Thanks to an extremely poor showing from the Indian cricket team last summer, we were again reminded of what it was like to dominate a summer of cricket. I hope we soaked it up because the impending tour of the number one ranked South African team is shaping to be a little lighter on Michael Clarke triple-hundreds and innings-in-hand floggings.
If tackling the worlds top test team wasn’t task enough, legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis has told the Daily Telegraph that they are a team far superior to the side that created history in Australia 4 years ago. Graham Smith’s team was the first to win a Test series series in Australian since the 1992/93 West Indian, sparking a dramatic fall from grace for the Aussie Test team which culminated in the comprehensive series defeat during the home-soil Ashes series two summers later.
Kallis pointed to stability within the reasonably young squad as a major factor behind the Proteas’ continued improvement. “I think the guys are a little more mature. The side hasn’t changed too much in terms of personnel, but I think the guys have grown as cricketers. Hopefully we can carry on playing the cricket we’ve been playing the past three or four years.”
After smashing England in England, pacemen Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander justified their tag as the top pace attack in the world while in-form Hashim Amla and Kallis ensured there were always plenty of runs in the bank.
So our attention turns to our own test squad. After a rocky patch where we lost in India prior to our home soil Ashes capitulation, the Aussies seem to be heading into some form. Here’s how we stack up:
Top Order
Shane Watson (could slide down to middle order) is in career best form with the bat on the back of the T20 World Cup. It may be a shortened version of the game but a cricket ball is still a cricket ball no matter what it’s colour and Watson is seeing them like beach balls.
David Warner looked a little shaky at times last summer but he’s never far away from a quickfire half century and his Test cricket composure is only going to improve with age. If he gets a few confidence boosting scores early in the series than he could be a handful. If Warner and Watson fire in tandem, expect plenty of classic catches… in the stands.
Ed Cowan is a test incumbent but there are plenty question marks and his domestic form this season has been as patchy as Sydney’s weather. Based on his performances last summer, he’s tough enough to hang-around and grind out a few runs but we’ll need someone scoring more freely at the other end.
Philip Hughes is the top order dark horse. His move to South Australia has suited him and he’s scoring plenty of runs but there will always be critics saying he hasn’t got the technical game to fire in Test cricket. Scoring consistent runs in the Test arena is the only way he will ever silence those critics.
Middle Order
Michael Clark (could shift up to the top order) stuck it to his critics last summer with a 329* and a 210. He’s led well since taking the captaincy reigns and goes into the season free of any nagging criticism. Hopefully a free mind will equate to a free-for-all against the revered SA pace attack.
Ricky Ponting is like a much loved family dog. He’s getting a older, slower, and grumpier but he’s as stubborn and competitive as ever and will be keen to dig his heels in at any opportunity. He needs to perform this summer are it’s lights out for Punter.
Mike Hussey is on borrowed time as well. He’s been a little more consistent than Ponting and his style of play has been less affected by his age it will be his last summer if he doesn’t come through when he’s needed.
Mathew Wade and Brad Haddin have a pretty fierce battle ahead. Haddin was been a great servant to Australian cricket and pulled off a the impossible with a near seamless transition out of the Adam Gilchrist era but with Ponting and Hussey in the twilight of their careers, Wade seems to be the most appropriate candidate. Steve Waugh has suggested Haddin warrants selection as a specialist batter. Given how fringe middle order prospects Marcus North and Usman Khawaja fared in recent summers, this could be a legitimate option.
Bowling Attack
Last summer was a knock-out season for our fast bowlers. Coming into the series against India, there was a fear that we didn’t have an attack to consistently take 20 wickets in a match but an injury free Ben Hilfenhaus and a much improved Peter Siddle where backed by the emergence of superstars-in-the-making James Pattinson and Mitchel Starc. With an ace up our sleeve with prodigious teen Pat Cummins, and a list of quality fast bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, Ben Cutting, James Faulkner, and the injured Ryan Harris leading the long list of pacemen waiting in the wings, Australian pace stocks have never looked so promising. Our spinner stocks are not as vast but Nathan Lyon should hold the spot for the summer. He has had his lean trots but has proved to be a very proficient bowler and deserves some job security before he can be expected to truly proper.
Traditionally we’ve faced the South Africans in our blockbuster latter summer tests but this year we are starting off with a bang. South Africa snatched a historical series victory four years ago but in the meantime, the Aussies have won a series and drawn a series on South African soil. As with last Graham Smith’s broken hand heroics 4 years ago, neither team will give an inch. It will be Test cricket at it’s best.
Pictures by Getty Images
