Australia: the new (old) England

Cricket in Australia is in need of an overhaul, but what's happening down under will only put more nails in the Aussie coffin

Anyone who followed cricket closely in the 1990s knew that two things were certain: Australia would win the Ashes and Mohammad Azharuddin would say "I mean" at least a dozen times during his interviews. Before every Ashes series, a few Australian players would come out with their bold - and usually correct - predictions about how they would steamroll England. This trend continued till 2005 - England had one outstanding series and was lucky enough to win the Ashes urn after 16 long years. But that was an aberration.

Predominantly during the 1990s, England's cricket team was a laughing stock: you could expect at least six players making their debut during, after or just before the Ashes. How roles have reversed. Former England cricketers who were tormented by the Aussies during their illustrious reign are not letting go of any chance to twist the knife in Australia. Fans across the world are taking immense pleasure in seeing the mighty Australia fail. Former Australian cricketers such as Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Steve Waugh are lamenting the state of the team they left as one of the finest of all time.
 

The thing is that you couldn't see the demise of Australia coming so soon. In the '90s and noughties, Australians were box-office, just like Los Angeles Lakers were during Magic Johnson's era or Real Madrid were during the Galacticos era of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Luis Figo. It didn't matter if you hated them, or had a passing interest in cricket - Australians compelled you to watch them.

They were arrogant, brash and exceptional at playing cricket. Steve Waugh, at times, actually set attainable targets for the opposition team, like he was tempting them - "we know you wouldn't be able to beat us." More often than not, teams actually lost. They inflicted mental trauma on individuals and teams like no one else, apart from Clive Lloyd's West Indies. When Nasser Hussain's England went to Australia in 2002-03, seven English players had never played a Test match for England before.

In six years - a long time in sport - Australians have become a big joke. Remember the 1994 annual tri-series in Australia, which featured England and the West Indies? Australia entered a fourth team - Australia A - to give their fringe players a chance to compete against international opposition. The team had the likes of Greg Blewett, Darren Lehmann, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting and Michael Bevan - what Australia would do to have "fringe" players like these to save them from further embarrassment. Thirty-six players have worn the baggy green cap in the last five years - that's some serious turnover. The players who are constant - Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Phil Hughes - don't look like they can turn around the abject state in which Australian cricket is.

Cricket in Australia is in need of an overhaul, but unfortunately what's happening down under - the Big Bash League is taking priority - will only put more nails in the Aussie coffin. Ian Chappell in one of his columns wrote, "I think the best players from Australia are there in England at the moment and that's the concern."

All this talk about replacing players sounds good in newspapers, but Australia's biggest problem is that they are producing players who are just not good enough. Ashton Agar made his debut in this Ashes series after playing just 13 first-class matches. This isn't the Australia we came to know throughout the 1990s. Players only got their debuts after years of first-class experience, simply because they had so many quality players ahead of them. Michael Hussey made his debut when he was 30. Simon Katich was 26 when he played his first Test match.

The time has come for Australia to admit that they're painfully mediocre. In Australia, cricket is said to be losing out to Australian rules football, always more popular - but cricket has always been well behind football in England, and yet they are producing decent cricketers. A sport does not have to be the most popular for it to remain relevant and produce talented athletes. If that were the case, India would have been the undisputed champion of cricket since 1983.

There was an Australian fast bowler named Scott Muller, who made his debut alongside Adam Gilchrist in 1999. Muller played only two Test matches for Australia, and in one of them he sent down an errant throw from the boundary line. On the stump microphone, you could hear someone - allegedly Shane Warne - mutter "can't bowl, can't throw". Looking at this Australian team, Warne could very well be saying, "can't bat, can't bowl."