Cosmetic changes won't improve Australia's face
Australia have brought in some new players for Boxing Day following the shocking defeat to South Africa, but Peter Roebuck, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald , believes a switch in attitude is more important.
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Australia have brought in some new players for Boxing Day following the shocking defeat to South Africa, but Peter Roebuck, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, believes a switch in attitude is more important.
Unless Australia produce the intensity missing in Perth, the changes will not make a scrap of difference. Australia did not use their heads ...
Ejecting a few trundlers may help to concentrate minds, and in this case will tighten the attack. But it does not confront the core problem, namely the underperformance of the senior players. Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee and company have been out of sorts since last year's somewhat contentious SCG Test match, and it is high time they recovered their poise. These blokes are the hard core of the team, but they are playing sucker cricket.
Ponting called some of his team-mates “passengers” following the loss. The Australian’s Peter Lalor travelled with them to Melbourne.
Ron Reed says in the Herald Sun the Boxing Day Test is now a guaranteed blockbuster.
In the Courier Mail Robert Craddock writes about Australia’s loss of psychological advantage over South Africa.
Australia are so unsettled that the side for the Boxing Day Test will be the 14th consecutive changed team. And the one after that will probably change as well in Sydney. And then there will be further changes for the South African tour.
Alex Brown wonders in the Sydney Morning Herald about the future of Matthew Hayden.
Peter English is former Australasia editor of ESPNcricinfo