“Better stop dreaming of the quiet life/’Cause it’s the one we’ll never know” – Town Called Malice, The Jam.
It is a credit to Darren Lehmann that he came out and said that Trott’s departure will not be mentioned in Adelaide – I wrote as much in a cricket piece I penned for The London Evening Standard over the weekend.
We should be glad we live in such relatively enlightened times where a clearly troubled sportsman who has admitted a serious issue is given concern and respect, rather than derision and mockery.
And no blame should be attached to David Warner for Jonathon Trott’s desperately sad exit from the tour.
Yes of course it will be tough on the field with sharp words flying around – but Test cricket is supposed to be tough; a trip down under to defend The Ashes even more so.
Australia is a great country to live, work and play in. I’ve been on part of an Ashes tour as a fan and know how intense it can be – and it must be magnified quite considerably as a player.
There is no such thing as a quiet life during the maelstrom of an Antipodean-based Ashes contest.
Not for nothing is an Australian expedition known as ‘The Toughest Tour’.
But Aussies are generally a decent bunch – and if you can laugh off verbals with them, and/or give it back with a smile, whether it be at work, down the pub or on a cricket field, they tend to respect that.
No-one likes a moaner, which as far as I’m concerned is what England occasionally appear to be when they highlight on field sledging.
We’ve all played cricket: the response to receiving stick is to a) give it back, b) laugh it off c) ignore it or d) any mixture of the above.
Even if the best response England can give is to bat more solidly on a potentially lifeless wicket – where I understand the brace of Sheffield Shield games played on two of the eight drop-in pitches yielded only 55 wickets out of a possible 80.
The good news is that it may negate Mitchell Johnson’s pace a tad – even in return our bowlers need to remember that if we are to attempt to bounce Michael Clarke then we need to make sure the ball is pitched in line with the stumps, and not sliding down leg side.
England seem to be imperceptibly veering towards Joe Root at first drop, certainly with Ian Bell averaging 49 at five compared to 39 at three.
It was also encouraging to see the young Yorkshireman moving his feet well in his second innings at the Gabba even if it only yielded 26 runs. It was also good to see him laughing off verbals – always a sign off a good temperament.
Yet if we fill-in three we need a six.
With the last century scored by a number six for England being Eoin Morgan vs Pakistan in July 2010, the problematic position is still a cause for concern.
Jonny Bairstow appears to have become persona non-grata (unless Prior’s troublesome calf fails him), with strong claims now being made by and for Gary Balance, certainly ahead of Ben Stokes even after a generally insipid and uninspiring team performance in a town called Alice.
And I’m still not sure Tim Bresnan will return for the second Test after playing only one game since returning from his stress fracture of the back – even if the fact he has lost only two of the 21 Tests for England is far more than a pleasing statistical anomaly.
Make no mistake this is a crucial match for both sides – of the past eight times England have won the Ashes in Australia, six times we have won in Adelaide (and drawn the other two).
If Australia win the second Test – with fast-paced Perth to come – then arguably this Ashes series is all over.
Yet if England triumph on a placid pitch in the city of spires then it is game on – especially if Swann becomes more influential, and with the prospect of the slower MCG and SCG wickets to come.
I for one will be watching eagerly during my all-night vigil from a dark and wintery England.
***
When I stopped working in Sydney many moons ago I went on a tour of Australia before I headed home to London.
In South Australia I marvelled at the Flinders Ranges, savoured the bone dry Riesling of the Coonawarra wineries and looked upon open mouthed at stunning Mount Gambier.
I even got roaring drunk at Glenelg one memorable summer’s day.
But for me the main attraction of the Old Gum Tree was the Adelaide Oval.
It is still a regret of mine that I visited during the off season.
However, I went paid a visit to the old ground anyway, in honour of the most informative scoreboard in world cricket, the redolent and timeless view of St Peter’s Cathedral and the vast assortment of fig trees in this utterly charming location of a small-town arena in the middle of a burgeoning and progressive city.
Not to mention sampling a few beers on Rundle Street, which I imagine will be mobbed out this week.
Yesterday I looked at photos of my outing there ten years ago and compared it to the stadium that is to host the Second test.
I don’t mind the fact that I carried less weight in the picture, or that I had far more hair back then – what I was far more concerned about was that the Adelaide Oval had been disfigured quite dramatically as some of its venerable old stands had been forcibly removed.
I knew it was happening but I hadn’t yet seen the final proof until yesterday.
I understand that Aussies Rules, ok.
And if I was in Adelaide I would certainly try and get a ticket for the Crows or Port Adelaide in the spanking new Stand – even if I was always a Sydney Swans man.
I also see why £300 million has been spent refurbishing it to eventually boost the capacity to 50,000 for footy games, with all the corporate trimmings to ‘maximize revenue streams’ as they say.
But as a cricket lover it seems such a shame that change in the name of progress had to happen to the most enchanting cricket ground in world cricket.
I still can’t believe the dear old Adelaide Oval – the quiet, dignified, hauntingly evocative dear old Adelaide Oval – has been changed, changed utterly.
Follow Layth on Twitter @laythy29
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