitches
This one is more a hope than something we can definitively look forward to. I mean, they’ll be better right? Right?
For two summers we’ve sat through several tedious sessions of Test cricket, the worst of them at the MCG. We’re told advancements in the drop-in process will lead to better wickets. We can only hope lessons have been learnt.
7. A condensed BBL
Starting a week before Christmas, the BBL will be done and dusted by January 27. This is a good move by Cricket Australia, and pleasing to see they’ve been proactive on fan feedback.
It’s likely they would have received some complaints from broadcasters about the condensed season – 54 days down to 42, with the same number of games – but pushed on with the changes nonetheless.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Fully agreed, I’d even go so far to say there’s an argument that he (like Bill O) was as good or better than Warne. While both had better stats than Warnie (apart from more wickets thanks to games played) it’s obviously hard to compare given that SW had to play against several good batting teams (though worse English teams!) in so many different conditions.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
I meant to say Grimmett never played tests against the Windies alongside O'Reilly.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
DaveJ the stats I quoted are for all test matches they played together not just the England tests. I've never been looking to 'boost' the idea Clarrie is a better bowler than Bill, happy to take The Don's verdict, I feel Grimmett is underrated as his stats are phenomenal, imagine the pressure a batsmen would be feeling with those two going at you bowling 20 plus overs an hour, every ball an examination of your technique.
Insult_2_Injury
Roar Rookie
'Naturally, all four won’t be picked in the same Test match.' And therein lies the reason why Australia is a mid table ranked Test team. Putting unfounded qualifications on team selection leads to losing the Oval Test and costing the team the chance to win the series. Three of this "generational quartet" should've been playing the Test on the surface in England, most like Aussie wickets, especially as they'd just produced the win to provide the tournament lead. Generational bowlers play on all surfaces and produce as bowling partnerships. Too much is being said about finding an all rounder with a bowling and batting average of 30. Meanwhile we have 'generational' bowlers with mid 20 averages and high teen batting averages who can produce that.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
BM I’m not sure which figures you’re looking at. According to Cricinfo records they only played 2 series together against England- Bodyline and 1934. O’Reilly topped the wickets and averages both times: 1932-3 O’Reilly 27 wickets at 27. Grimmett 5 wickets at 65 1934 O’Reilly 28 at 25. Grimmett 25 at 27. In 4 series overall against England, O’Reilly topped the wickets and averages for Australia every time and 27 was his lowest series average. Grimmett was over 30 three times. Overall records vs England: WO - 19 matches, 102 wickets, ave25.4 CG - 22 matches, 106 wkts @ 32.4. What boosted Grimmett’s wickets per game rate and average were 10 matches vs SA where he averaged 16, and five against the Windies where he averages 17. I think this comparison of performances against the best, ie England, was why Bradman - who saw O’Reilly’s entire career and most of Grimmett’ - rated O’Reilly a bit more highly.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
"The modern [Oz] guys are also bowling to a lot of very poor batting lineups." Especially in the nets... Roughly agree with your assessment. I'd pick Lillee, McGrath, Thommo, Rhino, MJ & Dizz ahead, well ahead, of the current crop.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
Dave J that includes the tests they played together in England. Grimmett never played tests against WI.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
And Warne got to bowl against batsmen when, especially those not from the sub-continent, had no idea on how to play leg spin as it was very much a forgotten art. As for people continually saying Clarrie had no competition for his wickets in the test team. O’Reilly was more than useful and I showed in an above post Grum more than matched him and there was one test where Ironmonger played as well as Grum and O’Reilly and Grum didn’t even get a bowl in one innings! With that record as captain you wouldn’t even give him a couple of overs? The captain must have had a high opinion of the other two.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Put it this way 60 bowlers tried to beat Grimmet's figures (fastest to 200 wickets). Names such as Truman, Miller, Sobers, Benaud, Hall, Snow, Bedi, Lillee, Underwood, Roberts, Holding, Garner, Botham, Hadlee, Dev, Khan, Thommo, Garner, Marshall, Ambrose, Hughes, Donald, Akram, Younis, McGrath, Murali, Warne, Flintoff, Mitchell and over 30 others never did it as fast. I agree about only statistics but faster than all those guys? C'mon, the guy was brilliant.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Going by stats Rowdy alone is flawed. You have to remember Warne faced major competition for wickets from McGrath, Gillespie, Lee & others. That no doubt would've affected his stats.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
But Bradman held grudges as evidenced by him forcing Grimmett out. As l said Clarrie broke the SS aggregate two years in a row whilst Bradman's 'mate' replacement was a dud.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Whereas testicles can't
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
But at 6 w/t you'd walk into any team, any era, any time, any day of the week.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Crowded House are Aussie, Phar Lap literally never raced in NZ, that's how young he was.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Interesting. Must have been the games against SA and WI as it wasn’t the games they played together against England.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
In the games they played together Grimmett took 95 wickets at 17.7, O'Reilly 85 at 21.1. If Grimmett benefited from O'Reilly not in the team then surely O'Reilly benefited when Grimmett wasn't in the team when he was retired early at the youthful age of 44. After all he took 44 wickets in his last series. Hard to think you could ever drop a player after a return like that. But Bradman said O'Reilly was the best he ever faced and he knew a bit about it.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
It’s the economy rate per wicket, I.e.bowling average, not per over, that counts. No good taking more wickets in a Test if the opposition scores 500. Averages don’t prove anything but they tell you a lot if the data set is sufficiently extensive, i.e long term, and the comparisons are robust. There might be other reasons you might prefer Grimmett over O’Reilly given a fairly small margin between them in their averages, e.g. how good were they against the best? How did they perform in clutch situations? But wickets per Test isn’t a reason as it depends on who else was in the team. Grimmett took a lot of wickets before O’Reilly made the team and when the rest of the attack was mediocre, eg in 1930. When O’Reilly came into the team he was the best bowler for Australia in the following Ashes series in 1932-33 and 1934 when Grimmett was still in the team.
When he is Gladiator he is a Kiwi. When he is throwing his toys (cell phones) at fans, he is an Aussie LOL! And yep I am a Kiwi. Nah I love you Aussies when it comes to sport. Great rivals, and we share a deep respect for each other countries sporting prowess (even if it takes a few beers to admit that).
badmanners
Roar Rookie
You win a match by taking 20 wickets generally, although we have seen captains declare twice and lose! :stoked: Ultimately it doesn't matter who in your bowling line up gets the wickets as long as the team gets them but I would rather take a player giving you more wickets per test where their economy rate is 0.2 runs per over to the worse. As that slightly dodgy cricket writer Peter Roebuck once said "All averages prove is that all of humankind have one testicle." Numbers can be twisted in many directions.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
It’s an interesting stat but it’s bowling averages that determine the opposition’s total score. If all your bowlers have a low average per wicket in a Test then your opponents will have a low score. More wickets per Tests is not to be sneezed at, but it just indicates how well you’re doing vs your teammates, regardless of how good they are, not how you are doing vs the opposition.