Overrated: Shane Watson

Last summer, the Australians had a tough season ahead of them. Well, on paper at least. The Indian side had just been knocked off their perch as the World's number 1 ranked Test side and one would have thought they would be on a quest to retain their crown when they landed on Australia's golden soil.

Watson: I don't know either but they say I'm good.

It was not to be. The Indians were licked. All too easily as well. The test series ended in a 4-0 whitewash with a number of Australians producing sterling performances apart perhaps from batsman, Shaun Marsh who made a paltry 17 runs in 4 matches at an average of 2, 83 in that series.

Marsh and Ed Cowan had been selected in place of Phil Hughes who was dropped owing to poor form and Shane Watson who was side-lined by injury. Cowan and Marsh would have to scrap it out for a place because Watson, the Aussie vice captain, was always going to walk back into the side. Now while that was not surprising then, I was astounded at the premium placed on Shane Watson's place in the Aussie team this summer. What has changed from the previous summer to this one? 

Not much at all really. Watto hasn't put together an amazing sequence of performances with bat or ball this year. How did it come to be then that he suddenly became the great Australian hope? I would love to know. The Aussie media had a lot to say about him when Cricket Australia withdrew him from the Champions League T20 competition so as not to burn him out as he was expected to be a key member of the Aussie side this summer. I read about how he was their premier all-rounder and offered balance to their side. I personally reckon Watson is a better ODI player than a test player. With bat in hand, Watson has the potential to be dangerous and do a lot of damage upfront but he is not prolific.

 I would think the world of him if he could dismantle bowling attacks, as he can, on a consistent basis. For all the hype around him, he only averages: 36, 92 with bat in 36 tests and has scored only two 2 centuries in his 66 innings; the last of which was in October 2010 against India. With the ball his bowling average stands at 29, 20 and has accumulated a total of 60 test wickets. While his stats may compare favourably to England's premier all-rounder, Stuart Broad, I don't know if the fuss that has been made of Watson is worth it.

Ricky Ponting's Big Test

During the lead up to the current Test series between Australia and South Africa, the Aussies reckoned that their bowlers were on par with the South African bowling attack which is pretty much the most dangerous bowling unit going around in World cricket. Their concerns were placed on the batting department, more especially on Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey. Both players performed terribly in their last series against South Africa and had been pointed out as weak links by their own media.  

Ponting and Hussey have terrific statistics to back up their ability. They have done it all in cricket and right now, there have been questions on whether they can still sustain their performances enough to justify their places in the Aussie line up. Both players have indicated that they would like to end their careers after the next Ashes series, but in order for them to end their international careers on their own terms, both players have to be at their supreme best from now until then. Hussey has done well scoring 2 centuries in his first 2 test innings this summer and might have booked his place in the team for the rest of this summer. Neither can afford the slightest dip in form and all the luck has to go their way otherwise, it's all over. There won't be a way back for either of them as revered as they are Down Under.

In contrast to Hussey’s form, Ponting has registered scores of 0 and 4 so far this summer. Australia at the moment doesn't have any outstanding performers threatening the places of Ponting and Hussey which is probably why they have stayed in the team so long that people would start to have their doubts, that and a couple of brilliant knocks at the SCG against India at the beginning of the year. Ponting and Hussey are what Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were last summer. Only difference is, these two have a chance to prove themselves, and Hussey is erasing his name off the list of suspect batsmen.

The next innings Ponting plays will be a very important one. The highly regarded Shane Watson has not played a Test this summer because of injury and should his replacement, Rob Quiney, hit a century and Ponting fails, I would not be surprised if the ex-skipper was axed. The Australian selectors have shown they have little regard for sentiment as was seen with Brad Haddin losing his place in the test team after leaving the series against the West Indies to attend to his critically ill daughter. Haddin has been in great domestic form this season, but while he was away from the game, his replacement Matthew Wade hit a century in his absence, prompting the selectors to stick with him. There is no telling whether or not they will hold on to their places until the Sri Lanka tour of Australia which will probably be a less cumbersome task than facing the South Africans.

 I would like to see Ricky Ponting end his career on his own terms. There is a certain satisfaction that comes to me when a legend gets to bow out with a smile a wave goodbye. Besides that, I watched a lot of Ponting last summer and I came to the conclusion that he wasn't past it, and selfishly, I would like to see him batting at his best, at least once more.