Batting:

A colleague of mine was recently criticised by a reader for labelling Australia's performance in South Africa as ‘schizophrenic'. My dictionary defines schizophrenia as: A mentality or approach characterised by inconsistent or contradictory elements.

Is Australia the team that comprehensively defeated India at the MCG last week or the team that was bundled out for 47 in Cape Town?

Brad Haddin's failed lofted cover drive in Cape Town did seem ‘contradictory' to the situation he found himself in. And during that fateful innings the team did appear to suffer from a mentality that belied the perceptible elements.

Australia needs to improve its behavior, particularly with the willow in hand. We live in hope that the 47 was an aberration. The problem with the paltry total is that it exposed the team's fragile core to its opponents.

Once this core is perceptible, it lurks in the minds of the opposition. They always believe they are a chance. There is always a sniff. As Australia proved in the semi-final of the 1999 World Cup, sometimes a sniff is enough.

Australia endured similar, yet less catastrophic, batting collapses against New Zealand in Hobart and even in the second innings against India at the MCG. We are fallible now. This tag will take a long time - hundreds of hours of disciplined batting - to shake.

There are two sobering facts about Australia's batting in 2011. Not one recognised batsman averaged above 50 for the calendar year and the team failed to score over 500 runs in any innings. To win successive test matches (which the team only did once, incidentally), both of these figures must be rectified.

Selection:

So far, so good for John Inverarity and his new-look panel. I'm enjoying the still images in the newspapers of Inverarity's leathery temple, furrowed eyes and ‘Scream'-like mouth.

There finally appears to be method to the madness at the selection table. ‘Steady Eddie' Cowan did the job in Melbourne. Although being dismissed shouldering arms is the supreme act of indignity on a cricket field, I can think of another famous left-handed opener who was guilty of the same sin on the MCG against Curtly Ambrose. And he didn't turn out too bad.

Ben Hilfenhaus bowled like he used to when he was 23. Aside from one truly deplorable test series, his output as a test cricketer has been quite commendable. The selectors could easily have marked his cards after last summer's Ashes debacle. His inclusion in the team is proof that solid performances at Shield level will receive the kudos they deserve under Inverarity's regime.

While Shaun Marsh didn't make much of a contribution in Melbourne, he earned the right to the number three slot with two outstanding innings in Sri Lanka. He remains an exciting prospect in all three forms of the game.

With Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Starc in the team in place of the aforementioned trio, it is conceivable that Australia might have lost the first test against India. The selectors didn't go overboard after losing to its neighbour. They tinkered just enough, which is encouraging.

My personal challenge to Mr. Inverarity in 2012 is to revive the career of Steve Smith. Take him for a glass of Cognac on the Harbour and tell him what he is supposed to be. This way we can avoid Smith becoming the next Cameron White.

Bowling:

The bowling stocks look promising. Pattinson and Cummins emerged late in 2011. They are both young, fast and exciting. Like South Africa's Vernon Philander, they are bound to hit the wall at some point in their career. This will be the true test of them. If they can get through it, the world is at their feet. If nothing else, Pattinson and Cummins' output will be better than that of Mohammad Amir in the next five years.

Ryan Harris reminds me a lot of the former St. Kilda footballer Aaron Hamill in his final years. As a supporter, I love the idea of Harris playing, but the reality is that even if he does, he'll only last a match or two before breaking down. His presence might even prove detrimental to the balance of the side. All power to Harris (and Hamill too, for that matter). He was a late bloomer who, over the space of eight tests, turned himself into the spearhead of Australia's attack.

Peter Siddle continues to divide opinion. Sourav Ganguly recently labelled the hearty Victorian a ‘captain's dream'. Siddle broke back into the team for the final test in Sri Lanka and has bowled tirelessly ever since. Siddle does seem innocuous at times, but his desire to will himself into the contest is second to none. His dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar on the second afternoon in Melbourne changed the complexion of the test match.

Mitchell Johnson is in no man's land.

For the first time since Stuart MacGill's abrupt retirement, Australia appears to have a spinner with the tactical nous to succeed at international level. Lyon still has plenty to prove. There have been two instances in recent memory when Australia has committed the cardinal sin of entering a test match without a front-line spinner (at The Oval in 2009 and at the MCG in 2010). Hopefully Lyon's emergence means that the same mistake won't occur in the foreseeable future.

Biggest disappointment:

The major disappointment in 2011 for me was the performance at the World Cup. After winning three in a row and entering the tournament as the number one ranked team in the format, a quarter-final loss wasn't good enough.

The tactic of playing three speedsters - Tait, Lee and Johnson - in the subcontinent was mind-numbingly stupid. Most teams opted to open the bowling with a spinner. On any given day, at least one of Tait, Lee and Johnson were bound to hemorrhage runs. It was never going to suffice once the knockout stage of the tournament began.

The strategy adopted throughout the World Cup was an admission that the team was stale and had simply run out of ideas.

The Future:

An optimist might argue that Michael Clarke hasn't lost a test series as captain. A pessimist might argue that Clarke's performances are symptomatic of the team's batting inconsistencies.

An optimist might argue that the youngsters in the Australian team love rubbing shoulders with Ricky Ponting. A pessimist might argue that he hasn't scored a test century in two years.

An optimist might argue that the Argus Report has helped to sow the seeds of Australia's resurgence as a cricketing nation. A pessimist might argue that it took too long to spread the seeds.

A realist might grade Australia as follows: C+ (should do better)