Both Sides Looking for Convincing Solutions

 

 

Ashes 2013

 

A Change of Direction?

 

July 17^th

 

The news that Chris Tremlett was training with England yesterday in England kit will not have come as a massive surprise to anyone. However, if you are Steve Finn and your place is very much under threat, to see another tall fast bowler with Test experience around is not necessarily great news. After an awful couple of seasons with injury, word is that Tremlett is coming back to his best after a slow start to the season. With Steve Finn’s form in severe doubt, Tremlett could replace him, as he did in Australia in 2010. Tremlett has shown that he can shake-up the Australian batsmen (17 wickets @ 23.4 in 3 Tests, although the fact that he has played just 11 Tests in six years since debut is a testament to his fragility, which makes picking him a huge risk.

The fact that Monty Panesar is also training with England is also interesting. In his case it could be to help England combat their perceived weakness against left arm spin, or it could even indicate that England are thinking of playing two spinners at some point if the hot, dry weather continues. Neither Tremlett nor Monty is a member of the squad, but both know that an injury, a loss of form, or a change of tactics could have them in the side in a trice.

Most interesting though is that news that Ben Stokes has been training with the squad. As a highly talented young all-rounder he has already played 5 ODIs (all in 2011) and 4 T20s, albeit with minimal success (30 runs in 3 innings and not a single ball bowled in ODIs, 40 runs in 2 innings plus 3 expensive overs in T20s). Stokes is most unlikely to play in this series or even tour Australia this winter, but it is a further indication that England see him as an all-rounder of the future in the Botham/Flintoff mould and want t keep a close eye on his progress.

As none of the three were engaged in county matches, using them to provide quality opposition was useful and logical. It is also a great way of keeping an eye on the progress of players who could well enter plans. By his high standards Monty has had a poor season and was even dropped from the Sussex team for the Middlesex game recently. However, he remains a class act and, for all his success on the ODIs, the fact that James Tredwell has but a single First Class wicket this summer and that of a centurian involved in a declaration slog for runs, means that if a second spinner is used, Monty is the man the selectors will go to.

Going into tomorrow’s Test, both sides have major issues to face. For Australia the issue is not the affronted dignity of a sacked coach, but rather the fact that the top order batting failed horribly twice at Trent Bridge. Although Smith, Hughes, Rogers and Haddin all scored fifties, England obtained a far greater number of runs from the top order than Australia – 121 over the two innings – and that was ultimately decisive. Australia cannot go through the series depending on the tail to bail the batsmen out every time. Although much of the opprobrium is being aimed at Ed Cowan, who is in real danger of being dropped, Michael Clarke managed just 23 runs in his two innings, fewer than any of the England top seven. With Warner away and unavailable, it will be interesting to see if Australia keep faith with Cowan, or re-jig their order, bringing in Khawaja. It will also be interesting to see how far up the order Ashton Agar is pushed.

For England the question is the attack. They were effectively reduced to just three bowlers in both innings. Much has been made of Steve Finn’s fine record at Lords, but he was struggling so badly at Trent Bridge that it would take a brave man to risk him again. If England had a five-man attack it would be worth taking a punt on Finn to come good but, for all Joe Root’s success, including a vital wicket in the Test, he is not yet ready to play as a genuine fifth bowler. With Stuart Broad struggling at Trent Bridge and with previous injury issues in the same shoulder, there is an evident risk in over-bowling him because there is a bowler in the attack who the captain cannot rely on. Similarly, Jimmy Anderson was asked to bowl for far too long on the last day because there was no one else who generated the same threat. England have to have a third seamer capable of bowling long spells and giving the captain control to rest Broad and Anderson. This suggests strongly Tim Bresnan who, recovered from new surgery in the winter, once again looks like the bowler he was two years ago. However, if the pitch is likely to help seam and swing, or simply not help reverse swing, Graeme Onions may yet get the nod.

First indications of the Lords pitch is that it will not start as dry as the pitch at Trent Bridge because a lot of effort has gone into keep moisture in it, including allowing it to keep a generous covering of grass. However, the expectation is that what life the pitch has will be in the first hour and that the pitch will be “win toss and bat”.

The match will be decided by whether or not the Australian batsmen find some convincing answers to the questions that Jimmy Anderson is posing and how much help Jimmy Anderson can count on from the rest of the attack.