Waugh in Ponting, Pt II: The year that changed everything

Waugh to Ponting, Part 1: How the Kiwis Ended the ODI Era

Ricky Ponting was sleeping in his bed at Potchefstroom, outside Johannesburg, when a 6 am phone call from the CEO of the Australian Cricket Board, James Sutherland, woke him up .

Fortunately for the 27-year-old, the news was good: he was to be named the new ADI captain in Australia.

Ponting and the Australians were in the middle of a series of tests against South Africa, and the news was a surprise to the Tasmanian, who felt that Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist were ahead of him in the Hierarchical order. Head coach John Buchanan, meanwhile, was yet to be sold on the need for a change.

"I guess at the time I was still a lot in Steve Waugh's camp; I didn't see the need to replace him as captain," Buchanan told cricket.com.au.

"Although we lost these home tri-series games to New Zealand, and although we didn't necessarily dominate the scene one day like we had the Test scene, I wasn't sure if a change was needed. "

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Australia XI, February 10, 2002 – February 10, 2003 (most games played): Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting (c), Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan, Shane Watson, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath

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Mark Waugh, too, had been excluded from the team for the seven games of the ODI series against the Proteas who would follow the tests, ending his decorated career in this format.

Waugh's form had been solid in the two and a half years since the 1999 World Cup, and the day before his discovery of selection president Trevor Hohns, he had reached 110 in a warm-up match against South. Afrique A, with its second fiftieth coming from 24 balls.

However, the threat of the pick ax has been ubiquitous since the controversial dismissal of his brother Steve as captain of the ODI following the disappointing Australian tri-series, in which they did not reach the final for the third time in 22 years, and Mark's return was poor (fifty, 126 runs at 21).

At 36, his best years were undoubtedly behind him, while pushing for a regular place at the top of Australia's ODI order, Matthew Hayden, whose prolific form for Queensland over the years had started to materialize in the testing arena.

"The way Matt struck in trial cricket, then every time he had the opportunity to play domestic cricket one day, he also thought it for Queensland", remembers Jason Gillespie, who had himself returned to the ODI setup. this summer 2001-02 at home.

"The selectors had to think of 12 months of the World Cup: How can we improve this team? We have this guy who is six years younger than Mark Waugh and he absolutely hits him – he can probably give us a little more overall."

It was the end of an era; for the first time since 1986, an Australian ODI team would be without Waugh.

***

The regular inclusion of Gillespie also marked a significant change in staff as Australia began to chart its way to the 2003 World Cup. The South Australian, as well as the Queenslander Andy Bichel , were back in the team over the summer, with swing player Damien Fleming to notable exclusion.

Fleming was only 31 years old and had been a World Cup hero in 1999, but a history of plaid injuries, combined with Gillespie's irresistible form on the test side, meant the Victorian era in as an international cricketer behind him.

"Dizzy" (Gillespie) was really at the top of his game at the time, "recalls Buchanan.

"He and (Glenn) McGrath were just a lethal combination, and of course we were able to confirm this with (Brett) Lee and (Shane) Warne."

Gillespie fought to come back from a broken leg in 1999 to recover as one of the most feared test bowlers in the world, and with a World Cup in one Little more than 12 months, the breeders saw no reason why he couldn't reproduce his performance in the 50-over Format.

"I didn't have too many problems adjusting my bowling to one day cricket," recalls Gillespie. "Generally, my length in trial cricket was a fraction more complete than what I played in cricket for a day – we're only talking about a foot or two.

"But overall, that hasn't changed too much for me. I tended to take the new ball a bit and I was still trying to get the drummers out.

"The old" top of off "theory doesn't change too much, and that was my goal.

"And when you have someone as good as Glenn McGrath on your team, I certainly learned to be on the other end.

"He made sure he nailed his line and his lengths, he was very disciplined, then he had a good bouncer, a good Yorker and a change of pace.

"I have never been as disciplined as Glenn but I have certainly sought to apply these same principles."

