Australia will leap to second on the Test rankings after thrashing New Zealand in Melbourne to clinch this three-Test series.
The Aussies rolled New Zealand cheaply for the fourth straight time yesterday, in spite of a fantastic 121 by Tom Blundell, thanks to James Pattinson (3-35) and Nathan Lyon (4-81).
After tumbling down the rankings while champion batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner were banned, Australia will now be second behind India once the ICC updates the rankings at the end of this series.
The Aussies needed only to win this series against New Zealand to steal their second ranking. The Kiwis don’t deserve that lofty perch based on this series, in which they have been torn apart by Australia.
There were some factors hindering New Zealand in the first Test – their lack of experience against the pink ball combined with the absence of a practice match in Australia. Yet there were no excuses for the enormous margin of defeat in that match, nor for their abject performance at the MCG.
(AAP Image/Scott Barbour)
It is more understandable when the Kiwis or the Aussies labour in the UK or Asia, places where they encounter significantly different challenges than at home. The Dukes ball behaves wildly compared to the Kookaburra, while Asian pitches favour spin in a way New Zealand and Australian players are not accustomed to.
But at the MCG the tourists were using the familiar Kookaburra and playing on a fairly docile pitch similar to those they often see back in NZ. The Kiwis may have been playing overseas, but these conditions were far from foreign.
This MCG surface has been good for batting, as the Aussies showed in making 467 and as Tom Blundell further highlighted by cracking a ton despite never having opened the batting before in a first-class match.
Those efforts served to shame the much-hyped group of Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls. That quartet entered this series all ranked in the world’s top 16 Test batsmen yet have combined to average a paltry 18 so far.
With an experienced and settled team and the No. 2 ranking under their belt, this was NZ’s biggest Test series in more than a decade. Two or three players aside, they have flopped spectacularly. With fans of both team having eagerly anticipated this series for more than a year, it has been a major let down.
Except, that is, for the Australian team, who have built some tremendous form since the return of Smith and Warner. The Aussies have a 6-2 win-loss record in that time, with one of those two losses coming by the barest of margins on the back of a freak knock by Ben Stokes.
Australia’s attack is equal with India as the best in the world, while their batting line-up is arguably stronger than it has been at any time in the past decade. Steve Smith, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne are three of the world’s premier Test batsmen, giving Australia a formidable top order.
Meanwhile, Travis Head averages 43 in his career, opener Joe Burns averaged 44 in Tests this year and Matt Wade has been solid since returning to the Test team, averaging 38.
Even wicketkeeper Tim Paine has located some reasonable form with the blade, having averaged 33 in his last six Tests and scored a ton in the Sheffield Shield. Not long ago Smith and Warner were surrounded by a dysfunctional batting group. Yet now Australia have flogged the highly rated Kiwis despite that pair having poor series by their standards, both averaging only in the mid-30s.
In the first Test it was 25-year-old Labuschagne who made the match-defining ton and at the MCG it was 26-year-old Head who broke New Zealand with a gritty century. While both batsmen are still in the early stages of their Test careers, they have shown enough to suggest they can become pillars of the Australian top six.
Australia’s next two Test series will tell us just how good a team they are. Next up they travel to Bangladesh to try to win their first Test series in Asia since 2011. Then they host the heavyweights of Test cricket, India, who are comfortably the best team in this format at present.
First, though, Australia will be keen to complete a clean sweep over the Kiwis next week in Sydney. New Zealand, meanwhile, need to compete strongly in that match to salvage some pride from what has been a nightmare tour of Australia.
Micko
Roar Rookie
Exactly, but trying to tell the kiwis that was difficult though. They say "We're #2 because you're losing all your away tours like in Sri Lanka and loss against Pakistan, and we drew with Sri Lanka and beat Pakistan!" You tell them that success is irrelevant though, and ancient history now, and essentially counts for nothing in terms of competing with Australia IN Australia...and some of them don't want to hear it!
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
Test rankings are only an indicator. Unlike golf or tennis rankings where the same players are playing against each other month in month out, you cant read too much into them. Believe it or not, betting odds at the start of a series are always the best indicator. E.g. if Steve Smith is not going to be playing all summer, Australia's ranking wont change, but the odds certainly will.
Mr Right
Roar Rookie
Rod Marsh retired in 1983. Adam Gilchrist debuted in 1999 & took close to 400 dismissals with the help of the greatest bowling line up in history. McGrath, Gillespie Warne & Lee. They took around 1800 wickets between them.
Howler
Roar Rookie
I can't see how NZ were no.2 when the series started. Australia would've been 176 points and NZ 60 on the test rankings. Can someone please explain that?
