The Reverse Sweep

Tweedledum & Tweedledee made new Australian Cricket Captain & Vice-Captain

 
One of Ricky Ponting’s most admirable traits as Australian cricket captain was that in a time of snore-a-thon press conferences, Ponting seemed to say what he actually thought.

New captain Michael Clarke is a very different animal.

Even if he has any thoughts of his own (and we doubt that), he seems more than happy to utter the nothingness provided to him by the faceless marketing people at Cricket Australia - providing of course that anything about himself is in the third person. Anyone that survives a Clarke press conference without falling asleep deserves a knighthood.

Clarke hardly exudes positivity either, so the fact that the man with the worst body language in the team – Shane Watson – has been made vice-captain must be a concern for Australian cricket fans.

Every time Watson runs out a colleague, is given out, hit for a boundary or has an appeal turned down by the umpire he pretty much bursts into tears and looks inconsolable.

That isn’t what the Australian cricket team needs.

The team is at rock bottom at the moment and what it needs is a tough Allan Border or Steve Waugh type character to shake them up, encourage the youngsters, instil character and unity, and ultimately lead them out of the mire.

Instead they have Tweedledum and Tweedledee – two preening metrosexuals who look like they will go crying to Mummy at the first sign of trouble.  

Clarke and Watson would appear to be more concerned with moisturisers, tattoos and their own private ‘who can be the most boring at press conferences’ competition than having the requisite skills to lead the Australian cricket team out of the abyss.

It is almost like putting C3PO and Jar Jar Binks in charge of the Millennium Falcon.

It's a good bet that England will be keeping the Ashes for some time yet.

Where next?

Ricky Ponting falls on his sword, but leaves with his head held high

Michael Clarke joins Linkin Park?

Ricky Ponting's "up yours" message to Cricket Australia

Cricket Zeroes: Shane Watson

Read all our 2011 World Cup posts here

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

4th Test: Melbourne - Preview: Can England reprise glory of 1986?

 
The last time England retained the Ashes down under was in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne in 1986 when they crushed Australia by an innings and 14 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. With the debacle at Perth now behind them, Andrew Strauss' side has a second opportunity to retain the urn at the same Melbourne Cricket Ground over the coming days.

In the lead-up to the 4th test there has been much speculation about the late switch to a much greener looking pitch, which has given hope to Australians that Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris will find a similarly helpful, fast and bouncy wicket to the one that suited them so much at Perth. This is probably wishful thinking on behalf of the home side and the usual slow Melbourne pitch is a much more likely proposition.

This means that Australia will have to think hard about the make-up of their side. Do they risk going in again with four specialist quicks and the part-time spin of Steve Smith? Or do they hand Michael Beer a test debut in place of either Peter Siddle or Ben Hilfenhaus? Dropping the former would mean that Australia would lose its chief snarler in what appeared to be a new 'in your face' approach in Perth.

England also have decisions to make as to the make-up of the bowling attack, although Andy Flower confirmed earlier this week that they will stick to their four-man bowler approach in the absence of a world-class all-rounder. This is no surprise especially as Matt Prior isn't in the form to justify an elevation to number six.

Likely line-ups

England are likely to be unchanged although Tim Bresnan or Ajmal Shahzad may come in for Steve Finn if the latter is deemed to need a rest by the England management. other than that the only change could be Ian Bell being promoted to five ahead of Paul Collingwood.

For Australia, Ricky Ponting is almost certain to play despite a broken little finger and surely they won't repeat their error of The Oval 2009 by going in without a specialist spinner? If Beer does get the nod, expect Siddle to be the one carrying the drinks. Australia also has the option of bolstering the batting by playing Ponting's stand-by Usman Khawaja instead of Smith at number six.

Look out for…

We tipped Kevin Pietersen to end his long quest for a century in our preview of the Adelaide Test and despite crashing back down to earth in Perth, we fully expect him to reach three figures here again in Melbourne.

Ricky Ponting is too great a batsman not to stamp his influence on this series and despite his broken digit and poor run of scores, we would be very surprised if he doesn't make a significant score on the biggest of stages.

Finally, Graeme Swann had a quiet game in Perth after his seven wickets in Adelaide, but the surface at the MCG is likely to suit him better and we wouldn't be surprised to see him star in the 2nd innings. Australia may come to regret not picking their best spinner - the in-form Nathan Hauritz instead of the untried Beer.

Previously at Melbourne

Scene of the first ever Test match in 1877, there have been 53 encounters between England and Australia at the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia has the advantage with 27 wins to England’s 19 and perhaps a clue to the outcome of the 2010 edition is that there have only been 7 draws.

