OK, so as far as results go, this tour was pretty much an unmitigated disaster. Lost every match, often quite quickly. Doesn't get much worse than that. But, let's put this in some context. Our current side is really very inexperienced, and playing in India like this will have taught them a bucketload, both about the game and themselves. Make no mistake, they'll be hurting, and they won't want to feel like this again.
So, let's look for some positives.
1. Cowan. Looked completely out of his depth when the tour started. Ended up making more runs than any other Australian. Never went on to make that big hundred, which is nothing new for him, but his ability to play spin improved drastically with each game, to the point where he looked like one of our least comfortable (perhaps behind only Hughes) to one of our most comfortable. Showed great tenacity and character at the crease, and a thirst for self-improvement. I get the feeling he'll be a much better batsman for this tour.
2. Hughes. Yes, Hughes is a positive, of sorts. He was, frankly, atrocious in the first two games. Got unlucky a couple of times, but clearly just had no confidence playing spin. Could not score a run, got bogged down, just looked like a dear caught in headlights. But, to his enormous credit, he turned it around in the third Test, and looked on track for a century before a terrible LBW decision sent him packing. He followed it up with solid-enough performances from there on. He adjusted his game, and more importantly, he quickly got himself out of his rut, which is something he has struggled with in the past. It showed he's developed some much-needed maturity and grit. He still has a long way to go before he's completely fulfilling his potential as a Test batsman, but I feel it was a big step forward for him.
3. Siddle. Showed again what a tough customer he is. He's not the most talented or destructive of players, but he's an impressive cricketer with a gigantic heart. Our first picked bowler for the Ashes.
4. Smith. Came in as a specialist batsman, and took to it like a duck to water. Played like his NSW fanboys have always known he could. Looked supremely confident against some very, very good bowling, and his technique and shot-selection were much improved from his previous stints in the Test side. He still has a bit to work on technically, but he's a lot more solid and is definitely a genuine middle-order option now. Should be selected at 5 or 6 for the Ashes.
5. Lyon. Basically the bowling equivalent of Cowan/Hughes, looked out of his depth and out of form at the start of the tour, to the point he was actually dropped, but his 7-fer in the final test showed he had learned how to bowl in those conditions, to those batsmen. This tour will have been a massively important learning experience for him, and he'll have gained a lot of confidence from the way he finished off the tour.
6. Wade. Coming into the tour, he was struggling badly to keep to spin, and as expected, he continued to struggle. But, as a young keeper used to keeping in Australian conditions, it's really not much of a surprise. However, his keeping improved throughout the tour, and again, he'll have learned a bucketload from this experience. Even Dhoni struggled at times, and he's far more accustomed to both spin bowling and Indian conditions than Wade. The most important thing is that Wade will be a better keeper going forward.
7. Henriques. OK, so he was dropped for the last game, but his debut game showed that he does in fact have the talent to be a Test batsman, which was by no means a given going in. He may not have the consistency yet, but I think it's fair to say he far exceeded expectations in what were very trying conditions.
8. Maxwell. Well, his batting was a complete flop, but his bowling was actually reasonably impressive. Got good bounce, a bit of movement, and wasn't horribly inconsistent, which was nice. Reasonable cricketing brain, at least with ball in hand (I'm afraid I can't say the same for his batting). Wouldn't pick him as a front-line bowler in any but the most spin-friendly conditions, but he comfortably outperformed Doherty, which was nice.
9. Clarke. Continued to show his absolute class. Were it not for his injury in the final Test, we might have been able to nab a win.
The fact of the matter is that right now, we don't have the cattle, but we do have the talent. We just need it to develop, and that requires experience. This tour has provided that in the most brutal possible fashion.
So, let's look for some positives.
1. Cowan. Looked completely out of his depth when the tour started. Ended up making more runs than any other Australian. Never went on to make that big hundred, which is nothing new for him, but his ability to play spin improved drastically with each game, to the point where he looked like one of our least comfortable (perhaps behind only Hughes) to one of our most comfortable. Showed great tenacity and character at the crease, and a thirst for self-improvement. I get the feeling he'll be a much better batsman for this tour.
2. Hughes. Yes, Hughes is a positive, of sorts. He was, frankly, atrocious in the first two games. Got unlucky a couple of times, but clearly just had no confidence playing spin. Could not score a run, got bogged down, just looked like a dear caught in headlights. But, to his enormous credit, he turned it around in the third Test, and looked on track for a century before a terrible LBW decision sent him packing. He followed it up with solid-enough performances from there on. He adjusted his game, and more importantly, he quickly got himself out of his rut, which is something he has struggled with in the past. It showed he's developed some much-needed maturity and grit. He still has a long way to go before he's completely fulfilling his potential as a Test batsman, but I feel it was a big step forward for him.
3. Siddle. Showed again what a tough customer he is. He's not the most talented or destructive of players, but he's an impressive cricketer with a gigantic heart. Our first picked bowler for the Ashes.
4. Smith. Came in as a specialist batsman, and took to it like a duck to water. Played like his NSW fanboys have always known he could. Looked supremely confident against some very, very good bowling, and his technique and shot-selection were much improved from his previous stints in the Test side. He still has a bit to work on technically, but he's a lot more solid and is definitely a genuine middle-order option now. Should be selected at 5 or 6 for the Ashes.
5. Lyon. Basically the bowling equivalent of Cowan/Hughes, looked out of his depth and out of form at the start of the tour, to the point he was actually dropped, but his 7-fer in the final test showed he had learned how to bowl in those conditions, to those batsmen. This tour will have been a massively important learning experience for him, and he'll have gained a lot of confidence from the way he finished off the tour.
6. Wade. Coming into the tour, he was struggling badly to keep to spin, and as expected, he continued to struggle. But, as a young keeper used to keeping in Australian conditions, it's really not much of a surprise. However, his keeping improved throughout the tour, and again, he'll have learned a bucketload from this experience. Even Dhoni struggled at times, and he's far more accustomed to both spin bowling and Indian conditions than Wade. The most important thing is that Wade will be a better keeper going forward.
7. Henriques. OK, so he was dropped for the last game, but his debut game showed that he does in fact have the talent to be a Test batsman, which was by no means a given going in. He may not have the consistency yet, but I think it's fair to say he far exceeded expectations in what were very trying conditions.
8. Maxwell. Well, his batting was a complete flop, but his bowling was actually reasonably impressive. Got good bounce, a bit of movement, and wasn't horribly inconsistent, which was nice. Reasonable cricketing brain, at least with ball in hand (I'm afraid I can't say the same for his batting). Wouldn't pick him as a front-line bowler in any but the most spin-friendly conditions, but he comfortably outperformed Doherty, which was nice.
9. Clarke. Continued to show his absolute class. Were it not for his injury in the final Test, we might have been able to nab a win.
The fact of the matter is that right now, we don't have the cattle, but we do have the talent. We just need it to develop, and that requires experience. This tour has provided that in the most brutal possible fashion.
