The Australians are a funny old bunch. They’re born with a permanent tan, spend most of their time upside-down, celebrate Christmas in the summer and cook every meal on the barbecue. If they’re not indulging in Australia’s two favourite past-times [surfing and crocodile hunting] then it’s because they’re in didgeridoo class. They love the Outback, hate the English and aren’t quite sure what to make of drama teachers [see Chris Lilley’s fantastic Mr G]. Oh, and they’re pretty fond of their cricket.
When England recorded their first Ashes Series victory [3-1] in Australia for 24 years earlier this year, the land down under was in a state of shock. A 6-1 Aussie triumph in the following ODI series spared further embarrassment, but consistency has been hard to come by for the men in yellow recently – a fact highlighted by the manner in which they were ousted out of the Cricket World Cup at the hands of India. The result served to prise another Aussie finger away from the post-Ashes straws at which they had been clutching. From an English perspective, it’s nice to see imperfection in the Australian ranks!
It’s fairly obvious that the Australian cricket team are not at the top of their game – they’re lacking form, confidence and good leadership. Yet, in my opinion, they can still be the best team in world cricket. Here are three causes for Aussie optimism:
1. Shane Watson
Shane Watson, or “Watto” to his teammates, is a “new-breed” cricketer. He hits big, bowls fast and plays hard. He was Australia’s shining light in an otherwise dark Ashes series, consistently scoring well and playing smart cricket. He is also pretty useful with ball-in-hand too, averaging 31.41 runs per wicket at Test level. With Watson in the team, Australia can only get better. He leads [and plays] from the front.
2. Fan base and infrastructure
Cricket has an incredible following in Australia. No other [and larger] cricket-loving nation – India, England, South Africa – has consistently produced such fine cricket teams throughout history. From pre-school playgrounds to the professional arena, Australia places too much emphasis on achieving sporting success to slip away from the top. If the Aussies covet a trophy, they’ll get it. Remember, there are just 22 million people living in Australia. That several of their largest cricket stadia [The Adelaide Oval, The Gabba, The MCG and the WACA] have a greater capacity than England’s biggest venue, Lord’s, is testament to just how serious they are about the sport.
3. Aussie Pride
When Australians lose, it is more than just their reputation that is wounded. It is their pride too. Over the last 20 years, Australia have been the team to beat in world cricket. We’ve all been playing catch-up whilst Warne, Ponting and co have been running the show. This is no longer the case, and the fact that they are now seen as mere mortals, beatable in any form of the game, will fuel a desire to return to the top of the rankings charts. A wounded man is more dangerous than a winning man, for he has nothing to lose but everything to gain. So despite being out of the World Cup, the Australians should certainly not be down about it.
I hope some of this makes sense. Personally I’m an England fan, but I’d love to see the Australians make the next Ashes series a little more interesting. This last one was all too easy.
Blessings
Jonny P Wilson 
I disagree Jonny! A few thoughts…
There is a wide misconception that Australia have been the singular dominant force in modern cricket, largely stemming from the side captained by Steve Waugh in the 1990s and subsequently handed over to Ponting. This isn’t true.
If we look at Allan Border’s side, or even at the era of Lillee and Thompson, it was the West Indies who were the foremost international side. The Waugh brothers themselves broke onto the test scene in a struggling Australian side.
I would argue that the primary reason for Aussie dominance in the 90s was that they had the two best bowlers in the world – Warne and McGrath. Any side with such a spearhead would have a huge advantage – in professional sport confidence, precision and attitude are key [see http://bit.ly/fS90xg for some thoughts on that one…]
Imagine how Michael Atherton might have dominated Australian bowling attacks if it weren’t for Mr McGrath? Mark Ramprakash and Graeme Hick might be held up as the dominant strokemaking players of the 1990s. Arguably only Brian Lara [and in cameos, players like VVS Laxman and Mark Butcher] were able to take on the Aussie attack and win.
Other teams had great individuals. Sri Lanka had Murali, but only Chaminda Vaas to support him [although they won the 1996 World Cup!] By bringing ‘good’ alongside ‘great’ [ie Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Stuart McGill, Michael Kasprowitz] a formidable bowling line-up was established.
In reply to your 3 points;
1. Watson is 30 this year and his injury record is worse than Kieron Dyer’s or Jonathan Woodgate’s. He’s not the future of Aussie cricket.
2. If it were all about fan base, the Indians would be unrivalled…
3. Ricky Ponting is as proud as they come. He’s lost 3 Ashes series!
Dan’s comment is longer than the post. Use your own blog DP!
I wouldn’t say that it’s a misconception that Australia have been the dominant force in modern cricket. They won 26 World cup matches in a row between 1999 and 2011. Over history they have the highest test match win % rate [47], more than 10% higher than the next country.With 16 wins on the trot, they also have the record for most consecutive test wins – a feat they actually have achieved twice within the last 12 years. Yes, I did use Wikipedia…but the stats don’t lie!
In reply to your reply to my 3 points:
1. Watson has a good 4 years left in the tank, enough for 2 Ashes series, a T20 World Cup and an ODI World Cup. 4 years is plenty of time to reignite the Aussie flame, and although there will clearly need to be other catalysts I think he is a good place to start.
2. It’s not just about the fan base, it’s about how that fanaticism looks in practice! Australians turn their love for the game into graft, determination and professionalism. The Indians turn theirs into idolizing their cricketing heroes and religiously supporting their team/country. It’s a culture difference! If every keen Indian chose to follow a career in cricket, they’d be far and away the best team in the world. Yet they show their love for the game in a different manner.
3. Yes he has, including one with Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, Hayden etc! The Australians are undoubtedly going through a sticky patch at the moment, but who’s to say that more players in the vein of McGrath, Warne and co won’t come along soon? They have a tradition of consistently producing cricket’s finest, so to write them off because they no longer have the players of old is a potentially risky move!
Only time will tell, but if I were a gambling man I’d put a safe tenner on the Aussies to win the next Ashes.