2006 – Australia won by an innings and 99 – England suffered a Boxing Day hangover as they were bundled out for just 159 with Warne taking his 700^th Test wicket. England struck back by reducing Australia to 84/5 before Hayden and Symonds both reached 150. England then capitulated for a second time for 161 for yet another woeful defeat on the most dispiriting of tours.

2002 – Australia won by five wickets – Justin Langer hit 250 as Australia amassed a powerful 551/6 and then England only managed 20 more runs than Langer made on his own. They did better after following on with Michael Vaughan scoring a sparkling 145 as England at least set Australia a target. They then restored further pride by taking five wickets as Australia stumbled over the winning line.

1998 – England won by 12 runs – A pulsating test match with a dramatic climax. Rain ruined day one but Alec Stewart scored a captain’s hundred as England made 270. Steve Waugh (122) then masterminded runs from the tail as Australia led by 70. And when England could only make 244 in their second innings and Australia reached 130/3 in pursuit of 162 all seemed lost. Step forward Dean Headley – who engineered a spectacular collapse and a famous England win.

1986 – England won by an innings and 14 – Mike Gatting’s side secured the retention of the urn with a crushing victory in the Boxing Day Test. Gladstone Small and Ian Botham took five apiece as Australia could only muster 141. Then Chris Broad’s third successive hundred provided the bedrock of England’s 208 1^st innings lead. Phil Edmonds and John Emburey then spun England to victory.

1982 – England won by 3 runs – The forerunner to Edgbaston 2005. An extremely tight match saw all four innings total between 284 and 294. When Australia were 218 for nine chasing 292 all looked lost for the home side. But Border and Thomson took them to within sight of the finishing line before that man Botham struck inducing an edge from Thomson that Tavare parried into the hands of a grateful Miller.

Prediction

If the weather holds true then the MCG is a result wicket and we fully expect England to win a tight encounter and therefore retain the Ashes with the final test in Sydney still to come.

Where next?

Dear Santa...

Read KP's Ashes Diary exclusively at the Reverse Sweep

Dean Headley's 15 minutes of fame

Read all the latest from our Ashes 2010/11 coverage

The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests of them all: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

If you like this, follow us on Twitter @thereversesweep

Ashes 100-1: 12 - The 25 Greatest Ashes Tests: Part 3 of 3

 
Today we conclude our mini-series of the 25 greatest Ashes tests of all time (see also Part 1 and Part 2 of the Greatest Ashes Tests ever) with the final nine starting in 1977 and ending in 2009.

Centenary Test, Melbourne, 12-17 March 1977 - Australia won by 45 runs: Not strictly an Ashes Test as the urn wasn't at stake, but this match staged to commemorate the first-ever Test exactly 100 years earlier was a classic. Australia were shot out for 138 before Lillee turned the table on England with six for 26 as England could only muster 95. Rod Marsh then struck 110 as Australia set England a mammoth 463 for victory. Amazingly they got close and at one point were 346 for four. But when Randall fell for a brilliant 174 the end was nigh and Australia scraped home by 45 runs - the same margin as in that first test 100 years before.

3rd Test, Headingley, 16-21 July 1981 - England won by 18 runs: For the first three days, England were completely outplayed and followed on. It seemed inevitable that Australia were about to go 2-0 up in the series. Then Botham with able support from Dilley and Old smashed 149 not out and Willis roared in with eight for 43 to enable England, who at one point had been 500/1 for the win, to score an amazing victory.

4th Test, Edgbaston, 30 July-2 August 1981 - England won by 29 runs: Lightning struck twice for Australia in the very next match when they looked like winning a low scoring encounter at Edgbaston. Set 151 to win, they eased to 87 for three before Botham produced his second miracle of the summer grabbing five for one in 28 balls to secure a 29-run victory.

4th Test, Melbourne, 26-30 December 1982 - England won by 3 runs: An extremely tight match saw all four innings total between 284 and 294. When Australia were 218 for nine chasing 292 all looked lost for the home side. But Border and Thomson took them to within sight of the finishing line before that man Botham struck inducing an edge from Thomson that Tavare parried into the hands of a grateful Miller.

4th Test, Melbourne, 26-30 December 1998 - England won by 12 runs: England were 2-0 down and the Ashes had already gone coming into the Boxing Day Test. But some unlikely seasonal cheer came their way when Australia collapsed chasing 175 - sliding from 130 for three to 162 all out. Dean Headley had his moment in the sun with six wickets whilst Steve Waugh scored 122 not out and 30 not out.

2nd Test, Edgbaston, 4-7 August 2005 - England won by 2 runs: The best test in history? McGrath and that cricket ball. Ponting wins the toss and inexplicably puts England in. England score over 400 on day one and lead by 99 on 1^stinnings. The Aussies fightback but a last wicket stand of 51 from Flintoff and Simon Jones enables England to set the Aussies 282 to win. A magical over by Flintoff accounts for Langer and Ponting. A magnificent slower ball from Harmison bamboozles Clarke. Lee with Warne and then Kasprowicz take Australia to the precipice of victory before Harmison and Geraint Jones combined to win the day for England. Flintoff consoles Lee. Breathtaking.

