Valuable victory for young group: Boof

There’s no denying the Boxing Day Test match delivered an amazing conclusion and it was a thrill for all of us to get the result that we did, seemingly out of nowhere.

I think we can trace that win back to the rate at which we scored with the bat, which is something that we always talk about as a team.

To play entertaining cricket and also play hard, competitive cricket which we did really well in Melbourne even at the times when the weather and conditions meant there wasn’t a lot progressing in the game.

That mindset was evident from ball one of our batting innings, when David Warner set the tone with his century at virtually a run a ball, and then Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith followed up in the same fashion.

Then we saw some outstanding late-order hitting from Mitchell Starc, who broke Andrew Symonds’ record for the most sixes struck in a Test innings at the MCG and enabled us to set a target with enough time left in the game to push for a result.

It was a really valuable victory for our young group, not least of all because it showed them you can win a game from virtually any position and the confidence and self-belief they take away from that Test will be invaluable.

Quick Single: Recalled Agar missed selector's call

To bowl out such a strong batting side – one that had scored 450 in the final innings of a Test match in Brisbane a week or so earlier – for 163 in the last two sessions at the MCG on such a good wicket was a great achievement.

Certainly our entire attack got the ball in the right areas much more often than they were able to in the first innings, which meant the Pakistan batsmen were forced to play a lot more often.

Another important factor in that result was our fielding, particularly our catching in the slips and around the bat as well as our ground fielding which  ensured Pakistan’s batters always felt under pressure.

Especially on that final day, when we fielded as well as we have for some time and that’s a credit to all the hard work the boys have put in.

It was also crucial that we got the ball to swing reverse on that final afternoon, and just as vital was the turn and bounce that Nathan Lyon was able to extract on that last day pitch.

Quick Single: Warne backs Agar over SOK

Nathan’s come under a bit of fire from quite a few quarters of late, so it was terrific to see him bounce back and not only bowl well but get some really important top-order breakthroughs for us in the Boxing Day Test.

The critiquing of Nathan’s bowling wasn’t the only public assessments that caught my eye heading into the match, in the wake of the first Test in Brisbane which was another brilliant game that we played really well to win.

Obviously Pakistan got closer than we would have hoped on that final day at the Gabba, but I found it interesting to read the subsequent comments from their fielding coach Steve Rixon – a valued former member of our team support staff and part of the Baggy Green Cap fraternity.

He suggested that the coaches have too much say in our dressing room, but I can honestly say here in this blog post that Steve Smith runs the ship for the Australia team.

Quick Single: Hussey stumped by SCG selections

He’s done a fantastic job in his 19 Test matches as captain, and as a player heading into his 50th Test at the SCG starting next Tuesday.

He is without question the man in charge of this new-look side, and I’m really impressed – as is every member of our Bupa Support Team – at the way he’s grown into the very demanding captaincy role at such a comparatively young age.

So as far as Steve Rixon’s comments are concerned, I think he might be better served in his role as fielding coach by concentrating on ways to have Pakistan’s players hold their catches.

I think Pakistan’s Mickey Arthur is a fantastic coach, and what he needs is people around him who are supporting and enabling his efforts, not creating issues and unwanted distractions for him and the team.

I can certainly speak on behalf of our entire support staff when I say that our role is to make sure the players are as well prepared as possible for our captain Steve Smith, and then leave all the tactical and on-field decisions to him to take care of.

The role of the support team is to provide exactly that, and help him as best we can to do his job in the heat of battle.

Looking ahead to the Sydney Test, which is always another great occasion on the Australian cricket calendar with Jane McGrath Day and the pink theme that now runs through the entire match, we’ve made a couple of changes to our squad.

We’ve now got three spinners in the 13-man group, and it’s more than likely that we’re going to play two of those which means we’ll also have to look to fit in an all-rounder.

It might end up that someone like Jackson Bird could be the unlucky one who misses out, but that will depend on the condition of the SCG pitch.

If it looks like it’s going to provide more assistance for the seamers, then we still have the option of playing all three specialist quicks and just the one spinner.

Regardless of the team we take in, it’s a great opportunity to play entertaining cricket once again at the start of another year, and of course there is the connection to the McGrath Foundation which continues to do such outstanding work raising funds and changing lives.

All of those factors mean we love this time of year, and it’s nice to come to Sydney having wrapped up the series in Melbourne and with a 3-0 clean sweep very much in our sights.

But we know that Pakistan will provide us with another stern challenge, in conditions that are probably more suited to their game style than anywhere else in Australia.

They are a very good side, and there’s no doubt that their coach Mickey Arthur has got them on the right track.

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