Cricket Tournaments

Shane Watson

The three-day practice game for Australia against the Board President’s XI, ahead of the first Test at Mohali, was a mixed bag for the visitors. Shane Watson emerged as a visible hero, with attacking tons in both the innings. There were other positives as well. Watson’s opening partner Simon Katich as well as Marcus North also registering hundreds in the first innings. However, the prime concern for them will remain the performance of their spinners as they head into the major battle.

Nathan Hauritz picked up a solitary wicket going for close to hundred runs – both innings combined. Even more worrying was the fact that Piyush Chawla, who can bat a bit but is a bowler by profession, took him to the cleaners with ease. He charged down the pitch and dealt with the tweaker with minimum ill-ease. Then, when BP XI batted for a second time, Ajinkya Rahane was all at ease against him as he raced to a quickfire century.

The only consolation for Hauritz can be the fact that Jason Krejza was treated with similar disrespect two years back in the practice game, but got his act right when it mattered, claiming eight wickets on Test debut. Meanwhile, it was a similar story for Hauritz’s leg-spinning partner Steven Smith, who was treated with even more utter disdain. Chawla was especially severe on him and the leggie ended up conceded nearly six runs per over. Also, when BP XI batted a second time round, the Aussie bowlers were far from effective. Both Rahane and opening partner Cheteshwar Pujara, who is part of the Test squad, helped themselves to some substantial batting practice as they ended the game on a unexpected high, after being pulverized on day one.

The picture wasn’t completely gloomy for Australia though. Before Chawla’s heroics, their bowling was top class. Ben Hilfenhaus, in particular, was exceptionally good while Mitchell Johnson impressed as well. The Aussies would also have been heartened to see Peter George bowl well and claim a couple of scalps. That said, they would have been delighted had they put a better performance with both the ball and the willow in their second essay.

Apart from practice, the match also gave both sides injury scares. Gautam Gambhir took a blow on his right hand from Bill Hilfenhaus while batting and rightly preferred to stay away from the field of play on the final day. India will desperately need his services alongside Virender Sehwag for the Tests and one-dayers. For Australia, Katich, who hurt his thumb, did not bat in his team’s second innings while North, who had a back problem also did the same. Both teams would hope that there is nothing serious, and that they can resume their duties starting October 1.

While on the Test series, India would go in with a slight advantage considering the wealth in their batting strength. However, even a weakened Australian side cannot be underestimated. Expect them to make up for their lack of firepower with that much added determination. One only hopes the series can live up to the billing, unlike the damp squib of 2008.

In the times of the modern era, in the advent of T20 scores of players come and go. These days national caps are distributed to easily thus lowering the sense of pride that one is supposed to wear it with. It might be easy to burst on to the scene on the international arena but hard indeed to stay there. Several players after struggle or talent have eventually come of age. Some of them are:

Australia:

Shane Watson:

Shane Watson

After making his debut in the Australian summer of March way back in 2002, Shane watson’s career is one to have changed dramatically. From starting off as a fast bowler with more than lively pace who could hold the bat at number 7 his roles in the current Australian team are completely different.

Watto Watson is one of those players who is always seemed to be plagued with injuries. After several rehabilitations and becoming the perfect replacement for a certain Ian Harvey the Australian selectors finally lost hope with this talented blonde bombshell from Queensland. Shane was struggling to make his career.

Strangely, the problem with Watson was not about talent or performance it was his fitness that was an issue that deprived him of so many international years of his playing career. Watson was nowhere near being considered for a return to the Australian side. After being picked in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, Watson single handedly with both bat and ball carried the Rajasthan Royals towards the championship gold.

He ended up becoming man of the tournament with over 450 runs and a handful of wickets. The Australian selectors took note of this and immediately drafted him to the Australian side to tour the Windies. Ever since then there has been no looking back for Shane as he has made his mark in the international arena and is a feared competitor by all other nations.

Watson played the 2009 ashes and scored half centuries in what seemed like every innings. He has become fitter and has understood his role in the Australian team well. He now opens for Australia and generally bowls in the mid 130’s. A very handy cricketer as long as he stays fit. After 8 long years, Shane Watson finally seems to have come of age.

Cameron White:

Cameron White

Whitey or bear as he is known by his team mates has recently become an integral part of the Australian limited Overs squad. Cameron white has always been a major performer for his state side, Victoria. He is currently the vice captain of the Australian T20 side and should be the skipper in reckoning if Michael Clarke is done away with.

