Around the Wicket - The State of Australian Cricket

Australian cricket is at a very interesting stage right now. We’ve just seen the loss of some of the absolute greats of the game. Warne, Gilchrist, and McGrath all would rank somewhere in the top 15 cricketers of all time, but then you have Langer, Martyn, Hayden and MacGill as well. While not in the elite notch of cricketers, all were very, very good cricketers. And now we have to replace them.

Replacing batsmen is always easier. Speaking from a batsman/keeper’s perspective, it’s harder to find good bowlers than it is good batsmen. Make no mistake, bowlers win matches, batsmen set them up or save them. If you don’t have bowlers capable of taking 20 wickets, you won’t win a test match.

That’s why it’s vital that Australia gives this current crop of fast bowlers some quality time. Our pace attack right now is good. Mitchell Johnson is a star in the making, and when fit, Lee and Clark can be as good as any other quicks in the world right now. Behind them we have Hilfenhaus, Bracken, Bollinger, Tait, and Siddle – most of whom are young and full of potential, but they’re still learning their craft. Within 18 – 24 months, I would expect that Lee and Clark will be gone, and the guys behind them will get their chance. I tend to think that Australia will never struggle to find quick bowlers, so if they don’t make the most of their opportunities, or they fall away – I’m reasonably sure that there will be others who burst on to the scene.

As I mentioned two paragraphs ago – it’s easier to find good batsmen than bowlers. Simply because batsmen usually occupy 6 spots in a side, while there’s usually only 3 quicks. I expect Jaques to be given the nod for the opener’s position, joining Katich, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, and Symonds. I would like to see young Phil Hughes brought into the side to bat at 6 if Symonds doesn’t come back from injury. Just because he opens for NSW, doesn’t mean he should necessarily open for Australia. He would slot in well at 6, plus, I’ve always thought you should play 6 specialist batsmen.

Haddin is the keeper, and will be for probably another 5 years. Speculating as to who will be the next one is pointless at this stage, however – there is a more than capable replacement in Ronchi, should Haddin get injured at any time. Australia has always had good wicket keepers, and I don’t ever see that changing either.

Here’s the big problem. Spinners. With a keeper, 3 quicks, and 6 batsmen in most state sides these days, that leaves room for just one spinner. Some state sides aren’t even playing a spin bowler – favouring an all rounder, so there may only be 4 or 5 spinners playing state cricket at any given stage. In England, there are many more sides, so they can cast a wider net – but if there are just 4 first class spinners playing in Australia – it makes it hard to find a decent one. We’ve been lucky in the last 18 years. Think about it, Warne was one in a million. MacGill was one in a thousand. At the moment, we don’t have 1 in 5. Times are tough, and the spin cupboard is bare. If I was working at Cricket Australia, I would be encouraging any young Australian spinner to go and hone his craft in England. There are plenty more first class sides to play for, and more exposure. Hell, it beats playing for WA 2nd XI.

The bottom line is, that there is no need to panic. Yes, Australian cricket has fallen from its lofty heights of the late 90’s/early 00’s. But it’s not falling very far, and once this current team becomes settled, and we actually select the same team for two tests in a row (15 different sides in the last 15 tests) I believe we’ll start seeing some real improvement.