Australia might be back in the Ashes after a superb spell of bowling by Mitchell Johnson on the second day of the third Test, but they have shown little in Perth to ease concerns about their top order.
Australia are well-placed to level the series at 1-1 after Johnson’s 6-38 helped them rout England for 187, but a number of the home side’s specialist batsmen are in woeful form.
At the head of that sorry list are captain Ricky Ponting and his deputy, Michael Clarke, but they have been joined by recalled opener Phil Hughes in this Test.
All three had twin failures here, with Ponting making 12 and one, Clarke four and 20, and Hughes two and 12, while youngster Steven Smith also went cheaply in the first innings batting at No 6, making only seven.
There has been an unhealthy reliance on Mike Hussey, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin during this series and although Ponting and Clarke will surely survive, Hughes’s twin failures make his position in the side problematic.
Poor form
The New South Wales opener came into the match in poor form in domestic cricket, averaging 22,33 this season, and looked all at sea on a lively Waca wicket.
Despite an impressive start to his Test career, with twin centuries in his second Test, flaws in the left-hander’s technique have been exploited and he lasted just six balls in the first innings here and 31 in the second.
Overall, his record still looks solid on paper, with a career average of 44,92 in eight Tests, but he has only passed 50 once since his second Test.
Ponting was dismissed in disappointing fashion once again, gloving a wide ball down leg-side from Steven Finn through to wicketkeeper Michael Prior.
The appeal was turned down, but reversed when England called for a review.
The once prolific right-hander has 83 runs in the series at 16,60 and is under mounting pressure as a batsman and leader.
Clarke adopted an aggressive approach, with four boundaries in 18 balls, but dragged a short and wide Finn delivery onto his stumps.
Ponting’s heir apparent, who is also under pressure to retain his spot in the Australian Twenty20 side, of which he is the skipper, has just 150 runs at 16,66 in his last nine Test innings. — AFP