I am not the most ardent fan of Australian cricket, it may be for the reason that it is the only country that Sri Lanka has never been able to subdue in all terms. Every other team while playing under the Lankan conditions has more than once been groveling very evidently, but not the Australians.

In my association with international cricket Sri Lanka has beaten Australia once in Test cricket and a few times in ODIs, but complete dominance over them in a given series has been a thing unfathomable. I remember in the Last Test series that Australia played in Sri Lanka, skippered by Hashan Tillekeratne the Lankan bowlers did pretty well to keep the Waugh led Australians in check on most occasions, but lost the series 3-0.

The young brood shining Down Under

In fact in that series the Australians conceded first innings leads to the home team in all three tests, but the Aussies sailed back home unscathed. In the first Australia scored 220 and Sri Lanka replied with 381. Australia in their second innings piled 512 for 8 dec and bowled out the Lankans for 154 in Galle.
In Kandy it was even worse. Australia crashed to 120 all out and Sri Lanka churned out 211 in reply. The second innings saw Australia making 442 and getting the Lankan out 27 runs short on the fifth morning.
In the third Test in Colombo at the SSC grounds, Australia batting first made 401 and Sri Lanka scored six runs more. In their second Australia made 375 and got the Lankans out for 248.

That was the giant Australian side that Waughs, Langers, Lenhams, The Warnes and the McGraths. But, even with those stalwarts fading away, yet the Australian team has not let it up. For them Déjà vu has little meaning, for the past thirty years they have lived at the top of the rung in the cricketing fortunes.
How does this happen? How does the Australian clock keep ticking at that pace? These are some of the questions that keep crossing my mind quite often. At the same time there have been a string of Aussie coaches to Sri Lanka since 1996, but, yet the equation has not been translated.

Then for the answers to my questions I turned to Sri Lanka most experienced and the only member of the ICC elite panel Asoka de Silva who spent almost two months in Australia standing at their home series against Pakistan that covered three tests and five ODIs. For an Asian that is closest that one can get to the real Aussie system.

De Silva’s explanation got my inner clock ticking. He said that it is the Australian domestic format that lifts their cricket way above the rest of the community. He said “The level of Australian Shield Cricket is akin to any international game. The Australian cricket system has put in the necessary infrastructure to put the Australian inner system work at a very professional level. As a result that very format keeps churning out cricketers of quality”.

The former Test leg spinner turned umpire explained, “When Australia lost Warne, McGrath, Langer, Damian Martyn, Stephan Waugh etc in quick succession one thought the Australians would have a dip like any other team. But, barring a sporadic loss they have managed to keep their World Status intact. For instance the present team individually cannot be compared with any of the stalwarts mentioned above. But, the demands of the Australian system are so severe any cricketer who wants to stay alive has to keep performing. The other glaring equation is Andrew Symonds. As long as he was there within the system he was almost indispensable. He contributed so much to the Australian cause from the middle, in all three departments of the game. But, when he opted out he was kept out and not one misses his contributions and the Australian are still winning”.

Then de Silva explained in the Asian culture there are many cricketers who come into the limelight when they are only teenagers. The Asian junior standards are very high and by the age of eighteen they are good enough play at the available highest level and sometimes even at Test level like Arjuna Ranatunga, Sachin Tendulkar or Umer Akmal. “But, in Australia the system is different,” said de Silva. “In Australia the cricketers begin with the system when they are 17-19. Then they have to go through the mill to get the shield level. Even in shield level they have to spend around 4 to 5 seasons for them to be considered for international duties. By this time at the age of 23-25 with five season of quality shield cricket behind them they are ready to take up the task that is handed over to them. The best examples are Simon Katich and Shane Watson. Simon Katich begun as a middle order batsman and Shane Watson begun as an all rounder within the Australian system. However demands of the system saw them being forced to bat at the top and both those batsmen have taken the opportunity with both hands and are two of the most prolific openers in the World today.

“The Australian cricketers are the best paid in the world too. That also puts a huge prize on their cap. At the same time the players also know what it takes to wear the ‘Baggy Green’ and they know if you slip up that is the end of the road.” He then explained that some of the Australian cricketers have opted to fight the lure of the IPL for the sake of being with the system. “Can you remember opener Phil Jaques? In spite of scoring a century against Sri Lanka early in his career the system felt that he is not fit enough to foot the bill and that was the end of him.”

Asoka de Silva then explained how the Australian team ticks in the middle. In one test they crashed to 127 runs in the first innings and then gave 300 runs to the Pakistan team. But, they did not panic. They kept their wits with them and finally pulled off the match as the visitors could not bear the pressure built up by the Australian. That was one of the best matches that I enjoyed in the middle as an elite umpire”.
De Silva also explained that other strong factor within the Australian system. According to him at any level of Australian cricket it is the best XL that takes the field and that is one of the main reasons for the Australian success to keep going on at a peak level.