Of course,
two days of cricket played at a more 1960s-like pace of 2.6 runs per over is
not to the taste of today’s youth, gorged on the Big Mac of cricket: the IPL
and Big Bash. The criticisms rained down on England’s slow scoring and safety
first approach – the Brisbane Courier Mail’s headline today is a strong
candidate already for the most lampooned quote of the series – but Australia have
found it no easier to score quickly: in fact, the run-rates are just about
identical.
Already,
there are some signs that Australia’s controversial selections and lack of
squad depth may come back to bite them. Having done the hard part this morning
and provoked the sort of collapse that will have made Mitch Johnson’s moustache
twitch with pleasurable memories, the increasingly tired Cummins and Starc
allowed Stuart Broad to produce one of those irritating cameos that are now his
speciality. 250-7 and despair, became 302ao and hope. Broad may not have any
pretention to be a batsman any longer – the last of his 12 Test 50s was against
South Africa, in July, but it is his only Test 50 since summer 2013 – which must
make his 20s, 30s & 40s all the more irritating to the Australians, who
fancy firing him out quickly. Jake Ball chipped in with a few and the final
total must have been at least 20 more than Australia had hoped. Whereas in
2013/14, when the tail came in, Mitch Johnson was just getting warmed up and
was ready for them, Pat Cummins and Mitch Starc were ready for a break and
praying that the tail would not hang around for too long.
On a ground
with a reputation for low-scoring Tests, passing 300 is a touchstone. England
have only done it twice before in Test history at Brisbane and both times won.
Whereas
Australia had to bowl their pacemen into the ground – 30 overs for Cummins, 28
for Starc – England can spread the load around four front-line, wicket-taking
seamers and have a plausible sixth bowler in Root to give Moeen an occasional
break and even the leg spin of Malan to try to buy a wicket, if needed. This is
likely to pay dividends in the second innings when the England attack should be
so much fresher. So far Woakes has bowled just 8 overs, as has Ball, who is
being eased back to match fitness. England will have two, very lightly bowled
seamers to turn to after the initial thrust in the morning, allowing Broad and
Anderson to rest up for the new ball, due early in the second hour of the day.
Whereas
England’s three Ashes debutants all made a 50, Bancroft failed as did Hanscomb
and the recalled Khawaja, who may average 45 in Tests, but who has often
struggled against both England and against spin, never seems to be more than a
couple of failures from being dropped. Khawaja’s last 3 Tests innings have been
1, 1 & 11 and he supplied Moeen with the early wicket that he needs to gain
confidence. At 76-4, Australia could have sunk without trace had Shaun Marsh
gone early.
165-4 looks
like parity and probably is, but Australia have a long tailish and Paine, who
is under huge pressure, next in, can ill afford to lose an early wicket. While
England can boast a #8 and #9 with 10 First Class Centuries between them, Australia’s
#8 and #9 can only offer a couple of near-misses and neither Hazlewood nor Lyon,
while competent tail-enders, have no great pretentions to be Test batsmen.
It is the
sort of situation where either side could seize the match by the scruff of the
neck: a century for Smith would be the basis for a decent, maybe even sizeable
first innings lead but, if he were to go early, Australia might struggle to
reach 250.
Whoever gets
a first innings lead will be in poll position to win.
It may be
slow by modern standards, but it is riveting.
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