Australia at the crossroads

A couple of Apostles may add much-needed
stability to Australia's batting

Following a very positive assessment of England's capabilities, I turn now to Australia.

Defeated in an Ashes series at home for the first time since 1986/87, losing three Tests by the margin of an innings and widespread calls for a new start clearly do not make for a rosy picture for the home side. But to be beaten by this England side was in reality no disgrace and it could have turned out so differently if Australia had completed the win in Brisbane that had been teed up by their dominance of the first three days.

The main problem for the hosts was the terrible form of many of their top order batsmen. In particular Ponting and Clarke, on past form Australia's two best batsmen, hardly scored a run all series. Even Hussey and Haddin, the heaviest scorers in the first three Tests, were unable to make any mark on the decisive Melbourne and Sydney games. Other problems were the lack of penetration of the bowling (it is clear that Warne and McGrath have not been adequately replaced) and an almost complete loss of "mojo" - they simply lacked the belief and sheer bloody-mindedness of Aussie sides of the last 20 years.

Shane Watson: One of the successes of the series for Australia (if we conveniently ignore his catastrophic running between wickets). Very consistent, invariably got a start, also a very useful swing bowler. The curious thing about Watson is that, even when he is batting well, it is generally possible to predict when he will be out – either just before or after he reaches 50.

Simon Katich / Philip Hughes: Losing Katich to injury was a big blow for the Aussies, as this is a man who is very difficult to dislodge (unless run out without facing by Watson) and surely has some more good years to offer before retiring. Hughes was a huge disappointment and seemed to possess neither the technique nor temperament to thrive against a rampant England attack.

Ricky Ponting / Usman Khawaja: This series was a personal disaster for Punter, his third Ashes loss out of four as captain. Time and again he lost his wicket cheaply to catches behind the wicket, an astonishing loss of form by one of the greatest ever Test batsmen. Yet, captain or not, surely Ricky can do a job at number 5 or 6 for a few more years? His replacement in Sydney, Khawaja, was universally praised for his good technique and unflappable temperament – but didn't score many runs.

Michael Clarke: Unmitigated playing and PR disaster zone. He even managed to sour his one good innings (80 at Adelaide) by failing to "walk" after he had hit a catch off the middle of his bat. The publicity photo of Clarke striking a boxing pose with bare, tattoo-covered torso made me physically sick. Captain of Australia? You've got to be kidding.

Mike  Hussey: Where would Australia be without the Huss? I still can't believe he was almost dropped before the series started. The shining light for the home side in the first three Tests, with excellent hundreds in Brisbane and Perth, though faded under the weight of rescue responsibility in the final two matches.

Brad Haddin: Another success, Haddin impressed with both his wicketkeeping and batting. Also produced the shot of the series at Adelaide when he hit Anderson's leg side delivery for six over long leg. England just about worked him out by the end but not before he had scored a lot of runs.

Marcus North / Steve Smith: North was rightfully discarded after Adelaide as he never looked like scoring any runs against Swann. Apart from a slogged 50 when the match was already lost in Sydney, the young Smith didn't make much of an impression, as neither his batting nor his bowling seemed to be quite up to Test standard and you don't get picked just for enthusiastic fielding.

Mitchell Johnson: A man for whom the expressions "mercurial" or "frustratingly inconsistent" were invented, Johnson's bowling was either brilliant (Perth) or pretty poor (everywhere else). Strangely this also applies to his batting – he either gets 50 (occasionally) or nothing at all (normally). Now a real headache for the selectors as Johnson remains one of their few potential match-winners, yet most of the time he is a complete liability. What a dilemma (tee-hee).

Peter Siddle: One of the few Aussie bowlers to emerge with much credit from this series and he can bat a bit too. Produced two really good spells at Brisbane (including a hat-trick) and Melbourne, but needs to do this more consistently. Has the advantage of looking very scary when thundering in to bowl.

Ben Hilfenhaus: Tidy, economical – but didn't trouble England's batsmen and took no wickets to speak of. Incredible to think that Hilfenhaus took only five wickets in the first four Tests – and was still selected for Sydney. Surely will be the first man discarded after this series.

Ryan Harris / Doug Bollinger: Harris looked to be the pick of the Aussie quick bowlers before his freak injury at Melbourne. Bollinger can count himself unlucky to play only one match on a batting paradise at Adelaide but looked fiery for about three overs before it became clear he was still unfit after injury.

Xavier Doherty / Michael Beer: The (lack of) quality of Australia's spinners in this series shows how much they relied on Warne over a 15 year period. Neither Doherty nor Beer looked to be Test-class spinners, though Beer at least looked unflappable and may still come good after gaining more experience. Ignoring Nathan Hauritz was just bizarre – he may not be the best spinner in the world, but is surely the best Australia can offer at the moment.

Backroom/coaching/selection: Asleep at the wheel, surely they must take a huge share of the blame for the loss of mojo, which has been very careless after so much success in the last 20 years.

The above comments imply that Australia still have a decent nucleus of a side to build around – Watson, Katich, Ponting, Hussey, Haddin, Siddle, Harris, possibly Bollinger. Add Kwaraja and Hauritz to the mix and it begins to look more promising. But wait – what about Clarke and Johnson? In my view, they are currently part of the problem not the solution, so I would send them back to their State sides to get the basics right again. Captain? Yes, it's probably time for a change after an over-long Punter reign. Either Hussey or Haddin, men of grit and steel, would get the nod from me – if only for the next two years in order to get this Aussie ship back on an even keel.

Some final musings on the respective support enjoyed by the two teams will follow in due course.