Of farewells, comebacks and victories

For Australia 2004 was a year of sad goodbyes, glorious hellos, welcome returns and another batch of envious records. There was also time for stirring comebacks from a side that has grown used to being world champions, and often needs challenges to wake them. Three times they faced first-innings deficits of more than 90 in Sri Lanka that were merely detours on the way to a sweaty whitewash. Someone always came to the rescue.

Unfortunately, nothing could save David Hookes. His sad, violent and needless death on January 18 brought gloom and a respect for his career that would have been missing if he had passed away in a retirement home. Two weeks earlier the whole of Australia felt like part of the lounge-room furniture was going to be missing when Steve Waugh whirled 80 against India at the SCG in his final innings. Waugh enjoyed a countrywide farewell tour while Hookes was remembered through train graffiti, newspaper tributes and a court case in November against the bouncer accused of his manslaughter.

Keith Miller, the former Invincible, also passed away in October, and new generations learned about the many treasured deeds of Australia's greatest allrounder. Typically for a man with film-star aura, Miller's Melbourne funeral drew an A-list congregation, and left only six survivors from the 1948 tour.

Australia head to England this winter still marvelling at their predecessors' unbeaten run. And this is a side familiar with streaks. For the first time a team won five series in a calendar year as Australia ticked off Sri Lanka (twice), India, New Zealand and Pakistan. It was an achievement made possible by programming and an efficient new style under Ricky Ponting's captaincy.

With Waugh returning to his slippers and home life, Ponting was sitting on the throne tipped for him in his teens. Despite the overall success, Ponting suffered an induction of disruption and was a spectator for the year's biggest thrill - Australia's first series win in India for 35 years. The prize Waugh wanted most, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was sealed under the leadership of Adam Gilchrist.

Ponting suffered a broken thumb in the Champions' Trophy semi-final loss to England and it allowed Australia to prepare for the future. After much deliberation the selectors settled on Michael Clarke instead of Brad Hodge. It was a magnificent move as Clarke, 23, gave a debut performance full of wonder, with hints of Doug Walters. He followed his 151 at Bangalore with a home debut century at the Gabba, and a team with an average age in the 30s finally had a young pup.

While Clarke was the discovery in India, Damien Martyn played the hero with two centuries and a ninety in the second and third Tests. Martyn, Jason Gillespie and rain ensured a fighting draw at Chennai, and Australia sealed the series at Nagpur. The celebrations were animated and the hangover lasted through the year's playing blight, a low-scoring dead-rubber loss on an awful Mumbai pitch.

New Zealand and Pakistan arrived to close the year and were shut out. Again the cheer was all Australia's, Justin Langer finishing 2004 with 1481 runs and Martyn with 1353, while Shane Warne collected 70 wickets.

Warne's return was spectacular as he chased Muttiah Muralitharan for his world record. Ending his one-year drugs ban with 26 wickets in Sri Lanka, Warne equalled Murali in the drawn Test at Cairns, and finally passed him at Chennai, where he wore red-striped spikes to colour the moment.

Another great also took his first steps after a long lay-off. Ankle operations ruled Glenn McGrath out for a year and he considered retirement before taking five wickets against Sri Lanka at Darwin. The tentativeness stayed until he reached India but by the end of the tour he was again the attack's leader, and his 8 for 24 against Pakistan at the WACA were the second-best figures by an Australian.

With Warne and McGrath restored as bowling saviours, Australia's ageing side was complete. The final frontier had been conquered, but in 2005 they must cover old ground. Finding new motivation may become this side's greatest challenge.

Justin Langer An amazing year for a batsman who can't lose the tag of gritty grafter. His 1481 runs, including five hundreds and four fifties, were the second-most by an Australian in a calendar year and they amply made up for the relatively lean times that Hayden and Ponting had.

Shane Warne A year out of the game at 34 could have forced his retirement. Instead he landed in Sri Lanka ready to fire and broke the world record in India. His next target is 600 Test wickets; his ability to bamboozle remains untarnished.