Thursday 22 November 2007

Australian Summer of boredom?

Are we in for another one of those summers of cricket where we wait for something to happen, and it doesn't?

Australia has just hosted Sri Lanka, and despite one batsman's resistance to the Aussie onslaught, the tests were all over by the end of day one.
While India, our next test opponents, are one of the top test nations in the world, they rarely do well away from home. And, like most visiting countries to Australia, it takes them a long while to warm up.
Could we see four more tests as one sided as the previous test series here? The answer, I fear, is a resounding, Yes.
India are currently hosting Pakistan, and the first test has just started. I personally am holding my breathe that India will be challenged by Pakistan, and be able to use the test series as a good warm up to face the worlds best. However, Pakistan are a team in trouble, and are very likely to just roll over and take what a beating. The test series before that for India was a series in England and one in Bangladesh. While both series were victories (England 1-0 with 2 drawn, and bangladesh 1-0 with one drawn) Neither can hardly be called convincing. The draw with Bangladesh, had there been a little more time, would have likely swung to the Bangladeshis. And the trip to England contained two drawn tests and a lost one day series.

The Indians have, in recent times, been under performers. Gone are the days when a devastating middle order consisting of some of the world greatest batsmen. While Dravid Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly take up the middle order, their potency has waivered, they are not the fearful combination that they were last time India travelled down under. Perhaps the reason for India's decline in the Test arena is that they have put too many eggs into the Twenty-20 basket. The middle order has forgotten how to craft together an innings.

Hopefully I am wrong, and from Boxing day 2007 India take it to the Australians, and we are all treated to a brilliant summer of cricket...but I am not holding my breathe.

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