The problems at the moment -
- Johnson is not only inconsistent between games, but even between spells, and needs to seriously rectify this and find more consistency in his game
- Siddle and Harris are carbon-copies, both in the Craig McDermott/Merv Hughes mould, with decent pace, good workrates and plenty of aggression, but little more than that; the team probably shouldn't be carrying both of them
- Hilfenhaus is in the team as the line-and-length seam/swing bowler, but his incisiveness is questionable in conditions where the ball doesn't swing late, and maybe someone like McKay, George, Copeland or Hazlewood (each being tall and very accurate) would be better long term prospects
- Hughes and Smith can be forgiven for failures, as they are youth shifting into a previously fixed team; the bigger problem is the consistent failures of Ponting and Clarke, who are expected as not only the 3 and 4, but the captain and vice-captain, to lead by example
- our most effective batsman has been Hussey, who is definitely aging and until this series has been largely inconsistent for the past 2 years, so unless this is a late renaissance, the Australian team shouldn't be banking all their hopes in Hussey
Solutions:
I would drop one of Siddle or Harris for either Bollinger or a specialist spinner (depending on the pitch) to give the attack a bit more variety. I would also give Hilfenhaus maybe another 6 months to show he can operate in changing Test match conditions, and if he can't then the Australian team can look towards McKay (VIC), Hazlewood (NSW), Copeland (NSW) and George (SA), who can also generate extreme bounce and seam movement from their towering frames. Michael Hogan (WA) is another who I think should be looked at.
I would stick with Smith and Hughes for now, give them at least another 2-3 series to see if they find their form. They are both long term prospects and have demonstrated their tremendous potential before. North has already been discarded, and I would consider setting the example by dropping Clarke, maybe sending a message through to the other more established players in the team that they have to keep their form up to keep their spots.
