If you are in the New Zealand Black Caps camp tonight you are certainly a sad and perhaps concerned team member. The Kiwis are taking on the Australians in down under, the first Test completed at the Gabba in Brisbane with fairly good weather, great pitch and outfield and tremendous support from the locals.
When the Aussies were in South Africa we saw debutant Patrick Cummins bowl very well at age 19. In Brisbane we had the firsts of many: Michael Clarke’s first official Test at home as captain; South African Mickey Arthur’s first Test as the newly appointed head coach of Australia; the sensational debut of James Pattison and another left-arm bowler Mitchell Starc, almost an exact replacement for Mitchell Johnson, who needs to have some medical treatment and could be out for up to five months.
Two things stood out for me in this Test, usually New Zealand give the Aussies a right tough time whether in Christchurch or Brisbane, this time it was not so much the case — dare I even think that Arthur has passed on some wisdom that could have impacted on this team.
But more importantly for me is the next-generation Australians are now on show for all to see and a scary sight it is. There is no Cummins or Johnson in this Test, the skipper, Clarke, dominated the batting line with 139 and Brad Haddin in the runs with a gritty and determined 80. This is what we can expect from this generation, grit and determination with a never-say-die approach to the game. Now add Arthur to this equation and I refer back to a recent press article about his approach to the Aussie team where he pleaded for patience in the rebuilding process.
Well after what Arthur achieved with South Africa and seeing the process unfold before my own eyes this morning with already two clearly talented bowlers representing, the world should sit up and once again take note. Australia is on the way back to dominating world cricket and I hope Gerald Majola and the Cricket South Africa board are around to watch the coach they let go with all types of loose ends dominate again. And in that domination it will be most interesting to see how the excuse-prone South African cricket team fair against them.
As for New Zealand, their claim to fame is clearly only the All Blacks — certainly not rugby refereeing or the Black Caps, who look directionless at the moment.
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