The Second Test: Australia v India

 

Australia v India

SCG

January 3 – 7

 

Australia4 for 659 defeatedIndia191 and 400

 

This match was decided on the first day, with the Australian fast bowlers ending the contest in the first two sessions. India’s batting was not as disciplined as it could have been. Too few balls were left outside off stump, as the Indian batsmen provided catching practice for the Australian slips courdon. However,Australia’s first innings started with a considerable splutter, and it appeared as though India may be able to come close to defending their meager total. Enter Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting.

 

The stories surrounding these men have been told on numerous occasions in the past year. Ponting has not made a century for two years, andAustralia’s best since Bradman appeared to have become a shadow of his former self. Clarke was unloved by the Australian public, who saw his belached hair, tattoos and earing and made the assessment of Clarke as a pretty boy who had manouvred himself into the captaincy. They felt that he had been the anointed one for too long, and hadn’t quite earned his stripes.

 

The captain and the former captain commenced their partnership at 3 for 37, with Australia in trouble of experiencing yet another diabolical collapse, which had become all to common in the past 12 months. Clarke assumed the role of the aggressor, while Ponting became the accumulator. The went to stumps on the first day, having rescued the innings, with both batsmen just shy of their half centuries. On the second morning, expectation was high. Ponting, having made 4 half centuries in his past 6 Test innings, was yet again within sight of a Test hundred. Clarke was in sight of his first hundred as Test captain on his home ground. The two batted together with great skill and tenacity, gradually wearing down the Indian attack, which, it should be said, wilted all too easily.

 

Clarke brought up his hundred just before lunch, and Ponting just after lunch, courtesy of a dramatic single with a push to Zaheer Khan at mid on, who would have run out Ponting if he had hit the stumps. Ponting picked himself up off the turf, looking slightly bedraggled with helmet askew, dirt down the front of his shirt and a cheeky grin from ear to ear. It had been some time since Ponting smiled in such a way. The monkey was finally off his back. He had returned from what had appeared to be a terminal decline. He continued to knock the ball around, though eventually fell for 134.

 

Hussey joined Clarke, and from thereon the match was a procession. Clarke wheeled past 150, 200, 250 and then inevitably past 300, with an exquisite clip off his legs. This was Clarke’s moment of triumph and acceptance. He was cheered by all at the ground where he has been booed the previous year. He wasAustralia’s captain andAustraliarose as one for him. Selflessly, Clarke declared on 329, with Australia leading by 468.

 

India showed glimpses resistance with the bat, however when Tendulkar fell for 80, after appearing to be set for his 100^th international 100, the innings collapsed. Fittingly, it was Clarke who took the wicket of Tendulkar, with his underrated finger spin. Catching the edge of Tendulkar’s wide bat, the ball clipped Haddin’s gloves and lobbed to Hussey at slip. Hilfenhaus claimed his second 5 wicket haul in successive Tests, confirming a highly successful return to Test cricket.

 

An innings defeat for India signaled their 6^th successive loss in Test matches away from home, causing alarm bells to ring for Indian cricket. Perhaps the most disarming aspect of this loss, was the capitulation in the field. For significant periods of the Australian innings, India did not even appear intent on taking a wicket. The bowlers were poor; Ishant Sharma aside. Ashwin, who has taken plenty of wickets at home, looked unlikely to trouble the batsmen and Zaheer Khan looked disinterested, after taking the first three wickets of the innings. Tendulkar will have to wait, yet again, and it is hard not to think that his burden has become the burden of the team.

 

The series rolls on to Perth, starting January 13^th, on a pitch which is expected to favour the fast men.

Australia v New Zealand: Day 4

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.