Marshalling the Troops, Shaun Bats On

As ordinary as South Australia had been in their opening match against the CAXI, and as solid as Queensland had been in their opening match against the same opposition, I guess it was only fitting that the final match of the three way opening at Allan Border Field should provide the Redbacks with a complete turnaround and defeat the home team, leaving all three teams with a 1-1 opening record.

Queensland strangely decided to field on winning the toss, but this soon appeared to be the correct decision, as once again the South Australian top order was unable to get going. At 5/99 after 25 overs there appeared little prospect of recovery. Step forward Tom Cooper, who once again played the kind of innings that makes selectors stand up and take notice. As he has on previous occasions when his team has been in dire straits, Cooper stood tall, kept out the good balls and fired the bad balls like tracer bullets through the field. With support from the consistent Valente (24) and Mennie (14), Cooper managed to retrieve the situation for the Redbacks, and engineered a way to get to a total of 8/240 off their fifty overs. At the end Cooper was undefeated on 115 off 107 deliveries. It was another fantastic innings from a player who has shown so much potential over the years, and yet mixes in innings lie this with periods of such mediocrity that it is hard to believe it is the same player. Perhaps this is the season he stands tall for South Australia again.

240 didn’t look likely to be enough to stem the Queensland batting, but Dan Worrell and Joe Mennie had other ideas, slicing through the top order to leave the Bulls in a similar predicament to their opponents, finding themselves at 5/87 after 20 overs. Khawaja, Renshaw and Burns were all snapped up by national-keeper-in-waiting Alex Carey going too hard at the ball. I wonder what lessons will be learned by batsmen and other teams bowlers alike from those dismissals. Keeper batsman Jimmy Peirson fought hard, scoring 60 off 69 deliveries in trying to inspire a fightback, but the damage had been done and once he was dismissed, the end came swiftly… just swiftly enough to avoid the rain that arrived a couple of minutes after the final wicket had been taken. Joe Mennie was fabulous, finishing with 5/36 from 9.5 overs that should serve as a reminder that he was shafted well and truly by the national selectors last season, and that he is still around and making an impression. He might look to have a few bowlers in front of him at the moment, but with injuries still taking a piece of many of those bowlers, you never know when your next opportunity might come. He was well supported by Worrell with 2/34 and the other Redbacks bowlers.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 4: Queensland vs South Australia

Does the question have to be asked? Would Shaun Marsh have been the answer for the ODI team in India? Apart from the fact that his record in the IPL and India in general is excellent, his match winning century against NSW and his match-winning-helping 88 here against Victoria once again leaves all cricket watchers wondering how he can be so prolific at the secondary level of cricket without being able to consistently produce that same form at an international level. And once again, just when people have started write off his chances of ever wearing an Australian cap again, Shaun Marsh fires back with a glut of runs.

Western Australia probably have the best home field advantage in Australian cricket, and they exploited it again against an experienced Victorian bowling attack and a young Victorian batting line up. Once again the winner of the toss decided to field, and it backfired spectacularly for Cameron White as the Warriors piled on 4/283 from their fifty overs. Marsh’s 88 from 112 balls anchored the innings, while the supporting cast all got involved with Cam Bancroft (59), Jonathan Wells (34 not out) and skipper Mitch Marsh (47 not out) all contributing. The bowlers from Victoria mostly took a hammering, despite the wealth of experience between them. Scott Boland went for 1/58 from his ten, Fawad Ahmed 0/64 and Dan Christian 0/63. Peter Siddle was solid for 2/48, while Chris Tremain again provided sterling evidence of his credentials for higher honours with his 1/34 from nine overs fast and pacey.

No doubt the target was gettable but it was going to need a solid contribution all the way down, as well as a good start. Cam White being dismissed for 5 didn’t help their chances, and every time it looked as though a partnership was forming a wicket would fall. Marcus Harris with 47 and young Seb Gotch with 61 were Victoria’s best, but the best only got the team to 245 all out with three overs remaining. No doubt the Victorian team will be more comfortable on the slower wickets on the east coast, while the Warriors are the only unbeaten team at this early stage of the competition.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 5: Western Australia vs Victoria

Home Teams Gather the Points In JLT Cup Double Header

Two matches were played yesterday in the newly branded JLT Cup competition on opposite sides of the continent, and the home teams manged to find a way to win both in differing circumstances. While both matches tended to twist and turn much like the opening clash, the endings could not have been less predictable of each other.

