WAY back around the time I still believed in Santa Claus - or at least told younger brothers I did - Australia vs the West Indies was something you looked forward to. I can still remember becoming vaguely aware of this continual presence on the idiot box every summer around the 1988-89 Australia/West Indies series, made famous in part due to a Merv Hughes hat-trick in the same match that Geoff Lawson stopped eating corn-on-the-cob and started acquainting himself with the wonders of soup after copping a fast one to the jaw.
By 1992-93 I was well and truly hooked: watching, hoping, praying as Tim May and Craig McDermott put together 40 runs to bring Australia within just 1 run - 1 run! - of besting the West Indies in a series for the first time since 1974-75. Four years later and every Queenslander breathed a sigh of relief as Matthew Hayden looked like he'd finally cracked it with a ton as Australia defended the Frank Worrell Trophy they'd won in the Caribbean in 1995.
Alas, those days are long gone. As Australia's curve went further and further upwards, the West Indies kept dropping quicker than Tiger Woods' reputation post-prang. Sure, there have been signs of recovery for this once-proud team: a world-record run-chase against Australia in 2003; a Champions Trophy win in the dark against England in 2004; and besting South Africa in the First Test as recently as Boxing Day 2007. All positive, but when you manage to put out a third-rate team and get done 2-0 by the might (ahem) of Bangladesh (with a total of, oh, 1 Test win to their name previously) earlier this year, most people didn't hold out much hope for the current series to be all that competitive.
So it's somewhat of a surprise that Australia and the West Indies head to Perth for the Third Test, with the West Indies only trailing 1-0. After a poor performance in the First Test at the Gabba, the Windies came back to arguably have the better of the drawn Second Test at the Adelaide Oval.
So what happens for Perth? Both teams have injury concerns: Australia is definitely without Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus (man of the match in Brisbane); while the West Indies could well be without Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Adrian Barath, whose debut century in Brisbane was one of the highlights of the tour.
So what do both teams need? For starters, Australia's batsmen need to realise they're well and truly off their learner plates and can actually exceed 100 without having their licence revoked. Australia have scored 10 fifties in two Tests; surely one of them will realise they're out of the city and on one of those German autobahns where raising a ton is merely an opening bid? You know you can reach 200 or so quite legally over there...
The bowling attack is also a cause for concern. Mitchell Johnson continues to mix brilliance with dross in a way that brings to mind Townsville's other great export, the North Queensland Cowboys; Doug Bollinger bowls ok without ever suggesting a long Test career is coming; while Clint McKay will make his debut after impressing in the One-Day series in India. Mind you, translating One-Day bowling form to the Test arena can be hard - just ask Brad Hogg.
Which brings us to the spinner.
At the time of writing Nathan Hauritz is in some doubt, although he still managed to bowl after copping a blow to his spinning finger during a fielding drill. One hopes he recovers in time, because the alternatives are too depressing to think about. On one hand, Australia could do what they did against India two years ago and play four pace men with Brett Geeves also making his debut, although one hopes the selectors follow the advice of anti-drugs campaigners and just say no there.
The other alternative is a young New South Wales all-rounder by the name of Steven Smith. He's just come off a successful match against Queensland, where he scored 102* in the first innings - and took 0/156 off 25 overs. A quick check of this season's statistics shows only three spinners have taken more than 10 wickets this season: Bryce McGain (13 at 34.46); Aaron O'Brien (12 at 42.21); and Jason Krejza (13 at 47.23). Smith has 6 wickets at an average of 81.50 this season - so far short of Earth-shattering they'd struggle to smash sand structures.
For the West Indies, it's basically a matter of continuing what they started in Adelaide. Chris Gayle needs to show his 165* was no fluke, while the other top order batsmen also need to show further grit. In this respect Brendan Nash seems to be an excellent addition to the batting order: while his strike-rate is a throwback to days gone by, he hangs around for over 90 balls an innings on average, allowing stroke-makers like Ramnaresh Sarwan and Gayle to do their thing.
