Australia beware, Kiwis ready for battle

With the Chappell-Hadlee series nearly out of the way, the attention of Antipodean cricket fans will soon be changing to the two Test series between New Zealand and Australia. The focus across the Tasman has all been on Australia recently, and most of it for the wrong reasons.
After an undefeated home summer against less than noteworthy opposition, the Australian's have found out again what it is like to tackle an opponent that holds no fear when it plays it. The Mitchell Johnson-Scott Styris debacle has seemingly been forgotten amidst the sorry saga of Michael Clarke's relationship issues and Clarke, the Australian vice-captain, is still not guaranteed to be a part of the first Test team. Ricky Ponting has already told Clarke that he does not want him back with the squad until all of his issues have been resolved.
Still, the Australian's lead the ODI series 3-1, and will be confident heading into the longer format of the game next Friday. New Zealand should not be discounted too hastily though, and a closer inspection of their outfit shows that the series may be closer than what a lot of people expect.
While Jesse Ryder's continued absence from the middle order due to injury hurts New Zealand, the Kiwis will be hopeful Martin Guptil can maintain the form he displayed against Bangladesh last month. Guptil and Brendon McCullum completely dominated the Bangladesh bowlers in Hamilton, each producing scores over 180, and both will play major roles in unsettling Australia's line-up.
For New Zealand, however, the key will undoubtedly be Ross Taylor. Much like Kevin Pietersen when in form for England, Taylor can easily rip the heart out of opposition attacks, and his outstanding year in 2009, where he scored 782 runs at 55.85, was highlighted by his natural stroke-playing ability. He has seemingly thrived on the added responsibility that comes with being named a leader, and there are not many batsmen around the world as exciting to watch when in full flight.
Taylor's job will be made easier by a strong opening pair, and New Zealand will be counting on Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling to ease the pressure off their middle order. McIntosh, a veteran of 21 Test innings, has been in good form domestically, as his recent 171 for Auckland suggests, but he will be astutely aware that he will not get a better chance to prove his worth at international level, and against an in-form Australian attack, will be keen to add to his solitary three figure score 15 months ago.
New Zealand's batsmen need to start backing up their undeniable potential with some solid performances against quality sides, and there is no better place to start than with their biggest rivals.
In the bowling department, Chris Martin and Tim Southee need to step up following Shane Bond's retirement from the 5 day format, and they must not allow the dangerous Shane Watson to get on top of them. It should also be interesting to see if Martin and Southee attempt to exploit Ricky Ponting's supposed vulnerability to the short ball early in his innings. Australia are well aware of the damage Southee can inflict, having been torn apart by the then 19 year old Northern Districts opener at Brisbane back in 2008. His super-over in the T20 was something to behold, and he will be a genuine weapon for his team.
Skipper Daniel Vettori will again play a crucial role throughout the two Tests with his ability to both stem the run flow and strike at vital moments. Vettori's run scoring has become increasingly important for the Kiwis, but his primary role as a wicket taker doesn't seem to have been affected by his move up the batting order. The Australian team has a high level of respect for Vettori, and he will be aiming to impose himself with both bat and ball.
While it is unfortunate that these two sides are only playing two Tests, rest assured the competitive nature of both teams will be on display from the outset. Johnson will be fired up for Australia, Marcus North is on his last legs and needs to produce something special to prolong his international career, Brendon McCullum doesn't know what the meaning of backing down is, and Daniel Vettori will be thriving on the atmosphere that is invariably in the air whenever these two sides meet. Australia may well be the favourite, but never underestimate the Kiwis against Australia.

