Peter English rates the Australians out of ten
Peter English29-Jan-2008
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9
Brett Lee
Australia might have spluttered on a couple of levels,
but there was no problem with their main bowler. Brett
Lee continued his fine form from the Sri Lanka
campaign and collected back-to-back Man-of-the-Series
awards. He has become a reliable performer since Glenn
McGrath’s departure and added to his reputation with
24 wickets at 22.58 and a victim every 46.7 balls.8.5
Andrew Symonds
Was fortunate with numerous umpiring decisions, but
took full advantage with the bat to post 410 runs. The
undoubted highlight was the unbeaten 162 that took
Australia through the trouble of 6 for 134 to the
comfort of 463 at the SCG. A couple of half-centuries
and nine wickets added significantly to his value.8
Matthew Hayden
Like Glenn McGrath in the 2005 Ashes, Hayden was so
important to the squad that Australia lost the game he
missed. The right thigh problem ruled him out of the
WACA Test and interrupted his outstanding run of 124,
47, 13 and 123. He returned for the final match with
103 and finished with an average of 82.00. With Adam
Gilchrist departing, Hayden’s value has increased
again.7
Michael Hussey
The rise of Hussey has been so strong over the past
couple of years that his series was quiet by his
Everest standards. Only one hundred – 145 not out in
Sydney – and his first zero, which came at a crucial
time with a poor shot in Perth, contributed to his
return of 292 runs at a mean of only 48.66. He
is a leading candidate for the vice-captaincy.Michael Clarke
A mature 118 concluded his campaign in Adelaide, which
also included second-innings fifties in Melbourne and
Perth, but the most memorable moments came in his
dramatic final over at the SCG. With 12 balls to go
Australia wanted three wickets, but Clarke needed only
five to seal the success. He learned from his other
mistakes in that match and will battle with Hussey to
become Ponting’s deputy.6
Phil Jaques
The only match where he didn’t make an important
contribution was in the loss at the WACA, where both
openers experienced double failures. A pair of fifties
opened his series and he recovered from the Perth
disappointment to post a patient 60 in the final Test,
confirming he has the attitude for a lengthy
international career.Ricky Ponting
A two-paced century in Adelaide allowed Ponting to
finish a difficult journey on a high. The sight of
Harbhajan Singh caused significant wobbles in the
opening two Tests and Ponting became a target for his
team’s performance in Sydney. The loss in the third
match added to his pain, but his side regained focus
and worked hard for a draw to record a 2-1 result.Mitchell Johnson
Ponting persevered with Johnson throughout and he
responded with 16 wickets that displayed his promise.
He will need to show more penetration to prove he is
worthy of a long-term appointment and will also hope
to correct a technical problem with his wrist position
at delivery. When given the chance, his batting was
wildly impressive and, thanks to a couple of not outs,
he was briefly averaging the same as Bradman.
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5.5
Stuart Clark
After starring since making his debut, Clark had a
quieter series that wasn’t helped by him constantly
being relegated to No. 3 on Ponting’s fast-bowling
list. A haul of 4 for 28 in Melbourne seemed to set
him up for the rest of the contest, but apart from
another four-victim collection in Perth he was unable
to maintain his potency on pitches that didn’t help.
Clark’s strike-rate of 62.5 was also well down on his
career mark of 49.9.4.5
Adam Gilchrist
It was not the sort of series Gilchrist would have
wished for in his final Test assignments. He dropped a
handful of catches – some easy, some hard – and
managed only one half-century, albeit a crucial one as
Australia struggled in Perth. One of the misses in
Adelaide told him he had to retire and the ovations he
received will be recalled instead of his low output
whenever this series comes up.3.5
Brad Hogg
Showed good signs in his first three innings, taking
two wickets in each, but failed when it mattered on
the final day in Sydney and Adelaide. Without his
dominance of Sourav Ganguly, who he dismissed four
times, Hogg’s series would have been even more barren,
and his best contribution came with 79 under severe
pressure at the SCG. He will look forward to returning
to his preferred one-day format.2
Shaun Tait
The selectors finally gave in to the hype and played
four fast men in Perth, a move that backfired for the
team and Tait. He delivered only 21 overs for the
game, which Australia lost by 72 runs, and did not
capture a wicket on a surface that suited a more
traditional line-up.Chris Rogers
Picked for a home-ground debut when Hayden was
injured, Rogers was unlucky with an lbw decision on 4
in his first innings and looked comfortable in making
15 in the second. Will be ready for a call whenever
Hayden or Jaques slip in the future.
