http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978 should warn his team of a second season syndrome as a they prepare for the 2013 Ashes – Opinion - Part 1
While a second season syndrome is a well heard phrase in football, using it for international cricket teams is not as common, keeping in the mind that cricket does not support a hierarchical or layer- system, as prominent in other sports. Nonetheless, there
is a matter of ranking system in place and a poor term could easily lead to a free fall, currently observed by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746.
After their Ashes debacles and a relatively indifferent World Cup campaign, the Kangaroos had a uplift in fortunes following the arrival of Michael Clarke at the helm. He took over from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RT-Ponting-c2377, arguably the team’s most influential man, and ensured
that his side puts behind their past failures and start afresh for the upcoming season.
An Argus recommendation gave him more power – making him co-selector- but at the same time offered more transparency as to how things were going to run. Ultimately, with everyone now in the frame of being picked, or for the matter being dropped, performances
started to show an upward trend.
Following a T20 loss against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 in March this year.
During that period, they had had swept aside the Lankans (both ODIs and Tests), defeated South Africa in the 50-overs arena, and made a strong comeback in the subsequent Test series to share the spoils. They then contested the Kiwis at home, again drawing
the series before dismantling the insipid Men in Blue by a 4-0 margin.
The Commonwealth Bank tri-series followed, including the Indians and the Sri Lankans, and Clarke’s men again showed their rejuvenation by claiming the series. A hard fought drawn ODIs and T20Is then took place against the Windies, after which the Aussies
took control of the Test series, winning 2-0.
All in all it was a perfect start for Clarke’s tenure of the Baggy Greens (August- May); the team played 14 Tests, won nine, lost just 2 and drew three, and leapfrogged http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Tests rankings. The team had further scored
7478 runs (as oppose to 6352) during the period, and had given away 216 wickets, while taken 249.
Moreover, it was a special year for debutants with as many as nine making their first appearances, compared with the four witnessed last term. It included the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Iftikhar-Ali-Khan-Pataudi-Nawab-of-c64075 Cummins, considered as the long term replacements for someone
like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nathan-Michael-Lyon-c78822 also made his mark and was a settled member of the Test side.
The impressive year; however, had its moments of embarrassment – the capitulation at the hands of South Africa where the team was routed on 47, the first home Test match defeat suffered at the hands of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in well over a decade and also the drawn
ODI series against the Caribbean outfit minus http://www.senore.com/Cricket/CH-Gayle-c1221.
The upcoming season has begun in humiliating fashion, where the team suffered a 4-0 ODI defeat at the hands of an emerging English contingent. That series, in effect, has raised serious doubts over the team’s ability to sustain their good work ahead of another
tough term, which will now see the Kangaroos travelling to a hot and humid UAE for a series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755.
For Clarke’s man, relinquishing the ODI supremacy in days to come might be just the start of a bigger fall, which the management will be eager to avoid.
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