Lee was the least reliable but perhaps the deadliest of his day. The speedster had been playing international cricket for just over two years by the time the Australians arrived in South Africa, and after a period of introduction of drummer hunters at a breakneck pace, his habit of running away from the tracks ( nearly six per in 2001) had become a concern.

"At first it was just a" quick bowl and you will get wickets ", but since he encountered better players and better teams, this particular formula did not work, so it was generally quite expensive", recalls Buchanan.

"He always believed he was going to throw the new ball in cricket one day, but the ball never really swung, so in fact, it was just about playing bowling quickly. "

***

Australia had stumbled on their own turf by failing to make the tri-final in 2001-02, but neither Ponting nor Buchanan thought it was anything more than a mistake on the radar.

Even without the Waughs, the team was still filled with proven top players: Gilchrist, Ponting, Bevan, Warne and McGrath had formed the backbone of the successful 1999 World Cup campaign, while Lee, Gillespie, Hayden and Damien Martyn had all shown their quality in international cricket.

"When I looked at the team for a day from which I had inherited, I couldn't help but think how lucky and privileged I was to 39; be in charge, "wrote Ponting in his autobiography, at the end of the game.

"Steve had argued that our poor form in Australia was an aberration. I thought we too … we had lost our first three games (against NZ) in the VB series, but then we claimed four of our last five – not enough to get us to the final, but that is hardly an indication that we were in some kind of catastrophic shift. "

As the team prepared for the series, Buchanan – a staunch supporter of Waugh – quickly noticed the impact of his new skipper on the group.

"I was not in favor of the decision (to change captain) at the time, but in hindsight, it was obviously the right choice," recalls Buchanan.

"From Steve's point of view, he was still an effective player in the one-day arena, but what Ricky was able to bring immediately on tour was new life, new energy – just a new feeling in and around the day group.

"It became apparent once he took over that there was a new lease of life, and in terms of preparation for the World Cup, it was the introduction perfect for Ricky – we were playing in South Africa with a group of players who weren't going to be too different from what we took for the World Cup.

"So it was a good opportunity to work with them in an environment that we would face in a year."

Departing from advice from then coach Allan Border, the Australians chose the university town of Potchefstroom as a potential home base for their World Cup campaign. It was a smaller place, away from all the curious media and potential problems in Johannesburg, and with excellent training facilities, it was quickly declared the ideal solution and the necessary plans were put in place. square.

Australia won the first two ODIs and tied the third, although Ponting's tenure started nervously with returns of 14, 0 and 3. In the fourth game, he made a decisive 129 as the Australia climbed from three to zero, while in the fifth it finished unbeaten on 44 and luckily hit the winning streak in the series as tourists ran to an unassailable lead of four draws.

On average 42, Hayden had come a long way to consolidate his first place alongside Gilchrist, who had made a century and fifty in an impressive comeback after a meager tri-series at home.

Through the middle order, a year of experimentation began. While Martyn, Bevan and Darren Lehmann had all established themselves to varying degrees on the ODI side, the selectors wanted to keep their options open with the World Cup in 12 months.

In this regard, the focus was on the balance between the team and the team.

"By choosing a team (World Cup), you are really trying to cover all the positions," said Buchanan. "That way, if someone unexpectedly breaks down for any reason, then you believe you have a decent support person to fill that gap."

Such a mentality meant that the versatile talents of Shane Watson were viewed favorably. Watson made an unsuitable debut during the South African series, playing four games, and then filled a multitude of roles (# 3 through # 8) in 14 other games until 2002 .

"& # 39; Watto & # 39; had gone from Queensland to Tassie and I know Ricky Ponting was a big fan of him," said Buchanan.

"He was a very good bat and a reasonably quick pitcher, and just a good all-round prospect.

"His selection was based on that, and this tour (SA) was an opportunity to watch it on an international level, where the World Cup was going to be held."

Watson had overtaken fellow allrounder Andrew Symonds, who had received an extension in average order in the years following the 1999 World Cup (he played 43 of 52 Australian ODIs until the end of 2001 ) without ever producing a performance to secure its place.

"(Buchanan) strongly believed in" Symmo ", like me, and we both expected him to do good things at the highest level," Ponting wrote.

