Aussies humbled

— The recent losses suffered by Australia against India and South Africa suggest that the era of complete domination by the Kangaroos may just be over. Though it is too early to write them off completely, there is no doubt that they have never been so vulnerable in the recent past. Now there are visible chinks in their armour, which teams like India and South Africa are capitalising on successfully. Ponting’s men did pull one back on the Proteas in the last Test at Sydney. But it was an unconvincing win with South African skipper Graeme Smith batting last with a broken finger. This win was hardly an indication that Australia can turn things around pretty soon. The supremacy with which Australia used to keep at bay pretenders to the top spot like India and South Africa is obviously fizzling out. The differences with other teams have narrowed considerably, which is reflected in the ICC rankings as well. Again, it is also not merely that Australia is losing its grip. India and South Africa are also emerging as formidable units not just in terms of skills but also in displaying the right attitude, led as they are by captains that prefer to look the Aussies in the eye. The top three teams Australia, South Africa and India are now evenly spaced and this is raising the level of competitiveness and making the game more interesting, especially from the spectators’ point of view.

The fact that Australia is no longer the force it used to be does not mean, however, that a revival cannot take place very soon. In fact, there are several factors behind Australia’s recent slide. Some critics point to a systemic failure. But any team suddenly faced with a void created by McGrath, Warne and Gilchrist and stalwarts like Langer and Martyn is bound to struggle. Ponting’s woes have been compounded by the listless form of Hayden and Brett Lee. Symonds, a key man not too long ago, has also been out of sorts. Australia has managed reasonably well despite such difficulties, and has not allowed opponents to walk all over it. Right now, it is overall a period of transition for Australia. It has gone through such times before, but everytime they have come out stronger. This had happened when the Chappells and the Lillees retired in the early 80s, and Kim Hughes resigned a couple of years later, leaving Border to rebuild the team with the likes of Boon, Marsh, Waugh twins and McDermott. In the early 90s, Taylor, McGrath and Warne arrived in the scene and Australians soon replaced West Indies as the “invincibles”. Sometime in near future too, emergence of new stars and growing experience of the current performers could gradually take Australia to where it belonged. Who knows, it could herald another era of their domination in world cricket! source: assam tribune