Changing fortunes in the world of cricket: Australia, India and England

In many ways, World Cricket has seen changing fortunes in the past couple of months. Three of the top test playing nations are witnessing a change; a change few astrologers could have predicted a couple of years ago. Things are changing so fast on the cricket landscape that the World No.1 test ranking has gone from one hand to other between four different test playing nations in the recent past.

While one of them is successfully arresting a major slide, another team has re launched itself amazingly to reach the top of the tree. Amidst all the rise of different kinds, a team from subcontinent has taken an alarmingly risky free fall in the past month.

India-England: One’s loss is other’s gain

DUST OFF!

Our generation of cricket-following public hasn’t got the fortune to realize the impact West Indies had on world cricket in the 70s and 80s. But, Australia helped us understand how the Caribbean teams of the yesteryears where, when they took on the field every time. There was ruthlessness. There was an amazing level of professionalism to their whole game. Each of them, who represented Australia during those years, had earned their spot and they had to endure their share of struggles, successes, agony and joy. You can sense an air of invincibility with each win they recorded all over the globe.

The way Australia started sliding gradually in the past couple of years suggested many that they would take time to get back to their glory days. There was a general feeling and fear in the Australian camp that they would not want to go the West Indies way in the way they kept falling.

However, the team has done spectacularly well to have achieved what they’ve done so far in Sri Lanka especially after Ricky Ponting stepped down. The Argus Report showed the way forward. It was very important for Australia to do a thorough introspection on what had gone wrong and what needs to be done to correct their way to reach their favorite spot in world order.

Michael Clarke took over the new Australia. The selectors were sacked! That search for the spinner’s slot is still on, this time with Nathan Lyon. Like other spinners who have made their debuts for Australia recently, Lyon’s story is also a kind of rags to riches.

The player loan system within the states to promote better quality is a brilliant move to strengthen the domestic structure. The move allows the best players to get promoted to the next level. Having been beaten at home now by South Africa and England, Australia’s reputation is damaged considerably.

Unlike Ponting, Clarke is having a set of rookies at his disposal. He doesn’t have a bowler like McGrath or Warne. Clarke doesn’t have an intimidating opener like Matthew Hayden. Clarke hasn’t exactly found a trusted opening partner for Watson yet. Neither is Brad Haddin, an Adam Gilchrist. Ponting and Hussey, the senior most in the team are in the wrong side of 30s. They probably would have fuel to carry them for another couple of years.

However, this team is developing a tremendous spirit of fighting out hard on the park. Ryan Harris, for one has shown a steely resolve and has all the makings to become a very successful test bowler for Australia in years to come. The hunger to do well in dry surfaces is a welcome attitude for bowlers. More so, when the team is coming off a rough patch.

For starters, the step Australia has taken has been on the positive note. They’re still Numero Uno in the One day format. The way they won the ODI series in Sri Lanka reaffirms their position in this format, despite losing the World Cup earlier in the year. Coming into the test series, they had to show off the quality of resources. And sure they have done it already.

Usman Khawaja is highly spoken of and has shown sparkling promise. Shaun Marsh who took Ponting’s place for Pallekele test has showed the world what lies ahead of Australia’s batting in the future. Philip Hughes is somehow failing to convert starts. T20 specialist, David Warner has grown in stature and is now part of the Australian test set up.

The fast bowlers are probably the most important of the resources to win test matches. The quality suggests that Australia are on the way up. Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris, and a young Trent Copeland offer so much of variety. The likes of Peter George, Clint McKay and Mitchell Starc waiting in the wings make it a healthy competition for the fast bowlers.

One of the main reasons for Australia to lose the Ashes back home was their insipid display on the field. And it looks like they’ve worked extremely hard on it. Michael Clarke took a stunner earlier today to dismiss Mahela Jayawardene while few will forget Michael Hussey’s effort to remove the same batsman in the first innings.

Life wouldn’t have been more challenging for Clarke and his men. In the next few months, they would play some very important tests against South Africa and India. Their performances would determine where they head to.

The dust after demolition has certainly settled down in Australia’s case. The resurrection has also begun in the right note in one of the tougher places to tour and perform! If not for the persistent rain, Sri Lanka would have lost the test series too.

NEW CROWN! NEW THRONE!

Finally the inventors of cricket are crowned the kings of the game! It has been a tremendous journey for most of these English cricketers and for their predecessors. The likes of Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan have as much stake in this rise as much as does Andrew Strauss. Although, Hussain shrugs off his credits, it is almost unimaginable the path England has taken without him leading them through the tough phases, much like how Sourav Ganguly did it for India in the early 2000s.

