3-1. Thanks For Coming.

 

 

Ashes 2015

 

Fourth Test, Day 3: Quick and Clean, 3-1.

 

August 8^th 2015

 

It was brief and it was clean. Australia were in no mood for a fight.

Even before play started the reaction was happening.

Ricky Ponting reported that as many as eight of the touring party will never play for Australia again. Apart from Harris and Rogers, Watson, Shaun Marsh and Haddin look unlikely to be picked again. Voges and possibly even Mitch Johnson are other likely candidates, as is Peter Siddle (if he did not play here on a seamer’s pitch, where will he play?) Various other of the squad have been tried and found wanting.

Then Jim Maxwell reported that Michael Clarke had been taken aside last night by the selectors and told that he would not be in the squad for Bangladesh. Clarke asked around how to make a dignified exit in advance of his imminent sacking and announced his retirement as soon as the Test ended. It was good to see Michael Clarke being treated with the utmost respect by players and crowd. This Test series has been played in the right spirit, unlike the often very unpleasant 2013 and 2013/14 series.

In 2013 Australia could look to “doctored pitches”, a couple of marginal umpiring decisions and some bad luck with rain and some very uninspiring cricket from England as consolation. They could claim the moral high ground of having played the imaginative and innovative cricket and could suggest that the better side had not won.

In 2015, they do not have that comfort. Pitches at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge that, before the series, 95% of fans would say were tailor-made for the Australian seamers, have seen the Australians blown away. Man for man the unanimous opinion was that Australia were the better side in all departments yet, save at Lord’s where things did run to script, they were outplayed time and again.

After the disastrous winter, few people were willing to bet on any result better than a 3-0 defeat and most thought that it would be 5-0 unless rain saved England. What no one imagined is that the Australian batsmen would be so fallible against the moving ball and that their seamers would be so totally unable to exploit helpful conditions.

Before the series pundits looked at all the players that Australia had not selected and compared them with England’s threadbare reserves. A common statement was “heaven help England if Jimmy Anderson gets injured”: we he has and England managed their biggest win of the series without him. With four bowlers taking a 6-for in consecutive matches, England suddenly have an embarrassment of options. The decision on who gets dropped to accommodate Jimmy Anderson can be avoided by “resting” him for The Oval. Anderson, Broad, Finn, Wood and Stokes are certainties for the winter tour. This leaves three bowlers who lost their place through injury – Plunkett, Woakes and Jordan – fighting for probably just one tour place and even they have to watch for Footitt and Rushworth who are both very much in the mix too.

In contrast, Australia look at their reserves which, a few short weeks ago looked limitless, and wonder who, if anyone, might have done better. Pat Cummins has a fearsome reputation, but has not played a single match on tour – just 6 First Class matches in his career. Peter Siddle has barely played and looks likely not to tour again. Could Faulkner, Coulter-Nile and Pattinson have done better? One suspects, not.

Australia A are playing in India and doing well, but many of the squad have been tried at the top level and not convinced. Is Khawaja better than Clarke? Are Maxwell and Wade good enough? Many Australians seem to fear that they simply are not. The question of where Australia go from here, who leads their attack and who will fill the shaky middle order is as uncertain as it can be.

England still have uncertainties. The opener spot that has gone from hand to hand like a hand grenade with a dodgy pin since Andrew Strauss retired still has no owner. There are still doubts about Moeen Ali as spinner. And both Ian Bell and Jos Buttler have their critics, but at least nine places in the team look pretty well tied down for now. Moeen has not been hit out of the series and has taken some useful wickets as well as providing a formidable sting in England’s lower middle order. Buttler has improved tremendously as a wicket-keeper, even if he has struggled with the bat. Bell has come good and Bairstow has taken his chance.

All in all though things look so much better than they did and, wonder of wonders, Alistair Cook, who was perhaps two Tests from being sacked, has suddenly looked like a positive and innovative captain who has totally outthought Michael Clarke. If we cheer one thing from the series, that should be it. Cook’s revival has been amazing.