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.
JAMES G HASLAM
Guest
If the playing of the red ball game was as interesting as the result (v India and the Poms at least) it would get more respect.
Paul
Roar Guru
Your first sentence doesn't make sense and misrepresents what I wrote. I said it's "not hard to play ultra defensively." That doesn't mean bowlers can't still take wickets, which is exactly what happened here.
AndyS
Guest
If that were true, then every single Test would end in a draw as a couple of players on the losing side just do the easy thing and defend out the second innings. Have my questions about Buttler, but thought his ability to grab his luck and do what the situation demanded were a credit to him. If a couple of other batsmen had shown equal spine or ability, they might only be one match down instead of looking at a series defeat already.
Jason Hosken
Roar Guru
Cheers Paul. Hopefully you enjoyed the contest, bring on Melbourne.
Paul
Roar Guru
hi Jason, I'm pretty sure most fair minded watchers of cricket understand just how important the two knocks you mentioned were to the final result. As with any critique of an innings, people will tend to focus on some aspects and in this case, many picked up on some of the antics of Labuschagne in particular. That doesn't diminish from his actual run scoring but does rate a mention as it's something new in his game and for some like me, I'd like to see him take out. I was also underwhelmed with Buttler's innings. He came in with the ball more than 45 overs old, should have been out for another duck, then proceeded to play one dimensionally for another 198 deliveries. It's not hard to play ultra defensively. All that's needed is a bit of patience and an okay technique. For mine, Chris Woakes outplayed him by some distance.