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Rob Houwing
And then there were three! The violent extent of Australia’s decline in the home Ashes series recently means that I have slightly revised my expectation of a quartet of countries ruling the Test cricket roost, within a tight range.
Instead a trio of South Africa, India and England -- perhaps in no special order -- will slug it out over the next three years or thereabouts for supremacy in the five-day fold.
Unlike West Indies, say, where their sad disappearance from the “top table” appears to be a terminal affair – the best of their modest current crop of players will be more easily seduced by various one-day cash attractions, anyway -- Australia will doubtless regroup as a Test force.
They have great cricketing infrastructure and a summer tradition not overly threatened by rival sports.
But the reconstruction will probably take time; maybe a little longer than the period I am examining here.
The really worrying thing for the Aussies, I think, is that three of their few quality leftovers from the all-conquering era – Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson – have suddenly been looking just as fallible as the largely unconvincing newer generation. It means they have tumbled to humdrum mid-table status at a rate of knots.
Oh, and Mike Hussey, one of few Baggy Greens batsmen to live up to his billing in the 3-1 Ashes humbling, is not terribly far off his 36th birthday.
English experts have not been slow to gleefully put the post-Ashes boot in: in a column in the Daily Telegraph, former captain Michael Vaughan even had the temerity to name four Bangladeshis he submitted would crack the Aussie Test side!
What about Sri Lanka, I hear some of you say? They may be fourth on the ICC rankings now, a spot above Australia, and retain some polished individuals, but their southern hemisphere record remains notably poor and no Murali also means much, much greater toil for them now in attempting to bowl strong nations out twice.
So the three countries I’ve mentioned will probably open up a gap on the rest, for the time being.
If you put my head on a block for one to nose ever so slightly in front over the next few months, I would be inclined to venture England.
Cock-a-hoop from the surprisingly clear-cut Ashes retention Down Under, they have a particularly attractive home series against still top-ranked India in mid-year; it will be their chance to exact revenge for a 1-0 loss to these foes the last time they met in England, over the course of three Tests in 2007.
As South Africans, it is a tonic to keep in mind that the Proteas can claim a compelling degree of modern supremacy over England: they prevailed 2-1 in England in 2008 and really should have won, rather than shared, the home series last season.
That said, I believe the “Poms” have subsequently gone up a significant notch in both hunger and ability – not to mention conditioning, where they frankly look pick of the international pile these days --whereas Graeme Smith’s team are on a bit of a plateau and seemingly unable to scale fresh heights right now. The India series demonstrated that.
Certainly England boasted some impressive numbers in Australia, where opening batsman Alastair Cook put his puzzling, long-time inconsistencies spectacularly behind him to post 766 series runs at 127.66, and SA-born Jonathan Trott earned at least one critic’s laurel as “most solid England batsman since Boycott”.
It is as a bowling unit, however, that I believe England will boast better depth than most in the period immediately ahead: their wickets in Australia were commendably distributed among their attack, even if James Anderson earned best haul of 24 to banish his own nightmares the last time England visited Oz and were routed 5-0.
Not only do they have a very good, self-confident off-spinner in Graeme Swann, but will soon be able – in a climate where wear-and-tear on fast-medium individuals is an increasing reality – to pick their pace arsenal from all of Messrs Anderson, Tremlett, Finn, Bresnan, Shahzad and a presumably fit-again Broad and Onions. It is a fairly enviable battery.
India? Especially if they deftly pick their coaching replacement for the popular but probably departing Gary Kirsten, their Test side will remain a force as long as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman remain the middle-order backbone of their batting.
When these veterans do retire, of course, it may all be together, which could present the Indians with a few of the “remodel” problems Australia had when their Langers, Haydens, Martyns, Gilchrists and company stepped down in reasonably rapid succession.
The Proteas will stay thereabouts, I’m sure: you would expect that while the backbone of their batting comfortingly remains Smith, Amla, Kallis and De Villiers and one Dale Steyn is fit and firing as a strike factor of arguably unrivalled calibre.
It is assembling the right players around such must-pick, blue-chip ones, to stave off their potential for mental or physical burnout, that stays a wee bit of a challenge and maybe even stumbling block to South Africa shooting clear at the top ...
