The English sports media are like a used car salesman. Before every major sporting event they will talk up their team or their athletes and tell everyone who wants to listen how they are going to win, that there is no team that can match them. Then when they don’t win they turn and suddenly the team or ‘the car’ is the worst imaginable. They never made all of those statements about the team! Caveat emptor, buyer beware!
On the other hand the Australian press are like an Insurance salesman. They will tell you, and at times you are convinced that they believe it, that their teams are unbeatable. Then when a disaster happens and they lose – every loss is a disaster these days! – they absolve themselves of any responsibility. It is never the players or the team who have had an off day. They never misread the situation by becoming too carried away with their own team’s form. It will be an umpiring decision, the pitch, the coach, any number of reasons for this shock loss will be trotted out, but it will never be their fault and rarely will they admit they were beaten by a better team.
Which makes the press over the weekend turning on Justin Langer almost predictable.
Although how many of these very same news outlets have been saying through the various Australian Cricket Coaches reigns that you don’t need a coach in cricket? Yet when they lose its all the coach’s fault.
Incredibly in one article the coach was criticised for refusing to allow a play to take a toasted sandwich onto the pitch in his pocket during the Brisbane Test against India. While that may be acceptable behaviour at club level, it is clearly not the image the game needs at international level. As Langer pointed out, after the sandpaper incident in South Africa Australian players should be very wary what they take onto the pitch in their pockets.
International Test Cricket has changed a great deal from yesteryear, players leave the field of play almost at will, and then the 12th man is on and off far more than in days gone by. If they cannot be sure they have eaten enough before heading out onto the field of play maybe they need to reconsider their job.
Langer was one of the most disciplined cricketers in Australia during his playing days. He was also a player who worked extremely hard at his game to stay competing at the highest level. He was a fighter, a man who would never give up, but most of all he took pride in walking out to the middle representing his country. You could sense that pride in the way he carried himself.
Now he is being accused of being too hard on the players! Seriously?
Just as Langer had to do when he took over the Western Australian team, he had to change things. In the Western Australian team at the time players were turning up for Sheffield Shield matches in dirty whites, something that was understandably totally unacceptable to a perfectionist like Langer. He restored pride in playing for Western Australia and success came on the pitch in the Big Bash League. Success will come with Australia, but it will be much harder.
Many will ask why will it become harder? The answer is simple, development. The number of people playing cricket in Australia has been dropping over the past two decades, which means that the talent pool is reducing. Linked to that monies that are supposed to be spent on development in all sports are being chewed up by administration. Many of those involved in the development of the next generation of players are now no longer there for the love of the game, they are there for the money. This is a completely different motivation.
There is talent in Australia of that there is no doubt, but now many of those talented players are being rewarded financially before they have actually achieved anything. This is not just the case in Australia but around the world. With money thrown at players to play in the Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League some players are millionaires without every having represented their country.
Unlike Justin Langer who worked hard to not only be given the opportunity to represent Australia but also to receive his just rewards, many of those under him have already been rewarded. Where is the fire in the belly to succeed, to work hard, to be self-critical. This is when you find out what a player’s motivation is. Is it the love of the game, and the joy of playing? Or is it a job in which they will be set up for life?
Many dismissed Langer as an “average test batsman” when he broke into the national side. Yet when he retired he had opened the batting with Matthew Hayden in more than 100 Test innings, and they had amassed 5654 runs while batting together in partnerships. Only Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes of the West Indies have scored more Test runs as a partnership, with 6482. Langer and Hayden averaged 51 runs per partnership. Langer’s own Test average was 45.27 which has him 29th of all time in Australia.
Of the current players Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are sitting third and fourth both with averages in the 60’s and David Warner is sitting at 17th with an average of 48.09.
Looking back at the Border- Gavaskar Test series it would be fair to say that without the efforts of Labuschagne and Smith the series may well have been more one-sided in India’s favour. Labuschangne was the only Australian batsman to average over 50, Smith averaged 44.71 and the only other Australian to average over 40 was their under-siege captain, Tim Paine. Two averaged in the 30’s, Cameron Green and Will Pucovski.
India on the other hand had Rishabh Pant average 68.50, Shubman Gill 51.80, Ravindra Jadeja courtesy of one not out averaged 85, and Washington Sundar 42. They had five other batsmen average in the 30’s.
Was the failure of the Australian batsmen to perform down to the coach? Or was it a lack of application by the players themselves?
The press in Australia boasted that they had their ‘best bowling attack ever’ at the start of the series. This possibly came about because many of the media outlets now employ staff straight out of university because they are cheap. Sadly these young writers are unaware of cricket before they were born, and clearly few are students of the game. By the end of this series these claims were laughable.
Interesting the Sydney Morning Herald piece reported claims that Langer was “micromanaging the bowlers.” This was no doubt supposed to explain their lack of success. Langer’s response was “It’s actually the opposite of what happens, I never talk about statistics to the bowlers, ever. I don’t go to any of the bowlers’ meetings. That’s what the bowlers’ coach is meant to be doing. I don’t do any of that. I never, ever, ever speak to any of the bowlers about any of that sort of stuff. And the learnings of the last few months are I should start looking at that more.”
The failure of the bowlers to take wickets reminds one of the 2000/01 Border – Gavaskar Trophy series in India. India lost the first Test by 10 wickets. In the second it looked as if it may be a similar result with India forced to follow on after Australia made 445 and India were bowled out for 171. Australia were looking likely to achieve their 17th consecutive victory. No one had accounted for what was to follow, an epic 376-run partnership between V. V. S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid. The pair batted together for an entire day, and allowed India to set Australia an imposing target of 384 to win on the final day. Australia lost 7/56 in the final session, collapsing from 166/3 to be bowled out for 212. India had secured a famous victory. They also became only the third team to win a Test match after following on.
Australia’s bowling attack in this Test was again one to envy, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz. In India’s second innings McGrath was the pick of the bowlers with 3/103 from 39 overs. Gillespie took 2/115 from 31 overs, Kasprowicz 0/139 off 35 and Shane Warne 1/152 off 34 overs.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell tells the story of how he asked Shane Warne how he thought he bowled that day, “I don’t think I bowled that badly” was Warne’s reply. “You didn’t.” Chappell responded.
The fact was VVS Laxman and Rahul David batted superbly. In the press conference post game members of the press marvelled at how Laxman had consistently dealt with Shane Warne on a wicket where the ball was spinning a great deal. There was almost disbelief that this great bowler could have been played in such a manner. Laxman without a sniff of arrogance, simply replied, “I happen to be a very good player of spin bowling,” or words to that affect. Those words are a lasting memory. Great batsman can play great bowlers.
No matter how good a bowling attack any team that has good technique and application can conqueror it. India went on to win the last test in Chennai and wrap up the series.
Just as in this summer Australia won the first test by 8 wickets, and India fought back to win the second. The third test where they defied the odds not just to hang on for a draw but almost win the match set up their victory in the final test. Their batsman had used technique, application, a bit of luck and bucket loads of courage to blunt the Australian attack. To be fair Australia’s bowlers made some poor choices in terms of their deliveries, but this is taking away from the play of India.Their batsmen put the pressure back on the Australian bowlers.
How can any of this be the fault of the coach? The inquest continues into how Australia lost the series and there is speculation that players will be dropped before the South African tour. When the simple fact is Australia were beaten by a better side. A side that applied themselves better, worked harder and were clearly hungry for victory rather than a toasted sandwich when they took to the field!