For a man who was not even a part of the original Australian T20 World cup squad in 2009, white has come a long way and has established himself as the Australian number 5. White was called in after Andrew Symonds was sent back home due to off field issues. White is soon filling the huge void left by Andrew Symonds. He is a brilliant fielder and is soon becoming one of the feared hitter on the international scene.

Whitey was given a long run after Australia’s ashes defeat to England in 2009. He stepped in for ponting at number 3 and played exceptional cricket which included one fifty and a century in 3 matches. From then on in there was no looking back as he helped Australia retain the champions trophy (2009) in South Africa and played some crucial knocks on difficult conditions in India. White had a brilliant 20-20 world cup this year and ensured Australia reached the finals for the first time in this tournament.

Cameron white’s reputation is rapidly building on the world stage and the owners of the IPL franchisees are now aware of the talent that the man possesses. With the fresh IPL auction that is to take place this July, one can be certain that white could be in for some big bucks and even captaincy considering he’s captained Victoria to several big bash victories down under. White is still a young man and would be ambitious to return to the test arena once again.

Nathan Hauritz:

Nathan Hauritz

Hauritz very similar to Watson made his debut for Australia way back in 2002. He was young (20) and wasn’t too successful at the international arena. He played his first test in 2004 and didn’t do too well then either. The Australian selectors weren’t too worried and dint have to look too far considering SK Warne was still in the ranks. However, the rise of Hauritz began after Warne, McGill and Hogg stepped down from international test cricket.

This left Australia with no other option but Nathan Hauritz. Hauritz wasn’t seen as a wicket taking bowler, he was more a container and this proved to be fatal for the Aussies. It was at this time only (late 2008- early 2009) that Australia began to hit rock bottom where they lost a test match series in India and went on to lose on their home turf against the mighty Proteas after 16 long years.

The lack of a quality spinner was becoming a major problem and several concerns were being raised about who would play come the ashes. The Australian selection committee decided to go with Nathan Hauritz and stuck with him throughout the South African tour in both Test and one day internationals. Hauritz proved his worth and was handy. However, his success was hugely regarded to

Mitchell Johnson:

Mitchell Johnson

Johnson was enjoying a purple patch back then and he often broke the back bone of the South African team before Hauritz came into bowl. Nevertheless, it was the best that Australia had and they decided to go ahead with Nathan for the ashes. As soon as the news was out that Nathan would be the spinner that the Australians would be carrying with themselves to defend the ashes, comments came rushing in.

Most notable amongst these was that of former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott made a scandalized remark after Hauritz got pietersen out to an infamous sweep in the first test at Cardiff. He said “It wasn’t an off-spinner. Hauritz doesn’t look like he could bowl my mum out, then he gets the best batsman out.”

Hauritz proved all his critics wrong and slowly developed into a very fine bowler for Australia. Eventually, he proved to be the difference (Not picked on a turning track at the oval) between Australia having the ashes and not. Hauritz’s growth as a spinner continues as he remains a steady part of the Australian line up. Hauritz will have to be on his toes as the Australian selectors seemed to have taken a liking towards upcoming leggie Steve Smith.

India:

Suresh Raina:

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is the star out of India’s huge pool of rising talents comprising the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Robin Uthappa and so on. On his debut way back in 2005 raina only managed a duck; he was trapped LBW by a Muttiah Muralidaran doosra of his first ball. Ever since then Raina has changed his game immensely. All the hard yards, extra hours of practice against spin and pace is now seen where he seems to be shining on the international stage.

This turn of events was noticed in the first edition of the Indian premier league where raina was one of the top scorers in the competition and enabled the Chennai Super Kings make the final of the tournament. He has been the most consistent performer in the IPL and is the highest scorer across all three years of the tournament with 1311 runs. Suresh raina has matured a great deal by playing under the likes of greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

He was recently included in the test squad against South Africa. Raina is now able to handle responsibilities of carrying the team forward at a tender age of 23. Raina has also been chosen as captain in the on-going series in Zimbabwe as original skipper Mahendra singh Dhoni has been given a rest. Clearly raina is seen highly by the BCCI and they would want to ensure that the young man doesn’t fall ahead of himself and continues to perform the way he has been performing in the last couple of years.

