Changing Fortunes

The series may stand at 1-0, but the gulf between England and Australia, is much greater than the score line would suggest. While England continued to improve on their performance at Brisbane, Australia seemed, if anything, to have gotten worse at Adelaide. Bowled out for a well below par 245, Australia’s bowlers once again proved ineffective (that being despite the introduction of Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger), as England’s top order (with the exception of Strauss) once again cashed in. Another century for Alastair Cook - and more records broken - as well as a sublime 226 for Kevin Pietersen (a very much welcomed return to form), saw England rack up 620-4 declared. Facing a sizeable deficit it was time then, for the Australian top order to mirror that of England. However, a mixture of brilliant bowling (Graeme Swann finally finding his rhythm and taking a five-for) and out-of-form batsman (most notably Ricky Ponting himself and Marcus North), resulted in the inevitable concoction of a defeat by a staggering innings and 71 runs. To borrow that infamous heading by Martin Johnson, Australia, it seems, can’t bat, bowl or field.

Unsurprisingly then, the Australian selectors have made a few changes for the third test in Perth; many of which make little sense. Ok, so Australia have been forced to make a change at the top of the order (brining in Philip Hughes for the injured Simon Katich), while the replacement of North, for the young leg-spinner Steve Smith, seems to be a sensible move. But, dropping Doug Bollinger after only one test and brining back Mitchell Johnson (who hasn’t played a first class match since the Brisbane test and was hopeless in that match to boot) defies logic. As does the selection of the left-arm spinner Michael Beer. Relatively unknown, he is the tenth spinner Australia have tried since the retirement of Shane Warne. Playing for Western Australia, Beer seems to be a ‘horses-for-courses’ selection. While this can sometimes pay off, it invariably fails (remember the Darren Pattinson debacle anyone?). It’s also a little harsh on Xavier Doherty. Ok, so he’s not the best spinner in the world, but will Beer be any better? It’s also a little harsh on Nathan Hauritz, who continues to be overlooked despite the fact that he bowled relatively well in the 2009 Ashes series. What these changes highlight then, is that Australia are confused and muddled. Clueless as to when, or how, their next victory will come, they are desperately searching for the ‘X factor’. Unfortunately, players such as Warne and Glenn McGrath - who possessed such a quality - are rarer than an England win down under.

Talking of England, the only blot on their tour so far, is the injury to Stuart Broad. Forced to go home with an abdominal strain, CricketChicks hope the selectors pick Chris Tremlett as his replacement - for the Perth test at least. As at the WACCA he could be mighty effective. What were we saying about ‘horses-for-courses’?