Aussies no chance in Ashes, says Holding
By Ed Jackson, 21 Apr 2012
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Despite Australia’s emerging young fast bowlers, there’s every chance the same quicks who were demolished by England last time out will feature in next year’s Ashes series.
The rise of young guns Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitch Starc in the past six months boosted Australian hopes of blitzing England with a new-look lineup in 2013.
Teenager Cummins led the way, stunning the cricket world with his man of the match display on debut in South Africa last year before Pattinson starred with 25 wickets from his four Tests against New Zealand and India.
Starc also showed plenty of promise, particularly in Perth where he took four wickets against India in his third Test.
But Cummins still has only one Test to his name after missing all summer with a foot injury, Pattinson is struggling to keep himself fit and Starc hasn’t yet established himself as a regular at international level.
It means that Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris, three parts of the attack who spent most of the last Ashes series being flogged by England’s top order, shape as Michael Clarke’s most reliable options.
That trio were chosen ahead of Starc and Pattinson for the first Test in the West Indies and as far as Windies fast-bowling great Michael Holding is concerned, things have to change if Australia is to have any chance of reclaiming the urn from Andrew Strauss’ men.
“I don’t think this Australian team is a very good squad,” Holding told AAP during the second Test in Trinidad.
“I think they are okay, a reasonable set of cricketers, but I don’t see them being good enough to beat England in England right now.
“I don’t know how much improvement they’ll make between now and the Ashes series next year but at the moment, if they were to play right now, I would be selling my house, my car, everything to put it on England.”
Hilfenhaus’ Ashes series was a disaster last time around, with many believing he’d never play Test cricket again after Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and company took him for 415 runs in four Tests with his seven wickets coming at nearly 60 runs a piece.
Siddle and Harris had better Ashes campaigns but 32-year-old Harris’ inability to stay fit remains an ongoing concern while Siddle was sent home from the Caribbean after one Test when he started developing a dreaded stress fracture in his back.
And while Holding is unimpressed with Australia’s bowling, he also feels openers Ed Cowan and David Warner as well as veteran Ricky Ponting will find the going tough in England.
Holding believes Ponting is playing on purely to redeem himself against England after losing the Ashes three times as captain.
“I just think that Ricky is so upset that he has lost the Ashes to England on so many occasions, he’s desperate to play a series in which he wins it back,” Holding said.
“Perhaps that’s what is going to drive him to play in 2013 but he is certainly not as good a player as he was a few years ago.
“When you’re as great as he was I don’t think you should hang around until you’re not making the kind of runs that people expect you to make.
“Who knows? There might be a final flicker before the flame goes out and that last flicker might be the Ashes series next year.”
Holding works as a commentator in England and is an unabashed fan of the English bowling line-up, suggesting their recent struggles in away series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be quickly forgotten back on their home shores.
“I think England have a fantastic bowling line-up, especially in England,” Holding said.
“Jimmy Anderson swings the ball around trees. Stuart Broad is developing into, not just a good bowler, but a good cricketer. There’s (Tim) Bresnan, there’s (Chris) Tremlett – who has been injured a bit but is on his way back, there’s Steven Finn, who I rate highly. (Graeme) Swann, I just think he’s a fantastic bowler.
“Australia need to find some batting in that middle order.
“As it stands right now they’ll struggle.”
© AAP 2013
April 21st 2012 @ 4:30am
Lolly said | April 21st 2012 @ 4:30am | Report comment
Well, cheers, Mikey. I really wish I didn’t agree with him but I do.
April 21st 2012 @ 4:30am
Viscount Crouchback said | April 21st 2012 @ 4:30am | Report comment
Astute comments from Mr Holding. I have a feeling that Warner, in particular, will be a walking wicket in English conditions. 4-1 England.
April 21st 2012 @ 8:03am
Roarest? said | April 21st 2012 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Ummm…… Who is this guy?
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April 21st 2012 @ 9:17am
Dan said | April 21st 2012 @ 9:17am | Report comment
Roarest, you don’t know who Michael holding is? Are u serious?
I agree Warner will get found out against the swinging ball on slow,popping, green decks. He needs fast hard tracks to compensate for his lack of technique.
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April 21st 2012 @ 10:15am
pope paul v11 said | April 21st 2012 @ 10:15am | Report comment
Michael Holding is right regarding Australia’s batting and i’d include all Australian batsmen as suss if the England attack is fit, particularly Tremlett. However Harris, Siddle and especially Hilfenhaus are vastly improved. Lyons can take a wicket. Meanwhile England’s batting has been awful and they have no depth and Strauss is showing signs of ageing and fatigue. Almost certainly Australia will make Cook play, rather than allow him to choose his shots. Still you gotta say England are roaring favourites because Australia will either send Ricketty Ponting and company that exists now or inexperienced someone(s) will emerge or be revived over the summer. Also if the Huss insists on not retiring put him at 3 and give someone a hit at no 6 and whack Watto back to opening if Cowan and/or Warner stumble.
