NEW DELHI: Though Australia have got Test series victories at home over West Indies and South Africa, former fast bowler Geoff Lawson believes that one will find out the true steel of the Pat Cummins-led side in times to come when the team will tour India and England next year.
"The results against the Windies and South Africa have inured a winning culture. The downside of those comfortable victories is that there have been precious few periods of pressure to hone the psyche. Those times are about to come, and we will find out the true steel of Cummins' Australians."
"As much as this summer has been characterised by the mediocrity of the visitors' cricket, the coming winter is the most expected for an age: "Bazball" versus "Patball", preceded by four Tests in India. The contrast in conditions will be stark," wrote Lawson in his column for 'The Sydney Morning Herald' on Saturday.
In 2022, Australia toured Pakistan (where they won three-match series 1-0) and Sri Lanka (1-1 draw in a two-match series) in the last 12 months for Tests. But their sterner challenges will come against India in February-March 2023 for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and later against England for the Ashes in June-July of the year.
The last time Australia toured India was in 2017 when the visitors lost the four-match series 2-1 despite starting off the trip with a resounding victory in Pune. Australia last toured England for the Ashes in 2019, where the series was drawn 2-2 with the visitors retaining the urn. IANS
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