What has gone wrong with the Australian cricket team at the moment? It was only a few weeks ago when they were dominating one-day international cricket and now all of a sudden they have lost 5 out of 6 matches, have injury doubts for the World Cup and have now slipped off number one in the World Rankings.
It all started on February 2nd, when they played England at the SCG. Both Australia and New Zealand had hammered England and they had lost 5 out of 6 matches. Australia had bowled England out for 155 and 110 respectively in their last two meetings, but it started there. England fought back, and registered 292-7, and the only laugh the Australians had was when Glenn McGrath got Mal Loye in the grill when he attempted to sweep him. And of their bowlers, well it was a mediocre bowling display. Tait went for 68 runs, Bracken went at almost a run a ball, Clark went wicketless for 55 runs, McGrath was the best bowler with 2-51, Clarke and Symonds went wicketless and White took 1-26 off 5 overs.
And then if it couldn't get any worse, it did, Australia were reduced to 4-2 in just 1.2 overs and Gilchrist and Hodge were already back in the pavilion, and when they recovered to 116-3, it all went wrong again. Hayden was gone for 51, Symonds was forced to retire hurt after rupturing a bicep tendon. The key batsman Hussey was bowled by Bopara was 6, and then White was gone, Bracken was bowled, McGrath was trapped lbw and Tait was run out, Australia were out for 200 and had lost by 92 runs. Now the fans probably thought it was a blip, and their presumptions looked well founded in the next match against New Zealand when they chased down 291 for victory, Ricky Ponting scoring a century and Brad Hodge finishing on 99 not-out.
And then it began to go wrong again, after Australia were 170-1 against England in the 1st Commonwealth Bank series final, everything went wrong. Australia lost their last 9 wickets for 82 runs and what could've been a potential 300 was reduced to an easily chaseable 252. However Australia started incredibly well in their reply. Six overs into England's run chase and they were 15-3, with 3 key batsmen back in the pavilion. But unbelievably again Australia threw away the game, and from nowhere England came back to score 253-6 from 49.3 overs and take the game by 6 wickets. It was then all to play for in the 2nd final, and Australia had to win the game or they lost the competition. And on a good batting track at Sydney, they reduced England to an average 246-8. Enter the rain. After a blistering start to their innings the Aussies then lost Hayden and Ponting early on and after 6 overs rain forced them to go off with them on 39-2. And then it all went wrong again, Gilchrist was bowled with the first ball after the rain break, then Clarke went for a duck, and unbelievably Hussey did the same. Australia were stuck on 63-5 and in dire straits, and with just 22 balls left until a result was possible, the rain came down again, but it didn't last. Australia built a partnership of 46 with Hodge and Watson before Watson was out, then Hogg was out before Hodge was the last man out for 49. And then rain stopped play altogether, and on 152-8, Australia were 34 runs behind the D/L method and had lost the series, England had pulled off the unthinkable and won the Commonwealth Bank series.
Now surely it couldn't get worse for them, could it? But suddenly it had, Brett Lee twisted his ankle in training for the first ODI against New Zealand, and Michael Clarke was sent home with a hip problem and then unbelievably history was made. Australia were bowled out for a lowly 148, and then it happened. The Kiwis knocked off the 149 required in 27 overs without losing a single wicket. Australia had lost an ODI by 10 wickets for the first ever time. But everything seemed to be returning to normal now in the second ODI. Australia posted a mammoth 336-4 with a century from Hussey and excellent knocks from Haddin, Hodge and White, now Australia had definitely won, hadn't they? No, they hadn't, and New Zealand miracolously made the second highest ever run chase in one-day international cricket to finish on 337-5 and win again. With this defeat, Australia have now slipped behind South Africa in the world rankings and are now the world number 2 at one-day international cricket, and they had lost four ODI's in a row for the first time since 1997.
And the Aussies are still in disarray, how can it be that a team so high on confidence and in such good form three weeks ago have suddenly lost so many games, be so low on confidence and be in such bad form? Certainly the absence of five key players doesn't help and they have had to draft in players such as Phil Jaques and Brad Haddin who haven't played international cricket for a long time. But in the end it doesn't matter what people think the theory is, the Australian cricket team are in tatters at the moment and only hard work and team spirit will put it right ahead of the World Cup.
Can they do it? Only time will tell whether they can successfully defend the World Cup in the Caribbean.
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