England:

Graeme Swann:

Graeme Swann

The biggest revelation in the cricketing fraternity over the last year, Graeme Swann has been labeled by fellow spin legend Shane Warne as the most improved player in recent cricket. Swann is one of the few Englishmen (literally) who has been successful over the last year considering most others have been imports from either South Africa or Ireland.

He made his debut way back in 2000 but wasn’t a regular part of the side as England’s first choice spinner at that point in time still remained Ashley Giles. Swann never really knew what his role was, whether he was a batsman who could bowl or the other way around. He found himself wanting on the international stage and soon realized it was the latter that would take him to the top rung. He worked on his game tremendously and the change was to be seen.

He had a brilliant series against the West Indies leading up to the ashes and since then there has been no looking back for the man from Northampton. Swann, often the most notorious in the team and tends to calm down the dressing room atmosphere with his pranks. The ashes that went by in 2009, was where Swann was noticed by the international audience.

From then on in he helped England reach the semi finals of the champions trophy in 2009 and eventually help the Englishmen win their first ever ICC trophy, the Twenty 20 world cup in the Caribbean a fortnight ago. Swann is soon becoming an integral part of this England line up and a major part of whether England are able to retain the ashes later this year would be subject to the way he performs.

Stuart Broad:

Stuart Broad

Son of former English batsman and current commentator, Junior broad is one of the fastest improving cricketer’s going around. Stuart made his debut in 2006 and saw the up hills and down hills of international cricket. He was hit for a record six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh during the inaugural twenty 20 world cup in South Africa. However, since then a lot seems to have changed for this lanky pacer.

He seems to have become physically fitter, has worked on his batting and more importantly he is no more the bowler who would just run in. There is a plan, a methodology on how to go about things that is seen. He is seen as a replacement to Freddie Flintoff who retired a year or so ago. A lot is expected from Stuart and he is still just 23 years of age and has a good number of tests and one day internationals behind him and seems to understand the game better with every passing day.

He still tends to concede a bit too much when it comes to runs per over but he is a wicket taker and that’s what it comes down to in the end. A very handy cricketer and one to certainly watch out for in the future, as he seems to be improving very quickly.

Pakistan:

Saeed Ajmal:

Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistani off spinner has captivated international cricket ever since he burst onto the international arena. More than coming of age Saeed has been one of those late bloomers in international cricket where in which the team regrets the fact that they couldn’t go on a bit longer. Ajmal is very similar to Michael Hussey in this regard.

(Talking about Hussey the duo have a bit of a history after this year’s world T20 in the Windies). Ajmal albeit at the age of 30 made his debut and turned out to be a replica of spin legend and the ‘doosra’ inventor Saqlain Mushtaq. Ajmal is able to disguise and bowl the doosra with similar effect and has always managed to keep the wood on the batsman.

Ever since Akmal joined the Pakistani team they have made it to two semi finals and one championship victory in the three ICC events to have taken place. In spite of all the unpredictability that Pakistan have to offer, Ajmal seems to have brought a bit of sense in the spin bowling department and he along with fellow spinner Shahid Afridi now form a formidable pair and curtail the batsman from scoring freely in the middle Overs of a limited over international.

Ajmal was turning out to be the star for Pakistan in the recent twenty 20 world cup that was held in the West Indies. However, Australia’s Michael Hussey had different ideas. He went on to slaughter Saeed Ajmal in the semi final which enabled the Aussies get to the final for the first time. The match which was being labeled as the best Twenty 20 match had already seen loads of thrills and spills before Ajmal came on to bowl.

Ajmal had brilliant figures up to his 3 over mark and was turning out to be the difference between the two sides but the last over where in which Michael hussey hammered three sixes changed the course of the match. Nevertheless, Ajmal remains a key armoury that Pakistan possess and how he develops in the next six months could be critical for Pakistan’s chances in the world cup which is to be played in the Indian subcontinent (barring Pakistan) where in which the pitches are low and slow.

Shahid Afridi:

Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi has been around since an age now and he’s still just over 30 years of age with a trunk load of experience behind him. Shahid Afridi made his debut way back in 1996 and its amazing in spite of being a member of the team for such a long time he comes under this category.

For a long period of time Shahid Afridi did not really know where his forte lied, in other words he never really knew his role in the team; whether it was to go and bludgeon the bowlers and chip in with a couple of tidy Overs or be a mainstream spinner thus providing perfect foil to the fast bowling greats of yesteryears.