At Allan Border Field, the victors from Wednesday, the Cricket Australia XI (CAXI) took on the Queensland Bulls, and must have been full of confidence given their conquest of South Australia. Indeed, although the stars with the bat from that day didn't come off on this occasion, it was pleasant to see others step up in their wake. Opening batsman Max Bryant was a revelation, his 60 runs coming off just 48 deliveries, and coming with 8 boundaries and 2 sixers. It was entertaining stuff and got his team away to a flyer. Everyone made a start which was pleasing as a cricket watcher looking to the future of the game in Australia, and when Ben Pengelley finished off the innings with a quickfire 53 off 36 balls (4 boundaries and 3 sixes) the CAXI had reached a competitive 7/279 off their 50 overs.
While the bowlers had their moments, it was the ten over spell from leg spinning sensation Mitch Swepson that really caught the eye. Coming on in a maelstrom, he bowled his quota straight to finish with 1/31, and none of the batsmen appeared comfortable against him. He appears destined for greater things down the track.
While 279 was a good total, the feeling was that the top three for Queensland of Khawaja, Rensaw and Burns would be more than a match for it. Personally I thought they would get the runs one wicket down with about 12 overs to spare. While this wasn't quite the case, all three looked good against the inexperienced attack. Khawaja was lazy in being caught behind for 27, Burns was lazy in being caught at deep square leg on 49, and Renshaw was careless in being run out on 67. Along with Marnus Labuschagne who scored a run-a-ball 61 and the finishing of long ball slogger Ben Cutting with 39 not out off 25 balls, Queensalnd had their victory by four wickets with nine balls to spare. Jackson Coleman was good again without reward, while Mark Steketee against his team mates also bowled well.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 2: Queensland vs Cricket Australia XI

At the W.A.C.A. the surely-now-dead career of Shaun Marsh was again resurrected by those interested in the west, as he batted through Western Australia's innings to finish on 132 not out in his first innings since the Indian Test tour. There's no doubt he's determined, and you can never completely rule out an international return, but whatever your thoughts he batted well here. The partnership between himself and Jonathan Wells (57) rescued Western Australia, and eventually helped to get them to a respectable 9/269. Gurinder Sandhu took three wickets in four balls in his final (and the innings' 50th) over to finish with 4/57.

The fact that New South Wales lost this game still remains a mystery as to how it could have been achieved. At 3/202 with 13 overs remaining, it should have been a doddle. Instead, the Blues fell over, losing 7/58 - and indeed 6/28 - to lose by nine runs. The Warriors pace attack of Jye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye used the conditions well and all showed why they are under national consideration, but the Blues will see it as a terrible missed opportunity. Moises Henriques top scored with 72 off 70, again raising questions as to why he was discarded from the ODI team so swiftly.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 3: Western Australia vs New South Wales

CAXI Sparkle in Victory Over South Australia

Unless you are from South Australia, the start of this season’s Australian domestic one day competition, the newly branded JLT Cup, could not have gone better. In a match that swayed one way and then the other, it was the kids from the Cricket Australia XI (CAXI) who managed to take the bull by the horns and win just their second match in this format. Of course there is a lot of inexperience in this team, and South Australia is missing up to five players from their best XI due to international duty and injury. The bonus for the CAXI was the availability of Beau Webster, who was overlooked for Tasmania’s squad, and Jackson Coleman, who despite his rising potential was not chosen in Victoria’s squad. Their influence in this match was enormous.