The West Indies really failed to secure that first test because of inexperience and have proved very stubborn for Clarkey’s true believers so the great Holding is pretty spot on.
April 21st 2012 @ 11:14am
Blaze said | April 21st 2012 @ 11:14am | Report comment
Although I agree with holding, I believe you can’t really make the similarities between the last ashes team and now. The same bowlers are completely different under the new bowling coach. Not only that, Clarke’s captaincy is miles above what pointing dished up in his career, and the national coach was a useless ‘stand in’ back then, and hadn’t a clue what he was ment to do unless Ricky advised him….. Micky is a far superior coach to Nelson… The main problem I see for Australia is our batting coach… He once again failed to do his job in the windies to prepare our batsmen for the conditions… Langer must go if we are to have a chance against the poms.
April 22nd 2012 @ 12:58am
Morning Son said | April 22nd 2012 @ 12:58am | Report comment
Right, so it wasnt just that England was a better team?
Clarke captained at the SCG and we lost by an innings and 150 runs.
I dont think we’ll win. But then again, it is still 16 months away and a heap can happen in that time.
April 22nd 2012 @ 10:49am
Blaze said | April 22nd 2012 @ 10:49am | Report comment
No where did I say England wasn’t the better team…I was simply giving my opinion on the difference between then and now on the Australian team… There is a big difference between Clarke captaining pontings team, and Clarke captaining clarkes team, so that loss you talk about has no indication of clarkes ability.. We may lose miserably, or we may gain enough confidence and trounce the poms… Too early to tell…. However my main point being that, I believe that langer must be replaced before then for us to have a chance.
April 22nd 2012 @ 11:12am
Morning Son said | April 22nd 2012 @ 11:12am | Report comment
So, if we get trounced in England, it is Clarke’s fault?
I just wish people would stop building certain players up as messiahs.
Clarke captained at the SCG and we got hammered.
It wouldnt matter who was captain, if man for man, England has the better players, then sorry, they will win.
April 21st 2012 @ 7:21pm
Brendon said | April 21st 2012 @ 7:21pm | Report comment
Everyone said Pakistan had no chance against England. Please remind me the result of that series. It wasn’t just that Pakistan won but they thumped and annihilated England 3-0
England don’t even have the best two fast bowlers in the world – South Africa does. Theres no guarantee that England will beat South Africa this northern summer.
Also, why is Australia playing a 5 match ODI series in England this year and South Africa is only playing 3 tests in a series that could turn out be a great series …
April 22nd 2012 @ 9:57am
Disco said | April 22nd 2012 @ 9:57am | Report comment
Anderson’s second only to Steyn in my view.
April 22nd 2012 @ 2:43am
Rhys said | April 22nd 2012 @ 2:43am | Report comment
If Saeed Ajmahl played for Australia and the Ashes was being played in Dubai then I’d be a lot more worried.
But there’s no doubt England have had a few flaws exposed during the Pakistan and Sri Lanka series. Their batsman have next to no clue against spin (or at least a spinner with a well disguised googly and top spinner). Strauss may be a good captain but his form (or lack of) is proving a liability. Pietersen is a world beater when he fires but can look second rate when he’s not. They are yet to find a No. 6 who can hold down the position. While they may have a good squad of pace bowlers, they can be an injury prone lot (a bit like Australia’s), and if Broad and/or Anderson is missing they may struggle (though Finn is fast improving).
Whatever the case, Australia’s team is still developing and England are still to prove their #1 ranking is deserved. Maybe a good point of comparison will be to see how both teams perform on home turf against South Africa.
April 22nd 2012 @ 6:01pm
Brendon said | April 22nd 2012 @ 6:01pm | Report comment
I don’t think anyone deny England are favourites, they definitely are, but to say Australia has NO chance is pushing it.
April 22nd 2012 @ 11:53am
pope paul v11 said | April 22nd 2012 @ 11:53am | Report comment
England’s resurgence against Australia is primarily due to their fast bowling depth since 2005, Simon Jones being the catalyst. They earnt respect and made Aussie bats accountable. The only blip was their pathetic defence of the Ashes 2006/7. If poor old Simon Jones had fronted up for that one I’m not so sure he would have allowed the lack of fight if not affect the result.
Anyway Englanders stil hold sway so if the 2013 Aussies overcome them then it will be a terrific effort. Tremlett is their key.
April 22nd 2012 @ 1:04pm
Disco said | April 22nd 2012 @ 1:04pm | Report comment
Good call re: Jones. Things came together when he joined Flintoff, Hoggard and Harmison in SA in early ’05. He was a big miss the following series, along with Vaughan and Trescothick.
Tremlett bowled really well in the three last Ashes tests down here but I get the feeling he’s slipped well down the pecking order what with concerns about his durability. Anderson, Broad, Bresnan, Finn and possibly Onions are likely to entrusted with the ball against WI and SA.
April 22nd 2012 @ 11:41pm
pope paul v11 said | April 22nd 2012 @ 11:41pm | Report comment
Yep Tremlett has a battle Disco but as you say Onions is yet another more than adequate replacement.