However, only recently has Shahid Afridi grown, he has become one of the most difficult bowlers to get away in the middle Overs in limited Overs cricket. He seems to have cemented his place as a bowling all rounder. Ever since becoming vice captain and now captain in all forms of cricket Afridi has taken the extra mantle of responsibility on himself and this seems to be helping not just him but Pakistan cricket as well. Afridi recently came out of his retirement from test cricket and was made captain.

It will be interesting to see how he goes in the longer form of the game as his quick balls at 120 kmphs will not be as big an issue as it is in other forms of cricket. Shahid Afridi finally seems to have found his game and if he works on his batting, he could become one of the best spin bowling all rounder to have played the game (only in the shorter formats).

South Africa:

AB De Villiers:

AB De Villiers

Most AB fans wouldn’t agree me placing Abraham in this list and might find it a little harsh. But it’d be better to agree to disagree. This 26 year old South African made his debut in the 2004/2005 season and only recently that is ever since 2008/09 has he become one of South Africa’s mainstays in the middle over. He is a very talented cricketer and on his day could tear apart any attack put in front of him.

De Villiers, a very under estimated cricketer on the international stage is set to take over the gloves once Mark Boucher decides to call it quits. However, de Villiers seems quite reluctant to take up the job as he not only enjoys his fielding but is also worried that it would affect his batting adversely. De Villiers is proving to be a wonderful find for the proteas and is becoming ever so reliable with consistent performances in the last year or two.

He is ready to carry the mantle forward and could become South Africa’s Jacques Kallis once the latter decides to put up his feet. All this could be very soon as Kallis and boucher both are very likely to step down from limited Overs cricket after the 2011 world cup which is to be played in the Indian subcontinent.

Like all other players mentioned above AB de Villiers too holds the key to South Africa’s chances in the upcoming 50 over world cup. He seems to be the man for the occasion as he’s had a lot of experience here and has tasted success on very similar wickets.

Sri Lanka:

Angelo Mathews:

Angelo Mathews

Young Sri Lankan all rounder has cemented his place in the team’s One day international and test teams ever since he made his debuts in the formats. He has never had to face the axe, which is very rare for a young cricketer especially in the early goings in his career.

The young 23 Year old all rounder has replaced Chaminda Vaas to very good effect. The only difference between the two being that Mathews is more of a batsman than a bowler which was not the case with Vaas. When I mean come of age it doesn’t necessarily mean people who have spend a lot of time in cricket and have eventually found their spot.

It basically refers to those cricketers who have/are now matured enough to carry the mantle forward. In his short career Mathews has already established himself on the world stage. This could be seen when he was picked up by Kolkata Knight riders (one of the IPL franchisees) to participate in the league. The only worry remains his bowling, more so in test cricket as it doesn’t seem to have that nip or extra bit of pace that could either facilitate him to get the ball go past the bat or trouble them with speed.

His variations help him get through the limited Overs format quite adequately. His batting and fielding are of top notch and is a very good sign for things to come in all three forms of the game. Mathews could also be the captain in standing once current skipper Kumar Sangakkara retires.

The only other real prospect seems Dilshan, but his temper and his age (wrong side of 30) lowers his prospects of becoming skipper. As a result of this Mathews could be well groomed under experienced players like Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. This lad has sure already made a name for himself in international cricket. One bloke to certainly look out for in the future!

Bangladesh:

Shakib Al Hasan:

Shakib Al Hasan

Current Bangladeshi skipper, Shakib Al Hasan made his debut against Zimbabwe at the Harare sports club. His debut itself marked the sign of things to come in his career. He impressed one and all with his performance as he made an impressive 30 not out and bowled his quota of 10 Overs under four an over with a wicket against his name. However, he seemed to have fizzed out a bit only to have redeemed himself in recent months.

He has come back strongly and for a long time now has been right on top of the all rounder charts in one day cricket. He was soon appointed captain and he seems to be taking Bangladeshi cricket to newer heights unseen before. The man is just 23 and has a lot to promise. The Bangladeshi cricket board need to nurture their talent and ensure that their players don’t fizz out and become an Ashraful.

Certain teams namely West Indies and New Zealand don’t have players featuring on this left. With west indies their trunk load of players just aren’t able to convert it big to the international level thus underlining their poor performance in world cricket in recent years. As far as the Kiwis are concerned they don’t seem to have enough of resources.