4th Test, Trent Bridge, 25-28 August 2005 - England won by 3 wickets: England dominated the match with a century from Flintoff and five wickets for Simon Jones. But in pursuit of only 129 for victory after Australia had followed on, panic set in against an inspired Warne and Lee. Giles and Hoggard were the unlikely heroes that steered England home.

2nd Test, Adelaide, 1-5 December 2006 - Australia won by six wickets: Disaster and ignominious defeat for England and glory for Australia. A double-hundred for Collingwood and 158 from Pietersen saw England declare on 551 for six. Hoggard took seven wickets as Australia conceded a 38 run lead - it should have been more but Giles dropped Ponting and the Australian captain cashed in with 142. With a draw the most likely result, England caved in on the last day to be all out for 129 with an inspirational Warne pulling the strings and Australia cantered to victory and ultimately a 5-0 series win.

5th Test, The Oval, 20-23 August - England won by 197 runs: With the series level at 1-1, the momentum was with Australia after a crushing win at Headingley in the 4th Test. But Strauss won a crucial toss and led from the front with 55 and Bell top-scored with 72 as England scored 332. Then with Australia cruising at 73 for o, Stuart Broad (five for 37) bowled an inspired spell as the tourists were reduced to 111 for seven and finally 160 all out. Jonathan Trott then struck a composed hundred on debut with Strauss hitting his second fifty of the match to help set Australia an unlikely 546 for victory. At 217 for two, England were nervous but Flintoff's run out of Ponting proved to be decisive and the Ashes had been regained.

Where next?

Read all the articles of our Ashes 100 day countdown

Botham's Ashes

10 reasons why Andrew Flintoff was a true Ashes great

Dean Headley's one day in the sun  

Ashes 100-1: 18 - All-time Ashes XI

 
We see that Cricinfo has invited its readers to pick their All-time Ashes XI. Given we have recently selected our own all-time Australia and England Ashes XIs, it seems apt to pick a composite Ashes XI from these 22 names:

All-time Australian Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5, All-rounder, Wicketkeeper, Fast bowlers, Spin Kings

All-time England Ashes XI: The Openers, Number 3, 4 and 5, All-rounder, Wicketkeeper, Fast bowlers, Spin King

Openers

Having selected five openers in our two sides – Len Hutton was picked at first drop in our England Ashes XI – we have a plethora of options here. But for the same reason that Hutton was pushed down to three, we see no reason to split up the immortal opening partnership of Hobbs and Sutcliffe. The dynamic duo had 11 opening partnerships of over 100 against Australia including two of the greatest in the history of the game at The Oval in 1926 and Melbourne in 1928/29.

Middle order

Bradman picks himself at three and is also our captain. Joining him in the middle order are Hammond – who other than in the 1928/29 series when he hit 905 runs was mostly overshadowed by the brilliance of Bradman. This leaves us with three tough, doughty fellows in Barrington, Border and Waugh. We opt for the middle of these, partly because as a left-hander he provides balance to the side, but also because he was equally as effective in a losing or winning side.

All-rounder

Choosing between two larger-than-life characters like Miller and Botham is no easy task - especially as we looked on as an awed child at the exploits of the latter in the unforgettable 1981 Ashes. But despite this, Miller seems to have the better of Botham with both bat and ball and also had his opponent’s ability to change a match single-handedly.

Wicketkeeper

Gilchrist’s superior batting versus Knott’s better ability with the gloves? In the end this was quite an easy choice because quite simply Gilchrist had an unbeatable talent for counterpunching when his side were in trouble or turning a positive position into one of utter dominance all in the blink of an eye.

Seamers

Barnes is arguably the greatest bowler ever and offers a potent variety of seam, swing and spin – the latter meaning that we need only select one specialist spinner in our XI. Due to our unashamed love of extreme pace, we opt for Lillee and Larwood over Bedser and Lindwall to join Barnes in our composite XI.

Spin

Having seen the exploits of Warne at first-hand, it is impossible to prefer O’Reilly or Verity above him. For balance, the left-arm spin of Verity is preferred to the leggie Tiger as our 12^th man.

So, our all-time Ashes XI is: Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Bradman (C), Hammond, Border, Miller, Gilchrist, Larwood, Warne, Lillee and Barnes with Verity as 12th man.

Where next?

Hammond and Bradman: Two batting phenomenons

Hobbs and Sutcliffe: Their greatest opening stand

Heroes: Hedley Verity

Ashes 100-1: 20 - Let's play the Australian Cricket Captain Lottery

 
With just 20 days to go until the Ashes and rumours abound of disention within the Australian camp, Matthew Wood, World Cricket Watch columnist and writer at Balanced Sports, invites everyone to have a go at the Australian captaincy lottery.