The CAXI won the toss and decided to try and exploit the early morning start, and this they did expertly. Coleman bowled at pace and hooping swing, taking out Weatherald and Ferguson with terrific deliveries. His opening partner was having more trouble trying to keep the ball on the cut surface, but he soon took out Carey. Cooper and Ross staged a recovery, but when Ross played a false shot to Pengelly and Cooper was run out to a wonderful direct hit at the bowlers end, SA was 5/51 and in all sorts of bother.

Enter Son of Boof Jake Lehmann and last year’s surprise packet Cameron Valente. Together they added 94 for the sixth wicket, before Valente and Mennie added another 84 for the seventh wicket. Lehmann’s 37 was serene, Mennie’s 43 his usual style, but it was Valente who made the big score. His 50 came from 105 deliveries, slow but steady in a dangerous position. From here though he exploded, with his second fifty coming off 31 deliveries, including 21 from his final six deliveries to bring up his century. Due to the good work of these three, South Australia reached 9/254 from their fifty overs. Coleman’s three spells gave him the excellent figures of 4/46 from his ten overs, while Beau Webster slowed the run rate in the middle overs, bowling ten overs of off spin for 0/25.

The late acceleration looked to have left the CAXI too much work to do in the chase for victory. Little did I know. The early loss of Bryant was a set back, but the combination of the inexperienced Jake carder and the more experienced Webster took it all in their stride and never looked back. Despite an early chance that was grassed off Carder, these two never looked in trouble. The weakened bowling attack was unable to do any damage on the placid surface. Carder made his first List A century before falling on 102, while Webster was dismissed trying to finish the game with one hit, having also made his first List A century in scoring 121. The CAXI won the match by 7 wickets with 19 balls remaining. It is hard to imagine Webster is still only 23 given he has played 28 first class matches. No doubt this innings will not only be a big statement to Tasmanian cricket but as a kickstart to getting his career back on track.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 1: South Australia vs Cricket Australia XI

AUSTRALIA vs. WEST INDIES 1996 - FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Michael Bevan may have caused a stir this week with his tweet that he was interested in a coaching role with the ODI team - especially in the response from Peter Siddle - but there is little doubt his pedigree is right.

He was the first to be labelled The Finisher, and with good reason. his ability to direct the play at the crease, defending and turning over the strike with singles when the team was in trouble, before accelerating towards the end of the fifty overs, became legendary. Time and again he proved this. he was not a one hit wonder.

His first real impact in this regard was in this match against the West Indies on New Years Day, 1996. I was in the crowd that day, down in front of the old M. A. Noble Stand, and it is still one of the best moments I have experienced in watching cricket. Perhaps it looks and feels a bit ho-hum to today's youth how have the hype and blazing lights and music of the T20 era. But I can guarantee you that everyone who watched this match will never forget the tension of the evening, the claimed caught and bowled of Bevan by Roger Harper early on, or the last ball heroics. Enjoy!

India Humming as Australia's Engine Falters Again

On reflection, everything that Australia wanted to happen leading up to the start of the 3rd ODI in this series went according to plan. Aaron Finch was declared fit to take his place and came in for Hilton Cartwright at the top of the order. Matthew Wade’s horror 2017 was called out again as he made way for part time keeper but more credentialed batsman Peter Handscomb. And for the first time this series, Australia got the chance to bat first and set a target that India would be unable to chase down. And India still won. Comfortably. It says much about the preparation and current status of the two teams.

Steve Smith has spoken often in recent times about the collapse or non-performance of parts of the Australian batting order. He wanted it to stop, or at least be rectified. One guesses that he will be disappointed again in his team’s finishing in this match. Between Dave Warner’s 42 (off 44 balls), his own 63 (71 balls) and Finch’s timely century on return to the team (124 off 125 balls), the top of the order had more or less done its job. Smith’s dismissal in the 42nd over left Australia 3/243 with 8 overs remaining, and the hope that the middle order could accelerate the total beyond 300. But it was not to be. Wickets fell consistently, meaning each new batsman had to try and get moving with no time to play themselves in. Maxwell (5 off 13), Head (4 off 6) and Handscomb (3 off 7) all fell, while Stoinis managed 26 not out from 27 deliveries. Only three boundaries came from the final eleven overs as India tightened the screws. Instead of posting a total around 320-330 which should have been a given with 12 overs to go when the score was 2/224, Australia only managed to add 69 runs in that time. They finished at 6/293, and it never looked enough.