The bowlers seem to have their own little pack emerging. Kemar Roach is very handy and will only get better; Sulieman Benn has amazing control to go with that 6'7" frame; and Dwayne Bravo chips in often enough with ball - and bat - to be decidely useful. If they still had Jerome Taylor, they may even have started this match slight favourites...
All in all though, this could well be another Test to match those that got me hooked in cricket in the first place. But where back then another West Indies win was considered the status quo; a Windies' win here could be the start of something interesting.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Wednesday 7 January 2009
Back In Town...
SUMMER in Australia means a number of things: cricket seemingly always on the telly; the Boxing Day beginning of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race; the major golf tournaments and, in January, Australia’s international tennis for the year.
This summer is a little different so far as the lead-up tournaments go, with Brisbane hosting an international tournament for the first time in over a decade with the Brisbane International at the shiny new tennis centre out at Tennyson.
It’s shaping to be a nice little tournament as well, with Ana Ivanovic and Amelie Mauresmo in the women’s competition and defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic
(outed in the first round would you believe?) competing with beaten finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the men’s section.
It was interesting to catch a bit of the Jelena Dokic vs Mauresmo first round match. Mauresmo ended up winning 7-6 7-6, but towards the end of the second set (the one I caught sight of) it seemed to be a case of who was worst at losing the match. Both Dokic and Mauresmo seemed to tighten up when they had chances to win (or level the match in Dokic’s case). Dokic had AUS next to her name, which has to be a good thing for Australian tennis should she rediscover the form that made her a Wimbledon semi-finalist around ten years ago.
The one thing that struck me about the match though wasn’t both players lack of killer instinct, nor the fact that Dokic still looks remarkably young despite all she’s gone through, but the fact that neither player would go anywhere near the net.
This got me wondering whether the serve-volleyer has gone the way of dodos, dinosaurs, and Diana conspiracy theories. We saw an excellent example of two serve-volleyers in the Rafter-Ivanisevic Wimbledon final back in 2001, back since then? Insert crickets chirping here.
In the latter part of the more recent match, Dokic had many chances to head towards the net and really put Mauresmo away. Instead, she preferred to backpedal so that she returned one lob from miles behind the baseline instead of halfway to the net if she’d had the courage to come forward. Dokic eventually came tentatively forward, only to see Mauresmo rocket one past her.
Strictly speaking, this shouldn’t be a problem if you come up to the net properly. Like any gambler, the serve-volleyer should be prepared to have the baseliner hit a few past them for the reward of winning points they otherwise may not have.
Of the current players Roger Federer seems to be the only one capable of coming up to the net, although he does that infrequently. Other than that, maybe Max Mirnyi?
A few more serve-volleyers would liven tennis up – and make watching the sport a little more tolerable.
This summer is a little different so far as the lead-up tournaments go, with Brisbane hosting an international tournament for the first time in over a decade with the Brisbane International at the shiny new tennis centre out at Tennyson.
It’s shaping to be a nice little tournament as well, with Ana Ivanovic and Amelie Mauresmo in the women’s competition and defending Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic
(outed in the first round would you believe?) competing with beaten finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the men’s section.
It was interesting to catch a bit of the Jelena Dokic vs Mauresmo first round match. Mauresmo ended up winning 7-6 7-6, but towards the end of the second set (the one I caught sight of) it seemed to be a case of who was worst at losing the match. Both Dokic and Mauresmo seemed to tighten up when they had chances to win (or level the match in Dokic’s case). Dokic had AUS next to her name, which has to be a good thing for Australian tennis should she rediscover the form that made her a Wimbledon semi-finalist around ten years ago.
The one thing that struck me about the match though wasn’t both players lack of killer instinct, nor the fact that Dokic still looks remarkably young despite all she’s gone through, but the fact that neither player would go anywhere near the net.
This got me wondering whether the serve-volleyer has gone the way of dodos, dinosaurs, and Diana conspiracy theories. We saw an excellent example of two serve-volleyers in the Rafter-Ivanisevic Wimbledon final back in 2001, back since then? Insert crickets chirping here.
