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CRICKET-AUS-PAK
True grit: New Aussie era hailed after sandpaper shame
SYDNEY, Oct 12, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Australia’s battling draw against
Pakistan has ushered in a new era for a team desperate to redeem itself in
the wake of the sandpaper cheating scandal, media said Friday.
In their first Test outing since the ball-tampering fiasco in South Africa,
the Australians salvaged a draw in the opening Test in Dubai thanks to a
dogged 141 from batsman Usman Khawaja.
While such a result would not normally be cause for celebration, ABC
columnist Richard Hinds praised the way Australia refused to concede defeat
when facing a seemingly impossible task.
He said it was a promising start for the Test team under new coach Justin
Langer, the former batsman who took over after predecessor Darren Lehmann
quit in disgrace.
“No one knows more about the value of perseverence and preparation than
Langer, given his wonderful career was a triumph of almost torturous
dedication and bloody defiance,” Hinds wrote.
“If this really was a Langer-era performance, let the dot balls flow.”
A common theme in reports was the contrast between the hardworking team
Langer has forged with new captain Tim Paine and the posturing arrogance of
the side involved in the ball-tampering affair earlier this year.
The scandal erupted when batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught trying to
alter the ball using sandpaper in the third Test at Newlands in South Africa.
Bancroft, former captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were all
sent home and handed lengthy bans, with Lehmann and Cricket Australia chief
James Sutherland eventually resigning amid a huge public backlash.
ESPNCricinfo’s Australian writer Daniel Brettig said the result against
Pakistan “picked up a previously forlorn team off the Newlands killing
floor”.
“For the first time in a while, Australia can wake up decidedly proud of
their cricket team — of Usman Khawaja and Tim Paine in particular,” he
tweeted.
The AAP domestic news agency said there were plenty of positives for Langer
and Paine.
“The depleted Australian squad was expected to struggle in the UAE but
Paine could hardly have asked for a more spirited display to begin his new
era in charge,” it said.
Writing in The Australian, sports reporter Ben Horne praised Khawaja, who
made 141 off 302 balls on a deteriorating pitch to post the second-longest
knock in a final innings in Test history.
He said the defiant performance forever dispelled perceptions that Khawaja
was a lazy player, saying he “suddenly morphed into an instant team leader”.
“In the moment of reckoning in the first series since sandpaper-gate,
Khawaja has shown he is now the best batsman in this revamped Australian
side,” Horne wrote.
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