Hence, their players don’t seem to feature even in the list of players who have promised but not delivered. Getting players to grow and mature at the world stage is highly dependent on how the national board of the respecting country helps nurture and groom young players so as to convert them to international starts. This is very similar to the business concept of converting Problem child who have the talent and potential to Stars and eventually cash cows.
Indeed, the responsibility does lie with the boards…

Medium-pacer Ryan Harris picked up his second consecutive five-wicket haul as Australia inflicted yet another embarrassing defeat on the hapless Pakistanis. Batting first, Australia recovered from a poor start to post a challenging total of 277 for 8, thanks in main to half-centuries from Michael Hussey and Nathan Hauritz.

Harris then carried on his demolition job, akin to Adelaide, as Australia trounced Pakistan by a mammoth 135-run margin. None of the Pakistani batsman could reach even 50. Umar Akmal ended up being the top-scorer with 38 as the visiting side crumbled to 142 all out, well before the stipulated 50 overs.

The chase for Pakistan just never took off. Harris, bowling at a rather quick pace, was in his elements right from the word go. Salman Butt edged one that was directed in the other direction and Cameron White picked up one of the better catches you will see in the slips. Younis Khan went as quickly as he came, poking his bat at an outswinger from Harris. Pakistan never managed to recover from there on. On the contrary, they only went deeper into the mire.

Peter Siddle joined in the fun scalping two crucial wickets. He had the struggling Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Yousuf, both caught behind of Brad Haddin, who ended up plucking five catches. There was a semblance of resistance in the form of a partnership between Umar Akmal and Fawad Alam, but alas it could not last long enough to trouble the Aussies. Alam was run-out by Hauritz while Harris cleaned up Umar to all but seal the game. Shahid Afridi played a breezy cameo before departing, but it hardly had any impact on the game. Harris eventually returned to do the mop up job and finish with another five-for.

Earlier, in the day, Pakistan squandered their umpteenth golden opportunity to put Australia under immense pressure. Despite having them tottering at 190 for 6, they managed to let them off the hook as Hussey and Hauritz added 80 valuable runs for the seventh wicket and propelled their side to a highly competitive score.

All this after Mohammad Asif had dismissed Shaun Marsh cheaply and Naved-ul-Hasan accounted for Haddin just when he was beginning to look dangerous. Michael Clarke also failed to contribute much before getting run-out, while skipper Ricky Ponting’s promising innings of 30 was cut short by Afridi.

The in-form Cameron White began the resurrection work for the Aussies, in the company of Hussey, with a gritty 44. Still, Pakistan held the upper hand when Saeed Ajmal managed to send back White and Asif returned to dislodge James Hopes. Unfortunately, Pakistan could not capitalize on the strong position and allowed Hussey and Hauritz to get away.

While Hussey took his time initially, Hauritz went hammer and tongs to post an unbeaten 53 off just 39 balls. As Pakistan began to feel the heat, Hussey too joined in the action. He was brilliant in the powerplay overs. Australia scored at over 10 runs per over during this phase and it was enough to rattle the already flustered Pakistanis.

Australia seem to have buckets of pace bowling talent in their backyard. Ryan Harris Australia’s bustling pacer did the job once again when he cleaned up the Pakistani’s with another five-for and what’s ironic is after taking 10 wickets for 62 in the last ten games the man still stands a chance of missing out on the playing 11. Where except Australia will you get to see that?

That itself speaks volumes about the quality and the number of personnel Australia have in their domestic circuit. After Friday’s clinical performance Australia are looking to clean sweep the series and take their total to 7 wins out of 7 this year which includes two in the test arena all be it against the same opposition.

Australia won the toss and with Watson resting it was Haddin and marsh who opened. Haddin played his own game trying to blast the Pakistani’s away but he tried one too many and was finally bowled by Naved Ul Hasan. Australia failed to build strong partnerships at the top of the order but again it was the in-form men in Michael Hussey and Cameron white who rescued the innings with half centuries.

But, the impetus to the innings was added by spinner Nathan Hauritz who absolutely blasted the Pakistani’s all round the park with a 39 ball 53 which included 4 massive sixes. For Pakistan it was Mohd Asif again who troubled the Australian’s with Saeed Ajmal chipping in with a couple too. The Australians made full use of their batting power play and scored 54 of their 5 Overs with the loss of just one wicket. The Australians amassed another big total (Mind you: Every total’s looking big for Pakistan at this stage) and ended at 277 for 8.