Deep in the dumps, England had only one way to go to the top. A 12 year journey, that has seen them take some important decisions, is one of the truly inspiring stories for administrators and strategists. The role, Duncan Fletcher had played in England’s reformation is a separate episode to shoot a documentary upon.

It is not easy to shake up a strong establishment from the foundation. More so when it is as big an institution like English cricket. It was one of the biggest turning points in English cricket history. For a group of players who believed county was bigger than country, Fletcher’s views imparted the opposite. With Hussain on top, the team moved on to achieve bigger things on their way to the top.

If a team in this world surely deserves to be World’s No.1 at this point of time, then it has to be England. Much like the Argus Review, Australia had now, England went on with the Schofield review after their 5-0 white wash down under. The suggestions the review had was widely criticized. However, a few of them were implemented. Four years down the lane, as Strauss took over the role from Pietersen via Flintoff, England made their mark world over with the brand of cricket, Australia were famous for a decade ago.

One of the pillars of this success has been the resource strength England have at their disposal. Each of the fast bowlers has looked threatening throughout this summer. There has been no loose deliveries for the Indian batsmen to cash on. When runs have come it has been through some exquisite shots by batsmen.

James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn, Jade Dernbach and Ajmal Shehzad make up a wonderful set of fast bowlers for Strauss to look upon. We haven’t seen much of Ben Stokes. But, the news is that he is another real quick bowler who can crank up to 90 miles an hour regularly. Each English quickie can bowl in excess of 85 mph regularly!

Much like a resurgent Aussie unit, the English possess extremely good variety in their pace attack. Even the Australia of 90s and 2000s possessed a devastating attack even without the likes of Glenn McGrath Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie. There were days when Andy Bichel, Stuart Clark, Michael Kasprowicz and Brad Williams shared a lot of spoil between them.

The backup pace battery has always proved the difference between good and great test teams. Along with the wicket taking ability of the fast bowlers, Graeme Swann’s emergence as a wicket taking option has meant that the opponents have no space to breathe, when they play this England team.

They’ve got all the right makings of a test team that could rule the cricketing world for a long time. Their fast bowlers have a big road ahead in their careers. England’s young batsmen have also thoroughly impressed. Ian Bell and Alastair Cook have shown steely resolve and character in the past couple of seasons.

Strangely, these two batsmen have been found way too soft for international cricket a couple of years ago. They somehow lacked the strength to make it to the next level. It is hard to not see what Flower has done on these batsmen. There is fluency and at the same time a stubborn approach in their game nowadays.

England have a brilliant batting line up to boast of. There is also a right combination of left-right handed batsmen in their line-up. This again reminds me of the Australia of the 90s and 2000s. Cook, Strauss, Trott, Pietersen, Bell and Morgan have all the makings of a batting unit that can amass runs against quality bowling attacks all over the world.

Another important decision that Andy Flower and co took up with respect to the players being wrapped up in cotton and wool, is their presence, or rather their absence in IPL. The English stars haven’t been lured much by the dollars IPL throw away so easily. The fast bowlers, especially, who’ve turned on the heat against India have all been nicely primed for the series, first with a few county games and then with the test series against Sri Lanka.

It must be said that this English team led by Strauss and Andy Flower do a lot of homework behind the doors. The planning has been absolutely impeccable, be it with the tactics against opponents or with the selection policies.

The road ahead would be extremely dodgy for England. They’ve never been in this territory before. But, they definitely have the arsenal to stay on top and defy the Proteas and Australians for a long time, who I reckon would challenge much more than what Indians would do from here on. England, unlike India, have all the right resources to stay on top in international cricket. The administration, the public, the players strongly support test cricket. The county cricket adds lot of value to the longer version of the game. The technology used in England is of the highest quality. The grounds are extremely well maintained with excellent draining facilities.

If anything, England must be proactive in finding spinners as a backup for Graeme Swann. Samit Patel and Monty Panesar look more like the only readily available choices. However, they aren’t as good as Graeme Swann. The news from Lancashire could make English fans feel good about the future. Former England coach, Peter Moores strongly believes that the 22-year old left-arm spinner, Simon Kerrigan is all ready for international cricket despite having played only 17 first class games.

In all accounts, the change in the top had to happen one day. England have worked very hard for years together to put up a team that can be called World beaters. They’ve conquered a number of countries on their way to top. But, their big test would come in the winter of 2012 when they tour India. Anything but a win would doubt their real quality; the same India had to endure this English summer.

Welcome home, the new kings of cricket!

BRUISED! HUMILIATED! THRASHED!