In the latter part of the more recent match, Dokic had many chances to head towards the net and really put Mauresmo away. Instead, she preferred to backpedal so that she returned one lob from miles behind the baseline instead of halfway to the net if she’d had the courage to come forward. Dokic eventually came tentatively forward, only to see Mauresmo rocket one past her.
Strictly speaking, this shouldn’t be a problem if you come up to the net properly. Like any gambler, the serve-volleyer should be prepared to have the baseliner hit a few past them for the reward of winning points they otherwise may not have.
Of the current players Roger Federer seems to be the only one capable of coming up to the net, although he does that infrequently. Other than that, maybe Max Mirnyi?
A few more serve-volleyers would liven tennis up – and make watching the sport a little more tolerable.
Thursday 1 January 2009
So What Next?!?
CONGRATULATIONS South Africa - the way they came back in the first two Tests against Australia showed the mark of a true champion team. Indeed, JP Duminy's batting was so sublime that it's not hard to see him as being a champion for many years to come.
They could well dominate the Test scene for the next few years as well. Most of the South African players are in their 20's and with talent like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and AB de Villiers there's no reason they can't stay ahead of the Australians, Indians, Sri Lankans and the English.
But where to next for Australia? Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds could well have played their last Tests, Matthew Hayden surely can't be in for too much longer, while it's easy to imagine the spin situation as an amusement park ride. Ride the Australian Spinner! Get thrown in, smacked around and then spat out by impatient selectors! Nathan Hauritz is the latest to jump on the ride; don't be surprised if he's not picked for the South African tour. I daresay he wouldn't be surprised though - he comes across as someone who trying his heart out but still isn't quite sure why he's there.
The selectors have partially shown their hand with their picks for the Sydney Test. Victorian all-rounder Andrew McDonald will make his Test debut on January 3; one of Doug Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus will also collect their baggy green cap. Expect Bollinger to get the nod though - the Test is at his home ground in Sydney, while he was supposed to be close to selection had Mitchell Johnson not blossomed so well since the tour of India.
Johnson, Bollinger, Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle could well mature into a nice pace-bowling quartet. Clearly Hilfenhaus is going to need to be blooded at some point, while Stuart Clark looked in good enough form against New Zealand to have him back acting as a mentor to this inexperienced group.
Many feel that selectors missed the boat by not picking New South Wales opener Phil Hughes in place of the struggling - nay, drowning - Matthew Hayden. While it's admirable that selectors want Hayden's experience for the South African and English tours, surely Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting have enough between them to help a young opener through? Even if they don't blood Hughes for a few more years, there's always Chris Rogers and the soon-back-from-injury Phil Jaques who can step in for a few years.
McDonald's injury is an interesting one. Were he picked for England during an Ashes series he'd be labelled as a classic bits-'n-pieces player - handy, but not going to win you matches with bat or ball. Problem for Australia is that with Watson out for up to six months, there's not really much left in the all-rounder drawer. Queensland's Ashley Noffke would surely have been a chance had he not been injured. Keep an eye out for Madeira-born Moises Henriques though - this young all-rounder already has two first-class five-wicket hauls to his name, and may only be another Shane Watson injury away from a one-day debut sometime in 2009.
Spinners... right. Beau Casson, Cameron White, Jason Krezja and Nathan Hauritz all played Tests for Australia in 2008; none can be sure who'll go to South Africa, if any of them. Casson played well enough in his Test against the West Indies but was then left out of the India tour behind Bryce McGain, Krezja and White after McGain went home injured. This season he's bowling poorly, no doubt affected by his poor treatment by the selectors.
White played all four Tests against India and did as well as a six-wicket season man could have been expected to. Krezja took 12 - albeit expensive - wickets on debut, was dropped for the next Test, rolled his ankle the following Test to give Hauritz a most unexpected call-up, bowled a beautiful mix of unplayable deliveries with complete tripe in Perth before being dropped for Melbourne and Sydney. Seriously, Robert G. Barrett would struggle to come up with Krejza's story.
