The recent imbroglio between Damien Martyn and Dennis Lillee raised a number of questions about the state of Australian cricket. The first test has been played out, and the Australians have romped to victory. Amid the back-slapping and salutations, however, the Australian team must not lose sight of some bigger questions still facing them.
This Australian team is one focused on the task at hand—the winning back of the Ashes from the "Auld enemy". It is also a team supposedly in the process of introducing new blood in an ordered fashion; a different team ready for the challenge of the Ashes-holding tourists. But is the transition to a younger generation actually occurring, and where will the Australian team be in three years?
Dennis Lillee's comments, about the Australians perhaps paying the price for having such an aged line up, were shouted down from just about all quarters. Damien Martyn was particularly strident, telling Lillee to shut up, and pointing out that as president of the WA Cricket Association he should mind his own business.
Martyn may have a point. The depth of experience in the Australian side, particularly in the batting line-up, is perhaps unparalleled in the history of cricket. On paper, the Australian team is formidable. Overlooked by many people, amidst the furore over Lillee’s comments, was one salient point. The Australian team was reckoned to look just as formidable before the commencement of the last Ashes series in England. Glenn McGrath confidently predicted a whitewash—and even allowing for the usual mind games that "Pigeon" goes in for at the start of each series, the mood of the Australian team before the series began was bullish.
What has changed since then? Australian has won the first test of this Ashes series. For the first three days, they dominated proceedings. But the manner in which Ponting, as captain, chose to proceed tactically was illustrative of the side's weaknesses.
By not enforcing the follow-on, Ponting revealed two things. Firstly, the scars of Kolkata, in 2001, are still felt by this Australian team. The disaster of that follow-on will live long with the Australian team. Secondly, Ponting revealed the (unspoken) fears that he—and perhaps others in the team’s "brain’s trust"—have about the longevity of McGrath and, to a lesser extent, Warne. The fact that McGrath damaged his heel, and was unable to bowl for a period, proves the point.
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