Australia used to be a team that could strike fear into the opposition even before the match. The teams led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting had powerful batting line-ups, while Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, and Shane Warne made their bowling attack one of the most dangerous in the world.
Former South Africa pacer Allan Donald played against that Australian side and knows how strong they were. But the legendary cricketer feels the current Australia national cricket team is very different, especially with the team now facing serious questions over its batting. Earlier, RCB star names Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma among toughest batters to bowl against.
Australia no more a “menace”: Allan Donald
Allan Donald said that there is a massive difference between the Australian teams of his era and the current side. His comments came in a wake of Bangladesh’s historic win over Australia in Darwin and the recent struggles in the ICC events as well.
Donald was quoted as saying by SportsBoom, “It’s the change of the guard in Australia. Yes, in the early 2000s, they were a menace. They were a really tough side to play against, and it was really a self-sustaining team. Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, and Lee—oh my goodness—and then they had a batting line-up to die for. It was a team handed by Steve Waugh to Ricky Ponting, and don’t forget Shane Warne in there too. But it’s changed.”
Bangladesh expose Australia’s batting problems
Australia’s recent Test series against Bangladesh showed this problem clearly. Bangladesh pulled off a shock nine-wicket win in Darwin after Australia were bowled out for 198 in the first innings. Bangladesh then scored 426 and put the hosts under huge pressure.
Australia made a strong comeback in the second Test in Mackay, winning by an innings and 51 runs to level the two-match Test series 1-1. Donald feels one big win cannot hide Australia’s problems.
Donald further explained, “It’s changed, and there are a lot of people in Australia that are all of a sudden frustrated, and they got absolutely pumped by Bangladesh, and it was good to see from a Bangladeshi point of view how well they can play when they put their minds to it. But look, I just think it’s a long tail. It’s a batting line-up that’s struggling.”
Batting struggles putting more pressure on bowlers: Donald
The Proteas legend feels the biggest difference between the current team and the Australian sides of the early 2000s is the batting line-up. Amid this, Nitish Kumar Reddy reflects on amazing comeback in Afghanistan series.
Donald believes that Australia’s batting problems are putting extra pressure on their bowlers. When the batters fail to score enough runs or spend enough time at the crease, the bowlers are forced to do more work and rescue the team.
He added, “It’s struggling for batting form; there’s already that thing about bowlers versus batters coming out. The batters just can’t give the bowlers enough chance to recover. So, it’s a great worry for them right now. They really are in trouble when it comes to performances now.”
Allan Donald backs Australia’s bowling attack ahead of South Africa Tests
However, Donald is not writing Australia off, saying there is still plenty of strength in their bowling attack, especially with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood in the team. He called the three fast bowlers among the best in the world and said they could be a big threat to South Africa.
Australia will travel to South Africa for a three-match Test series. The first test will be played in Durban from October 9, followed by matches in Gqeberha and Cape Town. And Donald feels the Australian bowling attack will hold the key for the touring side in the upcoming Proteas Tests.
He signed off by saying, “They’ll keep saying that they’re Australian and they’ll bounce back and stuff like that, and I look forward to the series. Let’s just say that it’s a quality bowling attack. So, I look forward to the Test Series. But I think there are challenges ahead for Australia.”