5 batsmen who failed to deliver in Australia in Test cricket

Australia boasts some of the most intimidating cricket venues, including the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)Australia, as a cricketing nation, holds as much historical significance as the game’s founders, England. Home to several legends of the game including the much-revered Sir Don Bradman, Australia has always prided itself for carrying forward the legacy for centuries. It is fair to say that from the late 90s till the 2007 World Cup, Australia enjoyed absolute monopoly, having redefined world dominance by soaring higher than all other teams and establishing their authority firmly over the sport.The Baggy Greens of the 2000s induced fear in the hearts of their competitors, especially at their own backyard. Apart from a supremely talented and successful batting order, Australia boasted of names like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee – Each being a match-winner in his own right, their combined attack was almost always more than adequate to tear apart every line-up that dared to offer resistance.The grounds offered no respite to the visitors either. Granted Adelaide and Sydney have recorded the highest runs and the most number of drawn games, but they still aren’t the batsman’s paradise that they are often made out to be. The Melbourne Cricket Ground continues to maintain its tradition of Boxing Day Test while Brisbane offers a highly vociferous crowd in addition to a fast and bouncy track.The WACA, Perth however has been the most notorious with its fast pitch and an afternoon sea-breeze called the ‘Freemantle Doctor’ that blows across the ground offering bowlers a dual option of extra pace and swing.Considering the conditions, it comes as no surprise to find talented cricketers failing to deliver in the ‘Kangaroo Island’. Here we take a look at five reasonably recent and famous batsmen who fell short of cracking the nut Down Under.

#5 Herschelle Gibbs

Herschelle Gibbs failed to score a Test century in Australia

In order to describe Herschelle Gibbs, one has to explore a number of dictionaries and even then you may not come up with the precise phrase. His heroics in the field are equally matched by his villainous acts outside, yet he remains so nonchalant that Cricinfo described him such: “Gibbs is about as close as cricket has come to producing a punk rocker, a figure who veers too close to self-destruction too often for the likes of those who prefer their cricketers unblemished by the real world.”

While it is a shame that his Test career lasted no more than 12 years, the fact that the right-hander had already played 90 matches by then is a clear testament to his regularity in the team. An overall average of 41.95 for a middle-order batsman is, by no means, indecent although only 14 centuries do spoil the numbers to some extent.

Tours to Australia never bore good tidings for the South African who struggled to settle down against the fearsome bowling. His highest of 94 on the Boxing Day Test in 2005 remains his best attempt in scoring big. A meager tally of 415 runs including only 3 fifties in the remaining 15 innings summarize his unpleasant experiences on those fiery tracks Down Under.

Innings	Runs	Average	100s	50s
16	509	31.81	0	4

#4 Stephen Fleming

Stephen Fleming had 9 single-digit scores in his 15 innings in Australia

Stephen Fleming is fondly remembered back home in New Zealand as the country’s most successful captain, a graceful and elegant leader and of course, the first Kiwi batsman to score more than 7000 Test runs. A passionate cricketer with a dogged nature, Fleming was earmarked for greater things than he ultimately ended up with. His failure to convert half-centuries to hundreds continued to haunt him throughout his career as his evident from his statistics – 9 centuries and 46 fifties in 111 Tests.

An average of 29.26 in 8 matches is quite startling considering he managed five scores above 50 – 91, 57, 71, 105 and 83 – in Australia. Expectedly, the reason behind Fleming’s average is a multitude of ducks – including a golden pair on two occasions – and 3 other single-digit scores. Since he played only once at Adelaide and never at Sydney or Melbourne, the tricky pitches of Perth, Hobart and Brisbane were the ones to be chiefly responsible for his bittersweet tours to the Trans-Tasmanian nation.

Innings	Runs	Average	100s	50s
15	439	29.26	1	4

#3 Paul Collingwood

Collingwood’s highest Test score of 206 came in Australia, but that was his only century in 16 innings

Paul Collingwood’s Test career had begun on a sour note. With debut scores of 1 and 36, he had done little to save the match from a defeat. Playing alongside English greats like Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff, the not-so-promising Collingwood was destined to fade away into oblivion. Surprisingly though, he went on to become a regular and had already played 68 matches by the time he decided to call it a day in 2011.

As a middle and lower middle-order batsman, Collingwood’s overall average of 40.56 is flattering, as is his highest score of 206. Although primarily a batsman, he did have his moments under the sun with the ball in hand as well. His determination and resources are the chief factors that had made him indispensable to the team despite beginning his career as mostly a fill-in player.

It is interesting to note that the right-hander averages a lowly 19 on Australian tracks excluding Sydney and Adelaide (which are considered to be the best batting tracks in the country) notwithstanding his overall Down Under average of 34.40. Further, he survives only 42 balls per innings on an average at Brisbane, Perth, and Melbourne in contrast to 122 deliveries per innings on an average at Adelaide and Sydney. Apart from the career-highest of 206 at Adelaide, Collingwood has never scored a century in Australia – a fact that aptly defines his contribution in the 2006-07 and 2010-11 Ashes.

Innings	Runs	Average	100s	50s
16	516	34.40	1	1

#2 Mahela Jayawardene

Jayawardene averaged just over 30 in Test matches in Australia

One of the few problems that persisted throughout Mahela Jayawardene’s career was his propensity to get dismissed early in foreign conditions. While he averages below 35 in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England, his home average is more than 60. If not for the occasional centuries, Jayawardene’s overseas figures would’ve suffered beyond saying.

As an embodiment of elegance mixed with perseverance, the former skipper learnt to use his gift of impeccable timing en route carving a glittering career that saw him emerge as one of the pillars of the Sri Lankan batting line-up. His exceptional arsenal of strokes added to his excellent hand-eye-coordination making him a treat to watch even when out of form.

Amidst his sorrows outside the subcontinent, Jayawardene did manage to score a well-crafted 104 at Hobart in 2007. A few 40s and a couple of half-centuries would have salvaged his numbers had it not been for the horrible Melbourne Test in late 2012 and the Hobart one before that. It was this tour – he accumulated 166 runs in 6 innings at an average of 27.67 – that began to ring the bells for his retirement.

Innings	Runs	Average	100s	50s
14	440	31.42	1	2

#1 Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Chanderpaul hasn’t scored a Test century in Australia in his entire career

As an essentially unorthodox batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s technique was as much an eyesore as his stance. His almost uncanny movement at the last moment and non-usage of the front foot made him an outlaw in the era of quintessentially textbook cricketers. However, in spite of his idiosyncrasies, he managed to play with soft hands, pick the gaps with crafty precision and notch up humongous numbers.

During a Test career that spanned more than 20 years, Chanderpaul played a staggering 164 Tests for the West Indies, holding fort in the middle-order with an average of 51.37 and almost 12000 runs to his name. However, despite his tremendous consistency, the prolific southpaw found it difficult to get going on Australian tracks.

In comparison to the high standards that he set for himself, Chanderpaul’s average of 30.20 in 11 Test matches in Australia seems below par indeed. His struggles are evident from the fact that none of his 30 centuries have come while touring Australia. In fact, his highest score of 82 came in his maiden game in November 1996 and it has long been overshadowed by a flurry of single-digit scores that followed in the later years.

Innings	Runs	Average	100s	50s
21	604	30.2	0	5