Opinion
For all the back and forth on the quirky mannerisms of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, have Aussie fans missed the point?
As scratchy as Smith’s 93 in Adelaide was, he survived. Labuschagne did too. His pivotal 300-ball ton proved just as momentous on the old scoreboard as it was for torturing the Poms in the extreme heat.
Just over a year ago, early prayers regularly asked for at least one of the two jumping bunnies to be coiled tight enough to rescue Australia from another top-order collapse.
Now, throw in David Warner’s pair of 90s from the opening two Ashes Tests and suddenly Justin Langer has a functioning top six that allows the middle order to follow a traditional script.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
If Langer had to blowtorch any mannerisms, it was Travis Head’s scratchy uncertainty.
Last summer against India the South Australian looked flatter than a week-old can of West End. Now behind a firing top order, he’s the crisp Coopers Ale of the Christmas party.
It’s long-form batting at its best. It is tough early, before a late flurry is the prize for survival.
If there are any complaints, surely it’s the condensed schedule that crams five Tests inside six weeks.
It had England stumped before a ball was bowled. With over 1100 wickets between them, there was no way both the ageing James Anderson and Stuart Broad had the legs for all five matches.
The fact they weren’t selected for the Gabba opener is testament to England’s confusion.
Even for the younger Aussies, there was little chance their top three fast men, including captain Pat Cummins, would last the distance.
For loyal fans, it’s a shame the quality is tarnished.
Sitting behind a paywall of white-ball formats, Test cricket is still the envy of the game’s elite. Diminishing their opportunity is to diminish the product itself.
With limited preparation in white clothing, Australia’s latest top-order performances definitely go against the grain.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Months of smash and grab in the IPL and T20 World Cup is no way to prepare for the Ashes, and in the case of Warner, another layer of credibility must be added to his measured performances in Brisbane and Adelaide.
Jos Buttler too. A little less than two months ago he flattened the Sri Lankans with one of the best international T20 hundreds of all time.
For the English keeper, it was one of several stunning knocks in a World Cup that saw England reach the finals as the raging favourite.
Last week in Adelaide his form was the polar opposite. It was an enigmatic mix of one-handed screamers and match-defining fumbles, topped with a first-innings duck.
But it was his search for redemption on the final day that will probably outlast memories of his T20 dominance.
After being outclassed for four days, Buttler’s anchor at the death was England’s only hope of saving face.
Smith said he was never worried, but last summer the Aussies failed to roll India twice when favoured to coast to victory on the final day.
Buttler’s errant foot eventually ended his four hours at the wicket. It was a 207-ball vigil that elevated heart rates on either side of the globe for longer than any short-form contest despite yielding only 26 runs.
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