Australia need to break losing streak ahead of Ashes
Australia are heading towards the Ashes without a win to their name since defeating http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 by 150 runs in their Test at Lord’s in mid July.
Admittedly, the host team have three more ODIs against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 to rectify the situation but they are fast running out of time to do so and will need to turn things around dramatically from yesterday’s seven-wicket loss to Kumar Sangakkara’s side in their one-off Twenty20 International.
Australia limped to their lowest ever home total in a Twenty20 match, 133-8 at the WACA as their top order provided little resistance against the visiting attack.
Twenty20 skipper Michael http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120, opening the batting in this match, was the best of them with what was by his standards a spritely 16 from 19 balls. But with no other recognised batsman making double figures it was left to Brad Haddin, with 35 from 30 in his return from an elbow injury, and young spinner Steven Smith with 34 from 23, to create some modicum of respectability in the Australian total.
In the end they couldn’t rescue it from the lows to which it had descended, but neither could the bowlers turn it into a defendable total as opener Tillakaratne Dilshan (41 from 44) and Sangakkara (44 not out from 43 balls) took the game away from Clarke’s men.
Excuses can be made for Australia’s winless tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 – Doug Bollinger’s abdominal injury in the first Test hurt their chances of extracting India’s tail as they lost by one wicket, and two of the three scheduled ODIs were washed out – and they weren’t at full strength against Sri Lanka yesterday, with the likes of Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait among the notable absentees.
But it’s hard to get away from the fact Australia have now lost their last five international matches, a losing streak covering Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals.
And any way you seek to reconcile it, that’s got to put http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Dent-c41093 in their confidence as they seek to ensure this England team doesn’t become the first since 1986/87 to leave Australia with the Ashes in their possession.
Australia will welcome back Ricky Ponting and Hussey (who, incidentally, failed to recapture his form playing for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Australia-c844 with scores of a duck and three) for their ODIs against Sri Lanka, beginning on Wednesday, knowing that while few Australia fans will remember the result of this series after the Ashes have been won or lost, winning it has now become a vital part of their Ashes preparations.
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