Pakistan came out after a good attempt at the Adelaide oval looking pretty confident especially with Fawad alam in – in place of Shoaib Malik. But, it was not to be as Ryan Harris the 30 year old bustling Queenslander with his deceptively quick pace dismissed both butt and khan within a space of two Overs giving himself figures of none for 2. Peter Siddle both Kamran Akmal and mohd Yousuf and once again the Pakistan top order batting left a lot to be desired.

It was again the young paid of Umar Akmal and fawad alam who tried to resurrect the innings with both of them making 38 and 21 respectively. The duo put on 60 before Alam pushed Harris to mid off where Nathan Hauritz who was having a wonderful day (at least with bat and in the field) hit the stumps directly and alam was caught napping.

Ryan Harris got his 3rd wicket off the match after he cleaned up Umar Akmal who tried to drop the ball down and run as the ball came off his bat and hit the stumps. It was tough luck for Umar Akmal but as mark taylor said on channel nine ryan Harris had created his own luck with some splendid bowling.

Shahid Afridi decided to take matters in his own hands with some magnanimous sixes of Hauritz that travelled more than just the distance. He made a quick fire 10 ball 29 before succumbing to McKay. The rest of the tail made a cumulative score of 12 and Pakistan were yet again embarrassed by another professional performance by the close knitted Australian unit.
The season with Pakistan is almost coming to a close and Australia would want to end it without dropping the match and the odds are on them doing so.

It would be interesting to see whether shaun tait who has been brought in as cover up for peter Siddle will get a game or not. If so there is every possibility and for the first time in history that a man who has taken two five wicket halls in two consecutive matches might be dropped. The Australians have had a fantastic series all this without their potential strike bowler Mitchell Johnson who has been rested thus far. If he gets a game it could be yet another clinical win for Australia in the teams last encounter of this series at the WACA cricket ground.

The 2000’s saw the value of the finger spinner dipping especially of those who couldn’t bowl the one that goes the other way on in other words the “doosra”. Ironically, two of the top wicket takers of the world (2009) in Nathan Hauritz and Graeme Swann are traditional off-spinners who both can’t bowl the doosra.

Nathan Hauritz topped the off-spinners charts in the One-day arena and was the third highest wicket taker in ODI’s in 2009. He took 35 wickets in 30 matches at an economy rate of 4.30. A more then acceptable performance considering cricketing experts like boycott made comments like “It wasn’t an off-spinner. Hauritz doesn’t look like he could bowl my mum out, then he gets the best batsman out”.

This was after Hauritz got pietersen sweeping in the first Ashes test match at Cardiff (2009). It took time coming but Hauritz took his first five wicket hall in the Boxing Day test in 2009. He soon followed it with another. Hauritz is the one of those hand-made spinners and not the ready-made machine ones. He has just his stock ball which is his off break and a quicker one in his repertoire. However, Hauritz is big asset lies in his trajectory. He prides himself on his flight and drift. Hauritz remains a fierce competitor.

One of the matches where one got to see this was in the final of Champions league T20. In spite of being hit for six the previous ball; Hauritz still flighted the ball to Big hitting Kieron Pollard who miscued it to long on. The wicket proved to be decisive in determining the champion. Hauritz had won NSW the Champions league. Simon Katich later lauded Hauritz’s efforts and bravery “It was probably the gutsiest thing I’ve ever seen on a cricket field from a spinner after he’s been hit probably 150 meters into the stands. He tossed it up, gave it some air and he got the result”.

Hauritz has truly become an essential member of the Australian unit in all three forms of the game. From a situation of ‘lack of options’ Hauritz has clearly come to a pass of ‘need’.

Graeme Swann, the poms new spin sensation has been no different if not better. He was the highest wicket taker in tests amongst the spinners (2009) and the second highest overall. He grabbed 54 scalps at 27.92 in 12 matches. Graeme Swann’s major rise to fame started in the Windies, but it was not before the Ashes that he began to raise eyebrows.

He too, like Hauritz doesn’t have a doosra, however Swann has a very good ‘slider’ often tough to pick and has accounted for many. Swann like Hauritz made his international debut a while ago but it took the duo time to settle into international cricket. Often the joker in the lot, Swann enjoys the willow in the hand too with a healthy average of 32 in tests.
Clearly, there’s room for the traditionalists and the finger spinners in international cricket.

The Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan was disappointingly a dampener with one side – Australia – being completely in control and the other – Pakistan – always catching up, but only lagging behind.