Hauritz is the latest, but definitely not the greatest. He can tie down an end and occasionally take wickets - indeed, he still averages under 30 with the ball in three Tests - but still doesn't look Test-class. McGain would have played in India had he not been injured, but at nearly 37 he can't be expected to have a long Test career.
So what will Australia's Test team look like at the end of 2009? How's this for starters: Simon Katich, Phil Hughes, Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krezja, Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus, with Chris Rogers, Phil Jaques, Moises Henriques and Peter Siddle in reserve.
Don't be surprised if it's completely different though.
They could well dominate the Test scene for the next few years as well. Most of the South African players are in their 20's and with talent like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and AB de Villiers there's no reason they can't stay ahead of the Australians, Indians, Sri Lankans and the English.
But where to next for Australia? Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds could well have played their last Tests, Matthew Hayden surely can't be in for too much longer, while it's easy to imagine the spin situation as an amusement park ride. Ride the Australian Spinner! Get thrown in, smacked around and then spat out by impatient selectors! Nathan Hauritz is the latest to jump on the ride; don't be surprised if he's not picked for the South African tour. I daresay he wouldn't be surprised though - he comes across as someone who trying his heart out but still isn't quite sure why he's there.
The selectors have partially shown their hand with their picks for the Sydney Test. Victorian all-rounder Andrew McDonald will make his Test debut on January 3; one of Doug Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus will also collect their baggy green cap. Expect Bollinger to get the nod though - the Test is at his home ground in Sydney, while he was supposed to be close to selection had Mitchell Johnson not blossomed so well since the tour of India.
Johnson, Bollinger, Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle could well mature into a nice pace-bowling quartet. Clearly Hilfenhaus is going to need to be blooded at some point, while Stuart Clark looked in good enough form against New Zealand to have him back acting as a mentor to this inexperienced group.
Many feel that selectors missed the boat by not picking New South Wales opener Phil Hughes in place of the struggling - nay, drowning - Matthew Hayden. While it's admirable that selectors want Hayden's experience for the South African and English tours, surely Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting have enough between them to help a young opener through? Even if they don't blood Hughes for a few more years, there's always Chris Rogers and the soon-back-from-injury Phil Jaques who can step in for a few years.
McDonald's injury is an interesting one. Were he picked for England during an Ashes series he'd be labelled as a classic bits-'n-pieces player - handy, but not going to win you matches with bat or ball. Problem for Australia is that with Watson out for up to six months, there's not really much left in the all-rounder drawer. Queensland's Ashley Noffke would surely have been a chance had he not been injured. Keep an eye out for Madeira-born Moises Henriques though - this young all-rounder already has two first-class five-wicket hauls to his name, and may only be another Shane Watson injury away from a one-day debut sometime in 2009.
Spinners... right. Beau Casson, Cameron White, Jason Krezja and Nathan Hauritz all played Tests for Australia in 2008; none can be sure who'll go to South Africa, if any of them. Casson played well enough in his Test against the West Indies but was then left out of the India tour behind Bryce McGain, Krezja and White after McGain went home injured. This season he's bowling poorly, no doubt affected by his poor treatment by the selectors.
White played all four Tests against India and did as well as a six-wicket season man could have been expected to. Krezja took 12 - albeit expensive - wickets on debut, was dropped for the next Test, rolled his ankle the following Test to give Hauritz a most unexpected call-up, bowled a beautiful mix of unplayable deliveries with complete tripe in Perth before being dropped for Melbourne and Sydney. Seriously, Robert G. Barrett would struggle to come up with Krejza's story.
Hauritz is the latest, but definitely not the greatest. He can tie down an end and occasionally take wickets - indeed, he still averages under 30 with the ball in three Tests - but still doesn't look Test-class. McGain would have played in India had he not been injured, but at nearly 37 he can't be expected to have a long Test career.
So what will Australia's Test team look like at the end of 2009? How's this for starters: Simon Katich, Phil Hughes, Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krezja, Doug Bollinger and Ben Hilfenhaus, with Chris Rogers, Phil Jaques, Moises Henriques and Peter Siddle in reserve.
Don't be surprised if it's completely different though.
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