The news that the Australian dressing room is split into camps for and against Michael Clarke’s fait-d’accompli ascension to the captaincy is hardly surprising.  Rarely is there a clear-cut situation after a captain departs the international scene, it just happens that Australia’s Golden Age of cricketers were born far enough apart to produce three fantastic individual performers in Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, who were each the natural successor to the previous captain.

The current Australian cricket team does not resemble those strong teams of the past.  Indeed, it resembles more the squad of a divided central board: a board that plays favourites and is looking only towards short term results.  Clarke has been management’s Golden Hair’d Boy since before his elevation to the captaincy of Australia A in 2003 over more experienced teammates.  True, he’s been about the only certainty to retain his place in the national setup Post-Ponting, but his lack of ability to lead publicly – like the current Aussie skipper – only casts more doubt on his ability to be effective in a role which infamously shoulders nearly as much pressure as the role of Australian Prime Minister.

It was news to me that Marcus North and Callum Ferguson were considered by corners of the dressing room a more worthy Test captain than Clarke.  That Cameron White – he of nearly ten years’ Victorian captaincy – was also named was less surprising.  (We actually posited on the best selections for captain previously -  check out the Great Cricket Debate and the Australia Ashes Squad Profiles posts) But after the last few months it’s emerged that Clarke is no longer unanimously the best choice to captain Australia after Ponting’s abdication.

Are there any more questions as to why?  Watch one of his pressers and you’ll know.  He’s about as transparent as shopfront glass and just as interesting.  It’s not just that though: it’s his lapsed romance with “Australia’s Classiest Lass” Bingle, it’s also his dressing-room confrontation with Simon Katich after a win last year and especially his veiled criticism of IPL-playing teammates in such a “holier-than-thou” manner.  That he’s nearly thirty and still bears the nickname “Pup” speaks volumes about his standing amongst his teammates: nicknames like “Rookie” or “The Kid” tend to disappear as the player assumes more authority but not in this case.

At present, both North and White are flawed selections, however.  This is simply because neither of them are able to justify their place in the Test team through their performances.  If a captain is unable to lead publicly then they must do so via their on-field prowess.

This, particularly, is what makes Clarke’s case compelling – he is now rivalled only by his openers as a Test batsman.  North and White, though both decidedly more affable and having more domestic leadership experience, have been unable to establish themselves in the Test side due to a lack of consistency, skill, opportunity or New South Wales blood.  In order to justify his position as skipper, a captain must deliver on-field and cricket history is rife with examples of leaders picked for their interpersonal or schmoozing skills but lacking the requisite on-field graft: Mike Brearley.  Brian Booth.  Lee Germon.  Mike Denness.  Darren Sammy.  Chris Cowdrey.  It’s no coincidence that three of the aforementioned are English, installed by an MCC board attempting to still the waters of revolution.  The revolution is coming again: this one Free Agency, pioneered by the West Indies, if only this time by necessity and money rather than by any pioneering spirit.

There always remains the ability to grow into the public leadership role as Alan Border did.  Border, a notoriously private man off the field, grew taciturn at even implied criticism yet was able to turn his media discomfort into an advantage as he created a whole new persona for himself as “Captain Grumpy”.  The problem with Clarke is that he’s had international leadership experience now for the best part of five years and has yet to grow into this role.  He hasn’t shown a maturity of personality that’s come with this experience, just a realisation that his performances have to justify his exalted status and as such he withdrawn into himself both on the field and off.  Rather than grow and expand his focus outward, Clarke has retracted with his eyes firmly on himself.  It’s not selfish, because I’m certain he sees himself as leading via performance rather than by inspiration.

And that’s not to say that one must choose to lead by performance or by inspiration.  Both Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh were able to do so successfully.  So were Clive Lloyd and Sir Viv Richards – in fact, all the great captains were able to combine the two elements.  Border grew into leading both ways.  It’s just one tends to, by their own experience, develop – value, even – one style more than the other.

Ponting’s imminent pasturing is not the real reason to sweat on a new captain.  The skipper has shown no signs of wanting to retire nor would it make any sense for him to play on under a new captain, so if Australia wants him, then get him as captain.  The greater concern is that unlike their famous “We love the Underdog” mentality, the turmoil surrounding the national team corresponds with dramatically falling interest levels in cricket in Australia.  The current squad doesn’t need an heir apparent, it needs stability to come from anywhere: performances, selections, the future.  A captain with the ability to combine performance and attitude will emerge in time, but perhaps not in time enough to still Australia’s slide into cricketing no-man’s-land…

Who would be your choice for captain?