England selectors wrong on Captain Cook

As a young boy growing up in Australia there was only ever one thing that I wanted to do when I was older: captain the Australian cricket team. Playing a bit part and merely making up the numbers of the national side was never a thought that crossed my mind, it was either captain or nothing. There are those who say that it is the second highest ranked job in the land behind only that of the Prime Minister, though I reckon if John Howard had have had things his way he’d have chosen the number two job over the top one.
Such is Australia’s love of all things sport, and cricket in particular, that it seems my dream is one not only shared by the generation of kids I grew up with, but harboured even today by those running around in over-sized pads and helmets across the many ovals and pitches around the country. The only difference is that while I was busy idolising Dean Jones and then Shane Warne, today’s youngsters are wanting to bat like Michael Clarke and bowl like Mitchell Johnson.
But the fact remains, every kid wants to be the captain of his country. This is why even now, almost two months on, the decision to rest England captain Andrew Strauss for the upcoming series against Bangladesh continues to astound me. The final day of their fourth Test against South Africa was way back on the 17th of January, seven weeks ago. Strauss is not currently in the English T20 team, was not named in their T20 World Cup squad, and does not play in the IPL. Both of these tournaments will be held following this series, with the gap between the last scheduled day of the second Test against Bangladesh and England’s first home Test of the summer being sixty four days, or just over nine weeks. So, if Strauss had simply pulled out of the ODI format against the Tigers, he could conceivably have had a “rest” for 15 weeks over a four month period, or, worked for two weeks in four months.
While the preparation for Test match cricket can be brutal and gut-wrenching stuff, Strauss could easily have found time to freshen up both mentally and physically over the last month and a half since returning from South Africa before a two Test series with the lowest ranked Test nation, and allowed himself some more “down time” in the lead up to the home summer and then the biggest battle of them all, The Ashes Down under.
What makes the decision even more difficult to understand is that in sitting out for two Tests, Strauss has not only given Michael Carberry a possible free Test cap, but gifted an opportunity for somebody else, in this case Alastair Cook, to captain the country. In Australia, at Test level at least, this simply would not happen. Sure, England plays more Test cricket than all other nations, but Strauss is the leader. And while Cook may well find that he gains invaluable experience in Strauss’ absence, the point remains, captains should not be rested from Test match cricket.
Cook himself was under pressure to retain his spot in the team during the South African tour, and now finds himself in charge of a team that, already without the services of Strauss and James Anderson, has injury clouds over Stuart Broad, Graeme Onions and Ryan Sidebottom, and an out of form Kevin Pietersen.
Though the likelihood will be that England prevails, one hopes that in the future Strauss and the England selectors do not display such disrespect for the game, and the position as captain of a national cricket team.

North's form goes south, while Cameron's is White-hot

There has been much discussion of late surrounding the make-up of the Australian test side, most notably about the position of struggling number six batsman Marcus North. North has recently defended his position in the national team following a lean home summer and a less than acceptable performance for his state side Western Australia in the last month of Sheffield Shield games, where he has registered scores of 29, 4, 23, 15, 20 and 3, at a meager average of 15.66. That is never a good sign.
The ongoing debate over whether Phillip Hughes should come into the team and allow Shane Watson to move down the order continues, which is amazing considering Watson averages 56.6 in nine tests as an opener and 19.76 in eight tests when batting elsewhere in the line-up.
Hughes, along with New South Wales team mate and budding all-rounder Steven Smith has started to put in some good performances at domestic level again, however both will need to wait their turn. The time has arrived for Cameron White, the current T20 vice-captain, to take his place in Australia's middle order.
Strong cases could be argued for any number of players to fill North’s position should he be replaced, including George Bailey, David Hussey and of course Michael Klinger, as well as Hughes and Smith, however it is White that should be at the forefront of the selector’s minds.
Combined with his ability to play either cautiously or aggressively as required, White's handy leg breaks, outstanding leadership qualities and secure hands in the slip cordon make him a ready made replacement for the Warriors captain.
While there will be those who suggest that White is too much of a basher to warrant selection in the Test team, he has proved both in first class cricket for Victoria and Somerset and at ODI level that as well as being a big hitter, he is capable of acquiring runs at a steadier pace when the situation demands.
White’s cricketing brain saw him become Victoria’s youngest captain, and at just 26 years of age, a veteran of over 100 first class games and with over 6500 runs, now finds himself now as an established and vital member of the Australian ODI side, having played more matches in the format than anybody else since September 2009, with an average of over 40. It should not be forgotten that he was rightly considered as a replacement for Ricky Ponting as the national T20 captain, narrowly missing out to Michael Clarke.
Given the Ashes are to be contested at the end of the year, the upcoming Tests in New Zealand and England (against a "Home" Pakistan team) seem like the ideal opportunity to get him playing the longer format of the game.
Katich, Ponting and Hussey will all go at various stages over the next few years, allowing Hughes, Smith and co. to earn their spots, but for now let’s give White his chance and see what he can do.