Same Old Problems Plague Australia as Pakistan Romp to Victory in 1st Test
In the immediate aftermath of defeat, it didn't take long for Michael Clarke to sum up how Pakistan had so comprehensively dismantled Australia in Dubai this week.
"[They] beat us in all three facets," the captain said plainly after his side had been handed a 221-run mauling, per ESPN Cricinfo.
Frankly, it's hard to argue with him.
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With the bat, Pakistan were better. With the ball, Pakistan were better. In the field—an area where Australia are rarely beaten—Pakistan were better.
But more specifically, this week's first Test was case of familiar problems being exposed for Clarke's side; the latest exhibition of Australia's most obvious frailties targeted systematically by an opponent all too aware of where they are.
Since 2008, Australia have played 14 Tests in Asia. They've won one of them.
Slow wickets and spinners are to Australia what Jose Mourinho is to Arsene Wenger.
Yet, the script was supposed to be different this time around for the visitors. Pakistan, without Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan and searching for their first Test series victory in almost two years, were meant to be the sort of inferior opponent that Australia could overcome to end their Asian nightmare.
Australia's bolt from mid-ranking mediocrity to the top of the Test pile in 2014 was meant to count for something, too.
Instead, Clarke's Ashes winners and South African conquerors were made to look inept by a team fielding a bowling attack that included two debutantes and, prior to this match, had all of eight Test caps between them.
Simply, Ajmal's absence didn't matter. Neither did Chris Rogers' elation at not having to face him, nor Alex Doolan's remarks on his improved footwork against the spinners.
Of the 20 Australian wickets in Dubai, 15 of them fell to spin. That number can effectively be extended to 16, given that it was Pakistan's stifling spin that led Doolan to run himself out in the first innings.
To Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah, Australia—David Warner aside—had no answers. Too often they played for turn that wasn't there. Too often they pushed forward with bat and pad together, increasing the methods available for their dismissal. And too often they allowed the Pakistani pair to dictate proceedings, with only Warner showcasing an intent to take the game to them.
Australia, in the end, were ripped apart by a spinning duo who brought with them a grand tally of six Test wickets.
Alarmingly, the identity of the spinners doesn't appear to matter. From Babar and Yasir, to Graeme Swann, to Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, Australia can't decipher the riddle. If you can turn a ball and are greeted with a favourable surface, that's enough.
The issue for Australia is that the team's batsmen—the majority of them, anyway—don't own the technique or mentality that are required to succeed in Asia.
Those who excel in this part of the world play with soft hands, use the depth of the crease, get their pads out of the way and mix aggression with a willingness to operate in singles.
In Dubai this week, Clarke's men did none of that, so regularly stuck on the crease playing with hard hands and pads thrust forward.
The normally excellent captain was guilty of it. Ditto for Rogers, Doolan, Mitchell Marsh and Brad Haddin. Warner and, to a lesser extent, Steve Smith were the only batsmen of the touring party who escaped without looking foolish.
But the problems aren't simply limited to their work with the bat. Ball in hand, Australia claimed only 12 wickets (11 if you don't consider Babar's first-innings retirement a wicket), creating such a paucity of chances against a side recently hammered by Sri Lanka when bowled out for totals as small as 180 and 165.
Without pace and bounce in the wicket, Australia have little to work with.
Peter Siddle came into this match having added a few miles to his deliveries, but he couldn't extract anything from a surface that produced reverse swing for Imran Khan and Rahat Ali, seeing his economy result in just one scalp (it came in the Test's opening minutes).
On debut, Marsh was much the same and ended his maiden appearance wicketless, with only Shane Watson likely to feel at all good about that. And while Mitchell Johnson did his stocks no harm, the Pakistani batsmen eventually grew comfortable against the fearsome left-armer on a strip designed to quell his threat.
The theme, or more accurately the trend, surrounding Australia is becoming too simplistic. Too predictable. Particularly for a side with ambitions of returning to the nation's standards of a decade ago.
For Clarke's men, the presentation of a hard and fast surface sees them thrive. The opposite sees them struggle. Meaningful and lasting success in Test cricket demands more than that.
"We can turn it around, definitely. We've got the talent, the attitude and I'm sure you will see a different team in the next Test," Clarke said, per ESPN, optimistically after defeat on Sunday.
The history that's piling up for Australia in Asia, however, hardly supports that positivity. When the series shifts to Abu Dhabi next week, the visitors will be greeted with exactly what they faltered in the face of in Dubai.
And when that situation arrives, the smart money won't be on Australia.
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