England were outplayed, out-thought and out-battled, but I'd not go so far down the line as some, in saying that this is a great Australian side.
Sure, they played some very good cricket, but insufficient preparation meant they started against an 'undercooked' England who never recovered. It was an England side that itself is in transition and the tour marked a watershed for a few players. Swann will not return to international cricket, Trott and Prior may not do so, others didn't look up to the requisite standard.
I'm unsure where the Swann replacement will come from, as the county game doesn't appear awash with international quality spinners. Tredwell is a better one-day than four-day bowler, Panesar isn't the bowler he was and Borthwick, while talented, cannot yet be expected to run through international, nor county sides. Expect jostling for places next summer, as it appears an open selection at the moment.
As for wicket-keepers, Bairstow has yet to convince as an international batsman and strikes me as a competent, rather than good wicket-keeper. There are a number of alternatives, but Kieswetter has very bad days with the gloves (remember Taunton last year?) Foster and Read will be deemed too old and there's not too much between the others. There is scope for someone to make a name for themselves with good displays in the early summer in 2014, for sure.
England were stymied by poor selection. Neither Tremlett nor Rankin, for me, are in the same league as Onions, who was omitted from the tour. Carberry is a good county player but doesn't appear to have the game for international cricket; Compton may have been a better choice. A symbol of the disarray the side fell into was the selection of Carberry over Root for the final Test. The latter is a player with a very bright future and exceptional talent and would always be in my side. We need to build the new side around Root, Broad, Anderson and, of course, Cook, with others to justify places on their county form. Few seem to justify a central contract at this stage.
There has been criticism of Cook, but he's not become a bad player overnight. Like many captains before him, he struggled to maintain his own game in a losing side and the pressure became too much for him. In the absence of viable alternatives, he would remain my skipper, at least in the short term. He remains a batsman of high quality and will score many more international runs.
Kevin Pietersen? Without doubt a wonderful player, but more of an 'eye' cricketer and when the eye starts to go, the errors creep in. Aberrations are, of course, more forgivable in a winning side, but while Pietersen may come again, regular injuries and the need for long-term reconstruction may dictate that his remaining international cricket is in the one-day format. Memories of his horrific mow across the line in the fourth Test will live in a few memories, but won't hopefully tarnish better ones of an outstanding batsman.
As for Australia, they did well and full marks to all concerned. A better judge of their talent will be next month's tour to South Africa, when we'll see if the assertion that their pace attack is the best in the world stands up. Personally, I'd take Steyn, Morkel and Philander to trump them. Johnson bowled superbly, but let's not forget that this was a man deemed not good enough to make last summer's tour. He was at the top of his game and bowled very quickly, but at 32 he won't get quicker, while time will tell if his body will now hold up for sustained periods.
That, for me is the issue with this side. When they return to defend the Ashes in 2015, the key men in this side will be at the veteran stage, if selected. Chris Rogers will be 38, as will Brad Haddin, while Ryan Harris will be 36. Johnson will be 34, like Shane Watson, whose body may not stand the constant cricket in between, much the same as skipper Michael Clarke and seamer Peter Siddle. Can they hold back time? I'd be very surprised, as no one has managed to do so before.
I've not seen enough, coming through, in the Big Bash to suggest the next generation will be able to maintain this series' lofty standards and the problem that they will have in England will be that few of their young contingent will have lengthy English experience to draw on. Such experience enabled Rogers to handle England well, but he's the only batsman in the side who has served his time and honed his craft in this country. Having said that, Steve Smith fully justified my assertions over the past couple of years that he is a star in the making and will be the lynchpin of any future Australian elevens. I'd love to see him as our cover for Chanderpaul this summer...
Down but not out...bloodied but unbowed. The task is now on to rebuild the England team, but the Aussies will know full well that they only have eighteen months or so of this current side before they need to do the same.
If that...
It,s been an absolute shambles of a tour in just about every respect. The warning signs were there last summer and I had an uneasy feeling we were going to lose this series,though I did not expect such a hammering.
ReplyDeleteIt,s time now to dismantle the present team and plan for 2015,which is not far away in cricketing terms. I would agree with those you retain,which obviously equates to several places being up for grabs. I think Geoff Miller got out at just the right time. I,m far from convinced Cook is the right man to captain the side. He,s dropped some real clangers in my opinion,though his place as opener is not in any real doubt,at least not yet. I wouldn,t go for Bell as captain either.
I also agree the Aussies are far from being a great team,but in Johnson they have had by far the best bowler in the series. All the stats make horrific reading and some illustrious careers are now at an end. Marc.