It was hardly surprising then that the Asian side looked completely disillusioned in the match. While, it is true that the Pakistanis are fielding a rather inexperienced outfit, it is also a fact that this is not the greatest Australian side and hence Pakistan has a great chance of upsetting the Ausssie applecart.

Sadly, they blew away the opportunity rather deplorably at Melbourne and Australia had plenty to capitalize on.

There were a number of star performances from players of the home team, but none better than Shane Watson. The all-rounder, who finally found his feet in international cricket last year, was sensational with the bat in both the innings.

He was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved ton in the first innings, getting run out in the 90s. But he did not repeat his mistake in the second essay and was the one who set up the victory path for Australia with his maiden Test century.

The beauty of Australia’s batting was that everyone contributed in the first innings to help their side put up a huge total.

Like Watson, his opening partner Simon Katich also fell in the 90s. However, the dismissals of the openers did not dispirit the middle-order.

They were only encouraged to carry on the good work. And they did exactly that with their skipper Ricky Ponting contributing an impressive half-century and Michael Hussey scoring 82.

To add insult to injury, Nathan Hauritz came in and registered a handy 75 to put Australia in a commanding position.

If the batters did their job, the bowlers weren’t far behind. Left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson dealt the Pakistanis with some major blows at the top and in the middle, while the ever-improving Doug Bollinger took care of the lower-middle order as Pakistan collapsed in the first innings.

While Peter Siddle and Nathan Hauritz were not equally successful, they did a great job to back up the efforts of Johnson and Bollinger.

The bowlers continued their exceptional work in the second essay as well with Hauritz being particularly impressive, scalping his maiden five-for and ensuring that Pakistan’s late fightback was nullified.

On the contrary, Pakistan need to do some genuine soul-searching going into the Sydney Test. And for this their seniors need to put their hands up and show some fight.

The most disappointing aspect of Pakistan’s batting was that no one went on get a hundred in either of the innings. Misbah-Ul-Haq registered the highest score of the match for Pakistan – 65 not out.

He was unfortunate to be left stranded at the end of the first innings, with not much support from the lower order. Salman Butt and Imran Farhat have been around the international arena for a while now, bur have yet not learnt the art of constructing an innings, not a healthy sign for the future.

A lot was expected of Mohammad Yousuf. And while he did contribute in both the innings, it wasn’t big enough. For a change Umar Akmal could not capitalize on his start.

But the team did not worry about him as he has proved his mettle in his short yet feisty international stint. Ironically, it is up to the more experienced guys to follow the rookie’s act.

Despite being massive disadvantaged due to their unending injury problems, Australia have still managed to compete and keep the series alive. At 2-2 going into Hyderabad it is anyone’s series and India will need to pull their socks up and not take the opposition lightly, like they did in Mohali resulting in a disaster. Australia, in the meantime, will also be without all-rounder Moises Henriques, who himself was brought in as cover for James Hopes, and so must have lost faith in process of replacements. Apart from the XI they played at Mohali, they only have two left in the reserves now – Clint McKay and Jon Holland, both of whom are likely to sit out at Hyderabad. Still, the victory in the last match would have boosted their confidence no end.

The Aussie batters have struck form with Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting getting among the runs at the top of the order. In the middle-order, Michael Hussey and Cameron White have been consistency-personified. If anything, they need better support from the lower order. With Henriques out, Adam Voges will be back, and he along with Graham Manou and Mitchell Johnson will be expected to make better contributions.

Bowling wise, Australia discovered a star in the making at Mohali in left-arm quickie Doug Bollinger. He was exceptional with his accuracy and movement and was justly rewarded. Shane Watson and off-spinner Nathan Hauritz also impressed, but the absence of the wicket-taking Peter Siddle will be sorely felt. He was undoubtedly Australia’s best bowler of the series so far. Ben Hilfenhaus, who is likely to take his place, will have a tough task on hand. But he is a competitive cricketer so expect him to come up with the goods. That leaves the Aussies with their biggest worry named Mitchell Johnson.

When Brett Lee was ruled out, Johnson automatically became the pace spearhead of the team. Unfortunately, he has done nothing to justify the position. If anything, he has been off target and been dealt with rather harshly but the Indian batters, Sehwag in particular. But with the lack of arsenal, Australia have no option other than to keep playing him. How Johnson fares in the remainder on the series will have a definitive impact on the final result. The death overs bowling is another area where the Aussie bowlers will have to improve their performance drastically to keep their team’s chances afloat.

