What happened to Australia’s new breed?
When will the real Australia stand up? With one ODI remaining, they're three-nil down to England - with one match cancelled thanks to our beautiful British weather at Edgbaston.
As well as being a money-spinning spectacle for the ECB, this ODI series was supposed to be a showcase for Australia's new breed of cricketer.
Well, these young Aussies haven’t shone so far and certainly haven’t done anything to increase my appetite for the Ashes series next year.
People have talked about England seeing too much of the old enemy and that it will dilute the next Ashes series, but I thought it was important we had a look at some of Australia’s new faces as we've been told they were almost back to their best and would challenge us in all forms of the game.
What a serious wake-up call for Australia's coach and media! All I've seen so far has been mediocre cricket from Australia.
It's back to the drawing board as the team they've put out against England isn't good enough or just not tough enough - a phrase often used to describe the England team of the 90s which I represented who were battered time and time again. After a while that criticism started to have an effect on certain players within our side.
Shane Watson, an experienced quality cricketer, said only last week that England's long batting tail was a big weakness which Australia were looking to exploit. Well, Mr Watson, your bowling attack hasn't got through to Tim Bresnan, England’s number seven, once in the entire series!
Maybe, come the final one-dayer at Old Trafford, you might win a dead rubber just like England used to in the good old days – something your media used to remind us of on a daily basis!
Australia's weakness has been in the batting department. They no longer have players who can bat long and dominate games.
David Warner on home soil or a slow pitch in India could really hurt you but in English conditions against our attack he doesn’t offer the same threat.
For me, George Bailey looks a player trying to prove his worth in the team – he lacks confidence and gives off those vibes. Steve Smith is a Michael Clarke-clone but he’s just not in the same class as his skipper and is probably batting two places too high.
One positive for the Aussies is their bowling unit. Although they haven't got through England’s top order yet, they will have gained useful experience in English conditions and shown glimpses of class that could trouble our batsman in future contests.
One problem for them, something that troubled England in Ashes series of old, is that they still haven’t got a quality spinner, someone in the same class as Graeme Swann. On the evidence of this current one day series, this is a huge dilemma that the Aussies need to address urgently.
Follow me on Twitter @DGoughie
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Darren GoughFormer England strike bowler and Yorkshire captain Goughie talks all things cricket and occasionally shows off his knowledge of other sports...