India cruised. They barely got out of second gear. With their bowlers having done all the hard work in the last twenty overs of Australia’s innings, India’s batsmen could play with freedom knowing that the total was within them. The opening partnership of 139 from 21 overs pretty much put the match to bed. Even at 4/206 they were in front given they had 15 overs to score the required 88 runs, a doddle in modern day ODI’s. With Pandya, Pandey and Dhoni all hovering in the middle order for India they just don’t ever seem to be under pressure at the end of an innings, whether setting a target or chasing it down. On hard surfaces with small boundaries it must be difficult to find a way to either dismiss them or to tie them down. Especially here at home, the Indian team has the engine humming. Winning here by five wickets with more than two overs to spare showed up Australia’s deficient score. Had they made the 330 they should have they may still have lost, but it would really have gone down to the wire rather than the plodding victory it was.

India has now won all three matches, the first despite a shortened run chase for Australia due to rain, the second by setting a score and restricting Australia to less, and now by holding Australia to an average total and then chasing it down with ease. They have dominated all three games, and from here it would be a surprise if the selected and available Australian squad can win either of the two remaining matches. Surely both Faulkner and Zampa will get another chance now that the series is decided, and one suspects Wade will be returned the gloves in an effort to boost his confidence heading into the Australian summer. His position for November must seriously be questioned at this point nonetheless.

Australia has been outplayed, though with obvious absences especially in what would be considered a full strength bowling attack. Australia’s batting remains the problem, and should be the main talking point for selectors when they come to look at the ODI’s in Australia in January. At that time the next World Cup will be 18 months away, and they will have to start deciding what the make up of that squad is likely to be, and more problematically what the batting line up will be. If changes need to be made or considered, and the results here suggest they are required, then those changes will have to be made at that time. The next two games could be the most important of some of this teams players careers.

India 2-0 Up as Australian Top Order Crumbles Again

It’s India’s backyard, and they are happy to make sure everyone knows it. There was no long term preparation by the Australians for this ODI series as there was for the Test series six months ago, and the team has come in cold compared to the Indians having been in a constant cricket cycle. So far it has showed, and last night’s loss exacerbated this. There was a massive advantage in batting first in the oppressive heat of the afternoon, with temperatures that rose above 40 degrees. By comparison, the relative cool of the evening gave the Indian bowlers a much better atmosphere in which to do their work. Essentially they again out played Australia and won convincingly against a team that has its firepower missing and its batting line-up in a confusing mess.

In the same series four years ago, both sides scored 300+ with regularity when they went out to bat. Rohit Sharma scored 209 on his own in one match. So far that hasn’t been the case, and Australia’s cobbled-together bowling attack has done the job. Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile have been superb, last night Kane Richardson was good and Marcus Stoinis has done the job of a good all-rounder. The spinners role on good wickets and small grounds has been thankless so far for Australia, though both Zampa and Agar would no doubt like a crack at bowling second on a wearing wicket. Keeping India to 252 when they appeared ready to mount a challenge at 3/186 off 35 overs was a superb effort. One that was unfortunately not matched by the batsmen. Kumar for India was magnificent, 6 overs taking 3/9 and ripping out both Australian openers was exactly what India wanted. Smith, Head and Maxwell tried to rebuild, but the damage was done each time a real partnership threatened. Smith’s dismissal at 5/138 was the end of any real chance, and a hat-trick from Kuldeep involving Wade, Agar and Cummins sealed the deal. Only Stoinis again could hold his head high, his innings of 62 not out off 65 balls holding the tail together being another important moment for him, not only in securing his place as the all-rounder in the ODI team, but in pushing his case for a Test spot at number 6 as the seam bowling all-rounder, possibly as early as in Brisbane in two months’ time. Australia’s demise for 202 was more than they deserved at 8/148.