Ashes 100-1: 42 - Remodelling Vital to Australia after The Ashes

Yes, No or Maybe? In our Ashes countdown today, Matthew Wood of Balanced Sports ponders some difficult decisions awaiting the Australian selectors after The Ashes. Could it be that the Australians are getting their Ashes excuses in early?
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When looking down the list at the Australian team that recently surrendered almost without whimper to India in Bangalore, it became apparent that Marcus North has an incredible ability to make runs when the pressure is on him but never scores when the pressure’s on his team.  His recent high-score of 128 brought his average up from 33 to 37.  When taken in context, that’s on a par with such luminaries as Neil McKenzie, Nathan Astle and Sanjay Manjrekar.  On form – and on reputation, given his unpopularity with Australian fans – that seems about fair for a player who convinces no-one that he’s about to usher in the next era of Australian greatness.

So drop him.  The Australian team is unquestionably rebuilding – with Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich, Brad Haddin and North all the wrong side of 30 and unlikely to be present for Australian cricket’s next period of sustained success, it’s time to remove those players who won’t be present in five years time and replace them with players who will be.

During the last major Aussie cricket remodelling, coach Bob Simpson and captain Allan Border identified early which players had the talent and application to be part of a winning system.  Upon Simpson’s hiring, the “definites” were Border, Steve Waugh, David Boon and Craig McDermott.  Dean Jones and Geoff Marsh were listed as “probables”.  On deciding who had the stones to stick, they then set about building a side around those players, trying a number of players in different positions in the XI – for instance it took three different wicketkeepers before chancing on Ian Healy and five spinners before Shane Warne was found.  The great Australians of 1991-2007 slowly began to emerge.

When looking back, is it surprising that those listed first – Waugh, Boon, McDermott – had the longest and most productive Test careers?  The probables weren’t failures by any stretch as both Jones and Marsh played over 50 Tests as well, but the “definites” now rank among Australia’s all-time greats.

The parallels between the two eras aren’t so clear cut yet only because this batch of ageing Aussies haven’t yet walked off into the sunset.  But as each player from that Golden Era goes, the Australian selectors have tried to replace almost like-for-like rather than with vision.  Brad Hogg was replaced by Beau Casson, Jason Krezja, Nathan Hauritz, Bryce McGain and then Hauritz again.  Ditto Glenn McGrath, who passed on the torch to Stuart Clark and then Doug Bollinger.  Australia has to pick players according to where they will be in three-to-four years and not for their immediate benefits.  Although Australia was blessed with a remarkable number of great cricketers born between 1968 and 1978, the cricket revival our country saw in the 90s didn’t come about simply as the result of a Golden Generation but of the foresight of Bob Simpson and Allan Border.

Cycling through the Australian lineup you see several players who couldn’t be listed as “definites” or even “probables” for an Ashes series in 2014-15.  These guys slide between the categories “Maybe”, like Nathan Hauritz or an outright “No” a la Simon Katich, if only because of his age.  It’s time to selectively breed out these “maybe” and “no” players and replace them not with a player who replaces what they do but with players who have a chance to be great.

To give an example of the mindset required, please take the following example plucked from my own day to day life.  My wife and I are in the process of moving across the continent.  On the weekend we set aside time to work out what clothes we needed or wanted, and which clothes we should give away.  After half an hour of back-and-forth I worked out why the process was taking so long – I had gone into the exercise looking for reasons to discard clothes, whereas she had begun looking for reasons to keep them.  The Australian selectors need to take the “What can we discard?” attitude to the current crop of Test players.   They’ve done so before – Brad Hodge being omitted two Tests after a double-hundred springs immediately to mind – and they should do so again.  Given their current run of poor results, the incumbents aren’t making a convincing case to stay.

The time has come for the pressure not to be placed on underperforming Australian players but on the underperforming selectors.  It’s the job of Messrs Hilditch, Boon, Cox and Hughes to make the choices that don’t just benefit us with an Ashes series win, but with another reign at the top of international cricket.

Ashes 100-1: 49 - All-time Australian Ashes XI: 4 and 5

 
Whereas selecting the batsman to fill the number three role in an all-time Australian Ashes XI (see story here) was an extremely facile task, picking who is going to follow Bradman at four and five is a nigh on impossible exercise.

The longlist includes a plethora of great Australian batsmen in Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Greg Chappell, Neil Harvey, Clem Hill, Mark Waugh, Stan McCabe, Ricky Ponting and Charlie Macartney. Indeed, one could argue that you could put the above names in a hat and select any two of these to join the already selected Trumper, Morris and Bradman, and you would have an immensely strong batting line-up.

But for the purposes of this exercise we do need to pick two. So we will start by discarding Hill and Mark Waugh immediately - not because they weren't good players, but unlike the others they probably fell into the 'very good' rather than 'great' category. As Jimmy Ormond once famously retorted, Mark Waugh wasn't even the best cricketer in his own family.

