They were stuck in a rut for several summers before the last one, but it is impossible to comprehend how much Australian cricket has been transformed in the past year
Brydon Coverdale25-Dec-2011Each year, Christmas Day brings with it a feeling of reflection, a contemplation of the 12 months just gone. Too often, the time has flown by, one December barely distinguishable from the last. Was it a year ago that we sat around this table over Christmas dinner? Where did the year go? What did we actually with our time? Has anything changed?That’s not how the Australian cricket team will view this festive season. They were stuck in a rut for several summers before the last one, but it is impossible to comprehend how much Australian cricket has been transformed in the past year. Last Christmas, the Argus review was not yet a twinkle in Jack Clarke’s eye.Now, there is a new captain, Michael Clarke, and a new coach, the South African Mickey Arthur, who plotted against this side for years. There is a new bowling mentor and fielding coach, and philosophies have changed accordingly. The selection panel has been axed and rebuilt from scratch, and the initial signs from John Inverarity’s group have been encouraging. A performance manager, poached from rugby, has been installed.And yet, for all the changes, one thing remains the same: the Test team is vulnerable and a strong opponent waits, starved of success in this country. India have never won a Test series in Australia. It’s 25 years since Australia have lost at home two summers in a row. Last season’s Ashes debacle, including as it did three innings defeats, was humiliating. Losing a Test to New Zealand last month was embarrassing.It is difficult to avoid the thought that another failure at home could be around the corner, given that MS Dhoni’s squad is full of formidable batsmen. Between them, India’s top six have the experience of 614 Tests, more than double the amount played by Australia’s top six (305 Tests). It’s hard to find a member of India’s top order who is truly out of form.It’s not difficult in Australia’s line-up. David Warner and Shaun Marsh have started their Test careers well, but nobody else in this side has averaged over 40 during the past year. It is not the new men – and Australia have used 10 debutants this year – who are the worry.The form of Ricky Ponting, third behind Tendulkar and Dravid on the all-time Test run tally, is the major concern. Since he last scored a Test hundred nearly two years ago he has played 16 Tests and averaged 27.48. By picking Ed Cowan, the selectors have shown they are willing to try new players banging down the door. Should Ponting keep failing in this series, and he will be challenged by Ishant Sharma’s angle in, his future will rest on whether another middle-order man is doing the same.Nathan Lyon is about to be tested on a scale he cannot imagine•AFPMichael Hussey, the most reliable batsman in the side during the Ashes last summer, has two terrible series. He is not in danger of losing his place – yet. He needs runs against India or the pressure will mount on him as it has on Ponting. Brad Haddin, the other in-form batsman during the Ashes, is so cavalier with his batting, even when patience is demanded, that it is hard to accept him as the vice-captain.Over the past three series the younger players – Warner, Marsh, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon – have shown that sometimes all a man needs is an opportunity. This series against India is another big chance for four of those players, the injured Cummins excluded, to enhance their reputations even further.Australia have the makings of a promising attack. Pattinson’s fast outswing demolished New Zealand on helpful pitches, and while India’s batting group on flatter surfaces will be a different challenge, he does not come across as a man who will back down from a contest. Under the guidance of Craig McDermott, Peter Siddle has found extra pace and rediscovered his ability to swing the ball.The offspinner, Lyon, is about to be tested on a scale he cannot imagine. In a year of changes in Australian cricket, the transformation of his lifestyle is hard to top. Last Christmas, he had not played for his state. Not in any format. He was on the Adelaide Oval groundstaff. Now he is a veteran of seven Tests and is about to bowl to the world’s finest players of spin.How Lyon handles the pressure of working against Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid et al will be crucial to Australia’s chances in the series. Without an allrounder, which could well be the case for more than just the first Test, Australia will rely on Lyon for long spells. He is a laid-back character who just does his thing. If he is attacked by the Indian batsmen, it will be interesting to see if Lyon thinks quickly enough on his feet to implement a plan B.At least he has a captain who knows how to use him properly. As leader this year, Clarke has been proactive, experimental and at times visionary. His use of Lyon early, when the seamers appear to have the best of the conditions, has been exciting and usually successful. Rarely does he let a situation stagnate, as Ponting was sometimes guilty of, including against the Indians.The last series between the sides in Australia featured two tough old captains, Ponting and Anil Kumble, who were unable to prevent tensions from boiling over. Clarke and MS Dhoni, though both tough characters in their own ways, do not appear the type of men who will tolerate sniping and argy-bargy between their players.It helps that the likes of Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh will not be present. Of the men who took part in the acrimonious Sydney Test of four seasons ago, only Ponting, Clarke and Hussey remain for Australia, while for India Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid, Dhoni and Ishant are again in the touring squad.Let it be a series that is hard-fought but fair, competitive but controlled. Let us reflect on the past year, but mostly let us look to the future. Because over the next five weeks, we will see in Australia men – legends – who may never play Test cricket on these shores again.The three highest run scorers in Test history – Tendulkar, Dravid and Ponting – will walk out on Boxing Day. Let us celebrate their 40,933 Test runs.Let us watch Sehwag in full flight, and Laxman’s wrists do things that human wrists shouldn’t do. Let us see these men challenged by a feisty young Australian attack.Perhaps we will see history, Tendulkar’s hundredth international hundred. But whatever happens over the next five weeks, let’s hope this series is memorable. And this time, for the right reasons.