The hosts, themselves, have quite a few tribulations of their own. Virender Sehwag has been giving the team rollicking starts, but none of his knocks have gone beyond the description of a cameo. India would be hoping for a big one from him. Ditto with Sachin Tendulkar and the back from injury Gautam Gambhir. If the top three fire, India’s middle-order automatically becomes doubly dangerous as Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni can directly go for the kill instead of rebuilding the innings first. Also, it is about time Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja come up with something substantial.

Before the start of this series, the Indian bowlers were under fire from all quarters. The much-maligned brigade has redeemed itself though, at least for the movement. Ishant Sharma’s rediscovery of himself has been the biggest plus, whereas Praveen Kumar is learning the art of bowling even when there is no swing. Ashish Nehra’s comeback is only getting better and better with every passing game. About Harbhajan Singh, India will have to wait and watch, because even though he is struggling with the ball, he is coming up with good knocks with the willow. It’s no rocket science though that India need Harbhajan the bowler back.

Keeping in mind, Australia’s depleted army of men, India are hugely advantaged. However, they can only utilize the golden opportunity if perform to potential and not get lethargic, like we witnessed at Mohali.

Following the marvellous victory at Nagpur, India would like to believe that they have gained the upper hand in the series for the moment. Add to it Australia’s injury woes as well as the training debacle at Kotla – they had to skip proper practice due to wet pitches – and India are in with a realistically great chance of going 2-1 up in the series. That said, they need to exercise caution. India have often stumbled in the recent past due to complacency, the signs of which were there during the closing stages in Nagpur. Their lethargic approach meant the last Aussie pair managed to get some good batting practice. However, if the Indians do get their act right for the second time running, Australia could be in for a real tough time.

What the Australians need at the present moment is an uplifting effort from one of their seniors. A century from either among Ponting, Hussey or Watson can turn things around for them. One exceptional performance is often enough to ensure a side’s win in a one-dayer. More than their batting though, it is their bowling to which they need to give some serious thought. Now that Brett Lee is unavailable, Mitchell Johnson has to take over the responsibility of the senior bowling pro. True, he himself is not 100 per cent fit. However, considering the state of his team, he will be expected to rise above the pain and perform.

Ben Hilfenhaus found the going pretty tough at Nagpur, which means the other pacer in the squad Doug Bollinger might get a chance, so also may Moises Henriques, who could replace Adam Voges, in an effort to strengthen the all-round department. Peter Siddle and Nathan Hauritz have been Australia’s two best bowlers on display so far and their side would want them to continue in the same vein. If anything, Hauritz will be expected to be slightly more attacking.

Probably the only good news the Australian team has received in recent hours is that Tim Paine’s replacement Graham Manou will arrive in time for the Delhi match. That he also has some international experience is an additional plus. But expecting something extraordinary from him would be asking for too much, as he is sure to suffer from some amount of jetlag. Even so, the fact that he will available itself is good enough for Australia considering the crisis situation.

In sharp contrast, India are suddenly looking like a winning combination. With Gambhir, Dhoni and Raina among the runs, India managed to put up a rock-solid batting performance at Nagpur. Add to it, the ominous cameos played by Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag and the fact that Tendulkar has yet to reach double figures in the tournament. The opposition camp would be feeling rather jittery. One has to keep in mind though that it was just one game where everything clicked. The Aussies would undoubtedly come back hard at the Indians despite all their troubles.

The home side thus needs to carry on from where they finished off on Wednesday. The low, slow Kotla pitch will offer a tougher challenge and the batters need to be prepared to adapt to the conditions. Bowling wise as well the Indians must stick to their guns. Now that Ishant Sharma has rediscovered his rhythm, he should also realize what suits him best. Praveen Kumar has to just continue doing what he did so well at Nagpur, get the early breakthroughs as well as dry up the runs. The temporary spearhead of the bowling attack, Ashish Nehra, is going through one of his better patches and India would hope it lasts for a longer duration, since his presence makes the bowling line-up all the more potent. Regarding Harbhajan Singh, it remains to be seen how he is dealt with – both by the team management and the Aussie batsmen, who are getting increasing confident against him.

As mentioned in the very beginning, all the pointers suggest India have the upper hand. But while they do possess the better arsenal, the men in blue still have to go out and perform. How well India exploit this golden opportunity will in all certainty determine the fate of the game.