Ricky Ponting has defended his decision to persevere with paceman Mick Lewis at the end of South Africa's stunning innings at the Wanderers on Sunday, in the face of widespread shock over how Australia managed to lose the match and the series.
In the aftermath of one of the most stunning one-dayers of all time - in which South Africa beat one world record with another by making 9-438 in reply to 4-434 - many questions focused on why Ponting persisted with Lewis at the finish.
The Victorian had been hammered in all but one over, and went on to concede 17 runs off the second-last over, his 10th, to complete the most expensive bowling figures in one-day history - 0-113.
Instead of Lewis, Ponting could have used fellow paceman Stuart Clark, or spinners Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke. All had shabby figures by that stage, but had not been as costly as Lewis. Still, Ponting stood by his decision, saying Lewis was still the safest bet to bowl yorkers at the death to make scoring difficult.
"That's his job … to finish off the game," Ponting said. "As a captain you have to go with your best. He'd gone for some tap early in the game … but I wanted him to bowl a couple of good overs of yorkers for us at the end.
"He didn't do it. [Nathan Bracken] did a pretty good job at the other end. It's becoming a bit of a regular occurrence with us, we can't seem to defend those [totals]. Even when we bowl first, teams are getting a lot of runs in the last six or eight overs of our bowling innings."
Two points can be derived from Australia's calamitous defence of their then-world record total. First, Lewis's one-day international career is all but over. After seven matches, the Victorian quick has claimed seven wickets at 55.85.
And although he played a winning hand in one Chappell-Hadlee match last year, he will more likely be remembered for returning blow-out figures in Australia's and history's two greatest second-innings disasters.
The second point relates to those second-innings defeats. This was the second time in four months that the Australians have posted a massive total abroad, only for the opposition to reel them in over the course of the run chase. New Zealand set a world record when they scored 8-332 from 49 overs, overhauling Australia's 7-331 at Jade Stadium last December.
It was a record that wouldn't last long. The South Africans bettered the Black Caps' effort by more than 100 runs.
Certainly, the long-held fears surrounding Glenn McGrath's retirement appear to have been well founded. On a Wanderers wicket that admittedly provided no assistance to seamers or spinners, the batsmen were left to take part in a contest that resembled tee-ball as much as cricket. Bowlers weren't there to take wickets; they were merely launching pads.
- ALEX BROWN