This time next year we’ll be approaching the end of the second Ashes series inside 6 months, and we will have been required to do it without Ricky Ponting or Mike Hussey. While many had their doubts that Punter was ever going to make it to England for one last Ashes tour, on the back of his recent form Mr Cricket was considered a certainty … right up until he suddenly announced his retirement following the Boxing Day test.
You don’t simply replace Ricky Ponting, so where does the Australian team go from here. It’s not simply going to be a matter of picking a new batsman for the squad – the batting order and team composition must surely be also up for grabs.
17 years is a long time. Next week Ricky Ponting will end his Test career just a handful of days short of that figure. He’ll end it at the same ground where he made 96 on debut against the Sri Lankans in 1995. He, no doubt, be wanting to provide the best contribution that he can to make sure the Australians get the victory they are seeking to take them back to being the number 1 ranked Test nation. That would be a fitting exit for true champion.
Imran Tahir was left out of the 1st Test in Brisbane, this puzzled many people. In my wrap up I mentioned that while his exclusion was odd that I didn’t think that he would have actually made much difference to the result. It’s now lunch on day 4 of the 2nd Test, and Tahir has match figures of 0/249 off 35 overs (yes, 7.11 rpo), and he’s bowled just one maiden. I feel my comments have, at this point, been validated.
Only a couple of days until the first test in Sri Lanka, and while most of the talk is around who will/won’t make the batting lineup, the bowling lineup too is far from set in stone. Very far.
The Australian selectors have a predicament (just for change), the batting line-up for the first test in Sri Lanka will have a new flavour to it, but just how ‘new’ will it be? This comes as a result of the crazy sacking of Simon Katich, and Steve Smith’s unlucky omission from the squad. The beneficiaries of these decisions are Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh.