Australia Test series report cards
Ricky Ponting and Rob Quiney fans will want to look away quickly, while Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson supporters enjoy wides smiles.
<b>Ed Cowan</b><br><i>3 matches, 5 inns, 228 runs @ 45.60, 1×100, 1×50</i><br>Proteas seamer Rory Kleinveldt afford Cowan freebie runs in the first Test, which set a decent trend for the left-handed opener for the remainder of the series. His name will be the first questioned, though, if any of the young pretenders succeed in the Chairman's XI against Sri Lanka later this month. <b>C365 Rating: 7/10</b>
<b>Shane Watson</b><br><i>1 matches, 2 inns, 35 runs @ 17.50, 0x100, 0x50, 1 wkts @ 46.00, BB: 1/22</i><br>Whether he would or wouldn't play arguably hampered Australia's build-up in Brisbane and Adelaide, and one wonders if should've featured at all in the end. The decision to forsake his bowling workload in favour of his batting prowess begs query. <b>C365 Rating: 5/10</b>
<b>Peter Siddle</b><br><i>2 matches, 9 wkts @ 38.00, BB: 4/65</i><br>Did the Adelaide marathon really take that much out of him? Was he really that floored? Could he have played in Perth? All questions that remain unanswered after uncharacteristically sweeping changes backfired on the Aussies in the series decider. <b>C365 Rating: 7.5/10</b>
<b>Matthew Wade</b><br><i>3 matches, 5 inns, 121 runs @ 30.25, 8xct, 1xst</i><br>Runs in abundance for the experienced Brad Haddin in domestic cricket this month leave Wade's position for the series against Sri Lanka in doubt. He wasn't anything special down the order, and his role behind the stumps endured a few glaring errors. Missed stumpings and the odd dropped catch are not becoming of an Australian Test match wicketkeeper. <b>C365 Rating: 5/10</b>
<b>Ricky Ponting</b><br><i>3 matches, 5 inns, 32 runs @ 6.40, 0x100, 0x50</i><br>Australians are not often prone to sentiment, but the selection of Ponting for this series was more on emotion than expectation. Averaging less than 10 for his five knocks, the stalwart hardly went out on his own terms. <i>That</i> guard of honour on Monday, though, was entirely fitting. <b>C365 Rating: 4/10</b>
<b>Michael Clarke</b><br><i>3 matches, 5 inns, 576 runs @ 144.00, 2×100, 0x50</i><br>Few, if any, batsman in history will have finished in the losing team after scoring back-to-back double centuries. Yet that's exactly the ignominy Clarke is left with, who had little more to give of his batting prowess at the end of the series. An absolute epic from the individual, and deservedly Player of the Series, but it all, ultimately, amounted to diddlysquat – the longing for the number one ranking continues. <b>C365 Rating: 9/10</b>
<b>Rob Quiney</b><br><i>2 matches, 3 inns, 9 runs @ 3.00, 0x100, 0x50</i><br>Saved only by Ponting's retirement and Shane Warne's backing, the is not the last we will see of Quiney. His Adelaide pair will have hurt like hang, but opportunity for redemption will knock against Sri Lanka later this year. <b>C365 Rating: 3/10</b>
<b>Michael Hussey</b><br><i>3 matches, 5 inns, 295 runs @ 59.00, 2×100, 1×50</i><br>The itch under South Africa's skin time and time again, Hussey stood head and shoulder above Australia's slew of left-handers. The old dog continues to learn new tricks, and along with Clarke was probably the only one genuinely willing to fight to the bitter end. <b>C365 Rating: 8.5/10</b>
<b>David Warner</b><br><i>3 matches, 5 inns, 206 runs @ 41.20, 1×100, 0x50</i><br>Hot and cold or hit and miss, Warner continues to thrill and spill at the top of the Test order. No doubt, he is the fixture for the long-term, but there is an air of responsibility required among all that flashy shot selection. His 119 at the Adelaide Oval was a joy to behold, but little else around it hurt his favour. <b>C365 Rating: 7/10</b>
<b>James Pattinson</b><br><i>2 matches, 5 wkts @ 38.40, BB: 3/93</i><br>Young and fragile, the Pattinson's injury remains marred by injury. The series result might have read considerably different were he fit throughout, but for now the right-arm tyke won't feature again until next season. <b>C365 Rating: 7/10</b>
<b>Mitchell Johnson</b><br><i>1 matches, 6 wkts @ 27.33, BB: 4/110</i><br>Hauled into the XI on the back of an outstanding record at the WACA, Johnson didn't disappoint. A certain fixture again for the foreseeable future, the left-arm seamer's return brings a welcome look to an otherwise one-dimensional attack. His fiery spell, in which he got rid of centurion Hashim Amla and debutant, was the most thrilling. <b>C365 Rating: 8/10</b>
<b>Mitchell Starc</b><br><i>1 matches, 8 wkts @ 26.12, BB: 6/154</i><br>He should have played earlier, but instead bided his time until selection knocked for the series decider. A belated six-for and even a tail-end half-century lived up to expectation, but Starc is best kept in the limited-overs arena – until a permanent berth in the Test XI is more warranted. <b>C365 Rating: 7.5/10</b>
<b>Ben Hilfenhaus</b><br><i>2 matches, 6 wkts @ 35.50, BB: 3/49</i><br>Hilfenhaus' series demands similar questions and explanations as that of Siddle. Perhaps even more so than his fellow right-armer, the metronomic seamer needed to play in Perth. The squad's only genuine swing bowler, he was sorely missed. <b>C365 Rating: 8/10</b>
<b>Nathan Lyon</b><br><i>3 matches, 12 wkts @ 40.50, BB: 3/41</i><br>Few would have backed a spinner to finish as Australia's top wicket-taker, yet a dozen scalps later, Lyon is it. Probably more for sheer volume of overs than any real help from the pitches, the former groundsman was reasonably successful – and certainly outshone South Africa's Imran Tahir by a long shot. <b>C365 Rating: 8.5/10</b>
<b>John Hastings</b><br><i>1 matches, 1 wkts @ 153.00, BB: 1/51</i><br>Back from injury and slipped into the Test side in the wake of Pattinson's misfortune and Hilfenhaus and Siddle's alleged need for rest, Hastings flattered to deceive. He doesn't seem half the factor the selectors think he is. The young Josh Hazlewood should have played ahead of him. <b>C365 Rating: 2/10</b>
<b>Jonhenry Wilson</b>