ACS Overseas First-Class Annual 2020

23 Australia in 2019/20 Despite retaining the Ashes in England in 2019, Australia were still in fifth place in the ICC Test rankings at the start of their 2019/20 season. Five thumping wins in their five Tests of the season saw them up to second place in January, and in the annual recalculation in May they wrested the top spot from India, regaining a position that they had last held as long ago as August 2016. In addition, by September 2020 they were also in second place in the World Test Championship table, some way behind India but having played one series fewer.  Their rise back to the top owed much to the individual skills of two batsmen and the teamwork of four bowlers. It was perhaps not surprising that Steve Smith was not able to maintain the remarkable run of big scores that he had achieved in England: the highest of his seven Test innings of the season was just 85. But against this, David Warner, who had provided such easy meat for England’s quick bowlers in the Ashes series, returned to his best form; while lower down the order Marnus Labuschagne, who had first found his way into the Test side only as a concussion substitute, took over Smith’s mantle as the leading runscorer, totalling almost 900 runs in eight innings across Australia’s two Test series. With the bowling attack in the safe hands of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, this was now a side fully deserving its high ranking.  They began their season with a two-Test series at home against Pakistan in November and December, in which both matches were won by an innings. At Brisbane, after Pakistan were bowled out for 240 openers Warner (154) and Joe Burns (97) took them to within 20 runs of the lead before being separated; and then came Labuschagne, with a maiden Test century that eventually reached 185. Australia took a first-innings lead of 340, and despite stern second-innings resistance from Pakistan’s lower order – who took the score from 94-5 to 324-7 – a final collapse saw them finish five runs short of making Australia bat again.  In the following day/night Test at Adelaide, Warner was at his absolute best with an innings of 335*, Australia’s second-highest in all Tests. He may well have threatened Matthew Hayden’s 380, or even Brian Lara’s 400*, had not Tim Paine declared as soon as he passed Australia’s iconic figure of 334. Labuschagne contributed 162 to a second-wicket partnership of 361. When Pakistan batted, a popular if unlikely maiden first-class century from Yasir Shah took them just past 300 – still over 280 behind – and in the follow-on Nathan Lyon’s bowling saw Australia home by an innings and 48.  The second Test opponents of the season, again at home, were New Zealand – at the time three places above Australia in the rankings, but whom they successively beat by 296, 247 and 279 runs. Warner’s batting form was more modest this time, but Labuschagne carried on where he left off against Pakistan. He started the series with his third successive Test score of over 140 (143 this time) and reached his first Test double-century in the third Test. With half-centuries in three of his other four innings he helped to ensure that Australia always had plenty of runs on the board – always more than enough for the bowlers to secure the big victories. Star with the ball was again Nathan Lyon, with 20 wickets in the three games; curiously, his two ‘five-fors’ in the Sydney Test were his first ever in any first-class match at his home ground.  Despite their triumphs of 2019/20, the Tests did expose one possible weakness in this Australian side. Other than Labuschagne, Warner and – when in form – Smith, the rest of their batting appears a lot more vulnerable, despite the occasional useful contribution from individuals. This was further emphasized in the two matches played by their A team during the season. In the first, at Perth in November, against Pakistan’s 428 Australia A could muster only 122 to which the top four of Harris, Burns, Khawaja and Head – recent or current Test players all – contributed a total of just 35. The second was against England Lions at Melbourne in February, when their batsmen’s limitations were once again exposed as England’s A side won by nine wickets, with only Kurtis Patterson (94* in the second innings) showing much durability.