For a couple of days of relentlessly depressing Test cricket, it appeared as though a shadow had been cast over the Australian cricket team far darker than those from the rain soaked clouds that caused the cancellation of play on day 2. A little bit too dramatic? Possibly, but as Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis effortlessly handled our much-feted pace attack, there was that sinking feeling that this was going to be a long few weeks.
And with the Aussies at 3/40, that sinking feeling had transformed into a full on free fall. This was going to be a bloodbath of 1980’s proportions. Our bowling was toothless and our Shane Watson-less batting lineup was due to struggle against the best pace attack in the world. In a era where (thankfully) Aussie Test domination was no longer an inevitability we were looking at two home series defeats in the past four summers. We cricket fans of little faith.
Perhaps it’s been the absence of Test cricket over the winter that has brought on a shortness of memory. Coming into the game Michael Clarke had already posted two double tons and was a shade under 1000 runs for the calender year with another three tests remaining. Maybe it was his re-appearance in the social pages with wife Kyly Boldy and I’m sure the (charity assisting) arrangement with Louis Vuitton sent a few shivers up the spines of the harder edged cricket pundits. But we need not have worried. Pup was still the captain we’d grown to admire and no amount of social page mileage or high end fashion sponsorships looks set to change that. His innings, perhaps even more so than his career defining knocks against India last summer, came at a point when Australia needed it most against the best attack in the world. Respect.
Not to discount Pup’s heroics, the real revelation has been Ed Cowan. Considered the rock of the top order, the tag was not necessarily a compliment. Sure he could hold up an end but someone else was going to have to score runs at the other. But this week we have seen a different Cowan. With three down, we expected Cowan to shut up shop and block out the day but if anything Cowan began playing more shots in the face of an impending collapse. He’d had a little luck along the way but he never looked uncomfortable either. Considering the tragically freakish nature of his fluke run-out, there’s nothing to suggest he wouldn’t have transformed his maiden century into a double along with Clarkie. With David Warner bringing the unpredictable (and far too inconsistent at present) X-factor to the top order, a stable and in-form Cowan will sets up a formidable top order along with a fit Shane Watson.
If anything, Australia’s fightback simply leads to a promise of some extremely competitive cricket over the next two tests. In a kick to the guts for those of us who rain danced our arses off last Friday night, the lost day will, bar further miracle, rob fans of a result this time around. Given the Proteas ineffectiveness with the ball, it’s fair to assume that we were probably too hard on our own attack on the batting friendly wicket with both teams looking pretty evenly matched irrespective of the conditions. It would be bold to predict an Australian domination over next two tests but our stirring comeback and daring play for an unlikely victory at the Gabba point to a spirited attack against the side that ended our home soil golden run four summers ago.