Hilton Cartwright is being given plenty of international cricket away from the spotlight of the Australian media and public who are more interested in footy finals in September than ODI’s in India, whose only purpose is as a money spinner for Indian cricket. His dual failures at the top of the Australian order in the first two games will more or less go unnoticed by people in Australia, which is pretty much what the selectors want. By pumping game time into him away from home they are hoping that the experience he gains will be of benefit down the track when they bring him into the team for a fulltime shot at an all-rounders position. All of this seems unusual given that neither he nor Glenn Maxwell are being used at the bowling crease, nor indeed is Travis Head.

If these games actually meant anything, then surely as soon as Aaron Finch was injured they would have called for Usman Khawaja to replace him at the top of the order. And what the hell happened to Sam Haezlett who went to New Zealand in February and has disappeared again? Moises Henriques got two bats in the Champions Trophy, looked good until dismissed in both, and is discarded. Peter Handscomb HAS been brought over, and was still on the bench last night. The whole scenario appears a bit farcical. Are we seriously looking at the World Cup in two years’ time? Will a 5-0 drubbing in India be seen as acceptable because we’ll have had a look at our cricketers with a long term view of the future? The captain has only used five main bowlers in the two games so far, for the most part ignoring the bowling ability of Cartwright, Maxwell and Head. If this is the case, are these three mentioned good enough to hold their positions in the top five of Australia’s batting order? In the case of Travis Head, the answer is certainly yes. The other two? Well, would the top six for Australia look better as Warner, Khawaja, Smith, Handscomb, Head and Stoinis? Surely, unequivocally, the answer is yes.

Important or not, lacking meaning or not, coming home with a 5-0 defeat in this ODI series will deal Australia some serious damage coming into the home summer. In 2013 India won the seven match series 3-2 with two games abandoned, but Australia’s fight in that series gave it the confidence and form it needed leading into the Ashes series, which they then won 5-0. Mitchell Johnson and George Bailey forced their way into the Test team through their performances in that series, and we know how important their contributions were. Unless this team can fight back and find a way to win in an uninspiring ODI series, what would that result mean for the fight to regain the one trophy that Australians really care about.

Same Frailties Haunt Australia in Loss to India in 1st ODI

Having the opening ODI between India and Australia reduced to what was essentially a T20 chase for the Australian team after rain had almost washed the game out was never going to be an advantage for the visiting team, but the game had been lost by them long before it arrived after yet another superlative start was taken away from them by yet another middle order recovery. Which once again raises the spectre of what the Australian team has to do to close down these recoveries, and also forge one of their own in similar circumstances.

For Australia, the start couldn’t have been better. A fit-again-for-the-moment return for Nathan Coulter-Nile brought a wonderful burst of three wickets in seven deliveries, taking out Rahane (5), Kohli (0) and Pandey (0) to leave the hosts at 3/11. The mix of pace and swing and the willingness of the Indian batsmen to go hard at wide deliveries brought about their downfall. Even the recovery that followed was held in check, and when Marcus Stoinis underlined his increasing value to the team by snaring both the set batsmen, India was in trouble at 5/87 in the 22nd over, and should have been set up to be dismissed for around 200. Unfortunately, as has been a constant hiccup in Australia’s fortunes during 2017, the bowlers were unable to close out the innings and the middle order managed to firstly stabilise the innings and then tear it apart. Old and new combined in Pandya (83 off 66) smashing previously solid bowling all over the park, while Dhoni (79 from 88) played circumspectly. Finishing off with Kumar (32 not out), India to the delight of their supporters scored 2/194 off the remaining 28 overs and clocked in their fifty overs at 7/281 on a wicket that was skidding and staying low. It was somewhat surprising that only five bowlers were used by Australia, leaving Maxwell, Head and debutant Hilton Cartwright without an over. Perhaps it was a tactic to ensure the five front liners all got over under their belt, but as the final two partnerships developed it seemed a little strange not to try one of them as an option.