So that leaves us with seven. Harvey's record against England (2416 runs at 38.34) was markedly worse than his overall test record (he averaged over 48) and as it is an Ashes XI we are selecting then fine player as he was that means he misses out.

Six left, which means four must miss out. But which four? Macartney (1640 Ashes runs at 43.15) was reputedly a devastating batsman who regularly demoralised English bowlers and achieved the notable feat of scoring a test hundred before lunch at Headingley in 1921. McCabe (1931 at 48.27) played two of the greatest Ashes innings ever at Sydney (187 not out) in the opening test of the Bodyline series and then 232 not out at Trent Bridge in 1938. The latter prompted Bradman to remark "If I could play an innings like that, I'd be a proud man". That's a pretty good reference.

Moving on to more recent times, Chappell (2154 at 43.95 with eight hundreds) and Ponting (2363 at 48.22 and also with eight hundreds) are formidable batsmen and like Macartney and McCabe have excellent records against England. All would be in contention for an all-time Australian XI, but when it comes to the Ashes it is the two remaining batsmen that stand out from the pack.

After Bradman, Border (3222 at 55.22) and Waugh (3173 at 58.75) are Australia's highest run scorers against England. Both offer similar gritty and determined styles, which admittedly is a reason for perhaps only picking one of them. But first Border is left handed so complements Waugh, and secondly a battle with the English is what brought the best out of both of them.

After being the losing captain in 1985 and 1986/87, you can bet your bottom dollar that Border would rather die than lose to the Poms again. And Waugh is built from similar granite, has ten Ashes hundreds - behind only Bradman and Hobbs - and was a thorn in England's side for such a long period that it is impossible to leave him out. Who can forget him coming back from injury at The Oval in 2001 and on one leg making yet another hundred? So after a lot of pondering it is Border and Waugh that get the vote.

Where next?

10 reasons why The Don is the greatest Ashes cricketer of them all

The World Test XI of the noughties

All-time Australian Ashes XI - The Openers

Ashes 100-1: 81 - Botham's Ashes

In many respects, Australia could consider themselves very unlucky to lose the 1981 Ashes. They had the outstanding batsman of the series in Allan Border, who hit two centuries and was the only player from either side (who played more than two tests in the rubber) to have a batting average over 40 (Border's was 59.22).

Australia also had the two leading wicket takers in Terry Alderman (42 at 21.26) and Dennis Lillee (39 at 22.30). Having won the first test at Trent Bridge and then seen off Ian Botham's troubled reign as England skipper at Lord's (where Botham bagged a pair in a draw), Australia looked set to go two-nil up at Headingley, but Botham and Bob Willis had different ideas.

When England's seventh second innings wicket fell, they were still 92 runs away from avoiding an innings defeat. Indeed they were such outsiders that in these more innocent times, Lillee and Rod Marsh took odds of 500/1 to bet on an England win. But Botham had been unburdened by the loss of the captaincy and decided that if England were to lose they would go out all guns blazing. Graham Dilley (56 off 75) and Chris Old (29 off 31) provided the support as Botham (149 off 148), smashed England into a 129 run lead.

Now it was Willis' turn. Having been deprived of the new ball by the shrewd England captain Mike Brearley (whose man-management of Botham was impeccable) and with his place in the side at risk, Willis bowled with controlled fury and menace to inspire an Australian collapse from 56 for 1 to 111 all out and take career best figures of eight for 43. Incredibly, England had won by 18 runs and like many awe struck young schoolboys watching at the time, the Reverse Sweep's addiction to the sport and the Ashes in particular had been sealed.

Botham went on to deprive Australia again in the next test at Edgbaston, where his spell of five for one from 28 balls stole the match for England by 29 runs after the Australians had looked like winning a low scoring encounter. Then in the following test at Old Trafford, Botham sealed the Ashes for England with a stupendous 118 from 102 balls with six massive sixes. A draw at the Oval meant England triumphed 3-1, which no doubt left the Australians asked "how did that happen?" 

Botham's stats for the series were 399 runs at 36.27 and 34 wickets at 20.58, which meant he was England's leading run scorer and wicket taker. He also took 12 catches. Botham went on to achieve many other notable feats and was to terrorise the Australians on numerous other occasions, but 1981 was his zenith and sparked an interest in cricket in football obsessed England that was not to be repeated until 2005.

Ashes 100-1: 83 - Weakened England put to the sword in 1982/83

In number 85 of our Ashes 100-1 countdown, Blaise Murphet looked back to 1985 when an Australian team weakened by the desertion of several key players to a rebel tour of South Africa was slain by David Gower's talented England side.