"But he had had a few opportunities and had never taken advantage of them, so the selectors had the right to look elsewhere."

***

The road from Australia to the 2003 World Cup was busy in 2002. After South Africa, they organized a three-game ODI match against Pakistan in June to kick off the opening from what was then Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, then traveled to Kenya and Sri Lanka for multi-team tournaments.

In addition to Watson, Jimmy Maher, the Queensland run-machine, and state teammate Bichel had the opportunity to make their case.

Bichel was behind trident McGrath-Gillespie-Lee in the fast pecking order of bowling but had shown his match-winning ability at the highest level, most recently in January 2002 when he took 5-19 to put rout a star. South Africa side for 106 at the SCG.

He also possessed the kind of optimistic personality and first team mentality that Ponting and Buchanan considered essential traits for the team's reserve players.

"(Bichel) always said he preferred to be 12th rather than 13th – he had the right approach for being on a team," recalls Buchanan. "He was one of the best drink servers, and he was as good as anyone at caring for his friends in the field, but he certainly pushed the selection too.

"There was a bit of experimentation during these tours.

"We were looking for a reserve goalie and we liked the idea that Jimmy Maher fulfilled this role because he was also a very good drummer, and he could really hit wherever we needed to."

Lee, meanwhile, was beginning to discover some of his best forms. The right arm worked alongside the metronomes McGrath and Gillespie and their consistency seemed to stand out.

In 12 ODI abroad between March and September, he took 24 wickets at 18.79, hitting every 24 balls and – most importantly – conceding only 4.68 points per over, 1.3 less than the previous year.

"He had learned how he could better adapt his own game to the day's game," says Buchanan. “He had learned a little more control, and he had also learned to pace. He was quite prone to not have a ball and he backed off a bit.

"So there were a number of things he learned by going to this World Cup and becoming the cricketer he was."

Gillespie, who was in the middle of his most prolific ODI calendar year, also noticed the transformation.

"Before, you could just see the inconsistency – he was trying so hard to impact and impress," he says.

"But what he learned is the best way to do it, is to be disciplined and ruthless with his line and length, and to use his variations a little more sparingly.

"It made him an incredible day's melon."

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The Ponting team was starting to take shape when the disaster struck in the 2002-03 home tri-series against England and Sri Lanka.

On December 15, in the second game against England at MCG, Shane Warne dived to save a race from his own bowling and landed badly on his shoulder. The turning maestro was stretched from the field, his participation in the World Cup being suddenly threatened.

Australia had given spinner Nathan Hauritz his ODI debut in South Africa eight months earlier, while Stuart MacGill had performed admirably in the absence of Warne whenever necessary on the test side.

However, neither was found to be fully compliant with the bill. If Warne was going to miss the World Cup, Australian brains confidence wanted a wrist spinner to replace it, which excluded Hauritz. And while MacGill was a match winner that day, he was seen in some circles as a risk in terms of saving rates, when he was offering little on the field or with the bat.

Go ahead with Brad Hogg. It's been six years since the left wrist spinner had played for Australia, but the 31-year-old then visited South Africa in September with Australia A, taking five wickets in five matches.

Hogg could also strike, when legend has it that Australian coach Mike Young took a look at him in action for WA against Queensland and designated him as his one of the most dynamic players in the country.

Like Bichel, Hogg also had a reputation for being a positive and effervescent influence around any group of players – a fact emphasized by his attitude when he was again chosen for it. ; Australia A for two days against England in preparation for ODI-series sorting.

"I knew I was against Nathan Hauritz (to replace Warne)," Hogg told cricket.com.au. "I was playing in Sydney but I knew I was going to be the 12th man (second game) in Queensland.

"Basically, I just said to myself," Okay, I'll try to do the best I can here in Sydney, but when I get to Queensland I'll be the best 12th man I can be ". felt that it could overtake me.

"When you looked at the setup, you had Warne and MacGill as the backbone of the Test format. Brilliant bowlers. I just thought, What is my advantage over these two?

"And I knew I was a better field player and a better bat, so if I could keep my bowling fairly economical and occasionally get the strange gate, I had a lot to give."

