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| Image Design: Bala Kumar |
Hello Friends,
I believe most of you would have watched or followed the recently concluded 3 match test series between Australia & South Africa men's team. What a series it turned out to be! Hype around the series was built for a while now since it was one of the marquee series out of the long list of test matches that Australian team is going to play in the span of next 12 months. Doesn't matter how much publicity is being done for T20 cricket test cricket remains the pinnacle and this series is a prime example of why it's still the most challenging format. Every test match went to the final day. So there is no blame game for a shortened test match as it happened in recent past. Quality cricket was played throughout the series by two of the strongest teams with lots of ebbs and flows. Interestingly despite rain interruptions for most part of the first two days of the second test match it still produced a result which is outstanding. Though one series may not define how good or bad a team is but the end result of this series showcases the fact that the reigning World test champions are proving their worth every single time since winning the championship last year.
This series should be a big eye opener for the Australians who lost their ICC no.1 test team ranking as well as top spot in the current WTC points table. Though they still have their fate in their own hands to qualify for next year's WTC final but the journey ahead will be difficult for them since they have two tough series against New Zealand & India lined up. With their batting unit misfiring for a while now and questions revolving around an aged team they need to take some tough calls to stage a turnaround from here on. Not to forget they have lost a home test match against Bangladesh earlier this year which was first in their cricket history. But as we know how this champion team has bounced back every time they have faced a roadblock in past there is no doubt that they will comeback stronger from this loss too.
Plenty of gains for the home team though. This current South African team led by Temba Bavuma is not big on star power but consists of a great bunch of strong characters. After a big defeat in the first game they didn't panic rather backed the team to deliver. Captain Bavuma's marathon innings in the rain affected second test match, Rickelton & Mulder's series defining tons in the final test match, Rabada's fiery spells post return from injury, Nortje's impressive comeback to test cricket, Jansen's player of the series performance with bat & ball and ever evolving Harmer's final punch in the last innings of the series were some of the evidences of how this team is creating their own legacy without much of a noise.
Let's now talk about how both the teams fared in this closely contested series.
Reputed Visitors Got Humbled
Australia came to the series with their strongest possible team with an aspiration of winning the series in a country where they haven't won post 2014. In other words this was the last opportunity for the veterans like Smith, Starc, Hazelwood, Lyon to win a test series in South Africa. But that was not meant to be. It's fair to say that they were good in patches throughout the series. Batting has been a major talking point for them for a while now. Batters' inability to adapt & score in bowling friendly conditions has come to haunt them in recent past several times. In this series though the conditions were lot better. Still the batting unit couldn't perform as per their potential and that became one of the major factors behind their loss.
Loosing the second test match within three days after being bowled out for 99 and followed on was a denting blow to their confidence. They came back strong in the first innings of the final test match where the batting unit kind of clicked together for the first time in the series. But still on a hindsight it felt like they could have extended their first innings lead a bit more to be in a better position to win. But their batting performance in the last innings kind of summed up their series.
In recent past Aussie bowling unit has rescued the team from trouble more often than not. Consistent batting failures or rather inability to put up a collective batting effort consistently has been a big challenge for them. It has been mostly one man show in the batting group which is not a good sign for a team which believes in team effort. In the Ashes series last year it was Travis Head, in the series against Bangladesh it was Cameron Green and in this series against one of the top sides in world cricket barring hundreds from Renshaw, Head & Inglis the batting looked fragile. Even those guys apart from the innings where they hit a century didn't look convincing either. Even a legend like Steve Smith had an underwhelming series with the bat though he missng out in the final test match due to injury proved to be another big factor behind this loss.
As far as bowling is concerned they once again delivered to the best of their abilities. Despite the criticism with regard to an ageing bowling unit the bowling group has toiled really hard throughout the series. Since it was a series where no flat wickets were served and batters had to really dig in to get a big score workload of bowlers in both the teams was heavy. Unfortunately Scott Boland who was exceptional with ball & surprisingly with bat during the second test missed out on selection for the final game. That decision proved to be a debatable one considering except Starc rest of the bowling group including Boland's replacement Lyon seemed to be less effective specially when Rickelton & Mulder were stitching a series defining partnership. Whether Boland's presence would have altered the result of the final game or not can't be said but definitely that seemed to be a trick missed on Australia's part.
A big talking point post the completion of the series has been how ineffective Captain Cummins proved to be in the series as a bowler. His series tally of 6 wickets was one of his lowest performances in a career span of more than a decade. Cummins is known to be breaking crucial partnerships at critical junctures of the game even on flattest of wickets. Also his runs with bat lower down the order seemed to be handy for his team in past. But in this series both the aspects seemed missing. Whether it was pressure of a marquee series like this or fitness issues remains unknown.
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| Cummins had a tough series as a bowler Image Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Calistemon |
His decision making as a captain on certain occasions also got criticized which is fair to some extent. His call of bowling first in the final game seemed baffling considering the pitch proved out to be not having much assistance in the first day. Boland-Lyon debate is another one where it felt that Boland's inclusion could have been a better call for the final test. Though he tried all the tricks in terms of bowling changes & field placements when Rickelton-Mulder partnership was going strong but still it has to be accepted that Pat Cummins has done lot better in past both as a captain & bowler.
