Times Media
TELFORD VICE, Cape Town
THIRTEEN days ago, Australia arrived in Zimbabwe as triangular series champions-in-waiting. They were the No. 1 team in the format, SA were focused on their navels, and Zimbabwe were locked outside their own sweet shop, noses firmly pressed to windows.
But those 13 days have turned out to be unlucky for Michael Clarke’s men. Not only have they lost to both opponents and relinquished their ranking to India, they face SA at Harare Sports Club (HSC) again on Tuesday without Clarke - whose injured hamstring has forced his return home.
A place in Saturday’s final, which had seemed pre-ordained to feature SA and Australia, is suddenly not firmly in the Aussies’ grip.
On Sunday, between limping onto a plane and presiding over Australia’s second loss in the 30 completed ODIs they have played against Zimbabwe and their first in 31 years, Clarke got a few things off his chest.
“It’s a terrible performance,” he said after Zimbabwe had chased down their target of 210 to win by three wickets with two overs to spare. “Forget the opposition, we played some average cricket at best throughout the whole game.
“Our general fielding was poor. Our execution with the ball was OK but had to be better when we only had 200-odd on the board. And our batting. We continually talk about facing spin bowling as an Australian team. It seems to be an area we continue to struggle in and this was another example of that.”
But Clarke balked at the suggestion that Sunday’s result was symptomatic of bigger problems in the Aussie approach to one-day cricket.
“I don’t think I have to sit in front of the Australian public and the media and apologise every time we lose,” he said. “We go out there to win every game we play. Obviously we’re extremely disappointed. I wish we had played better.”
His ailing hamstring aside, that other uncomfortable feeling Clarke would have been aware of was the schadenfreude bubbling up from south of the Limpopo.
There is nothing South Africans enjoy more than an Australian team getting it wrong, which they see as payback for all those times the Aussies got it right at SA’s expense.
How matters have changed. There are no Murphys in Australia’s squad, but it seems his law is holding true for them.
Clarke’s absence will count in more than a leadership sense. His 68 not out was easily Australia’s best innings on Sunday, and what with the pitches at HSC tiring after hosting four matches in seven days both teams’ batsmen will find runscoring tough challenge on Tuesday.
Not that the spinners will complain. “I know I have been labelled as more of a containing bowler and (Imran Tahir) as more of a wicket-taker,” said Aaron Phangiso, who used flight and guile rather than turn to cleanbowl Zimbabwe senior pros Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor on Friday. “Those are some of the things we discuss; if I can keep it tight at one end he is allowed to capitalise with his variations from the other end.”
SA do have their problems. JP Duminy is struggling with a knee problem and Morne Morkel has an issue with his bowling shoulder.
But, compared to the Aussies, a Protea by any other name would not smell as sweet.
Comments
No comments yet. Start the conversation.