Australia set for a world of hurt on Ashes tour, and more to come in India too

Australia’s cricketers have turned to a simple video from a former Test star in a bid to solve their Indian sweep horrors. Watch it here.

English great Michael Vaughan believes it’s time for Australian cricket to ask itself a chastening question … why has our country suddenly stopped producing great players?

Vaughan believes beneath the inevitable chat about no warm-up games, homemade decks and injuries during Australia’s Indian tour debacle lies a deeper issue about Australia’s cricketing production line.

“The Aussies have to be honest … where are all the potentially great players coming through the system?’’ Vaughan told News Corp from England.

“They used to have a conveyor belt of players coming through state cricket … where are they now?’’

Vaughan well remembers the days when players like Darren Lehmann (27 Tests), Stuart Law (one Test) and Martin Love (five Tests) could find no vacancy in the Test side despite stellar first class averages that hovered around and, in Lehmann’s case, well above 50.

Who are the next ‘Pat Cummins’ (L) and ‘Travis Head’ (R) for Australia? Picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP

As promising as Cam Green and Travis Head are, Marnus Labuschagne is the last exceptional batsman produced by Australia but in the eight years since he made his first class debut the pickings have been thin.

There is no Australian batsman in the Test wilderness who could consider himself unlucky not to be in the squad and Australia has not produced an exceptional fast man since current trio Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc came through a decade ago.

And Vaughan sees great challenges ahead for Australia on this year’s Ashes tour against an England team playing a bruising brand of cavalier cricket that often sees them gallop along at near run a ball pace.

“I get the sense England don’t fear too many of the Aussie batters in English conditions,’’ he said. “Recent history tells you only Steve Smith and Marnus really know how to play the moving ball in England.

“It will be Jimmy (Anderson’s) and Broady’s (Stuart Broad) swan song so I just can’t see them easing up at all.’’

The English batsmen are brutal in attack – pictured is Joe Root of England bats during day two of the Second Test Match between New Zealand and England at Basin Reserve on February 25. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Under new skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum England have won 10 of their last 11 Tests with a lightning scoring rate Vaughan suggested will be maintained against Australia.

“The scoring rate of England won’t drop. They will score fast and then try and squeeze the Aussies. From the outside it looks like the Aussies have a few issues. Selection seems inconsistent and if they don’t get it right early in the Ashes I see only one outcome.’’

Vaughan wrote a column in the London Telegraph this week suggesting this English team were so intimidating that rivals had already started making bad selections against them and, in time, players suffering from minor injuries may occasionally not want to play them for fear of embarrassing themselves.

“People can do a runner against the best teams, not because injuries aren’t real, but because they know they have to be completely on the money,’’ Vaughan wrote.

“The idea of bowling 20 overs, two for 40 is impossible against England. Your 20 overs are more likely to bring five for 120. It makes bowlers wonder how they are going to manage.’’

Australia has two Tests to play in India before returning to Australia and choosing an 18 man Ashes squad.

Such has been the mayhem in India that only just over half of the 18 spots are secure, a telling consequence of the sudden turbulence.

But back to India …

The Australian team walk off after they were defeated by India during day three of the Second Test match in the series between India and Australia. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

THE MOUNTAIN CLIMB

Much has been said about Australia taking on India without a lead-up game and former coach John Buchanan has spelt out a sobering fact for touring sides.

“If touring teams are going to have schedules where they arrive just before the first Test – and that is the modern way – it does make you wonder how really good teams like India are going to get beaten,’’ Buchanan said.

“It just makes it so hard to win. On tours of England people used to talk about some of the weak English county sides that we played against and how they were basically second XIs. That may be right but it still helped us get used to the local conditions.’’

Buchanan felt Australia’s tour of India in 2001 when they lost a tight series 2-1, set them up for victory in 2004 and the wisdom of local legends helped them.

“I remember we spoke to (Indian spin great) Bishen Bedi and he told us that batsmen had two main options when it came to playing the spinners in India. Use your feet and get as close to the pitch of the ball as possible or go back and get as far away from the pitch as you can, let it spin, and play it off the back foot. It was great advice.’’

Usman Khawaja of Australia bats during an Australia Test squad training session at Arun Jaitley Stadium on February 24. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

THE GAME PLAN

So where to now for Australia in the final two Tests? How can they remodel their play against the dreaded sweep shot which triggered their demise in the second Test in Delhi.

There were whispers from India that Australian players have spent time discussing a “how to play the sweep shot’’ video tweet Test great Ian Healy shot at the SEN radio studios in Brisbane where he performed a range of sweeps in front of a city skyline backdrop and a little garbage bin for stumps.

True to Healy’s no-nonsense way, it radiated simple, time-proven logic … if the ball in on your stumps don’t sweep it, get forward to it and either defend it with a straight bat or drive firmly.

That will force the bowler to change his line to outside the stumps and that brings the sweeps – conventional and reverse into play.

“It just feels as if they have got used to the conditions and are ready to play now and cop the furnace of cricket in India – but they are two Tests down,’’ Healy told News Corp.

“It takes time to get used to the SG Ball which they use in India and the pace to bowl.

How and when should players go about the sweep shot?@SENQLD's Ian Healy gives us a tutorial!#INDvAUS#Cricketpic.twitter.com/p6bvXX2RzA

— SEN Cricket (@SEN_Cricket) February 21, 2023

They’ve got that now but they are 2-0. I know they arrived late but they still had time to play a tour game if they wanted one.’’

On his radio show on Friday morning Healy said he hoped Pat Cummins did not overburden himself by staying too long as Australian captain.

“I would like to see him finish his career as a tearaway fast bowler and someone else with the captaincy burden,’’ Healy said.

A month ago Cummins lauded the current team as the best he had played in but suddenly the world has changed and there are challenges at every turn.

That is what Indian tours can do to you.

Originally published as Australia set for a world of hurt on Ashes tour, and more to come in India too