The God of cricket is smiling on the Team Australia once again! By registering a thumping victory against Pakistan the Australian cricket has sent out an ominous signals to other cricketing powers in the world. If you have watching the fortune of the Australian cricket in recent years, it was in the doldrums ever since the exit of a galaxy of super stars like Mcgrath, Gilchrist. Hayden etc. It lost quite a few matches including the Ashes Series to England . But if the recent performance of the team is to go by, the other cricketing nations have a lot to worry about. Pakistan which played a three match series against Australia were beaten fair and sqare. And in the process of demolition of Pakistani challenge the Aussie cricket team produced vintage stuff for which it has built such huge and formidable reputation.
The first test match started on the Boxing day in the backdrop of a 2-0 comfortable series victory against the West Windies at the historic MCG. Pakistan batted first and scored 258 runs which was just not enough and it was easily overhauled by the Australian batsmen. The first innings produced a score of 454 runs for five wickets and a declaration came with Australia taking a huge first innings lead. The misery of poor batting dogged Pakistan in the second innings too as it was bundled out for 251 runs. Mitchelle Johnson and Nathan Hauritz were the wreckers-in-chief. Shane Watson the sensational ,Aussie allrounder was adjudged the Man of the Match.
After losing the first test so badly the Pakistanis were expected to put put up a better show in the second test at Sydney. In fact Pakistan started very well by piling up 333 runs in the first innings and bundling out Aussie batsmen by a paltry 127 runs and in the process took a handsome lead. But Aussie cricketers are always tough customers and their never-say-die attitude surfaced to the fore once again when they put up 381 runs and asked Pakistan to chase an easy target which the Pakistanis batsmen made a complete mess by finally losing to Australia by 36 runs. On the Aussie side Michael Hussey, who was adjudged the Man of the Match award and Hauritz put up a stellar show by claiming five vital wicket.
The last test match at Hobart had only the academic interest centring around whether Australia would be able to make a clean sweep of the series which they did in great style. This time it is even worse than the losses Pakistan suffered in the earlier two test by losing the match by 231 runs. The test match would be fondly remembered by the Aussie captain Ricky Ponting who was at his magnificent batting best by scoring a double hundred in the first innings and a precious 89 in the second. The most striking feature of the performance of this series on the Australian side is that of its young brigade, Johnson, Hauritz, Siddle, Clarke and others. The happy days are again for the Aussies!