By Greg Baum
Steve Smith took the last wicket of the Boxing Day Test, gave a wry smile and turned around to collect his cap from umpire Paul Reiffel.
Australia had beaten South Africa again to seal the series and all but guaranteed their place in next year’s world Test championship final, but the contest had been too uneven to justify an extravagant celebration. That would have been to flaunt it in South Africa’s face, and thankfully those days are past.
Scott Boland celebrates the dismissal of Kyle Verreynne with teammates.Credit:Getty Images
An innings and 182 runs here to follow six wickets in Brisbane, and it’s hard to see a narrowing in Sydney next week. The little things are telling. Under Pat Cummins, Australia are mostly getting them right. They’re thinking ahead. Having won the toss, they bowled first in this match not so much to exploit life in the pitch on day one as expose South Africa in the field on a brutal day two. It worked.
Australia gained three wickets by run out in this match, all with direct hits. They’re more composed and so more judicious with DRS. Finely judged referrals brought them two wickets this day.
Mitch Starc kept a sideways vigil on South Africa’s non-strikers, twice warning Theunis de Bruyn. “Stay in your crease,” he said. “It’s not that hard.” Starc would have been within his rights to run him out in a third instance, but de Bruyn was out soon enough anyway.
South Africa, by contrast, were remiss in the details. This was most obvious in their misjudgments or sloppiness in all three run-outs, sacrifices that they with their tissue-thin batting could not afford. It did not matter that Australia were depleted in attack because South Africa gave them their wickets anyway.
Australian captain Pat Cummins takes a catch.Credit:Getty Images
So it was that a fundamental gap between these teams became a gulf. Yet South Africa were as this series began the notional third best team in the world in the championship, a kind of jerrybuilt league, and fourth on the ICC rankings, which roll continuously as in tennis.
What this illustrates all too graphically is that world cricket has become a two-speed economy. Australia and India are first and second in the world and growing ever more prosperous. England’s position is anomalous. They are third in the rankings, but because of a disastrous series of results encompassing last year’s Ashes series are fifth and out of contention in the Test championship.
Now rejuvenated under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, they will soon enough be back at the big table with Australia and India. Between them, they have the money, the clout and a tacit arrangement to play one another as often as they can while not being too obvious about it, and so add to their riches and clout.
What has happened to the rest? South Africa actually began the year brightly, winning six of their first seven Tests, including an innings win over England at Lord’s. But they’ve imploded since, losing four Tests all by wide margins. Nine of their Lord’s 11 played in Brisbane, eight in Melbourne, so it’s not simply a loss of manpower. A malaise has set in.
South African tailender Anrich Nortje scrambles to avoid a Mitch Starc bouncer at the MCG.Credit:Getty Images
New Zealand, the reigning Test champions, are languishing. Pakistan, though glad to be playing at home again, keep losing there. Sri Lanka are dealing with generational change and the West Indies are what they were in Australia recently, uncompetitive. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are also-rans.
If it was any other sport, it would be split into two divisions. The divide is as much economic as cultural. As seen this week, one Indian Premier League club can afford to pay Cameron Green for a month’s work more than what you imagine Zimbabwe can offer their entire squad for a year.
Meanwhile, South Africa reportedly are touring Australia without even a data analyst, an essential in any modern pro sports team, and it is showing in the naivety of some of their cricket. They must read about the broadcast money now on the table in Australia and weep.
The rich get richer, the poor poorer. As national boards seek new funds, T20 leagues are springing up everywhere. But it’s still two-tiered, which means that while South Africa flounders, veterans Faf du Plessis are playing in the Big Bash League. So are Kiwis Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme and Martin Guptill. The landscape is all askew.
Mitch Starc runs out Keshav Majaraj.Credit:Getty Images
It’s going to get worse and it might not get better. Next year, Australia will play four Tests in India, then in all likelihood play India again in the Test championship final at Lord’s before playing England in five Ashes Tests. The mint will be in full production.
Australians might easily turn a blind eye. Their team is playing brilliant, brave and enjoyable cricket. New stars are emerging to complement old favourites.
Apart from a hiccup against India two years ago, they are again unassailable at home and can even begin to entertain pretensions to a rare victory in India in February. More than 150,000 passed through the gate at the MCG this week and the ratings are solid.
We’re all right, Jack. But are we? If Test cricket is under threat, it’s not because it is a dated, inferior or unpopular game. Test cricket is under threat because it is running out of tests.