Back in 1982-83, the shoe was on the other foot, as several England players were serving three year bans for participating in the first of a series of rebel tours to South Africa in the 1980's. Three years doesn't seem that long for deserting your country and legitimising the vile Apartheid regime for a few extra rand, but that was the fate of players like Graham Gooch, Geoff Boycott, Wayne Larkins, John Emburey, Alan Knott and Derek Underwood.

Facing an Australian side that included older heroes like Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee (although he only played one test due to injury), Rodney Marsh and Jeff Thomson, as well as younger stars like Allan Border, Kim Hughes, Geoff Lawson and David Hookes, a weakened England were always going to be up against it.

Without Gooch, England rarely got a good start with the bat and only David Gower and Derek Randall scored centuries and those two plus Allan Lamb were the only Englishmen to average over 40 for the series. As usual captain Bob Willis gave his all and took 18 wickets at 27, but none of the other bowlers shined with Ian Botham, the hero of 1981, having a disappointing series with bat and ball.

In contrast, Hughes, Chappell, Hookes, Border and Kepler Wessels all averaged over 40 for Australia with the bat whilst Thomson took 22 wickets at just under 19 and Geoff Lawson had 30 victims at 20 runs apiece.

After a draw at Perth, Australia secured comfortable wins at Brisbane and Adelaide, before an absolute humdinger of a test at Melbourne. In a finish reminiscent of Edgbaston in 2005, Australia looked like finishing some way short of their victory target of 292 when they slipped to 218 for nine. But Border and Thomson had other ideas and slowly but surely they knocked off the runs they needed for victory. By the close of play on the fourth day they only needed 37 for victory.

The pattern continued on the final morning and with just four runs needed, Australia looked set for a famous win. Then Botham induced an edge from Thomson. It should have been a straightforward catch for Chris Tavare, but he fumbled it and the ball spooned into the air behind him where a wide awake Geoff Miller snaffled the chance - see video.

Unfortunately for England, they couldn't repeat the trick in the final test at Sydney where a win would have enabled them to retain the Ashes. Set a mammoth 460 to win in just over a day, England played out time with nightwatchman Eddie Hemmings scoring 95. The Ashes were back in the hands of Australia and a proportion of the blame lay at the feet of Gooch and the other money-grabbing rebels.  

Ashes 100-1: 85 - David Gower slays the Australians

For number 85 in our Ashes 100-1 countdown, Blaise Murphet of World Cricket Watch takes a look back at 1985 when an England team led from the front by David Gower, who struck 732 runs in the series, easily beat an Australian team led by rookie skipper Allan Border.

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In the English summer of 1985 an Australian team ripped apart by rebel squads, lost to England 3-1. Although the teams will obviously be more settled this time around, like anything in cricket, it always pays to look to the past to understand the present.

As we look on in horror at the betting turmoil that is engulfing our great game, it is not so unbelievable to think that cricket could have suffered from great turmoil before. This was certainly the case with the rebel tour’s of South Africa led by former Australian captain Kim Hughes. Taking a team that included the likes of Terry Alderman, Rodney Hogg and Carl Rackerman, Hughes’ un-sanctioned team was always going to destabilise the official Australian team that travelled to England to try and recover the Ashes under Allan Border.

Led by the eternally divine David Gower, England were packed full of batting prowess including Graham Gootch, Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb. Throw in Sir Ian Botham for good measure, and that is a formidable side. Australia on the other hand was obviously affected by the rebel tour, but did still include the likes of Jeff Thomson, Geoff Lawson and Kepler Wessels. At the same time young players such as David Boon and Simon O’Donnell were trying to prove their worth.

The series lasted six tests, and after England and Australia had fairly narrow wins in the first two matches, the next two were drawn. The last two tests at Edgbaston and The Oval were another matter with England inflicting heavy innings defeats on a tiring Australian side. At Edgbaston David Gower made an imperious 215, to help his side post 595 before Australia were skittled in their second innings for 142. Again at The Oval Gower made a century, along with Graham Gooch’s magnificent 196. Australia was again made to look silly with totals of 241 and 129, with only their captain making a stand.

 

England was in the middle of a powerful era and certainly showed their prowess in this series. However, it is Australia that is of most interest in the current context. Like Pakistan today, Australia was almost ripped apart by an internal crisis that threatened to destroy the Australian test side. History tells us that they managed to rebuild into one of the greatest sides in the modern era, who knows whether Pakistan can do the same.

The best 30 batsmen ever - Part 2/3 (20-11)

Last year we wrote a post for World Cricket Watch, where we named our top 20 batsmen of all time. As we explained yesterday, now seems a good time to revisit this. Firstly, so we can extend the list this time to 30. But secondly, because we are prepared to admit that we erred somewhat last time in placing Sachin Tendulkar behind Ricky Ponting in the all-time batting pantheon. Given that the Ashes were on at the time, we must have done it out of fear that Ponting would inspire his side to retain the little urn.

