Australia’s shambolic series to defeat to Pakistan highlighted worrying signs on and off pitch
Australia needs to be careful as it manages an ageing champion team – and a potentially disinterested fan base. If this is the future, we can see why they’re clinging desperately to the present.
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For Australian cricket fans, the contrast was sad and jolting.
At the same time as a no-name, understrength, catch-fumbling Australian cricket team was being brutally mauled by Pakistan in front of a depressingly small crowd in Perth, things were rocking in Sydney.
Cricket used to own November.
Rugby league skittling cricket in November – especially with a new competition of shaky origins – is a bit like Santa Claus being upstaged by the Easter bunny on Christmas Day.
It shouldn’t happen.
But cricket was an easy target on Sunday.
The three-match 50 over series against Pakistan was a poor way for Australia to start the summer on so many levels.
The fact that Australia had seven players missing in Perth was a bit like saying to fans, “I know you don’t rate this series and neither do we really.”
Not even the presence of four West Australians in Australia’s team in Perth could make the locals care.
The fans are not silly. They can smell a cheap sell from a mile away.
To make it worse, the three matches against Pakistan were Australia’s only 50 over games of the summer.
Had it not been for Pat Cummins heroics in the first game Australia would have lost the series 3-0, which it deserved to do after no batsman scored 50 in an innings or 100 for the series.
If this is the future of the Australian team no wonder Australia is clinging so vigorously to the present.
Australia’s averages in this series were sorrowful with batsmen Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Hardie all struggling.
Cricket must be careful about putting on more series like this.
So popular are the winter sports in Australia that they have narrowed the window to where people are fully focused on cricket to about seven weeks of the year.
It is small and getting smaller. Each game is important and cannot be trivialised.
The competition for people’s attention has never been greater. People know a dud when they see one.
Australia’s Test team has just one player – new boy Nathan McSweeney – younger than 30 and it must worry who is coming through in the next generation.
Following a golden generation is never easy.
When Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and Greg Chappell retired together in 1984 Australia soon went four years without winning a Test series.
Four years!
The selectors must ensure the team does not slip down that rabbit hole again.
Originally published as Australia’s shambolic series to defeat to Pakistan highlighted worrying signs on and off pitch
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