This was totally the unexpected; a script that would certainly not be destined for Captain Cool. For a captain who hadn’t lost a test series until then, losing it 4-0 wouldn’t even be the last thing he would have imagined before landing in London a couple of months ago.

Except for Dhoni and his team, I guess the cricketing fraternity were waiting for the fake emperors to have a crash landing. And sure, they did crash very badly. The over reliance on Zaheer Khan to provide test victories regularly was something India had to do away with. Unfortunately, all their plans were blown apart right on the first day of the Lord’s test.

Dhoni and co. write their destiny themselves. The World Cup victory was completely theirs. So is this debacle Indian cricket is at, now. Injuries are part of the professional sporting set up. It can’t be given as an excuse especially when the player burn outs were waiting to happen in Indian cricket.

The lack of good wicket taking fast bowlers has always been a problem with Indian cricket. Till date, Indian cricket doesn’t even have a half-decent replacement for Zaheer Khan, who is sure to quit cricket sooner than later. With the spate of injuries, Zaheer has had to handle in the recent past and with the age creeping up slowly towards the wrong side of 30s; Khan would hardly be a long term option to trust upon.

Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar did a very appreciable job in England, bowling those long spells. The two in the tour have proved that they are strong both mentally and physically, but when the situation demanded, both of them couldn’t fill the boots of Zaheer. Adding to their woes would be India’s miserable fielding standards. On the tour, where the bowlers had to change the game in supportive conditions, India’s bowlers and fielders had a forgetful outing each time.

With India’s lead spinners not getting any purchase of the wicket, it became increasingly difficult for Dhoni to win with this combination. This will remain an issue even in sub continent. The batsmen will rack up runs with no assistance for fast bowlers, while the spinners will be rendered ineffective!

Former West Indian legend, Michael Holding says India will soon see the damaging effects of IPL on them very soon. He adds on that this is just the beginning and India are waiting for far worse things in international cricket, especially test cricket. Former England test captain, Nasser Hussain also believes that IPL is death for fast bowlers and that has been the difference in the test series.

It is very hard to disagree with the comments these legends have put up. The IPL and the Champions League T20 will be part of Indian cricketers’ calendar from now on and there is no way out of this chaos. If anything, there should be some individual planning for each player and the talent pool should get bigger. We might as well see players retire from international cricket at a very early age.

I don’t think there is any difficulty in finding batting talents. The likes of Pujara, Kohli, Raina, Rohit Sharma and now Rahane are sure to get their chances to make it big in test cricket. However, the quality, the temperament and the experience of Tendulkar-Laxman-Dravid in the middle order will be irreplaceable. R. Ashwin looks to be the successor for Harbhajan Singh in test cricket. But the trouble comes in the pace department.

As long as the pace battery isn’t charged up as much as what South Africans or Australians or English charge up, it is going to be difficult for India to perform very well all over the world. Bowlers need to pick 20 wickets in test matches. Most of the wins, India has had on their way to the top has been mainly because of their batsmen, and a certain Virender Sehwag who has given ample time for his bowlers to pick up wickets and change the game completely.

As Holding said, the worse is yet to come for Indian cricket. Although they were on top of the test ladder for close to two years, they never really looked invincible. They fought hard each series both at home and away. The West Indies tour was a major give away when India had the chance to seal it 2-0. The defensive tactics adopted in Caribbean and the subsequent white wash in England thereafter has taken the total gloss away from the World Cup victory.

Much like England, India had to fight hard for a decade to reach the top spot which saw the team move on from Ganguly to Dravid to Kumble to Dhoni. The journey was long and hard. Dhoni’s men had the torch to reach the final stretch in the race.

The truth however remains India never really got their act together when they were crowned “champions”. The team looks good to be called “challengers” but not “champions” of the world. They might still bamboozle a few by doing really well in the test series in Australia. As long as they don’t find good reserves in each department, India would have to be prepared to face dangerous consequences which they might not have even dreamt in their worst nightmares.

Surely five years down the line, Dhoni should have done way too much to have India at No.1. Anything less, India would definitely find themselves in hot soup with trouble from all quarters in the form of T20 specialists, the administrative politics, the choice of the youth, empty stadiums for test matches, the money to handle for budding cricketers, the skill level of batsmen to face quality fast and spin bowlers, the general fatigue of cricketers playing throughout the year and much more.

Two years ago, the world cricket saw India reach the top of test cricket, while Australia were still on their way down-hill, while England showed continuous progress towards overtaking India. 24 months on, the fortunes have changed.

India are on a free fall now and it looks like it cannot be arrested whatsoever. Australia are showing resolve while the new champions have all the characteristics to remain invincible for years together.