Hogg was called to the side in Perth, and took a wicket before being glued all over the SCG by the Sri Lankan drummer. In the next game at Hobart, his fortune changed halfway to the pursuit of England.

"Hoggy cast his first spell and got a little cock," recalled Adam Gilchrist in Walk towards victory. "Ricky took it off after about three overs and kept it in reserve. Having worked so hard to get back on the side, I could see Hoggie's mind playing games, as if everything was over for him after a bad spell. "

Then at 2-188 and the contest in the balance, Ponting reintroduced Hogg.

"… it seemed like a risky move," continued Gilchrist, "but by showing faith in his player, it was amazing to see the confidence that it instilled in Brad … he took three wickets in three overs , tearing the heart out of their command environment.

"Ricky's timing had been perfect. And Hoggie never looked back.

"Even with Warnie on the way home, we felt that Hoggie was winning a place in his own right. Not just as a replacement, but as a great act of support for Warnie.

"The most important thing was his refreshing attitude. He seemed to have a smile on his face all the time, and he oozed energy on the pitch and in everything he was doing."

Buchanan recalls the Hogg decision as "a very good selection" but reveals that it may never have happened at all.

"At the time, we always encouraged Michael Bevan to keep turning his wrist, but he chose not to," he says.

"I think he just felt that he couldn't do it on the big stage and so he chose not to continue.

"If it had gone the other way, I don't think Brad Hogg would have thought of it."

***

Australia broke all three series against England and Sri Lanka, winning nine of 10 matches, including the two finals, in which Warne returned to the side.

The rapid recovery of the leg spinner after shoulder surgery was a major boost within three weeks of its opening match of the World Cup against Pakistan in Johannesburg, while Hogg's performances had earned him a ticket to South Africa.

"We were a pretty confident group," he says. "We knew we had a strong side and we knew we were going to be tough enough to beat."

Hogg, Maher and Bichel were indeed members of the 12-14 team, but woefully, Watson's dream of the World Cup was shattered in late January when he was diagnosed with stress fractures in his back, opening the door to an allrounder to jump straight into the start XI.

"Ian Harvey and Symonds were the two guys who were our other allrounders," recalls Buchanan. "Harvey had a reasonably solid day record at that time, and was a bit ahead of the game with all of his pace changes, and he was a decent bat.

"But, like Andrew Symonds, he was a bit inconsistent when it came to his performances, which were less about skills and mainly due to a lack of self-confidence.

"But with Watto injured, Harvey was the number one choice for this role and then Andrew Symonds was the replacement.

"We generally say that Andrew was the 15th person selected, and it was on the basis that he could cover a range of positions: batting, a bit of spin, medium-paced bowling, good on the ground.

"But beyond that, we needed people off the field who were really good team people, who (maybe not) even get a match through the World Cup, but nevertheless form the house and take care of everyone.

"He was certainly chosen on this basis."

After 13 intense months, Australia had landed on what it believed to be its best team of 15 men. In the process, they split up with some legends from Steve and Mark Waugh, added test stars Gillespie and Hayden to their best XI and welcomed a new skipper to Ponting.

It was the dawn of a new era, the sparks of which had been ignited during these three defeats in New Zealand.

"It’s a fine line, isn’t it?" says Kiwi Shane Bond. "Australia made big changes by not participating in these finals, which ultimately led to dominating a World Cup.

"Sometimes you need a little trouble to get out on the other side."

Australia lost Shane Warne, Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan and Jason Gillespie for part or all of their 2003 World Cup campaign, but still managed to pass the unbeaten tournament, winning a third trophy in the World Cup with a dominant final victory over India

Gillette ODI Series v New Zealand

Workforce Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Jhye Richardson (SA series only), Kane Richardson, D & # 39; Arcy Short, Steve Smith , Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

New Zealand workforce: Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

First ODI: March 13 at SCG. 2:30 p.m. AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo

Second ODI: March 15 at SCG. 10:30 am AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo

Third ODI: March 20 at Blundstone Arena. 2:30 p.m. AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo