Time for Australia to
rediscover its killer streak
Is the once-formidable Australian Test cricket batting on the decline? Recent collapses and trends of losing Test matches certainly indicate that the might of Aussies in Tests has certainly been on the wane. This is alarming in terms of cricketing perspective as the slide could trigger an imbalance in terms of world dominance as the Baggy Green has always been synonymous with pride and success, qualities which were preserved unrelentingly under the leadership of Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh - who consistently powered Australia to glory through the 80s, 90s and beyond in their inimitable styles, sweeping everything under the sky that was on offer. The recent record of Australian Test and One-day squad has been appalling. Their 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka Tests in July-August could have triggered the downfall which also rubbed off when they toured South Africa subsequently to play the ODI series where the Aussies suffered the ignominy of a 5-0 thrashing only to return home with pride and confidence shattered. The last thing skipper Smith would have feared was a loss in the opening Test of the ongoing three-Test series against the touring Proteas where a 177-run hammering was in the offing at Perth - a venue which was once so insurmountable for a touring side. The Perth debacle also completed a hat-trick of defeats for Australia in recent home Tests, with South Africa stamping their dominance at the WACA twice - the first coming in 2008 with a record chase of 414 - and even the touring Indians back in 2008 also pulling off a historic victory under Anil Kumble's captaincy. In the last few seasons, there is also no denying that Australia has capitulated at major venues including Cape Town, Birmingham, Nottingham, Galle, and also in the ongoing 2nd Test against South Africa in Hobart where they hit a nadir by collapsing to an embarrassing 85 all out - their lowest at home since 1984 when the then mighty Windies had demolished a Kim Hughes-led side to a paltry 111. Like falling cities in a losing war, the scenes of Australia's cricket disasters have come to our doorstep. Unlike his recent predecessors, Smith leads an Australian team in transition, but while the origin of this journey is well known and garlanded with praise, its destination is not clearly mapped. Australia's most recent debutants are Adam Voges and Callum Ferguson, two seasoned professionals in their thirties who were among ongoing batting failures, symptomatic of the fact that the development of the game in batsmen's favour has corrupted batting techniques that even the best are unable to cope with good bowling in cool, humid weather? This could also be because of easy-paced pitches, the technology of cricket bats and the incursions of limited-overs formats. So in Australia's case, the team failures have become frequent enough to suggest that the decline is irreversible. But the fact that matches are being now dominated by bowlers also makes for non-stop entertainment.
