Sometimes the nightmare starts when you wake up.

Wine of the Week:
You know what, I walked into Dan Murphy's yesterday and stumbled across the new ACDC wine range. There are a number of wines that are named after classic ACDC tunes and I picked up the 'Back in Black' Shiraz 2010; in the true spirit of not judging a book by it's cover and willing to give anything a go. The bottle itself is a 'must' collectable for ACDC fans with a picture of Angus Young in full flight on stage. As for the Shiraz itself, it is young but unlike the band I don't think it will age as well.

Like most Australians, I awoke on Friday morning to the news of the scoreboard above. I don't know what shocked me more; the fact that Australia was dismissed for 47 or the fact that we were 9/21. 

It was part of a day of test cricket that will go down in history as one of the most eventful and bizarre the game has seen. Ultimately, it led to the South Africans winning the Test before the game reached it's halfway point and has led to a fair degree of analysis by all Australian cricket supporters - including myself. 

For me, there are some key points to take out of what can rightfully be called a shambolic effort by the Australians.

1. This team needs a massive attitude readjustment...fast! They have either been part of or grown up during an era when Australian teams played and were successful through a game plan of attacking all the time and almost bullying the opposition into submission. Fact was, they had the talent to do this consistently and the gap between the Australians and the rest of the world was substantial. This is no longer the case. The Australians need to be more adaptable with their game plans and have the good sense to know when to be more circumspect and when to be on the front foot...and the humility and sense of realism to know that this is needed.
2. Due to the fact that we do not have the talent that was the norm over the last twenty years, the majority of the side needs to perform to their potential for Australia to put themselves in a winning position. This means five of the top seven needs to score runs to set a solid total and an attack that bowls as a team to take twenty wickets. There is no longer one or two players that can pull Australia out of the shit to win a Test anymore.
3. Australia can not rely on one player to take five wickets in an innings and then expect him to open the batting ten minutes later. Credit where credit is due, Shane Watson has done a good job opening the batting but has also been increasingly relied upon to do his fair share of bowling; mainly due to the lack of penetration of the selected bowling attack. This is not sustainable and for the good of the team (and ultimately for Watson himself), he needs to drop down the order. 
4. Much has been made about the absolute revolving door that is the selection policy around our spin attack. The same thing can be said of our pace bowlers. There have been many that have been tried and tested but we have not settled on a solid pack of six or seven bowlers that can fit in and out of the Test team when required. This needs to be resolved and resolved this summer.
5. I don't think that there will be massive changes for the Second Test this week as most of the current side deserves the chance to redeem themselves but there is a chance to start the process. Mitchell Johnson has run out of credits and needs to be dropped immediately. Shaun Marsh's back is not looking like it will be right for the game with the news tonight (Sunday) that David Warner will be flying to South Africa as back up. It is an opportune time for Warner to open the innings and Watson to drop down the order. I have been critical of David Warner's ability to build an innings in the long form of the game however over the last twelve months, he has scored runs and shown the flexibility needed to play the ball on it's merits and build an innings. He deserves a chance.
6. I am still of the opinion Ricky Ponting has deserved the right to make the call himself on when he pulls up stumps but the caveat has always been that he needs to keep scoring runs. I am giving him the home series against NZ to do this before I give the beating drums any recognition. However, I do firmly believe that if you are talking about dropping Ponting you need to be having the same discussion about Michael Hussey as well. 

The Second Test will be keenly watched by many to see if Australia can redeem themselves from a shattering defeat. The thing to remember is that they not only lost the First Test but also played key members of the Proteas into form; namely Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn as well as uncovering a new pace bowler in Vernon Philander. The way the Australians will play will be the key to see how long this coming summer actually will be.

PS: Like many cricket followers, I was shocked by the news of the death of Peter Roebuck. Without fail, I would always make sure I read his articles in the SMH and would listen intently to his views on the game during the ABC Grandstand commentary. I wouldn't always agree on his opinions and in fact, thought there were times when he was sounding like a broken record eg; the last home Test series against India and focusing on the Australians as the main perpetrators. However, his views on the game always were relevant, created debate and caused many including myself to think and view the game in different ways. While details are still sketchy of his death and I am sure more will come to light in the next week, one thing that can not be disputed is his contribution to the game through his analysis and commentary. He will be missed not only this summer but for many summers to come. Vale.