Mike Atherton roasts Australia’s Steve Smith and Pat Cummins: ‘Homesick travellers’ who haven’t won series in England or India

Atherton starts off by quoting Pat Cummins and Steve Smith. Cummins had said winning in India is “rarer than Ashes win … It will be a career highlight, an era-defining success if we win out there”. Steve Smith’s quote was on similar lines: “If you win in India, it is bigger than an Ashes win.”

This is where Atherton twists the knife. “These comments prompt the question: how would they know?”

“Winning has eluded them since 2001, when they brought an indisputably great team full of names for the ages such as Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath. Since then, nothing.”

Then he turns the attention to Australia’s plight in India after the defeat in Nagpur. Ahead of the series, Allan Border and Adam Gilchrist had predicted 2-1 series triumph to Australia – still, a possibility of course, but Atherton it seems isn’t holding out any such hopes.

“Mind you, they don’t know what it is like to win in India either, where they have fared even worse … They have won one Test there since the beginning of 2005.”

The knife kept turning in. “Australian batsmen have often given the impression of being homesick travellers, happiest against Kookaburra balls on flat pitches, and far less certain when conditions offer swing, seam or spin,” Atherton writes.

“To a greater or lesser degree, all cricketers are products of their environment, which means a moving ball is like kryptonite to Australian batsmen, reared on hard pitches where they can play early and hit through the line of the ball with freedom.”

He then takes the example of David Warner to amplify the woes.

“To watch David Warner fret in the second innings at Nagpur, unsure whether to stick or twist, was to be reminded of the difficulties of adapting for even the best players, of which Warner is undoubtedly one. He averages 26 in England and 22 in India, compared with his Test average of 58 at home.”

Once he is done accentuating Australia’s struggles, he then offers this nugget, something not many cricket fans would disagree with.

“The World Test Championship, with points and prestige at stake, and a greater impatience and unwillingness from the general public to see games last five days has encouraged the preparation of more “result” pitches to favour the home team; the squeeze on the calendar limits proper preparation time, especially match practice, and tighter schedules make it harder for touring teams to turn the tide once it moves against them”.