Superspud
Roar Rookie
Without seeing numbers it seems to me that test cricket results are heavily weighted to the home country and rankings rise and fall depending on what time of year it is. Australia could have let Pakistan have 3 innings and still would've beaten them however if the series was in the middle East or perhaps even Pakistan itself I'm not so sure of the result.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
I would much rather see Australia play the top nations like England and India rather than the over rated minnows like Pakistan and New Zealand.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Great series win by the Aussies, a clean sweep would be nice too. I don’t pay a huge amount of attention to the World rankings. I find them quite skewed, with respect to our Kiwi mates, did anyone genuinely think it was a real no 2 v no 5 match up ? Australia have the best fast bowling lineup in the game, one of the best spinners, the great Steve Smith and emerging star in Marnus.
Brian
Guest
Agree Australia are 2nd. Mind you that's par really. Unless we are top we are not really exceeding expectations. Whoever wins the SA v Eng series is probably the only competition in terms of making final in lords in 2021 against India
Brian
Guest
Maybe but even if not how much would a ticket be when the average weekly pay is south of $50
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
Very true. Guts out the first session. Put 350 on the board hopefully. Bowl last.
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
True. Sounds silly but great teams need the great players. Smith is the Ponting. Cummins is the McGrath. Warner is the Langer. Hazelwood is the Gillespie. Payne is R.Marsh. It has the makings of a superb team.
Stuart
Roar Rookie
Wade is just keeping the seat on the team bus warm fo Pucovski, the selectors have shown that he is the next number 5 in waiting and when he overcomes his mental health issues sufficiently he’ll be in the team. Few others are showing they are ready to fill the spot.
anon
Roar Pro
I’ll take a combination of McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Clark, Lee (the weak link) over the current line up any day.
anon
Roar Pro
Let’s rub their faces in it now. Show them who is the boss in world cricket. Australian exceptionalism. It’s a wonderful thing.
AREH
Roar Guru
I don't think, though, Wade was ever picked as a long-term option, and he knows it. Very much a selection for here and now, because of gradual irresistible form.
Matt P
Roar Rookie
Why should anyone be under the pump when we’re winning by as much as we are? Why should Burns be under the pump already? Obviously he could have performed better, but he was 3 runs shy of a comeback ton, and he top scored for us in the 2nd dig in Perth (not to mention he was the only one of the top 6 who didn’t throw his wicket away). Even of his dismissals, one wasn’t actually out and one would’ve gotten most players out first up. Even if he’d played it ‘perfectly’ it still would have been out - just lbw instead of bowled. Bit premature to say he isn’t up to it.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
When Head moves to 5 and Kurtis Patterson comes in at 6 I think you could be right if we can keep these 4 quicks on the park.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
Once again NZ have been come to Australia with a lot promise behind them and come up well short. It's pretty tough playing in Australia as a touring party. India's performance last Summer should be held in higher esteem just from these last two touring parties being well beaten up after arriving with a pretty decent recent CV.
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
Spot on Ronan. NZ had every possible excuse under the sun in Perth... losing the toss + 40 degrees, pink ball (plus Aust having a pink ball warm up), no warm up game at all, 4 time zones difference, no Boult etc. In Melbourne it was all of their own making... making the wrong call at the toss and then showing appalling application with bat in hand. Blundell and Wagner are really the only two to stand up. Such a shame they have not been at least a bit more competitive.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi everyone, I agree the rankings system doesn’t always show accurate, but like most things it’s ‘grey rather then black and white. We think of ratings as No1 being sort perfect team. This has only been accurate a few times. Like a few generations in Heavy weight boxing, you can only fight what’s in front of you. It’s not your fault if opponent is weak. Just make sure you perform. Only really ‘big three perform, and this Will has asterisk. I didn’t think NZ would win series, I did think they should have done better though. It always been hard to win overseas and in oz is one of the toughest. Now days they also don’t get practice tours, or ‘big three’ don’t invite them to the party to get the experience. That ain’t weaker teams fault. Windies, Sri Lanka, SA came here in recent times and did shocking or not to expectation. The rankings are they best of what there is available at the moment’ (much like players in the team), no offence to any teams, they all playing for their countries, good on NZ for getting to 2nd. They don’t have options to ‘game’ the system like Big 3. I think it very interesting the crowd numbers for this series. All the crickets boards love numbers, will this help NZ get more ‘action’? How did tv figures/advertising/viewing go? Will the same old same old Ind and Eng money push NZ chance aside? If find the Ind/Eng every other year boring. While I do want a game, I don’t mind the ‘minow’s’ coming, as long as they giving it a shot. You can see the difference in a miss field from lack of skill but tons of heart compared to a ‘not fused’ attitude. I would live to these past games to be closer, for the viewing and the oppositions confidence and to see or guys really stand up in home circumstances. But I think it has been good, Pak, something like a 40 test bowling team, I think they did ok considering. NZ, some bad luck injury to their top bowlers don’t help. Their Batmen, Which country in the world can handle this lineup, when in Oz? Nz will be disappointed, but with no buildup games, that’s tough. Get them out here more reg rather the Ind and Eng every other year.