Welcome to life without McGrath and Warne. As I mentioned when they retired last year, I expect them to still dominate matches, but the main issue was going to be bowling on the last day. If the Test goes to the last day and you need 10 wickets it's going to be tough.
We've gone backwards: Punter's assessment is as blunt as his attack
Alex Brown in North Sound
June 5, 2008
RICKY PONTING began the post-McGrath-Warne era with all the optimism and hubris historically associated with Australian captains, but recent experiences have led to a substantial downgrade in his predictions.
After a gruelling draw with the West Indies in Antigua, Ponting conceded for the first time that his bowling attack had "come back to the pack a little bit in Test cricket" since the retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. That is a massive concession for Ponting,
a man not given to backward steps or outward signs of weakness. At the start of the home series against Sri Lanka, the Australian captain boldly declared his new-look side could be "even better" than that of recent summers, with no expected decline as generational change took effect. Eight Tests later, those forecasts have been adjusted.
Try as they might, Australia's bowlers could manage no more than five West Indian wickets on the last day of the second Test. Only Brett Lee (3-51) threatened consistently on the docile Sir Vivian Richards Stadium wicket, with Stuart Clark playing the role of miser for 1-22 from 18 overs. Mitchell Johnson, meanwhile, again struggled for a consistent line and length and showed few traces of the swing for which he was once renowned. And Stuart MacGill's forgettable performance reaffirmed the reasoning behind his retirement.
Speaking after the draw, which retained the Frank Worrell Trophy for Australia, Ponting outlined plans for change,
including the elevation of Clark to new ball-duties and a preference to blood rookie spinner Beau Casson as soon as possible. Ponting also hinted at more experimental and creative bowling strategies, such as the greater use of Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds in part-time spinning capacities, and even the injection of Simon Katich and Michael Hussey into the attack for short bursts. Hussey bowled six probing overs on Tuesday, more than doubling his career output to that point.
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As far as our attack goes, we've probably just come back to the pack a little bit in Test cricket," Ponting said. "We've got Brett and Stuey [Clark], who are outstanding Test bowlers, and we've got Mitch, who is a work in progress, and we could very well have a young spinner the next game. I'm excited about that. It certainly is a challenge when you haven't got some of the other guys who have been around. It's a great challenge for me and the rest of the guys but, more importantly, it's a challenge for the bowlers to stand up and make a name for themselves as very good Test bowlers. I think Brett's done a very good job of standing up in Glenn's absence over the last 12 months and will continue to lead the attack well I'm sure.
The next spinner is the interesting one for me. We'll see how that pans out."
Ponting barely concealed his disappointment at his side's inability to claim victory in Antigua, after five days of milestones, emotion-charged centuries and a somewhat sudden retirement announcement. Kept at bay by Ramnaresh Sarwan (128) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (77 not out), who batted for the majority of the fifth day during a fourth-wicket stand of 143 runs,
the tourists' bowlers were unable to close out the match in the manner expected of recent Australian sides.
Ponting declared Australia's innings closed over night at 6-244, setting the West Indies an impossible last-day target of 372. Thanks almost exclusively to the efforts of Sarwan and Chanderpaul, the Windies finished with 5-266 after Ponting, having cast an eye over his exhausted bowlers, agreed to conclude the match five overs earlier than scheduled. The West Indies pair have now scored a combined 525 runs in the two Tests thus far this series, including three centuries and two 50s. Clearly, Australia need to rethink their approach. "
We could have done better today," Ponting said. "Stuey MacGill was someone we were going to need to take wickets today if we were going to win the game, and we didn't get the wickets from him.
"I don't have any concern with [Johnson]. We're probably going to look at Stuey [Clark] opening the bowling more often than not now, for a number of reasons, like in these sorts of conditions. [Johnson] is a great athlete, and generally he'll do what I ask of him. So Stuey now moving on, the other guys have been good for the last couple of years in Test cricket, and I think Michael Clarke and [Symonds] at times in this game have done a reasonable job as well and they're guys that I'm probably going to have to call a little bit more on now, with Shane and Glenn not being around now."
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/06/04/1212258909254.html