There was a sense after the first day of the opening Test in Perth that England had Australia on the hop a little, only for the hosts to sweep to a series lead on a disastrous day two.
In Perth, former Australia players were circling, and beginning to question selection calls as well as the team’s age profile. Since then, Australia’s two eldest statesmen, Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon, have dropped out of the team and sung from a different hymn sheet to the rest.
Raging against the dying of the light, Khawaja was declared unfit but criticised the Perth pitch as “a piece of s—” while the rest of Australian cricket praised it. Lyon could not hide his disdain for his omission, just as in Jamaica earlier this year.
The call to drop Lyon was contentious, and at the end of the first day, looked a poor one, with the pink ball going soft and England making a breezy 325 despite a series of soft wickets.
“I can’t agree with the non-selection of a spinner on a dry Australian pitch,” the former Australia spinner Kerry O’Keeffe said. “I know it’s a day-nighter with the pink ball, but I just can’t come to terms with it, I’m sorry.”
Australia were also heavily criticised for their abysmal over-rate, which was the product of Lyon’s omission and a desire to change a ball that went soft very quickly.
In Perth, England were not good enough to drive home their advantage. They let Australia off the hook, and allowed the little cracks that were emerging in this ageing team to be filled in by an unforgettable victory. This time, they have a foothold in the game again. They must be more clinical.
