Australia's bowling coach Craig McDermott, the man who plotted England's doom, shared the highs of a heady campaign when TOI caught up with him at a team function at the Sydney Harbour bridge on Monday.
Excerpts:
You had predicted a 3-0 win for Australia before the start of the Ashes series, but your team exceeded all expectations...
I would love to be proved wrong every time. The 5-0 scoreline was made possible by a strong and close-knit unit that was determined to win back the Ashes urn. It is celebration time and the whole country is rejoicing the feat.
At what stage did you feel that 5-0 was possible?
Our first target was obviously to win the series and we achieved that in Perth. We went to Melbourne on a high but ended up conceding a first-innings lead of 51 runs. However, our bowlers once again did a fantastic job and bundled out England for 179 in their second innings. Our eight-wicket win at the MCG was the key to the whitewash. England were a broken side by then and it was a walk in the park for Australia at the SCG.
Which of the five wins was most satisfying?
It is tough to pick one as all five wins were comprehensive. As Australia's bowling coach, I was pleased with the fact that our bowlers got the job done on five different surfaces. The drop-in pitch at Adelaide was pretty flat, but we adjusted our lengths superbly to bowl England out twice. The pitches in Brisbane and Sydney were somewhat similar as both had a fair amount of grass on it. Perhaps that explains the early finish in both games.
Isn't the batting an area of concern?
There is certainly room for improvement, but everyone chipped in. Brad Haddin was our most consistent batsman, but Clarke, Rogers, Warner and Smith each logged two centuries apiece.
Do you subscribe to skipper Michael Clarke's assertion that Australia currently have the best attack in the world?
I agree with Mike one hundred per cent. We have four top-quality bowlers, who got the job done in five successive Test matches. They will be a handful in all conditions.
But Peter Siddle hasn't really been on fire and Nathan Lyon's 19 wickets came at almost 30 runs per wicket...
In a four-man bowling attack, not everyone can be the No. 1 bowler. Of the 100 English wickets to fall this summer, the quartet claimed 94. Siddle played a very important role and each of his 16 wickets came at a critical time. Lyon has improved by leaps and bounds and played a big role in our win in Melbourne.
What makes this such a lethal combo?
They are all different bowlers. Johnson swings it consistently while delivering at speeds in excess of 150 kmph. Harris moves it either way at 140-145 kmph, while Siddle too mixes them up at 135-137 kmph. Lyon was so effective that Watson hardly got to bowl in the series.
Do you hope to have James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc back for the SA tour?
Pattinson is ready to return and should be joining the squad on that trip, but Starc will take some more time. Jackson Bird, too, could be back.
Have you begun your homework for the South Africa tour?
It will start once we are done with the celebrations. We have the right personnel for the job. Hitting the right length in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Pretoria will be the key. It would be interesting to see who comes in for the retired Jacques Kallis.
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