Jan 05 2009
The Great Australian Downfall Of 2008
Australia was the most successful cricket team till the beginning of the calendar year 2008. Their downfall started from the second week onwards after the Sydney test against India. Twenty-three players were used in Tests by Australia in 2008, in a combination of evolution, confusion, injuries and poor form. By the end of the year seven of the 25 contracted players were out with various ailments. They were forced to accept their first home series defeat in 16 years, and the team was unrecognizable, in performance, from the previous versions of their game. In December it really was the worst of times as South Africa chased 414 for a demoralizing result in Perth and then turned the MCG match in a fashion familiar for Australian teams, but not their opponents. This year was their worst year after 1985 after Alan Border took over the reigns. The Australian Captain was the most scrutinized person. Though he had an excellent year with bat, his captaincy was questioned and scrutinized because of his sloppy attitude. The other problem was the over-rate bungle which he had to face in the later part of 2008 because of his under-performing bowlers. They have to definitely reconfigure their strategy with their present team which doesn’t have the lights of Shane Warne, McGrath, etc. They will definitely bounce back, because they are not a team who can be easily over-ridden.