The rain came during the break, and by the time the ground staff had ensured the match would continue Australia had been left with a target of 164 off 21 overs, a tough enough ask in a normal T20 match of which Australia is not the best exponent. With the way the wicket was playing 282 would have been tough enough to chase off fifty overs, but the T20 scenario played right in to India’s hands. The mixture of spin and off-speed mediums by the Indians proved far too much for Australians who have been mostly dormant since the IPL. Warner (25), Maxwell (39) and the recalled James Faulkner (32 not out) were the only double figure scores, and they eventually fell to a 26 run D/L Method loss.

It will be interesting to see if Australia uses any other options for the second game. Peter Handscomb has been called into the squad to cover for the injured Aaron Finch, and could surely be brought in for Cartwright, allowing Travis Head to return to the top of the order. This would strengthen the batting, while also offering Ashton Agar a slot in the lower order would also improve the power. If the all-rounders are going to start at number 5 then there is a lot of pressure on that top four to make runs, while the bowlers need to find a way to stop the rot that is allowing opposing middle orders to recover time and time again.

The Last Day

They don't come around too often.

I still remember the day when Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh played their final day of Test cricket against Pakistan at the SCG back in 1984. It was a great day - a sad day. Lillee finished with four wickets for the innings and took the last wicket, and they walked off together. Marsh played in the one day series before finally calling it quits.

AUSTRALIA VS PAKISTAN, 5TH TEST, S.C.G., 1983/84

At the time, we had no way of knowing how these three great players would ever be replaced. The next five years were the hardest years to be a cricket lover in this country. We got creamed by the West Indies. Our captain resigned in tears. A squad of our best and up-and-coming players were banned after partaking in a tour of South Africa, in the days when it was sacrilege to do so, leaving a huge gap in the availability ranks. Our next captain threatened to resign if his players didn't show some heart and guts. All kinds of players were tried in the hope they would be the answer. Some played one game and were discarded. Some were given a dozen opportunities, and were stuck with despite poor initial results. After five dim, dark years, when we *shudder* lost series to New Zealand - TWICE! - we came out the other side, winning the Ashes back in 1989, and have been moving up ever since.

Today will see the end of another era. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer will play their last day of Test cricket. Damien Martyn has already gone. Adam Gilchrist and Matt Hayden may yet join the exodus. It will be a sad day, but a great day, one that you must see all of, to take it all in, so you can tell your kids about it.

But it's a different feeling from that day 23 years ago. Then, you could feel the concern about how we would replace such legends of the game. Today, we don't believe we can replace these legends, but we know that we have the players who can come into this Test team, and do the job to the best of their ability, and that we won't suffer more than a slight hiccup.We might be losing over 1200 Test wickets and over 10000 Test runs - but the lessons learned from 1984 have been learned well, and we now have such a talent base in the Sheffield Shield (as it will always be to me) that we can't help but succeed. Because those who are waiting in line want to get their shot, and make a spot in the Test team their own.

So let's celebrate the great careers of those we may never see again -and let's anticipate the next great champions that will soon replace them.

THE ASHES ARE COMING HOME! THE ASHES ARE COMING HOME!

Australian Test Team November 2007

With so many players moving on from the Australian Test team, it’s time to have a stab at who will front up for the side when they play their next Test, which isn’t until November this year.

1. Matthew Hayden. If he doesn’t pull the plug before then, he is a certainty.

2. Phil Jaques / Chris Rogers. These two are the standout next-in-line for opening the batting. In all reality, Jaques should now be the opener in the One Day team, especially with the others who have been tried now out of the side or injured. Jaques deserves first crack at it.

3. Ricky Ponting ©. Unless he gets hit by a bus.

4. Mike Hussey (vc). See above.

5. Michael Clarke. His century has shored up his position, and he looks a better player after his time out of the team.

6. Andrew Symonds / Shane Watson / Adam Voges / Marcus North. One is the incumbent. The next is the one the selectors have been wetting their pants over for 24 months. The next was (for some reason) in the Test squad for Perth. The last is the in-form middle order batsman in Australia. This will be one of the most interesting positions when November comes around. Symonds, as incumbent, should be expected to hold his spot.