Today, we count down numbers 20 to 11, before concluding tomorrow with the top 10. If you missed yesterday's post check out numbers 30-21.

20. Kumar Ranjitsinhji (England) – 15 tests, 2 100s, 6 50s, average 44.95, HS 170 - An Indian prince and giant of Victorian and Edwardian cricket, Ranji was credited with bringing several new strokes into the game including the late cut and was an early exponent of back foot defence. Widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time prior to World War I, Neville Cardus described the stylish and unorthodox Ranji as "the midsummer night's dream of cricket".

 

19. Allan Border (Australia) - 156 tests, 27 100s, 63 50s, average 50.56, HS 205 - Gritty, durable and determined. A.B was all of these, but he was also reputedly Australia's best player of spin for over 50 years. World Series Cricket allowed him an early opportunity in the test side and he didn't relinquish his chance and played a remarkable 153 consecutive test matches. As we were growing up, we certainly remember Border piling on the runs against England and also of course the way he captained the side to comprehensive series wins in 1989 and 1993. Unfortunately, 1985 became a distant memory after that. 

 

18. Greg Chappell (Australia) – 87 tests, 24 100s, 31 50s, average 53.86, HS 247* - The best Australian batsman of the seventies and early eighties, Chappell allied steadfast concentration with attractive stroke making. Despite his excellent Test record, perhaps his best batting was during the World Series Cricket schism where he made 621 runs at 69 in five ‘Super Tests’ versus the mighty West Indies in the Caribbean in 1979.

 

17. Javed Miandad (Pakistan) – 124 tests, 23 100s, 43 50s, average 52.57, HS 280* - The greatest Pakistani batsman ever, Miandad was a precocious teenage prodigy scoring a century on debut and in the same series breaking George Headley’s record as the youngest player to score a Test match double century. His non-textbook style, pugnacity and ability to rile bowlers made him a thorn in the side of most opponents during a long and glittering career.

 

16. Graeme Pollock (South Africa) – 23 tests, 7 100s, 11 50s, average 60.97, HS 274 - Of those that have played at least 20 Test match innings, Pollock holds the second highest average after Bradman, who described the South African as the best left hander along with Sobers that he had ever seen. Widely recognised as his country’s best ever player, Pollock’s Test career was cut short abruptly at the age of 26 due to the sporting boycott of South Africa. 

 

15. Ricky Ponting (Australia) - 144* tests, 39 100s, 51 50s, average 55.22, HS 257- After Tendulkar, the outstanding batsman playing the game today, Ponting is widely acknowledged as the best Australian batsman since Bradman – high praise indeed. One of Ponting’s main strengths is his versatility in that he can score quickly, counter-attack or tough it out when the situation demands. Other strengths include his consistency and his habit of playing match winning innings. Last year we placed him at sixth, above Tendulkar, but we have now revised this view. Ponting is great, but not that great. 

 

14. Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 125 tests, 34 100s, 45 50s, average 51.12, HS 236* - Gavaskar was one of the best openers of all-time and the pre-eminent Indian batsman before Tendulkar – the man who broke his record of most Test match centuries. A brilliant batsman against fast bowling, Gavaskar scored a superlative 13 centuries at an average of 65.45 against the formidable West Indies side of the seventies and eighties.

 

13. Everton Weekes (West Indies) – 48 tests, 15 100s, 19 50s, average 58.61, HS 207 - The highest ranked of the immortal ‘three Ws’, Walcott believed that Weekes was the best all-round batsman of the three. An attacking batsman with a vast array of strokes, Weekes made an electric start to Test cricket, reaching 1,000 runs in only his 12^thinnings, one fewer than Bradman. During this run he also scored five centuries in five consecutive innings against England and India – still a Test record.

 

12. Leonard Hutton (England) – 79 tests, 19 100s, 33 50s, average 56.67, HS 364 - Despite World War II robbing him of six years of cricket from the age of 23, Hutton is still considered amongst the giants of English batters. Before the War and at the age of 22, he scored the then highest Test match score of 364 against Australia. Afterwards, he continued to amass runs for Yorkshire and England and became the first professional player to captain his country.

 

11. Herbert Sutcliffe (England) - 54 tests, 16 100s, 23 50s, average 60.73, HS 194 - Sutcliffe’s name always seems to be inexplicably left on the margins when discussions as to who is the best ever English batsman. Perhaps this is because he opened the batting with Hobbs and played in the same era as Hammond. Whatever the reasons, Sutcliffe deserves recognition in his own right - the fourth highest Test match batting average of all-time for players with at least 20 innings, a fantastic record against Australia and prodigious run scoring for country and Yorkshire alike.