Season 2024-25 has been a marvellously entertaining season for the exhibition of young talent and hope for future generations. So much so that it warrants several articles, particularly with the debut of Sam Konstas. There were some issues with exceedingly flat pitches but, there were far more contest-ensuring across the globe. Batting techniques have mostly not improved with the improvement in conditions, but youngsters are playing different shots which is encouraging. Passion and aggression were exhibited as well as quality play, while there were improvements in batting, fielding and selection tactics and Melbourne arguably hosted the marquee Test of the summer. The one negative still centred around batting technique and resolute defence, but undeniable improvements featured particularly in the Australian and South African summers.
Test #2553 was completed in Multan on October 11, in which England amassed 823/7 in response to a Pakistan total of 556. Five centuries were scored: For England, Harry Brook 317 and Joe Root 262, in which he passed Sir Alistair Cook as the top Test run scorer for England. Shan Masood 151, Abdullah Shafique 102 and Salman Ali Agha 104. The match lasted five days and England triumphed by an innings and 47 runs. There were all round contributions: Salman Ali Agha taking the wicket of Root, Root himself ensnaring a scalp with his part time-spin, hence the pitch garnered a result. It was acquired within five days, hence a theoretically adequate contest-ensuring pitch. Critics called the pitch too flat: this has been a criticism, including by the late Shane Warne, over a decade ago of the decline in contest-ensuring pitches.
Greats like Warne always advocated responding to rather than bemoaning conditions, hence perhaps the need by teams to revisit more attacking field sets by greats like Warne and Holding is desirable: That bowlers be willing to concede a boundary, specifically “buying a wicket” to induce errors, needs revisiting. The overuse of run-saving positions, in Multan sacrificed many catchers and catches, balls were repeatedly reaching fielders on the bounce, there were few close-in-fielders, gaps existed in slip, hence both sides could have been more aggressive. When a leg slip was placed, Harry Brook took the catch. In the current Australia-India series some spectacular catches by Mitch Marsh gives plausibility to the wisdom of Waugh, Warne and particularly former captain Border about having catchers rather than run savers. Warne always advocated silly point in addition to bat-pad. This is an idea that needs revisiting for close-in-fielders cause batters to play bat close to pad, hence it will spare many an arduous lbw review because often in such circumstances the edge is garnered and the catch taken. This was certainly the case in matches of yesteryear when superb fielders such as David Boon made such positions legendary. Fortunately, the Boxing Day Test saw Sam Konstas and Travis Head feature close in and these two positions were observed with some success, hence it would be prudent to make it a regular tactic, particularly to Lyon, Cummins and Boland.
It is also viable to reintroduce the art of flight into spin bowling, ala Bishen Singh Bedi and Phil Tufnell: often in recent times, bowlers best work is done off the pitch and attempts at flight often result in poor control and errant deliveries, hence just as batsmen need to be coached to play multiple shots versus spin, young spinners need to be encouraged to have greater variations, such as proverbial surprise deliveries. Disappointingly, Ravichandran Ashwin retired at the conclusion of the Brisbane Test, but the positive is that he can not only develop young spinners but also bowl to young batsmen to improve global batting. Playing spin has been globally problematic since the retirement of greats like Ponting and Sangakarra as no one has seemed to replicate their superb use of feet to spinners, particularly in sub continental and other foreign conditions. In the current series Ntish Kumar Reddy and Yashasvi Jaiswal have shown glimpses, but it will undoubtedly be some time before the traditional method reemerges.
There is much conjecture about the remedy for flat pitches, the pitch for the second Multan Test of the Pakistan-England series was recycled from the previous match and perhaps this should be a future tactic for pitch preparation. The Second Test at Multan has produced two centurions, Kamran Ghulam and Ben Duckett, as well as consistent wicket takers in Sajid Khan and Jack Leach, hence the decade long conundrum of creating contest-ensuring pitches may have been solved. It is tremendously disappointing when legends like Mark Waugh and Ravi Shastri are calling for flat wickets to address global batting issues for in addition to the woeful home series performance by India versus New Zealand recent Test matches in Perth and Durban expose a very disturbing modern tendency to regard classic defence and the ability to leave as a negative tactic. It would seem it is regarded with distaste and as being highly unfashionable.
Incredibly frustrating sentiments are frequent such as certain fielding positions or strokes being unfashionable. Much maligned examples include third man and silly point and of batting techniques, the leave and more typically the defensive shot. Tactics and techniques should be necessary versus fashionable and reflect match situations: Bazball should not be a “style”, it should be a response stemming from the need to hasten a declaration or to get bowling to take advantage of fading light. The tendency by many a fine player to bat in undisciplined fashion because they fear scoring slowly is a global cricketing issue. In the recent Australia A versus India A first class series of unofficial “Tests” The indiscipline by otherwise capable experienced players including KL Rahul, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft was concerning. Disturbingly, the tendency to waft at deliveries unnecessarily demonstrates a collective global decline in the ability to leave on length. The point being that such errors were historically common from lower order and top order players seemed to have collectively regressed to be technically indistinguishable from the lower order. Hopefully this tendency will come to be labelled a phase because most sides are guilty of this trend. In overseas conditions it is somewhat chronic.
Deplorable was the Sri Lankan team score of 42 in the recent Durban Test Match in which the brilliant figures of 7-13 off 41 deliveries by seamer Marco Jansen included 3 illegal deliveries, namely no-balls, but it had to be one of the most woeful lapses in modern technique.[1] While there will inevitably be moments where the lower order will perish in clusters, it becomes inexcusable when the top order is as technically suspect as those to follow.
