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Having watched this side over the last few Tests, I've begun to wonder about the similarities between this side and Mark Taylor's side circa 1994/95 (i.e - his captaincy induction). Of course, there are some important differences: there is no Shane Warne in our current side, our current wicketkeeper is nowhere near the brilliant Healy and our fielding, whilst much improved, is not quite at that standard yet.
However, there are quite a few similarities:
- A tactically astute captain (Clarke vs Taylor) replacing a more combative, standard-setting but less tactically sound captain (Ponting vs Border)
- A mixed pace bowling attack comprising an aged but powerful stalwart (Harris vs McDermott) talented youngsters (Pattinson, Starc and Cummins vs McGrath and Fleming), former journeymen who took their game to a new level (Hilfenhaus and Siddle vs Reiffel), useful fringe bowlers (Copeland vs Angel) and finished former stalwarts (Johnson vs Hughes)
- Useful wicketkeepers waiting in the wings, with the difference being that our incumbent arguably doesn't deserve his place over them (Wade/Paine/Nevill/Hartley vs Emery/Berry/Seccombe)
- A decent but brittle batting line-up prone to collapses with some old stalwarts (Ponting vs Boon), some established players (Clarke vs the Waugh's) and a useful tail (Siddle/Hilfenhaus/Pattinson vs McDermott/Fleming/Reiffel)
I must add that, whilst he is no Shane Warne, Lyon is reasonably talented. Unlike most of the 11 spinners we've tried since Warne's retirement (excluding a by-then finished MacGill), he's not afraid to flight the ball and he's done reasonably well when conditions have suited (Sri Lanka) and sometimes even when they haven't (New Zealand). He's still not the finished article; Ashley Mallet believes he doesn't use the crease effectively enough, whilst he's yet to turn the ball like a Jason Krejza, but he's exhibited more control than anybody bar Nathan Hauritz (who bowls flatter).
I'm not saying that this team is as good as that Taylor side of 1994/95 (it's not quite there), but there are a number of similarities. This is occasionally disquieting (regarding the batting line-up's consistency), but more often encouraging (the pace attack, the captain and the keeping reserves). Although things can change drastically from here (with injuries, personal problems, stupid selections etc.), these similarities make me believe that at least we're on the right track for the time being.
Does anyone else have any thoughts?
However, there are quite a few similarities:
- A tactically astute captain (Clarke vs Taylor) replacing a more combative, standard-setting but less tactically sound captain (Ponting vs Border)
- A mixed pace bowling attack comprising an aged but powerful stalwart (Harris vs McDermott) talented youngsters (Pattinson, Starc and Cummins vs McGrath and Fleming), former journeymen who took their game to a new level (Hilfenhaus and Siddle vs Reiffel), useful fringe bowlers (Copeland vs Angel) and finished former stalwarts (Johnson vs Hughes)
- Useful wicketkeepers waiting in the wings, with the difference being that our incumbent arguably doesn't deserve his place over them (Wade/Paine/Nevill/Hartley vs Emery/Berry/Seccombe)
- A decent but brittle batting line-up prone to collapses with some old stalwarts (Ponting vs Boon), some established players (Clarke vs the Waugh's) and a useful tail (Siddle/Hilfenhaus/Pattinson vs McDermott/Fleming/Reiffel)
I must add that, whilst he is no Shane Warne, Lyon is reasonably talented. Unlike most of the 11 spinners we've tried since Warne's retirement (excluding a by-then finished MacGill), he's not afraid to flight the ball and he's done reasonably well when conditions have suited (Sri Lanka) and sometimes even when they haven't (New Zealand). He's still not the finished article; Ashley Mallet believes he doesn't use the crease effectively enough, whilst he's yet to turn the ball like a Jason Krejza, but he's exhibited more control than anybody bar Nathan Hauritz (who bowls flatter).
I'm not saying that this team is as good as that Taylor side of 1994/95 (it's not quite there), but there are a number of similarities. This is occasionally disquieting (regarding the batting line-up's consistency), but more often encouraging (the pace attack, the captain and the keeping reserves). Although things can change drastically from here (with injuries, personal problems, stupid selections etc.), these similarities make me believe that at least we're on the right track for the time being.
Does anyone else have any thoughts?

