A Tale of Two Eras as Vics Erase Tigers

In a match that was dominated from the outset by a Victorian team in form against a Tasmanian team on the outer, it was the greying and grizzled veterans who shone brightest, with just a lone star from the future generation able to penetrate their leading ways. And with the spotlight being cast upon Shaun Marsh’s efforts in the first week of the JLT Cup and what it might mean for his prospects of a recall to the national set up, can one now continue to ignore the numbers that have piled up in Cameron White’s corner over the past three seasons?

The Victorian top order did a number on the Tasmanians after they won the toss and elected to bat. Marcus Harris, who is looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow former Western Australian Chris Rogers in topscaling a move to the east coast into a possible Australian selection, continued on his merry scoring way. His 75 runs from 66 deliveries was a further reminder of his talent and ability, and he will be looking to push forward on last season’s good numbers into something even better this season. So too Travis Dean, whose 40 from 43 deliveries appeared serene. Both made the bowling look average. Jackson Bird was expensive early but returned in his second spell to put the clamps back on and looked a lot more penetrating. The reverse was opposite of Andrew Fekete whose opening bursts were impressive and ensured the openers were cautious to his spell. His figures suffered in the back end of the innings as the assault rose, but he again showed good use of pace and seam in taking 4/48, by far the best analysis of the innings for the Tigers.

In the end it was the Cameron White show. He played the anchor early as Harris moved along swiftly. His 50 came off 71 deliveries, at which point Harris was dismissed. He and Dean then moved along at a run a ball. When Dean and then Pucovski were dismissed, he was in the nineties, and his century came up in the 40th over of the innings off 120 deliveries. The score was 3/227. What followed was pure brutal power, the kind of thing that he showed on occasions in the Green and Gold. Before he was dismissed off the second last ball of the innings, White scored 65 runs off 33 deliveries. He broke a seat up in the Prindiville Stand such was the ferocity the ball was struck. His innings was paced perfectly for the one day game, conservative at first, run a ball in the middle, and two runs a ball at the end. He hit 16 boundaries and six over the fence for six. His 165 off 154 deliveries was his highest in One Day Domestic matches. All at the age of 34, an age where in this era of cricket some are still being looked at for higher honours. One could rightly question whether Cameron White should be one of those, given the performance of the ODI team in recent months.

Another old timer took the stage at the start of the Tasmanian innings. The “People’s Champ”, Peter Siddle, looking to put his name forward for the Test team again now he has recovered from his injuries, quickly removed Ben Dunk and Alex Doolan and effectively cutting off any real hope the Tigers had of mounting a victory platform. He came back later to dismiss Simon Milenko, and his figures of 3/27 off 10 overs will have certainly caught the eye of the selector on duty. With all of the talk about a ‘pace explosion’ against England this summer, the People’s Champ has firmly put his name up there to be considered. Chris Tremain also did himself plenty of favours with a pacey barrage in his 3/50, and doesn’t look to be a million miles behind the pack either.

Tasmania’s fate rest with the old and the new, and while the wiley George Bailey made 52 out of a partnership of 103 before being dismissed, it was the emerging Ben McDermott that stole the limelight. Last season McDermott starred with a magnificent century in the Big Bash, and he also made his debut first class century in the Sheffield Shield. He built on both of those innings yesterday, combining patience with brute force as he first helped to revive the innings, and then looked to save it on his own. It was an innings that showed the maturity his batting is gaining. He showed he wasn’t just a pure slogger that his Big bash century had proclaimed, or that he was an out and out grafter such that his Sheffield Shield century had shown. He hit eight fours and three sixes as he reached 97, at which point he bunted rather than cracked a pull shot to a short ball, only to find the fielder on the square leg boundary. An innings that deserved a hundred was cut three runs short. Neither had he been able to get his team near the victory target, but he showed that he is not a one-innings-wonder. Keep an eye on this 22 year old in 2017/18.

Victoria’s eventual winning margin of 111 accurately tells the story of the match. And while the Bushrangers will be looking to add the JLT Cup to their collection this season, the Tigers will be looking for a way to bounce out of this funk they are in. And while the bowlers such as Siddle and Fekete will be happy with their output, it is the tale of old and young, of White and McDermott, that made this match what it was.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 7: Victoria vs Tasmania

Five Day Test Delivers Victory for Sri Lanka Where Four Days Would Not

The proponents for changing to a four day Test format may well have to reconsider their course of action, given the excitement and wonderful finish to the 1st Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi. A hard fought, tense and even contest went down to the final day, on which 16 wickets fell to leave Sri Lanka a somewhat surprised winner by 21 runs. Given that a four day Test, even with extended hours, would not necessarily have brought about such a finish is something that must be taken under careful consideration when it comes to making any changes in the future.

The game was a seesawing affair, and so close throughout that it is quite amazing to have the finish that came about. Both teams have had their moments in the past 12 months, though on current form and the fact that they had never lost a Test match at this ground you would have expected that Pakistan would have been favourites. Sri Lanka is going through a rebuilding phase and has yet to find suitable replacements for three legends of the game in Jayawardene, Sangakkara and Dilshan Their captain Angelo Matthews resigned recently after poor results, and their bowling relies massively on Rangana Herath being the strike bowler. Pakistan too has recently lost Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq but appear better set up in the bowling attack.

Sri Lanka lost three of their top four cheaply after winning the toss, but surprised somewhat in compiling 419 in their first innings. Captain Dinesh Chandimal led the way and showed how effective he can be with the bat by scoring 155 not out and anchoring the innings from his entrance at 3/61. Dimuth Karunaratne contributed 93 before his unfortunate run out stalled the innings. Niroshan Dickwella with 83 and Dilruwan Perera with 33 also helped to pull the innings back to a competitive total. Pakistan’s bowlers were deadened by the flat wicket and were not as effective as they have been in recent years on this surface. Their reply was just as formulated, with everyone in the top seven getting start but all of them unable to go on and get a big score that would give them an advantage. Herath’s 5/93 from 40 overs restricted their total to 422 and a lead of just three runs.

