One Step Back

Storm of complaint awaiting
the Australians at home?

The one thing which never changes in Australian sport is the demand for victory and the longer the lack of success, the louder and more unreasonable the complaints from the Australian public. Mind you, it's a long time since the Australian sporting public made up its own mind.

Long gone are the memories of the three nil drubbing of Sri Lanka late in our summer, submerged under the crushing defeats in India and the unrealistic expectations of Michael Clarke's team in England. Instead of being able to look at the series loss in England and find a future for the Australian team, almost all want to dwell on the past. That would fine if what was under scrutiny was a balanced view of the performances of individuals and the team as a whole. Instead, the media just can't get past the tally of losses and draws ... the number of Tests since a victory.

The truth of what has actually happened in England goes far deeper than the 3-0 series scoreline, especially in consideration that by any reasonable assessment before the series, Australia were odds-on for a drubbing. Whilst the current series result might indicate those assessments to be accurate, to rate the Australians on the how many and not the how, is not only unfair but rather missing the point.

Of four Tests since the middle of July, England had the best of one (Lords), Australia had the best of one (Old Trafford) and the other two were fairly even. In fact, session by session, Australia have be highly competitive, winning twenty sessions throughout the series to England's nineteen.

Where has this Ashes series been won?

Ian Bell - 500 runs &
three centuries

Apart from England having, by a country mile, the best batsman in the series, Ian Bell, they have also been the more consistent batting six. Australia, by comparison, have had contributions from Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers and the rest have been erratic. There are the signs of quality among them but it rarely comes to the fore two innings in a row.

Amongst the bowlers, things have been more even, with England's Swann, Broad and Anderson matched by Harris and Siddle ... on most days.

The key element has been experience. The key moments in this series have nearly always gone England's way and that's little wonder when you look at the top heavy number of Test matches they have played in comparison to the Australian babes in coat of arms. Having done something more often doesn't make you better at it but in the clutch moments, it removes indecision and allows you to take even the smallest advantage. England have done that repeatedly. On the fourth morning in Durham, even with wickets falling, they knew to attack because 70 or 80 more would be enough. So it proved.

The loss at Chester-le-Street was the more galling for the manner in which Australia dominated for the first two and a half days. Ian Bell again played a crucial innings as the third afternoon battle took place, defying everything Australia could throw at him. It was Tim Bresnan on the fourth morning that finally rested the game from the Australians, setting them a target that was always beyond their reach on a wicket that was seaming viciously at the end. Stuart Broad, so often England's gormless sleeping giant, woke for a spell of 5-13 which ripped the Australians apart like a Great White might do to a pod of dolphins. He cleaned up Clarke with a ball that cared not if class or no class was facing it - the result would have been exactly the same. For Clarke, that theory about lightning has been shot to hell, bowled twice in this series by unplayable deliveries.

The real Davie Warner
stood up

One has to look forward because, let's face it, the present is a tad unpleasant. There are enough positives from Durham for even the average critic to realise its not all gloom and despair. Harris, whilst expensive, put some ginger into his work and on more than one occasion upset the poise of the Englishmen, notably sending Bell onto his backside. He used his bouncer to strong effect and will have made notes which he will flip through on the first morning of the Brisbane Test. Nathan Lyon has looked better with every spell and he quietly went about doing a fine job in the 4th Test, taking seven wickets to Harris' nine, including his tormentor, Kevin Pietersen, twice. His omission from the first two Tests looks to be the worst of John Inverarity's selector blunders. Chris Rogers gave Australia foundations in both innings and will benefit from a change in plans among the selectors that will preserve him rather than exercise the Katich Solution. Dave Warner, a man chased by demons so far in England, allowed the genuine article to surface on the last day.

This side has at least given cricket supporters some hope. Before the series, it had been thumped in India, had their coach sacked and had a leading player suspended and in the preceding months, lost two of its batting stalwarts. At day one in Trent Bridge, they faced a much stronger team with a superior record since they last met, with the knowledge that they would do so for the next ten Tests and understanding that these matches are the litmus test of the game.

Most of us expected them to lose badly.

They haven't.

They have played good, at times great cricket ... they just haven't played it often enough. The batting is inconsistent, a malady which can be remedied by less changes rather than more. A look at last season's Sheffield Shield batting stats will tell you there just isn't many other batsmen worthy of the nod. The bowlers have done well but rarely bowled in partnerships. Harris desperately needed Peter Siddle to fire with him at Chester-le-Street but it didn't happen.

These things can only be fixed with patience and experience. Sacking the lot and starting again is no cure. Its not like the days when Mark Waugh or Darren Lehmann sat in the wings, for years scoring mountains of first class runs, waiting for a Test cap. No doubt Brad Hodge wishes he was born ten years later.

This is already a side good enough to be competitive in Test cricket. They are nowhere near the quality of the sides led by Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor or Steve Waugh but they may have something in common with those led by Allan Border. Perhaps if Australia supporters went back and looked at Test cricket results between 1984 and 1989 they might find some reason to take heart.

Either way, don't read the reports and check the scores when you get dressed for work and think that everything you need to know looks like 3-0. Look a little deeper.

Have some faith.