MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia close out the year on a high after their rousing 122-run victory over India in the first test in Melbourne, but might hope their batsmen have underlined “I shall not throw my wicket away cheaply” at the top of their New Year resolutions.
A brilliant performance from Australia’s raw pace attack with bat and ball gave Michael Clarke’s team a shot of confidence heading into the second test in Sydney, but also glossed over their batsmen’s continuing woes.
Barring half-centuries from debutant Ed Cowan, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, the specialists lost their wickets quickly and in bunches, reprising a disturbing trend of collapses in recent tests against New Zealand and South Africa.
To add insult to injury, those further down the order not paid to score runs put them in the shade at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Pacemen James Pattinson and Peter Siddle scored 100 runs in the test, more than opener David Warner, number three Shaun Marsh and skipper Clarke combined (76).
Warner, who scored a century in the previous test against New Zealand in Hobart, fell back to earth when he appeared to confuse the India match for a Twenty20 fixture, losing his wicket with ill-chosen swipes in both innings.
Marsh made a first-innings duck in baffling circumstances, flicking a ball off his pads straight to a player in the gully, then emulated Warner’s second innings downfall by chopping a ball onto his stumps for three.
Australia’s batsmen have been under fire since getting skittled for a second innings 47 in their recent test in Cape Town against South Africa, but Clarke has shielded them with a sturdy defence many would rather see used on his own wicket.
He was at it again after the MCG test, charitably describing their failures as “unlucky”, while pointing to their opponents’ similar struggles on the MCG wicket.