After being able to recover from disaster in their first innings, the same couldn’t be said of Sri Lanka’s second innings. At stumps on day four they were 4/69, a lead of just 66, and needing to bat for probably two sessions in order to make the game safe. Mohammed Abbas made the first two incisions early on Day 5 in dismissing both overnight batsmen, and at 6/86 only Dickwella on 4 could save them. The last four wickets managed to add 52 runs, 36 of those from Dickwella who remained not out on 40. He coaxed and cajoled his tail to stretch their efforts, and the ninth wicket partnership of 34 with Sandakan doesn’t look like much, but they were valuable, valuable runs. Yasir Shah’s 5/51 was the contributing factor to the concluding of the Sri Lanka second innings. With Sri Lanka dismissed for just 138, it left Pakistan with only 136 runs to get to win the 1st Test, and surely almost everyone watching believed it was only a matter of how long.

Enter Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera.

Oh yes, Lakmal made the terrific dismissal of Azhar Ali his own, but it was the twin spin attack on the wearing wicket that brought the game into Sri Lanka’s favour. After Lakmal’s initial burst they bowled virtually unchanged, probing and penetrating and attacking, and they kept finding a way to get through. Pakistan found themselves the victim of their own sub-continent tactics, crowded around the bat, stifling their defensive and attacking play. At 5/36 there was real trouble, yet skipper Sarfraz Ahmed and Haris Sohail mounted their own rescue mission. When Sarfraz was stumped off Herath being the aggressor, and Sohail was pinned LBW by Perera in defence, the jig was up. That Perera was denied the final wicket by delivering a no ball, which only allowed Herath to clean up that wicket to reach 400 Test dismissals, perhaps summed it up for everyone. It was Herath’s Test match, finishing here with 6/43 to complete an 11/136 match haul which reinvigorates his appeal as a match finisher.

The summation of the match will be an interesting one. Those who want four day Tests will argue that the cricket for the first three and a half days was stodgy and slow and not in any way the kind of cricket the modern watcher is looking for. Those who argue for the Test to continue to its full distance will argue that had this been shortened it would have been seen as a dull Test match, and that perhaps those arguing for change would then suggest a three day Test is required. As it turns out, Test cricket wins with a great result borne from hard uncompromising cricket early on, and flashy and fascinating cricket in the stretch on a wicket that needed time to reveal its full complexities. In the long run, isn’t that what we want from Test cricket?

Scorecard: 1st Test Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

Blues Back in Business After Towelling Up Tigers

Coming off what must have been a bitterly disappointing loss to Western Australia on Friday, the New South Wales Blues have come back in style in thrashing Tasmania at the W.A.C.A. yesterday, with old and new alike shining in a performance that once again leaves no doubt that they will be contenders this season. The staccato format of the domestic one day series means that if you aren’t performing for the entire four week period that this competition runs then you are going to find yourself in serious trouble. The Blues would have found this realisation after their collapse on Friday, and the Tigers now are fully aware of it also as they found this mixture of constant Blues players and those that are getting their chance because others are on international duty far too good under the circumstances.

What possessed George Bailey to field when he won the toss only he can answer, but his team was almost immediately under the pump as the opening partnership of Hughes and Maddinson carved them up. Dan Hughes looks to be starting this season like he played all of the last, scoring 56 off 63 balls in a partnership of 136 off just 2 overs. His missed chance with Australia A when they did not tour South Africa doesn’t look like being a barrier to him getting another chance very soon. Nic Maddinson was brutal, and he is showing no ill effects of his short and turbulent Test rise and fall last season. His 137 from 119 deliveries will not only be a relief for himself, but also a reminder that he is not going anywhere and will be looking to put himself back in to national calculations as soon as possible. The innings was finished off by the veteran Ed Cowan, batting out of position at number five but striking a clean 51 not out from 32 balls to ensure the Blues passed the 300 run barrier and post a score of 6/316 off their fifty overs. Once again it was the spinner that caused the most concern, with Cam Boyce taking 2/50 from his 10 overs, while Test back up Jackson Bird took some stick early before coming back hard to finish with 2/62

Ben Dunk and Ben McDermott came out firing, reaching 69 in the tenth over before the game changed. It was Nathan Lyon that provided the breakthrough, dismissing Dunk for 38, and the introduction of Mickey Edwards provided the wicket of McDermott to his first ball for 31. It was Edwards’ first wicket for NSW, and the cult hero of the Sydney Test in January this year wasn’t finished there. Both he and Sean Abbott ripped the heart out of the Tasmanian middle order with their excellent pace and bounce, backed up by some terrific catching by their teammates. Abbott dismissed both Bailey and Doolan with great determination. At 5/115 the game was pretty much over, but Jordan Silk produced a reminder of his talent by scoring 55 off 52 balls at number five before being the seventh wicket to fall when the chance appeared over. Tasmania was eventually dismissed for 214 in just the 40th over. Abbott finished with the superb figures of 3/29 off 6.2 overs, while Mickey Edwards was scintillating with 4/31 from 9 overs. Mitchell who? Josh who?

The victory re-affirms the Blues as one of the chances for this tournament, while the Tigers will need to re-group and most of the first-game losers have managed to do and find a way to improve on both sides of the fence before their next match.

Scorecard: JLT Cup Match 6: New South Wales vs Tasmania

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.