The Golden Era of Australian Cricket

Sathvik Bharadwaj
6 min readMar 22, 2021

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Sathvik K Bharadwaj

4th July 2020

“We’ve dominated this tournament like no team has dominated a tournament before. We’ve never really been tested” said Ricky Ponting, the captain of the Australian Cricket Team shortly after their unbeaten 2007 World Cup win. This quote perfectly encapsulates the run Australia went on from 1999, in which they lifted a treble of World Cups and whitewashed England 5–0 in the Ashes. This era of dominance started under the captaincy of Steve Waugh and reached its peak under Ricky Ponting. This supremacy was consistent across all formats. The reasons for Australia’s serial winning run can be attributed to the following factors:-

Dream Team:- Wherever they played, against any opposition, Australia were considered favourites. The Aussies had squads made up of quality players who essayed their roles to perfection for the team. They changed the blueprint of a successful team with each player in their arsenal having a defined role. Between this period, Australia usually had an opening combination of a hard-hitting batsman and a conservative batsman, often Matthew Hayden partnering Justin Langer in tests and Adam Gilchrist in ODIs. Number three was occupied by Ricky Ponting or Simon Katich. The middle-order got runs in a heap, from the Waugh brothers to Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann and Michael Bevan. They frequently contributed to valuable partnerships and batted well with the tail. Michael Bevan and later Andrew Symonds were used as devastating finishers. Adam Gilchrist, one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen ever, excelled as an opener in ODIs and at number 7 in tests.

Source: Getty Images

The bowling attack was well rounded in all departments. In tests, they had Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie, quick pacers who hurried batsmen with pace. Glenn McGrath, who applied pressure by holding his line and length, lent the required support from the other end. In ODIs, they were joined by crafty bowlers such as Nathan Bracken and Michael Kasprowicz. Shane Warne was used as an X-factor in both formats. The quartet of Lee, McGrath, Gillespie and Warne took 281 wickets in the 16 tests they played together. Fielding and fitness were highly emphasised on, which was uncommon for other teams during that time. The bench strength was made up of tailor-made replacements, who stuck to the Australian formula of winning and understood the philosophy of the group quickly. Talented individuals like Brad Hogg, Andy Bichel, Stuart Clark and Shane Watson struggled to break into the first team but made the most of the opportunities they got. Finding such replacements, who fit a team’s philosophy entirely, is extremely difficult. The selectors must be credited for finding the right successors. The team became trendsetters, shaping the way cricket is looked at today. Another reason for their prolonged success was consistency in selection. No player felt that his place is on the line, and this allowed the players to express themselves and perform consistently well.

Source: Cricket.com.au

Grooming, Captaincy and Coaching:- While coach Geoff Marsh laid the foundation, John Buchanan took the team to the peak. ‘Buck’ pioneered a cricket coach’s role, making it the position it is today. He strived to be a step ahead of the opponents by using his tactical acumen. He was also excellent in man-managing, ensuring that the players of such a successful team do not go over their heads. The execution was done brilliantly by captains Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. They were not afraid to take bold and aggressive decisions, and this led to them achieving a successful winning formula. The team believed that they could win from any situation, and this belief translated to success. Australia was always proficient when it comes to grooming the next generation. Captains were given the right amount of exposure before being handed the baton, and youngsters were blooded at the right time. The team’s philosophy of never taking the foot off the gas when they were on top, thereby not giving the opposition a single chance, was also passed down successfully. The baggy green became something every Australian kid dreamt of donning. The players thus played with heart, passion and pride whenever they represented Australia.

Individual Brilliance and Attitude:- The player stats make for scary reading. At one point, no Australian batsman in the eleven averaged below 45. Players always found an extra gear for big occasions. Adam Gilchrist scored two fifties and 149 in the three victorious World Cup finals he played in. Ricky Ponting smacked an unbeaten 140 in the 2003 decider against India. Some memorable test moments from a catalogue of heroic performances were Jason Gillespie’s double hundred against Bangladesh, Michael Hussey and Glenn McGrath’s final wicket partnership of 107 in the 2005 Boxing Day Test against the Proteas and the 5–0 routing of England in the 2007 Ashes, at the conclusion of which Australia bid farewell to around 1200 wickets and 15,000 test runs as Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer bid teary farewells. Bits of individual brilliance not only put Australia in a commanding position during matches but also served as game-turning performances often rescuing the team from trouble. As a result, this unit was dominant even in the subcontinent. Winning three World Cups in a row was possible because the players had the right attitude for big games. There were no nerves but rather a ruthless efficiency in the way Australia played and controlled a game. Sledging was used as a very successful tactic to unsettle opponents. Their only blip was during the thrilling 2005 Ashes, which they lost 2–1.

Australia did not lose a single Test series at home between 1999 and 2007. They understood their home conditions well, and the Sheffield Shield was a good supply chain. The fans were always behind the team, attending home games in huge numbers. A lot was invested in infrastructure and good scouts, who had a keen eye for emerging talent. The medical team ensured that there were very less long-term injuries, enabling players to have long career spans.

Post the 2007 Ashes, four key players (Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer, Shane Warne and Damien Martyn) hung up their boots, but their replacements Mitchell Johnson, Michael Clarke, Nathan Lyon and Mike Hussey stepped up. Ponting retired in 2012 after Gilchrist and Hayden. His successor Michael Clarke led Australia to a fifth World Cup victory in 2015, their first at home. The transition period was difficult, and Australia was soon caught up by other nations. Steve Smith’s tenure ended in controversy, as the team reached their lowest point during the ‘sandpaper gate’ scandal. Since then, Justin Langer has done brilliantly as a coach, instilling the same fiery spirit of the early 2000s in the current team. The current squad has prolific run machines in David Warner, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Travis Head and Matthew Wade have promising futures in the middle order. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon complement each other very well. Tim Paine and Aaron Finch are battle-hardened leaders who get the best out of their players. Australia regained the urn, which served as a balm after losing to England in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals. With a settled squad rearing to go, all signs point to Australia going back to the pinnacle soon and dominating world cricket again.

References:-

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/20415119/greatest-test-teams

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/team/series_results.html?class=2;id=2;type=team

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/8-6-top-20-in-2020-test-moments-amazing-adelaide-mcgrath-gillespie-fifties-2008-scg-test/2020-05-01

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Sathvik Bharadwaj
Sathvik Bharadwaj

Written by Sathvik Bharadwaj

Reporter and Editor at Deccan Herald

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