Australia v New Zealand
Second Test
Hobart, Tasmania – December 9 to 13.
The First Test in Brisbane saw Australia register a convincing win over New Zealand. James Pattinson ripped through the Black Caps batting line up in the second innings and it was all over. The Second Test was an entirely different story. James Pattinson did rip through another batting line up, however his friends from across the ditch showed they could bowl too.
The pitch was green, the ball was moving in the air and off the seam. Batsmen on both sides, unaccustomed to playing on wickets offering the bowlers some assistance, were unable to prevent the fall of their wickets. Aside from Dean Brownlie, Ross Taylor and David Warner, who carried his bat in remarkable circumstances.
Australia lost 7 for 40, in a crazy period on the fourth day, from a seemingly dominant position. Experienced batsmen came and went in quick succession, as unheralded Doug Bracewell extracted enough bounce, seam and swing to reduce the Australian batting line up to more embarrassment. In recent times, the Australian Test team has shown an inability to counter the moving ball, which is exposing all kinds of weaknesses. The same could be said for a number of teams in world cricket, however Australia’s problem is deep-seated, and has persisted for a number of year. The most obvious example being in 2005, where they were systematically dismantled by Simon Jones, Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison, who moved the ball in both directions at pace.
Since the dominant Australian teams led by Steve Waugh, Australian batsmen have prided themselves on their aggression, and their capacity to dominate bowling attacks. However, bowling stocks in world cricket have improved. At the same time, Australia’s batsmen have seen their reflexes diminish, while the young colts coming through are not of the same ilk as Langer, Hayden, Martyn, Waugh, Waugh, Lehmann and of course, Ponting.
The New Zealand team will be ecstatic with the victory. The evergreen Chris Martin continues to surprise, while Bracewell and Boult show great signs for such young players. The batting needs improvement. They nearly contrived to lose the match, with a hare-brained collapse in their second innings. Taylor can become a great player, Ryder needs to show more application, McCullum is McCullum, while Williamson shows some promise. Vettori is all class, however he seems to have been playing Test cricket since he was 13, so is perhaps an ‘old’ 32. In truth, he could probably command a spot as a specialist bat who bowls a bit, if his body did start to falter.
The Second Test was a win for Test cricket. Exciting and riveting, with constant swings in fortune throughout the encounter. Fantastic.
Australian Cricket News 