So yet another Ashes has come and gone…wait a minute though…was it just another Ashes? It definitely wasn’t as good as the 2009 series, and doesn’t hold a candle to 2005 series. And yet this series is significant in that the truth has finally been laid bare before the Aussies: Australian Cricket is in a downward spiral and needs serious attention. The wheel has finally turned the full circle and Australian cricket is back to where it was in the early 1980’s. Australia have lost all their greats in the past couple of years and the last remaining great – read Ricky Ponting – spends more time walking to the crease and back to the pavilion then he actually spends at the crease.
Even apart from Ponting, the rest of the team looks in shambles. Watson has been consistent but hasn’t got the big scores. Clarke has been struggling for runs. Hussey is just managing to cling on to his place (he might hold on longer now because of the run glut in the Ashes). Number six has been a perennial problem for them for some time now. Haddin is doing a good job. But the less said about the bowling, the better. The fact that they used eight different bowlers in the series and still there were voices for Warne to make a comeback tells the whole story. Even their bench strength – something they used to boast about earlier – looks bleak.
However, it's not the batting, bowling, the bench strength - or the lack of these - that would be worrying the Aussies most. Their biggest headache must be the fact that there doesn't seem to be a single player who can lead Aussies out of this trough. When the Aussies were in a similar rut about 3 decades ago, they found Allan Border who managed to pull Australia through and build a team that eventually - under Steve Waugh - managed to draw comparisons with the great West Indies side of the 1970's and 1980's. It's not just Border; we have had numerous examples of captains inspiring ordinary sides to extraordinary heights. Arjuna Ranatunga, Sourav Ganguly, Imran Khan, et al, are some of the promienent names that come to mind. Out of these only Imran Khan had a side boasting of a lot of great players. Ganguly had an average squad with Tendulkar, Dravid, and Kumble the only ones who were good enough to play against all-comers. Ranatunga had a very average side with players who would later go on to become some of the best in the business. However, some common qualities that all the aforementioned captains had in common were charisma, a strong, proud personality, and a definite vision for shaping the squad. Right now Australia cannot find a player with even one of the above mentioned quality.
What's more, even Cricket Australia (CA), the official governing body of Australian Cricket does not seem to have any definite vision; and the only thing worse than a clueless captain is a clueless board. CA has been famous for abruptly terminating the careers of a lot of good servants of the game - most notable mentions being Michael Bevan, Ian Healy and Steve Waugh (while Steve Waugh did retire on his own terms, there is no doubt that he would have liked to continue a couple of years more; and he certainly looked good enough to do so at that time). These decisions, while not very popular, have nevertheless, in hindsight, proven to be quite fruitful. The departure of Waugh and Bevan from the Test and One day sides respectively paved the way for Michael Hussey. And the result of Gilchrist replacing Healy is clearly etched in the record books. However, the fact that CA is still hanging on to Ponting and Hussey, despite their not-so-good form over the last 2-3 years, is an indicator of the crisis involving Australian cricket.
There’s a dialogue in the ‘Remember the Titans’ which goes as ‘Attitude reflects leadership.’ This appears to be very true about the current Australian squad. Ponting has been their batting mainstay for the last decade and the longer his poor form has continued the lower his frown has dropped. And the Aussies – known for their ability to comeback after being pushed to the corner – have lost quite a few tight games.
Another factor is the Australian domestic culture. When the Aussies went into a rut during the 80’s, rather than panicking and losing their heads, the selectors set about developing a strong domestic structure which churned out players who, while not more talented than their other contemporaries, were certainly more prepared to face the arduous nature of international cricket. The system was so good that it was inevitable that other countries adopted it in some form or another. The fact remains that CA has made no efforts to further improve the system whereas the other countries have found ways to come up to scratch with the Aussies. Given Australia’s dominance over the past decade, it was inevitable that they would have to face such disappointments some time or later. However, what’s surprising is that they haven’t been able to find replacements who look like bringing Australian Cricket back on track in the next few years.
A 3-1 drubbing – with all 3 losses being innings losses – has raised serious questions regarding the state of Australian cricket. And while I do not think that the Aussies will go the West Indies way, I certainly think that it will be a long time before they can rise again to their former glory. In Greek mythology, Phoenix is a magical bird that rises from its own ashes. For Aussies to rise from these ashes, it will truly take more than just magic.
