Australia’s crushing 213-run defeat of New Zealand to claim a comprehensive Test series sweep over New Zealand on Tuesday has raised the burning question in world cricket: just who will challenge the rampant Aussies? The Kiwis were no match for Ricky Ponting’s world-beaters, succumbing to an innings and 156-run defeat in Brisbane inside four days and were never a show here after Australia’s batsmen dominated from the opening ball of the Adelaide Test.
Australia have now won 21 of their last 26 Test series home and away since 1997-98, drawing three and only losing away to Sri Lanka in 2000 and India in 2001.
The Australians have three home Tests next against Pakistan and three more Tests against the shellshocked Kiwis in New Zealand next February-March before the anticipated five-Test Ashes series in England next year.
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming acclaimed Australia as ”by far the most superior cricket team around” after his team were snuffed out just after lunch on the final day of the second Test on Tuesday.
”Teams are going to have their days, teams are going to challenge at certain times, they’re going to have opportunities to win matches, but day-in and day-out this Australian team is by far the most superior cricket team around,” Fleming said.
”Their displays over these two Tests have been as we expected but you can just see that there’s more development to come and that’s scary.
”Some of their bowling in the Test series was superb, it was like having three [former NZ great] Richard Hadlees and the greatest leg-spinner [Shane Warne] of all.”
Ponting, asked if Australia was being challenged in the Test arena, said: ”It’s up to the individual players, we must have a lot of pride in our performance every time we take the field, that’s very important to us, as individuals and as a team.
”We were challenged in India, that was a very hard tour for us and that was only a few weeks ago.
”We were certainly challenged in the first two days of the Brisbane Test match but we fought through that and turned that game around really quickly and won well there.”
Fleming is unnerved by what he sees in the constantly-evolving state of Australian cricket.
”Every time they play this well it sends tremors around the world. I think teams are still measuring themselves against how well Australia are playing and improving their games, and that is a good thing, but at some stage there has to be a group of players out there that can match these guys,” he said.
”Or the age and attrition of this [Australian] team, which does happen, will fall by the wayside.
”But then again it’s the quality of their young players coming through, which is quite daunting.”
New Zealand were never a show, resuming at 149 for five and chasing an unrealistic 464 for victory, and lost their two overnight batsmen, Jacob Oram (40) and Brendon McCullum (36) inside the first half-hour.
Oram lasted only until the day’s second over before he tickled one from Glenn McGrath to wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist and McCullum was lbw to Jason Gillespie.
Paceman James Franklin put on 46 runs for the eighth wicket with Daniel Vettori before he was out for 13 to a spectacular catch from Gilchrist diving across first-slipper Warne off Michael Kasprowicz.
Vettori kept the Kiwis going with a spirited 59 in 111 minutes before he was out in the final over before lunch when he holed out to Gillespie giving home-town hero Darren Lehmann his second wicket with his left-arm spin.
The Australians had to wait until six balls after lunch when number 11 Chris Martin was caught close to the wicket by Ponting off Warne. Paul Wiseman remained 15 not out off 37 balls.
Opening batsman Justin Langer was named man-of-the-match for his 215 in the first innings and fast bowler Glenn McGrath was announced as man-of-the-series in a vote that could have gone any number of ways.
Every Australian player, with the exception of Kasprowicz, scored at least 50 in the two Tests, even number 11 McGrath for the first time.
New Zealand have now lost six of their last eight Tests with their two wins coming against Bangladesh last month.
New Zealand’s last victory over their trans-Tasman rivals was by five wickets in Auckland in March 1993. – Sapa-AFP