South Africa v Australia wrap

Having stayed up all night to watch the final episode of a long mini-series that spanned five months, it was fitting that the final ODI in Johannesburg stuck to the overall script. A see-saw battle, two evenly matched teams, constant momentum shifts and well-set batsman giving their wicket away to trigger mini-collapses.

It was pretty much the tale of the summer. The Tests finished deadlocked at three apiece whilst SA were clearly the better ODI team but of the 20 games these sides played against each other since December (Tests, ODI and T20), nearly all of them had a similar script. It was characterised by batsmen who threw away good starts and precipitated momentum shifts that ultimately swung games. Ironically, it was also a period where the most unlikely batsmen also changed the entire course of a game with some stunning hitting. Duminy, Steyn, De Villiers and Albie Morkel featured for South Africa. Johnson and Hughes stood out for Australia in that regard.

For Australia, I suspect these last few months have raised some questions that have no immediate answers. On the positive side, it looks like the search for Hayden’s replacement is over, the fearless Hughes nailing that door shut behind him. Johnson is on the cusp of becoming a genuine Test all-rounder (although surprisingly, his batting in ODI cricket is abject) and Haddin seems to have finally settled into the void left by Gilchrist. With Lee and Stuart Clarke still to return, there’s plenty of blue sky in that respect.

On the other hand, some things are still as clear as mud. Australia’s ODI game plan is the first thing that comes to mind. Most of the summer, even against NZ, they were tactically outplayed. The batting powerplay rarely worked and the middle period of their innings, batting and bowling, was consistently the period when SA (and NZ) took the game away from Australia. Their poor batting against Botha, van der Merve and Vettori in those middle overs must be a worrying sign for when they come up against even better spinners in spin-friendly conditions. Their bowling, for so long controlled in that crucial 15-40 over stage through the likes of Warne, Hogg, Symonds etc, looked utterly impotent this season. Both SA and NZ plundered at will, setting themselves up for their powerplay whereas Australia kept losing wickets to the spinners and delaying the powerplay until it had to be taken with the tail. This issue with the powerplay is one area that Australia cannot afford to keep messing up, such is the game-changing impact it has on the modern game.

To make matters worse, Ponting is no longer the all-conquering player he once was. His pedigree or greatness cannot be doubted but hard hands, playing in front of his body against Botha and chipping to midwicket or back to the bowler was an all-too-common sight during the ODI’s. It is a measure of how much Australia relies on him that their worst recent period in recent ODI's has coincided with his form slump in coloured clothing. Michael Hussey too now knows what it’s like to be back with the mere mortals and he may well find that his sibling rivalry is over for the time being. Despite numerous chances, David Hussey may just be one step out of his depth at this level. His unusual technique, lacking in footwork and relying on fast hands may not suit the higher demands of international cricket whilst his modest off-spin was dismissed over midwicket by most good batsmen.

Australia could justifiably argue of course that they were slightly the better team in Test cricket but that argument would need to be based on the theory that they were on top for 5 of the 6 Tests and if not for some stunning comebacks engineered by De Villiers, Duminy, Steyn and others, the Tests could have finished at 5-1. The reality though is that SA not only retrieved perilous situations but counter-attacked with enough force to go on and win these games. I think the final result in all three forms of the game probably tells the true story. One team is going through a rebuilding phase and looking for new talent whilst the other team is possibly nearing the top of their game with a few players like De Villiers, Steyn, Duminy and Botha very much at the zenith of their form and talent. Kallis’ consistency was a major rock for the Africans to lean on but the big scores never really materialised, often caught in the slips or gully, driving away from his body when he looked totally at ease.

The last game at the Wanderers was typical of the entire season really. One team storms out of the blocks, the other team doesn’t just peg them back, they actually emerge as comfortable favourites before yet another twist wrenches the game violently back in the other direction. Watching the game through bleary eyes at 4 am, willing myself to stay awake, the only thing I could confidently predict was that it would be unpredictable. And so it came to pass....

Wouldn’t it be good to see a three-cornered contest next summer with India, South Africa and Australia all playing each other at home and away in all forms of the game? My gut feeling is that India’s overall balance will probably see them finish on top, based on current form. They seem to have a squad that can cover all conditions with a deft mix of power, experience, youth and hunger. It's a close-run thing though - what do you reckon?