The Aussies are really under the hammer with a defeat and a hard fought draw. For the first time in a better part of a decade the Aussies have had to admit the superiority of their rivals. Their tactic of 'mental disintegration' does not seem to have, at the moment, any impact on the English.
The Aussies have admitted their problems in so far the swing bowling of Harmison and company. They also have admitted the lack of pace of their bowlers with the exception of Brett Lee. Even Warne was rendered ineffective the second time the English batted in the third test.
The West Indies teams of the 1980s were thought to be invincible, but now the Caribbean teams are one of the weakest. The same applies to the Aussies as well. Most of the players who have been the architect of many a victory in the past are on the last legs of their careers. The new talent has not been coming up despite all the talk of having an academy. Further, it does not make much sense to blood players when they are approaching thirty. In the recent times, Ponting and Michael Clarke have the distinction of breaking into the side at a young age. A certain Shane Warne also came into the side at a young age before being sidelined.
The next two test matches are going to decide not just the future of some key players but also the future of cricket. No longer the rest of the cricketing world needs to be afraid of the Aussies. The victories of the Aussie teams have been the result of the superior talent and also the way in which their opponents accepted defeat even before the fight.
In this context, the comments from Buchanan about the flaws in the English team seems to be in a bad taste.
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