Captain Smudge Is Just A Bit Slow

Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon take a light-hearted look at all things Australian cricket as England clinch the ODI series

Geoff Lemon: Alright, Adam. There’s only one whitewash that’s still on the cards this Australian summer. Or might still be, by the time we go to print. The big one. The prize they all gathered for. The… sorry, just a second… Gillette One-Day International series. And let me tell you, folks, it has not been a close shave.

Adam Collins: Nothing quite puts a boom light on poor performance like an old-fashioned shellacking at home. And it doesn’t help that they are playing the best 50-over team in the world. England put a big emphasis on this form of the game after the last World Cup and this is their reward.

GL: Maybe it’s a case of specialisation, like when you’re 21 and you want to go and work for a Peruvian NGO and be a lead singer and get your Masters and make the national Ultimate Frisbee team. Maybe cricketing countries these days have to pick a format. No one is managing all of them that well, as India gets taken apart again by South Africa as we type. It has worked for England having a separate pace attack to Tests, and a halfway new batting order, where Australia has much the same team.

AC: The problem is players like Steve Smith and David Warner are top of the class in all formats. The skipper is taking a breather from the T20s next week, but I wonder whether that might be a month too late? The Ashes must have taken a toll. He seems far more at home watching the tennis this time of year. And don’t forget, last time he rested in 2016 (against his will) they didn’t lose a game under Warner in Sri Lanka. It didn’t hurt.