Australia's wretched run in Tests continued even at home, as the Proteas thrashed them at their happy hunting ground, Perth, in the first Test of the three-match series. As Australia prepare for the second Test at Hobart, Lehmann and Smith will be reflecting on what went wrong for them at Perth after a terrific start on Day 1.
They have not had the best of runs against South Africa at home since 2008, but bowling out the Proteas for a low score in the first innings and starting off with a 150 run opening stand was just the beginning they needed. But then what hit them?
Steyn had walked off injured after dismissing their key man, Warner. It should have worked to Australia's advantage that they were a bowler down. Instead they found themselves collapsing like a pack of cards against Philander, Rabada and a debutant spinner, Maharaj.
They would not want a repeat of the mistakes they did at Perth when they start afresh in Hobart and for that Smith has to make up a few solid plans to counter the Proteas. They may be without their main batsman and bowler in De Villiers and Steyn, but, as they displayed at Perth, they are a dangerous side with players capable of chipping in timely.
I decided to step into Smith's shoes and here is a list of five things I feel the Aussies need to plan and execute in Hobart to level this series.
#5 Man up the middle order
Let's face it, the Aussies are no longer a side that bats deep and have a strong middle order. There is little promise to show in that middle order after the likes of Warner and Smith. There are Voges and Khawaja, good Test players capable of batting long, and Khawaja, in particular, showcased glimpses of his ability in the second innings at Perth.
After Voges though, who should have a chat with Lehmann about how to redeem his form, there is little hope. Mitchell Marsh’s last decent Test knock does not even come to memory and Peter Nevill, though he played a good role in the second innings, does not look like a decent bet with the bat but he will be retained as he is the keeper. But considering they have reinforcements in Ferguson and Burns, one of them should come in for Mitchell Marsh.
Since Shaun is out injured, there is place for both of them in the squad and I feel Mitchell Marsh looks out of place at no.6 in the Test line-up. One solution would be to open with Burns and bring in Ferguson at 6.
#4 Contain Quinton de Kock
De Kock seems to have the measure of Aussie bowling attack and has looked at tremendous ease against them. Like Gilly, he can turn the game around in a session and he showed evidences of that at Perth.
Aussies need a clear cut plan against the rampaging youngster. What they possibly missed in Perth was not giving Lyon enough time against de Kock. While he is a decent player of spin, he likes pace on the ball and Lyon will not provide him with that. Smith can operate with Lyon on one end when de Kock walks in. Not giving him the pace to work with early on might enforce a mistake.
Also Read: 5 Australian weaknesses that South Africa exploited in the Perth Test
Another important aspect when bowling to de Kock is to cut out the width. Hazlewood has had success against the left-hander and can work him over with his tight lines. It will be a good move to start against de Kock with Lyon and Hazlewood.
#3 Using Starc in bursts
I personally had a feeling that Steven Smith over bowled Mitchell Starc in Perth. While he could consistently conjure up speeds above 145kmph even after bowling more than 20 overs, I think Starc lost his accuracy after bowling according to the short ball tactic against Duminy and Elgar.
What Smith could possibly do in Hobart is to make use of Hazlewood, Mennie and Mitch Marsh (if he plays) as the holding bowlers and bring Starc in short bursts of 3-4 overs. This would mean Starc will be fresh at all times and he can use the off time to channelise his energies when bowling.
Mitchell Johnson was employed in a similar way to great effect by Clarke in the Ashes series against England. There is no doubting Starc's potential and if Smith can use that to full effect, wickets are bound to tumble in his overs.
#2 Early wickets
The Proteas are a side that thrives when there is no pressure. To put pressure on their middle order, Aussies need wickets up front, like in the first innings at Perth. Starc and Hazlewood are exceptional opening bowlers and Smith should back them to pluck out one or two wickets in their initial spell.
As South Africa showed at Perth in the second innings, if they get a good base, the likes of Du Plessis, Duminy and De Kock get a license to bat with freedom. On the other hand, a few early wickets and the pressure is on the same batsmen to put up a good score and the World has seen how the Proteas collapse under pressure.
Also Read: Kagiso Rabada - a nation's hope
It is upto Starc and Hazlewood to conjure up early wickets and if they can do that across both innings, there will be no stopping Aussies at Hobart.
#1 Batting in partnerships
Aussies can do all of the above and still lose if they cannot pile up decent totals. A collapse like at Perth, and no one can save them from defeat. To build up good totals, they need to bat in partnerships. Elgar and Duminy showed the value that a dominating partnership can bring to the game as their 250 run partnership virtually closed out the game for the Aussies.
While Warner and Shaun Marsh did an equally good job in the first innings, none of the middle order could capitalise on it to good effect. If the middle order can put up some strong partnerships too, Aussies are in a good position to post a decent total. Khawaja-Smith and Nevill-Hazlewood showed in the second innings that they have the fight in them.
Sadly for Australia, the fight came out too late and they will need to buckle up their batting at Hobart if they need to stay alive in this series. Smith is the leader of the middle order and should ensure he can rally up his lower middle order troops.
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