This team has been on a slide in Test cricket for a year now.
We have won 7, drawn 2 and lost 4 in the past year. 4 series wins, 1 series draw and 1 series loss.
We have won 4 tests in that time by an innings, and one by 400+ runs.
We beat Pakistan 2-1 in the UAE, largely due to bold selections where we dropped important seamers for spinners who would perform more favorably in those conditions. For comparison, Pakistan did not lose a single series to a team from outside the subcontinent in the past 10 years they have spent in the UAE.
We are not on a slide because of a couple of tests where we batted poorly and were outplayed by a team, and bowling unit, in superb form.
With a couple changes (one forced) for Sydney, we can only hope for a far more positive performance there. Then we come home and face a really tough India, but not an impossible task in our own conditions.
I wonder how the narrative will change if we pick up some decent results in those upcoming tests....
Also Williamson. No runs from him.