Rob is Sport24's chief writer
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
And then there were three! The violent extent of Australia’s decline in the home Ashes series recently means that I have slightly revised my expectation of a quartet of countries ruling the Test cricket roost, within a tight range.
Instead a trio of South Africa, India and England -- perhaps in no special order -- will slug it out over the next three years or thereabouts for supremacy in the five-day fold.
Unlike West Indies, say, where their sad disappearance from the “top table” appears to be a terminal affair – the best of their modest current crop of players will be more easily seduced by various one-day cash attractions, anyway -- Australia will doubtless regroup as a Test force.
They have great cricketing infrastructure and a summer tradition not overly threatened by rival sports.
But the reconstruction will probably take time; maybe a little longer than the period I am examining here.
The really worrying thing for the Aussies, I think, is that three of their few quality leftovers from the all-conquering era – Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson – have suddenly been looking just as fallible as the largely unconvincing newer generation. It means they have tumbled to humdrum mid-table status at a rate of knots.
Oh, and Mike Hussey, one of few Baggy Greens batsmen to live up to his billing in the 3-1 Ashes humbling, is not terribly far off his 36th birthday.
English experts have not been slow to gleefully put the post-Ashes boot in: in a column in the Daily Telegraph, former captain Michael Vaughan even had the temerity to name four Bangladeshis he submitted would crack the Aussie Test side!
What about Sri Lanka, I hear some of you say? They may be fourth on the ICC rankings now, a spot above Australia, and retain some polished individuals, but their southern hemisphere record remains notably poor and no Murali also means much, much greater toil for them now in attempting to bowl strong nations out twice.
So the three countries I’ve mentioned will probably open up a gap on the rest, for the time being.
If you put my head on a block for one to nose ever so slightly in front over the next few months, I would be inclined to venture England.
Cock-a-hoop from the surprisingly clear-cut Ashes retention Down Under, they have a particularly attractive home series against still top-ranked India in mid-year; it will be their chance to exact revenge for a 1-0 loss to these foes the last time they met in England, over the course of three Tests in 2007.
As South Africans, it is a tonic to keep in mind that the Proteas can claim a compelling degree of modern supremacy over England: they prevailed 2-1 in England in 2008 and really should have won, rather than shared, the home series last season.
That said, I believe the “Poms” have subsequently gone up a significant notch in both hunger and ability – not to mention conditioning, where they frankly look pick of the international pile these days --whereas Graeme Smith’s team are on a bit of a plateau and seemingly unable to scale fresh heights right now. The India series demonstrated that.
Certainly England boasted some impressive numbers in Australia, where opening batsman Alastair Cook put his puzzling, long-time inconsistencies spectacularly behind him to post 766 series runs at 127.66, and SA-born Jonathan Trott earned at least one critic’s laurel as “most solid England batsman since Boycott”.
It is as a bowling unit, however, that I believe England will boast better depth than most in the period immediately ahead: their wickets in Australia were commendably distributed among their attack, even if James Anderson earned best haul of 24 to banish his own nightmares the last time England visited Oz and were routed 5-0.
Not only do they have a very good, self-confident off-spinner in Graeme Swann, but will soon be able – in a climate where wear-and-tear on fast-medium individuals is an increasing reality – to pick their pace arsenal from all of Messrs Anderson, Tremlett, Finn, Bresnan, Shahzad and a presumably fit-again Broad and Onions. It is a fairly enviable battery.
India? Especially if they deftly pick their coaching replacement for the popular but probably departing Gary Kirsten, their Test side will remain a force as long as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman remain the middle-order backbone of their batting.
When these veterans do retire, of course, it may all be together, which could present the Indians with a few of the “remodel” problems Australia had when their Langers, Haydens, Martyns, Gilchrists and company stepped down in reasonably rapid succession.
The Proteas will stay thereabouts, I’m sure: you would expect that while the backbone of their batting comfortingly remains Smith, Amla, Kallis and De Villiers and one Dale Steyn is fit and firing as a strike factor of arguably unrivalled calibre.
It is assembling the right players around such must-pick, blue-chip ones, to stave off their potential for mental or physical burnout, that stays a wee bit of a challenge and maybe even stumbling block to South Africa shooting clear at the top ...
Rob is Sport24's chief writer
Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
