The Final Warning?

Scorecard: Australia v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Melbourne

The deafening silence in the aftermath of Australia's capitulation to Sri Lanka in the ODI on Wednesday night is symptomatic of the problems that currently face both the players and the selectors of our national team. The very fact that there has been nothing more but a shrug of the shoulders over the result, and a 'spoken determination' to turn it around in the next game on Friday proves that there is simply no plan except to keep picking the same players in the belief (hope... desperate hope) that they will turn it around themselves. In a bygone age, this was a simple and sensible policy, given that for a decade the Australian side was made up of eleven players ALL the time who could be rated as 'greats'. Only one of them remains, and he didn't play on Wednesday night.


The fact that Australia's tactical thoughts were questioned by the parochial commentary panel on Wednesday - and most vehemently by the doyen himself Richie Benaud - should convince anyone who wasn't already convinced of the fact that there are problems that need to be addressed. The commentary panel NEVER criticise the home team.

For some years I have been denigrating and sledging what I dubbed "The Brett Lee Theory on Bowling to Tailenders". For some reason, he had gotten into his head that the best way to dismiss the tail was to bounce them, consistently and often. More often than not, it not only didn't work, it cost a plethora of runs from authentic shots and edges. Yet, not matter how often this tactic did not work, he continued to use it at the end of ODI innings. For years I have never understood it. After Wednesday night, however, I'm beginning to think perhaps I was wrong, that perhaps it wasn't just a Brett Lee tactic. Maybe it has been an Australian tactic, one that has been devised by the bowling group, the coach, and the captain. I don't know for sure. The only thing I know for certain is that cricket watchers all around the country were yelling at their TV's on Wednesday night, pleading for our bowlers to pitch the ball up in the blockhole.

It was obvious to all that, to the faster men Johnson and Siddle, Malinga was moving very slightly away to the leg side when parrying away their deliveries. A fuller ball on off stump would have uprooted it on any number of occasions. However, our guys decided short of a length was the go, and as a result never looked like dismissing him.

So in the long run, what should be the result of this ineptitude? The bowlers length was terrible, and Johnson again was erratic and undisciplined. The problem here is that it has not been a one-off. It has been an on-going problem. If it was indeed the bowlers who planned this attack, then they should be dropped from the side immediately, and get some bowlers into the team who have a better handle on how to bowl at the end of a one day innings. If the tactics themselves have come from the captain, then he must held accountable. If the coach was also involved, then his position must also be put under review.

As stated - this is not a reaction based on one game. In July in England, Australia capitulated to a Pakistan side that to that point hadn't looked like winning a game. They then lost a Test match to India when they could not budge the final two wickets when 91 runs were required for victory, before also surrendering the 2nd Test with little more than a bark. In the only ODI possible following this in India, they could not defend a total of 290. There are problems that need to be solved, and yet the selectors have taken a "softly, softly" approach. Injuries have not helped. Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris would have to be considered near certainties in the ODI side at least if they were fit. The batting is still not producing enough runs on a consistent basis, and there has been constant speculation over a number of players for far too long now.

The selectors have been quite obvious and blunt in their attempt to keep a stable team together to retain harmony in the ranks. In the Test team they have gone to extremes in order to keep players such as Marcus North, Mike Hussey and Nathan Hauritz through low production times, and then pointing to their success when the century or five wicket haul has arrived. Unfortunately, that has then been again followed by a period of low success again. In the one day arena, poor bowling at the death of innings has rarely been used as a catalyst to take the bowler(s) out of the team. Scratchy form, and using up a lot of deliveries for little result by middle order batsmen has rarely been used as a catalyst to look for fresh new faces in those positions. All of this is OK if the overall results show that the team is winning a majority of their games, and that it isn't affecting the overall performance or unity of the team.

Unfortunately, the recent results - in ALL forms of the game - now show that this is not being reversed, and action must be taken by the selectors to halt the slide, before it becomes critical. The Ashes has become the focal point, but if the selectors wait any longer to make the tough decisions, then we may already have surrendered the urn before they pull their fingers out, and all the calls from Australian supporters saying "WE F*#KING TOLD YOU SO!!!" will not bring it back.

Wednesday's match was (what should be) the final warning for our team and our selectors - start making the tough decisions, or forfeit the Ashes, the World Cup, and everything else we still have a shaky grip on.