The Ashes Australian perspective. Another edition of The Ashes has been done and dusted. The series was well-fought between two evenly-matched teams. No quarter was given and none asked. There were some stellar individual performances as well as some sterling rearguard actions. Inevitable comparisons were made with the 2005 Ashes series which not at all made much sense because that series was on a higher level. Here, two teams went in with all their might and in the end, they couldn’t be separated.
Perhaps, the 2-2 was a just end to a series which at one stage, threatened to go the Australian way. Test cricket needs such a riveting series from time to time to rekindle interest in the format. The assault from T20 cricket with the full support of franchises worldwide is relentless. It will inevitably result in short forms of the game, consuming Test cricket. Until then, to retain interest, such a series is very much required.
The inevitable comparison with 2005
Well, the 2005 series will remain an icon. No other Ashes series in living memory, can even come close to the action, entertainment and overall quality of that series. This latest series was played between evenly matched teams but on a lower level but the quality of the 2005 series was on a higher plane. For starters, Australia had a galaxy of stars in Warne, McGrath, Ponting, Martyn, Hayden, Langer and last but not the least, Adam Gilchrist. Their bowling was outstanding and their batting was terrific. Australia were the pioneers of the Bazball theory though at a less frantic pace and these men epitomized that to a great degree.
It took a special effort to defeat such an Australian team even in a Test and it took sustained special efforts to defeat that Australian side in a series. Laxman and Dravid’s Calcutta heroics are still held in awe because that sort of effort was very much needed.
England had to play a different ball-game that they were unused to. For a very longtime, England’s approach was conservative and monotonous. It needed a Michael Vaughan to break that monotony and approach the series like an Australian would. He attacked with 4 tall and well built fast bowlers, all capable of hurling the red-cherry at 90MPH. It must be done day in and day out for 5 Tests and unsuspecting batsmen who were determined to annihilate England. Flintoff played the best cricket of his career in that series. Jones was menacing with reverse swing. Harmison bowled with a lot of pace and Hoggard with lots of guile. The inspired selection of Pietersen over Thorpe. England would have otherwise opted for the safety net of Thorpe over the flamboyant Pietersen. He played his part with a brilliant hundred in the last Test.
The only similarity
England was still humiliated in the first Test despite such preparation. It took a freak injury to Glenn McGrath to alter the course of the series and that will be the only similarity between the series. Just as Australia drifted off-course in 2005 because of the injury to McGrath, they went off-course because of the injury to Nathan Lyon. Probably, if Lyon had been bowling, England may not have won both the final Tests. The impact Lyon has on the Australian side is enormous. Not for nothing is he called the GOAT by them. Todd Murphy is promising but he needs to bowl lot more to improve quickly.
The absence of Lyon
It was a body blow for Australia’s chances. Not for nothing is Lyon called the GOAT within Australian circles. Greatest Of All Time. It does not mean that he is the greatest spinner to have played for Australia. There was a certain Shane Warne. He is known as the GOAT because he has been much-maligned cricketer during the middle part of his career. There were calls for him to be dropped but he responded with picking up wickets. Lyon not only picks up wickets regularly but also manages to keep the scoring down. He allows the quicker bowlers to be rotated. Let us remember that Australia play with the same set of quicks, Hazlewood, Starc & Cummins regularly. It is Lyon who helps in keeping them fresh and going for longer periods.
It was Lyon’s absence that was dearly felt by Australia. Suddenly, Cummins didn’t know who to pick. He picked Todd Murphy but did not have any confidence in him and seldom gave him the same support that Lyon usually gets. At Old Trafford, Cummins went the opposite direction once Green returned with picking an all-seam, 5 of them, attack and that too on a pitch that helped the spinners. Cummins roamed like a headless chicken without Lyon to calm things down.
The ultra-conservative approach
Australians are known for their aggression. They are not exponents of Bazball but they are never far from Bazball. Their usual scoring rate is around the 3.5 runs mark but both at Old Trafford and at The Oval, they lost the plot because they were unsure how to bat. We had Marnus Labuschagne bat like Pujara. His strike rate was less than 10 at The Oval and alongwith Khawaja, Australia never went anywhere. Their partnership of nothing was the primary reason for Australia taking a slender lead which could have otherwise been a substantial lead. Only Head and to some extent Marsh, had any inclination to score runs.
The top and middle order, completely altered the batting ability and were content on locking one end. Perhaps, the fact that Australia were leading 2-0 at the end of Lords and needing only to draw a couple of games to win The Ashes outright, influenced their batting. Nonetheless, it was an unAustralian display. The inability to bat with a little bit of freedom against the English seamers put paid to their hopes of winning the series.
Lack of response to Bazball
Especially at Old Trafford, the Australians were outplayed. Rain saved the day for them which would have otherwise resulted in an emphatic win for England. Australia would not have recovered from that and would have lost at The Oval much more easily than they did. It is known to everyone what sort of approach will England take. Australia successfully thwarted that at Headingley and at Lords but the sheer effort that it takes, both physically and mentally, to counter such a threat proved overwhelming for Australia.
The David Warner conundrum
It was really a surprise to see that Australia did not have a backup opener. David Warner has never really scored runs in England. It was risky to have included him in the first place but to have no contingency plan if things go south, Australia seems to have placed all their eggs in the same basket. Though Warner got his highest score in England in this series, 66, much more was expected from him. Broad again picked him up on a few occasions. This is not to state that he didn’t try. He did but for someone this experienced, that did not materialise to substantial innings.
Warner’s struggle led directly to Australia being on the backfoot far too often to their liking. England has shown that Anderson and Broad can be dropped from the team in certain conditions because of their ineffectiveness. Why didn’t Australia do the same with Warner is perplexing.