Australia get all the encouragement that they need

Ashes 2013

 

Australia get all the encouragement that they need

 

June 30^th

 

 

Here we go again! England contrive to make a second string Essex attack look lethal on a blameless pitch and the Australians must be licking their lips at what their own attack will do. The laughter of the Australian fans has been audible in the feedback on CricInfo’s pages.

England have finished the day 328-7 with a century stand and individual fifties for Swann and Bresnan to thank for a position far better than seemed likely at Tea, when major embarrassment looked likely. It looked like the performance of a side that was far too relaxed, too casual and not taking things as seriously as it might. Every one of the nine batsmen to have an innings so far has reached double figures. No less than seven of them have reached 20, which one might reasonably say is that point at which they are well in but, until Swann and Bresnan decided that it was time for someone to apply himself, no one had reached 50.

It would not particularly surprise me if Swann – no mean bat with four First Class centuries – or Bresnan – who has three – were to go on to make a century tomorrow, take England past 400 and set up what could easily be an innings victory. England have often shown this ability to look casual one day and then roar back and win, but a day like today certainly boosts the confidence of the opposition.

What have we learnt today? First and most important, it doesn’t matter who the opposition is, it has to be treated with respect and played on its merits. No match is won simply by turning up, especially not a Test match. If England have learnt a lesson in humility and in taking the opposition seriously, whoever they are, it will have been time well spent. Second, Joe Root had a chance to make a solid case to be England’s opener and, if he didn’t blow it, hardly made as convincing a case as he and the selectors would have hoped. Nick Compton, who has made plenty of runs for Somerset recently, is most definitely still in with a chance of resuming his, presumed aborted, career as a Test opener.

There are many who think that with Root doing so well at six for England it is playing with fire to move him in the order and bring in someone else, probably Jonny Bairstow, at six in a double change. People have, unfairly, used the word “panic” to describe this change, but it is an unusual change of policy by the England selectors who normally give a player longer to break a run of low scores. There is no doubt that Compton has not had an easy time in the last three Tests, but he had done the job asked of him in India and had back-to-back tons as other batsmen struggled in New Zealand.

Compton’s First Class scores since being told by Geoff Miller that he was not up to scratch have been 166, 18, 15, 56, 81 & 34: hardly an indication of calamitous form. Those last two scores were against an Australian side with a pretty useful attack. If he can get runs playing as a guest for Worcestershire against Australia this coming week it will be hard to ignore him. Not all fans are happy that Worcestershire have asked to give him this chance but, given the way that sides tend to use these games against tourists to “rest” senior players, it can hardly be on the grounds that their team is being weakened, or that Worcestershire’s own players are being denied a chance to play.

England need Swann and Bresnan to keep on batting sensibly tomorrow morning and for the bowling attack to treat Essex with respect and bowl at them as hard as if it were a Test match.

 

First Skirmishes

 

Ashes 2013

First skirmishes

June 30^th

 

Today England start a practice match against Essex, a side whose travails this season have been so bad at times that fans will be happy if the match reaches the third day of a scheduled four. However, Australia, in the form of the ”A” side, packed with fringe players and members of the main party, and the official tourists have already played three games and have won all three, against Ireland, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It is always hard to assess these county games. Counties always talk about putting out “their best available side”, but that is usually cover for playing half a dozen 1^st XI players, generously interspersed with juniors and 2^nd XI players. Somerset, for example, played close to their best batting line-up, plus a pretty thin attack. Gloucestershire, immersed in injury and financial crises, have struggled to put out an XI of any description on some occasions, but played something closer to their recent Championship XI, even if that was nowhere close to their best XI.

Both Gloucestershire and Somerset provided a decent match, testing the opposition on occasions. Gloucestershire, having looked overpowered for a day and a half, made an astonishing comeback to dismiss the tourists for little over 100 and, starting the final morning, looked to have a real chance before falling away. There was a sting in the tail though, as the last wicket partnership got the home side desperately close to a famous win.

Somerset provided food for thought and some sizeable headaches for the tourists. A rookie student from Durham called Chris Jones, batting at three, who had averaged just 17.3 in 33 previous First Class innings, scored 130. After the early fall of Marcus Trescothick, Nick Compton, fresh from being told that he was surplus to requirements for England, Jones and James Hildreth, once expected to be an England player, but now just another decent county pro, took Somerset to 304-2, treating an attack of Pattinson, Starc, Siddle, Faulkner and Lyon with contempt. It was thrilling stuff to listen to, played in front of a decent crowd at Taunton. When Jones finally fell to the expensive Faulkner for 130 to a tired shot it looked as if he had done a massive service to his country in demoralising the tourists. However, you should write off an Australian at your peril. Craig Kieswetter, recently returned from injury fell rapidly and 304-2 became 310-4. The next five batsmen fell for ducks in an astonishing half hour, with the score stuck on 310, as Starc and Pattinson bowled fast and straight, taking the last seven wickets LBW or bowled. Somerset’s weak attack was unable to discomfort the tourists much and the match ended in a comfortable win, losing just nine wickets over the two innings.

Much has been made of the chaos and uncertainty around the Australians and their playing weakness.  They went to India on a hiding to nothing, having lost every single international match on their previous tour, with a far weaker batting unit available this time. India supplied low, slow pitches that totally eliminated the threat of the Australian pace attack and, without a spinner of the quality of Swann or Panesar to face, the Indian batsmen made hay, with Ravi Ashwin, who had looked out of his depth against England, spinning the Australians to defeat almost single-handed. The 4-0 defeat was almost inevitable. However, in England Australia will not have to face turning pitches – despite some mischievous suggestions from English scribes that our best tactic might be to prepare dust bowls – and their pace attack will be a major threat. How major depends on its ability to stay fit, which has not been one of its stronger suites in recent years.

Australia have also tended to underestimate the strength of the opposition: this just seems to be part of the national psyche that opponents are rarely, if ever, worthy of them. It can be a double-edged sword because when defeated, they do not have the excuse of saying that they were up against it from the start, so opprobrium rains on them from all directions: hell hath no fury like an Australian supporter of a losing side, unless it is an English supporter who has been patronised for months by rival supporters. Suggestions that Australia have the best attack in the world have not helped.

On the England side, depression about bowling depth is turning to optimism. Bresnan and Broad have recovered from injury and are looking back to their best. Chris Tremlett is beginning to look like a Test bowler again and England have been confident enough to leave Steve Finn – who has not looked particularly impressive this season – out of their best Champions Trophy XI. Outside the squad, Chris Jordan is suddenly showing why many fans hoped that he would declare for England over the West Indies, Liam Plunkett has had a glorious re-birth at Yorkshire and Boyd Rankin, returned after a prolonged injury nightmare, took just four balls to take his first wicket in England colours.

Rankin is Irish, but from Northern Ireland and thus also British, meaning that he is qualified by birth to play for the side confusingly known as England that is the outlet for all players in the United Kingdom. Not everyone is delighted that Rankin may play Tests for England, but in a democracy, if someone wants to exercise his legal and constitutional right to ply his trade in the way that he wishes, that right has to be respected and Rankin has declared for England. We live in a world of international mobility. Increasing numbers of people have a right to dual citizenship by birth by having a British parent, although born abroad. Some experts such as George Dobell, suspect that Boyd Rankin will play a major part in the Ashes series: if so, the mud-slinging may become serious, especially if Australia lose and the more radical fans start to look for excuses.