7. Adam Gilchrist / Brad Haddin. I can’t see Gilchrist playing next season. If he does, he’s it. If he doesn’t, we lose nothing with Haddin, who has probably been the better bat of the two (on form) over the past two seasons.

8. Brett Lee. Must finally get the number 8 with Warne retiring. Surely.

9. Stuart Clark. Just imagine, if McGrath hadn’t taken all of 2006 off, Stu may still have yet to play a Test. And he was our best bowler in 2006. What a discovery.

10. Stuart MacGill / Cameron White / Dan Cullen / Beau Casson. MacGill is the obvious replacement for Warne, but he’s 35 and hasn’t been popular with selectors or team mates for years. White averages almost 50 with the bat, but has let his bowling slip since being made captain of Victoria at age 20. Cullen has been identified as the best off spinner in the country. Word around the traps is that Casson is the one who will be chosen in November. I would plump for MacGill initially. In the long term, I think Casson is a big chance, and that White should be our allrounder at 6 – if he gets serious about his bowling again.

11. Shaun Tait / Mitchell Johnson / Ben Hilfenhaus. All these three should have good international careers ahead of them. Tait is swift with good late inswerve. Johnson is swift, and being left arm offers variety. Hilfenhaus hits the deck hard, moves the ball off the seam and in the air. Any will do a job. Hilfenhaus looks like a 200 Test wicket bowler to me.

Through the Crystal Ball

Now that the unpleasantness is over, it is time to look into the crystal ball, and seek out the future of Australian cricket.

Despite losing the Ashes, the comparative closeness of the series in all barring the First Test could theoretically allow the national selectors to continue with the current side during the upcoming domestic summer - especially against the weakening West Indians.

But the Ashes series only proved these things -
a) That without Warne and McGrath, Australia would struggle to bowl out any other international side twice.
b) That Langer and Ponting are the only batsmen assured of long-term national selection.
c) That the majority of next-best options are either under-prepared or aged on the wrong side of 30.

You can be almost assured that the international careers of Gillespie, Kasprowicz and MacGill are effectively over. Gillespie was given enough chances for three men in an attempt to overcome his form slump, and still failed to find any cure for his ineffectiveness. Kasper was given two Tests, albeit at late notice, to do enough to be retained, but was also unable to find his old zip and ball movement. MacGill was a victim of poor programming, which led to a lack of consistent match bowling, which therefore gave him little chance of being injected into the series - this despite the fact that Australia's other leg-spinner took an astounding 40 English wickets in just five Tests!!! Despite his continued credentials, one suspects that, when an opportunity comes along this summer to play two spinners in the same Test eleven, that the selectors will begin blooding a youngster to be the successor to Warne's throne, while the King still reigns to guide him.

Those on notice that the end may be approaching include Hayden, Martyn and Katich. Hayden's epic knock at The Oval was a bonus for him and the team, but doesn't eradicate the twelve months of struggle he has been through. He won't be immediately abandoned, but he will need to rediscover his touch to last the summer. Both Martyn and Katich were victims of some dreadful LBW decisions during the Ashes series, which stymied their progress, but both must still face the reality of the numbers they posted. They were not good enough, in a batting line-up that struggled.

It is not a time to panic. Nor is it a time to stand idle. The selectors must continue to be vigilant in regards to the ageing of its player base, and ensure that there is a smooth and consistent transition within the team.

A glut of runs and wickets over the Australian summer will make careers of those on the fringes. Players such as Phil Jaques, Dan Cullen and Cameron White are the next generation. Their time may soon be upon us. Following the Flintoff phenomenon, players like Shane Watson, Dominic Thornley and even Andy Symonds may find they have a chance to become Test all-rounders.
Any player, with age on their side (sorry Michael Bevan), who comes out this season, and can score 1000+ runs, or take 40+ wickets, may find themselves fast-tracked into this Australian team, such is the need to find some youthfulness.

This now shapes up as the most important 12 months in Australian cricket in two decades. Our champions are heading towards the exit door, and new ones must be found to replace them.