Who'll beat the invincible Aussies?

LAHORE: After their grand success in the 1999 Cricket World Cup there was hardly any doubt about Australians' invincibility in the one-day format of the game. The Kanagroos went from strength to strength ever since Steve Waugh led them to a famous victory with a splendid 121* over South Africa in a crucial pool match. Waugh, who was dropped soon after reaching 50, joked with Gibbs by saying "you have just dropped the World Cup my son" which proved right in the end as Australians went on to win the remaining World Cup encounters which also included the final.

The unlimited success seems to have no end as the Australians are on the brink of overhauling West Indies Test record of 11 consecutive victories after establishing the one-day record of 13 wins on the trot. Waugh's men started their victory march by trouncing Zimbabwe in the one-off Test at Harare after they were beaten in the series against Sri Lanka. And although they were tested in patches by Wasim Akram's Pakistanis but still they managed to beat them in all the three Tests. The following series against India proved a hot cake for them as Tendulkar's men surrendered tamely in each of the three Tests. The pundits of the game predicted a closely-fought series when Australians toured New Zealand for three Tests and five one-dayers. The Kiwis, who were flying high after winning both the Tests and five one-dayers against the West Indies, succumbed to the Aussie myth after they were well and truly beaten by the world champions. Victory in the final one-dayer was the only worthwhile performance by the New Zealanders.

Since Australia's next assignment is a five-Test home rubber against a rather weakened West Indies side which will be followed by a tour to India and full Ashes series against England, it seems that they will establish a record which will take years to be surpassed. This was also highlighted by skipper Steve Waugh after Australians recorded their 10th straight Test triumph in the final match against Kiwis. "This is just the beginning, I believe we can play even better than that. We are on the verge of something special", said Waugh. The Australian captain has every right to say that as he has, under his command, the batting line-up which can overcome the loss of injured Ricky Ponting and which can survive the poor form of their super stars like Mark Waugh, Michael Slater and Steve Waugh. And in case the formidable top order fails, they enjoy the services of Adam Gilchrist at No 7, capable of turning a match around single-handedly.

The depth in bowling department can be judged from the fact that they recorded all the victories without Jason Gillespie, considered by many as the fastest in Australia until the arrival of Brett Lee. The other notable thing is that Shane Warne, their long-time match winner now, has contributed little in all the recent victories at Test level. The champion leg-spinner, though bowled brilliantly in the limited overs version of the game, struggled (by his standards) after getting just 43 wickets at 34.95 in 15 Tests since returning from a shoulder injury. And with bowlers like Stuart MacGill and Fleming waiting in the wings, the Aussie selectors must have a demanding job in finalising the playing eleven.

The question now arises is, which team is going to have a final laugh against the invincible Aussies, particularly in Australia. Everyone knows that sub-continent teams had always struggled in Australia so there is little chance for them of winning a series there -at least in the near future. England and the West Indies are the teams which frequently defeated them in the 80s and early 90s but they too are at their lowest ebb. So among the contemporary teams South Africans are the most capable outfit to halt the Australians winning march.