Calls for inclusion of young blood in Australian test setup has been a constant stuff for a while now. But it seemed like the selectors and team management were pretty adamant as well as careful at the same time in that aspect. Shock inclusion of Maddinson as an opener and again his exclusion after two tests was a baffling decision. Labuschagne has got a longer rope than he actually should have. His below par performance has been a topic of discussion for a longtime now. In absence of Smith he was expected to repay team management's faith by playing a series defining knock in the final test but he failed in both the innings. Ideally this should be the end of his long rope in the test team. But we have to wait for some more time for the selectors' call.
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| Renshaw emerged as Australia's top scorer whereas Marnus had another disappointing series |
Not only Labuschagne rest of the batters too have been the victim of lack of application more often than not in recent past. They have struggled in their home conditions too. Hence it is fair to say that the batting approach needs a fresh start. Whether technical adjustments to the existing ones or inclusion of performers in domestic cricket will be the wayout needs to be seen. But under the current circumstances it looked clear that despite being at the fag end of his career Steve Smith is still the leader of this batting group and life after him can be really challenging if corrective measures not being taken at this time to arrest this trend of consistent batting failures.
Australia is a top side in world cricket for decades now. Under current cricketing environment it's difficult to be super consistent across formats. But considering test cricket has always been Australia's priority it is expected that some tough calls will be made in the coming days to reverse their fortune in a short span of time and amid a packed schedule. No doubt this loss will definitely fire up the eternal champions of cricket and we should see the same team probably with a changed approach in the coming days.
Street Smart Hosts Winning The Race
This South African team seems to be on a mission to achieve whatever their previous generations couldn't. Over the years they have been termed as the perennial underachievers due to their inability to win knockout games in World cups. But last few years seem to be telling a different story. They were the finalists of 2024 T20I World cup. Thy have won the WTC 2025 final against Australia. Last year they have whitewashed India in a test series at their backyard. Now they have beaten Australia too. That shows despite not having any star power which the previous South African teams had they know how to stood up to the occasions. Their graph seems to be going upward. With a home World cup next year they would look to silence all their critics by winning that elusive trophy. That probably would be a nice icing on the cake. Captain Bavuma has previously mentioned too that this team has strong characters and this series win once again proved that. After loosing the first test match the way they made a comeback to win the series against a team like Australia was phenomenal.
Let's start with the most low key member of this team and that's none other than the captain himself. Bavuma has been the real pillar of this team who is guiding them in the right direction. He is not a flamboyant or expressive character like any other World champion team captain. But calmness, methodical approach & ability to absorb pressure are the qualities that make him a great leader of this pack. Though he has a short career as test captain so far but it was a staggering achievement that the loss against Australia in the first test of the series was his first loss as captain.
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| Bavuma's leadership has been exceptional Image Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:BinaryBrainBug&action=edit&redlink=1 |
Tactically he is excellent. He knows his as well as team's strengths very well and accordingly makes his gameplan. The way he batted in the second test match with a pressure of producing a result within three days after most of the first two days getting washed out was outstanding. He was extremely calculative in terms of his bowling changes & playing the match up games against individuals. With his laser-sharp execution he ensured that the opponents can't run away with the game at any point of time during the series. His ability to extract the best out of every individual has helped him earning the respect of his teammates. Similar ideology can be noticed among his players too who believe in keeping things simple.
Despite the loss in the first test they didn't go for big changes. Instead made some tactical changes that brought them fruitful results. They kind of chose horses for courses which forced them to take some tough calls like selecting Harmer over Keshav Maharaj for the final two games. Planning, strategy, execution everything was part of their victory but one thing that stood out in this victory was their hunger to prove themselves at the big stage.
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| Jansen had a great series both with bat & ball Image Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/User:EGilham |
Every individual played their part at different junctures but one player who was outstanding throughout the series both with bat & ball was Marco Jansen. He is slowly shaping out to be one of the prominent figures of this team across formats. His accuracy & rhythm with the ball and aggression with the bat was a delight to watch. His consistent performances in the series earned him the top spot in ICC rankings for test bowlers & all rounders. Australia definitely missed Jansen like influence in the series. With Rabada spearheading the bowling attack and others playing the supporting act Jansen has become a vital cog in this bowling group. His team would expect his rich vein of form continues for a longer period of time.
On a hindsight if we look the major difference between both the teams was a collective effort. Australia's series was earmarked by some of the exceptional individual performances both with bat & ball whereas the home team shone bright with everybody contributing to team's cause. The series is done now and both the teams have already started preparing for their next assignments. Cricket fans definitely had a great time watching these two top teams fighting for the ultimate glory. This series will definitely go as one of the best in the recent times. Test cricket is truly alive is what can be said after a series like this. Cricketing world would expect both the teams to keep playing upto their potential and providing such exciting games in future.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more sporting actions at this space.
Cover Image Credit:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:DustyNail
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:BinaryBrainBug&action=edit&redlink=1
wikipedia.com
Labuschagne image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:DustyNail
Renshaw image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:EGilham
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