da pixbet： Peter English rates the Australians out of ten
Peter English29-Jan-2008
Brett Lee was Australia’s most dangerous and consistent contributor © Getty Images
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Brett Lee
Australia might have spluttered on a couple of levels,but there was no problem with their main bowler. BrettLee continued his fine form from the Sri Lankacampaign and collected back-to-back Man-of-the-Seriesawards. He has become a reliable performer since GlennMcGrath’s departure and added to his reputation with24 wickets at 22.58 and a victim every 46.7 balls.8.5
Andrew Symonds
Was fortunate with numerous umpiring decisions, buttook full advantage with the bat to post 410 runs. Theundoubted highlight was the unbeaten 162 that tookAustralia through the trouble of 6 for 134 to thecomfort of 463 at the SCG. A couple of half-centuriesand nine wickets added significantly to his value.8
Matthew Hayden
Like Glenn McGrath in the 2005 Ashes, Hayden was soimportant to the squad that Australia lost the game hemissed. The right thigh problem ruled him out of theWACA Test and interrupted his outstanding run of 124,47, 13 and 123. He returned for the final match with103 and finished with an average of 82.00. With AdamGilchrist departing, Hayden’s value has increasedagain.7
Michael Hussey
The rise of Hussey has been so strong over the pastcouple of years that his series was quiet by hisEverest standards. Only one hundred – 145 not out inSydney – and his first zero, which came at a crucialtime with a poor shot in Perth, contributed to hisreturn of 292 runs at a mean of only 48.66. Heis a leading candidate for the vice-captaincy.Michael Clarke
A mature 118 concluded his campaign in Adelaide, whichalso included second-innings fifties in Melbourne andPerth, but the most memorable moments came in hisdramatic final over at the SCG. With 12 balls to goAustralia wanted three wickets, but Clarke needed onlyfive to seal the success. He learned from his othermistakes in that match and will battle with Hussey tobecome Ponting’s deputy.6
Phil Jaques
The only match where he didn’t make an importantcontribution was in the loss at the WACA, where bothopeners experienced double failures. A pair of fiftiesopened his series and he recovered from the Perthdisappointment to post a patient 60 in the final Test,confirming he has the attitude for a lengthyinternational career.Ricky Ponting
A two-paced century in Adelaide allowed Ponting tofinish a difficult journey on a high. The sight ofHarbhajan Singh caused significant wobbles in theopening two Tests and Ponting became a target for histeam’s performance in Sydney. The loss in the thirdmatch added to his pain, but his side regained focusand worked hard for a draw to record a 2-1 result.Mitchell Johnson
Ponting persevered with Johnson throughout and heresponded with 16 wickets that displayed his promise.He will need to show more penetration to prove he isworthy of a long-term appointment and will also hopeto correct a technical problem with his wrist positionat delivery. When given the chance, his batting waswildly impressive and, thanks to a couple of not outs,he was briefly averaging the same as Bradman.
Brad Hogg’s exuberant celebrations were few and far between © Getty Images
5.5
Stuart Clark
After starring since making his debut, Clark had aquieter series that wasn’t helped by him constantlybeing relegated to No. 3 on Ponting’s fast-bowlinglist. A haul of 4 for 28 in Melbourne seemed to sethim up for the rest of the contest, but apart fromanother four-victim collection in Perth he was unableto maintain his potency on pitches that didn’t help.Clark’s strike-rate of 62.5 was also well down on hiscareer mark of 49.9.4.5
Adam Gilchrist
It was not the sort of series Gilchrist would havewished for in his final Test assignments. He dropped ahandful of catches – some easy, some hard – andmanaged only one half-century, albeit a crucial one asAustralia struggled in Perth. One of the misses inAdelaide told him he had to retire and the ovations hereceived will be recalled instead of his low outputwhenever this series comes up.3.5
Brad Hogg
Showed good signs in his first three innings, takingtwo wickets in each, but failed when it mattered onthe final day in Sydney and Adelaide. Without hisdominance of Sourav Ganguly, who he dismissed fourtimes, Hogg’s series would have been even more barren,and his best contribution came with 79 under severepressure at the SCG. He will look forward to returningto his preferred one-day format.2
Shaun Tait
The selectors finally gave in to the hype and playedfour fast men in Perth, a move that backfired for theteam and Tait. He delivered only 21 overs for thegame, which Australia lost by 72 runs, and did notcapture a wicket on a surface that suited a moretraditional line-up.Chris Rogers
Picked for a home-ground debut when Hayden wasinjured, Rogers was unlucky with an lbw decision on 4in his first innings and looked comfortable in making15 in the second. Will be ready for a call wheneverHayden or Jaques slip in the future.