In the Brisbane Test Match it was a fine example of how Bazball can be useful: With a lead of over 100, Pat Cummins allowed Australia to play reminiscent of T20 and despite low individual scores, Australia amassed a sizeable lead which he opted to bowl at in 56 overs. The weather played spoil hence the viability of his approach is pure conjecture, however the Brisbane Test was a true Test. Head & Smith each scored superb centuries, 152 AND 101 respectively Bumrah bowled a spell characteristic of his series: Truly superb. Similarly impressive, youngsters Mohammad Siraj and Akash Deep bowled thankless spells. Deep then accompanied Jadeja and Bumrah in saving the follow on.
These sporting heroics continued in Melbourne, where the highest Test attendance of 350,000 was recorded which also marked the anniversary of the Warne Ashes hat-trick. Superlative efforts by Deep went similarly unrewarded, inexperience by Jaiswal did not obscure two stroke filled innings of 82 and 84 that could have been improved on, Bumrah surpassed Kapil Dev and Bishen Singh Bedi for most scalps against Australia and dismissed the superb performing Travis Head to ensnare his 200th Test wicket. Ntish Kumar Reddy who has stunned with nice, reliable bowling and improved on several scores of 42 with a wonderful 114 in which he used his feet wonderfully. The point being India have contributed significantly to it being one of the more memorable Border-Gavaskar series. It has indeed been a wonderful exhibition by both teams with the absence of a consistently performing Indian batsman to match Bumrah.
Smith stunned with a superb 140, Cummins has been characteristically reliable, being surpassed only by Bumrah as bowler of the series and surpassing Craig McDermott for Australian Test dismissals. Starc who surpassed Waqar Younis and equalled Malcom Marshall contributed steadily along with Lyon, but the headline act for Australia was Sam Konstas. Konstas warrants a separate article, but the sheer enthusiasm Warne, Warner and Hughes and strokes reminiscent of Mark Waugh signalled a future Australian star. So too Webster who proved a viable replacement for Green. Hence there is a depth in Australian cricket that selectors are now willing to explore. This practice is long overdue as the last two decades have emphasised the importance of the marquee player: From Warner to Gayle, Pietersen to Kohli, there were times when despite indifferent form, third parties could be forgiven for genuinely observing that selection was based on justifying pay rates. Fortunately and sadly, casualties were numerous. McSweeney, Marsh and Rohit Sharma were headline omissions due to poor form, fortunately it seems selectors have reverted to the traditional mantra that a player is an actor in proceedings, but that the contest exceeds any one player.
Australia recently lost one of its legendary stonewallers, Ian Ritchie Redpath (1940-2024)[2] A batsman who combined classic strokes with resolute, impregnable defence and an ability to leave on length and notably, if only to highlight the difference between eras hit two maximums in 66 Test matches. He was also instrumental in leading Australia to victory in his farewell series versus the West Indies which did not happen again for 20 years. Important to highlight is that modern marketing practices a cancel culture of sorts, a definite bias at the very least. Players like Barrington, Boycott, Tavare and even the much loved and correctly celebrated Allan Border are frowned upon as their strike rates are highly incompatible with modern cricketing sensibilities and “truisms”.
If recent performances by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are at all telling, it seems leaving the ball in the “corridor of uncertainty” is a tactic that needs revisiting globally. It warrants revisiting as superb players such as Sharma, Kohli and occasionally Steve Smith play at deliveries outside off stump that trigger rookie errors. Furthermore, in the recent Boxing Day Test in Pretoria South Africa slumped from 4 wickets for 99 to 8 for no addition to the score in a few overs due to superb length bowling from returned champion seamer Mohammad Abbas, but globally playing such bowling does seem excessively challenging for contemporary players.
At the risk of being accused of nostalgia, one wonders whether cricket tragics will again see a player be able to manage a demonic speedster like John Snow as Redpath did. The point being that classicism and improvisation need to co-exist. Konstas certainly exhibited delightful snippets of both in this debut innings. He continued this in Sydney where certain shots reminded of greats like Zaheer Abbas and Richie Richardson. However superb mainstays like Smith, Khawaja and globally, Kohli, Rohit, Shan Babar, Markram, even Williamson had significant struggles versus quality bowling.
In sum a fine example of the paradox of the summer was the 10-wicket victory by South Africa in Cape Town on a relatively flat wicket in which the hosts scored 615: Ryan Rickleton equalling the Graeme Smith record of a highest score of 259. Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne contributing with 106 and an even 100 respectively. Pakistan then capitulated for 194 in 54.2 overs. Forced to follow on they amassed an impressive 478 from 122 overs: Shaan and Babar registering a partnership of 205, contributing 145 and 81 respectively, ultimately making South Africa score 61 to secure victory in what was a superb exercise in application. Maharaj & Rabada despite toil and eventual individual success seemed flat & fatigued. Rookie Kwena Maphaka seemed to have the energy they lacked with some impressive scalps, including the prized wicket of Shaan, showing hope and depth for future series.
Robert E. Melato
Article 1 of Season 2024-25
Reading List:
[1] https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/south-africa-vs-sri-lanka-2024-25-1432203/south-africa-vs-sri-lanka-1st-test-1432209/match-report
[2] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-01/ian-redpath-stoic-australian-test-opener-dies-aged-83/104670220
Rob's Ramblings 