After three days, it seemed we were in for an enthralling and even Ashes Test at the Gabba. Just one day later, and England’s obituaries were being written.
1. England are in danger of imploding
The harsh reality for England is they have just been thumped by ten wickets in a game they controlled for two and a half days. The fact Australia were patchy in winning by that margin might be of even deeper concern.
While you could point to one or two crucial moments in this match going the home side’s way, in the end I feel you get what you deserve in terms of the overall result. Not only are England now 1-0 down in the series, but it is their sixth straight Test defeat in Australia.
Perhaps now the grim realities of this squad are about to be exposed. England didn’t exactly go down fighting here, and off-field incidents continue to engulf them.
I know it’s only one Test, however they looked a bedraggled side as they walked off the Gabba on Monday. The Ben Stokes’ saga rolls on, and now they have to deal with more off-field controversy surrounding Johnny Bairstow.
To me their body language looked like a team that didn’t necessarily believe they could win, and that’s a real worry. While there were some positives to take out of the match for the tourists, the way they finished the match would have dented the side’s confidence heading to a vital Test in Adelaide.
A draw is highly unlikely in Adelaide, so England need to win this Test, otherwise they are staring right down the barrel at another long chastising summer much like 2013-14.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
2. Lyon channels his inner Warne
I have to admit I was shocked by some of Nathan Lyon’s comments in the lead-up to the Test. Maybe someone had egged him on or whatever, however it seemed stunning for a seemingly quiet and understated off spinner to be talking about players being scared and trying to end careers.
However it also shows just how confident and bullish Lyon is these days about his place in the Australian side and what he knows he can deliver on the pitch. He would have known if he had bowled poorly, or if Australia had lost the Test, those words could blow up in his face, and yet he went like a man on a mission to prove he is the best finger spinner in Australian history.
There were times during the match when Lyon’s bowling to the left handers was about as good as you see from anyone, anywhere in the world. To generate the amount of drift, turn and bounce on that surface, as well as bowling with relentless accuracy, showed a man at the peak of his powers.
Make no mistake, Australia could have been in some trouble in this game had it not been for the sustained pressure Lyon created and the crucial breakthroughs he made. To be honest, his match figures of 5/145 off 60 overs probably don’t even do justice to how well he bowled. He totally controlled England and did it like a man who expects to dominate this summer.
3. England need to rethink their tactics and get more aggressive
To me, to win in Australia you have to go on the attack and meet fire with fire. England were too submissive with the bat and, for the majority of the Test, they set defensive fields. Joe Root’s funky fields at times looked good, but when Australia started applying the acid, England quickly retreated and went into a defensive mode with some of the field placings.
These sort of attritional tactics with bat and ball might keep you in the contest for long periods and limit batsmen, however, when you need to win a big moment I think these sort of tactics will get you nowhere.
[latest_videos_strip category=”cricket” name=”Cricket”]
I was stunned by the lack of intent to get out of the crease against Nathan Lyon. Admittedly Lyon bowled outstanding well to the left-handers, but the likes of Mark Stoneman, Dawid Malan and Ali tried nothing to put him off his game.
England batted really well on Day 1, however despite not losing wickets, they were never taking the game away from Australia. So when Australia did take three quick wickets towards the end of Day 1, they were right back in the game instead of on their knees.
England’s quicks, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, lacked pace and thrust, Moeen Ali cut his finger and couldn’t bowl, while both Chris Woakes and Jake Ball lacked rhythm. Trevor Bayliss and Joe Root need this side to come out with far more intent and aggression in Adelaide, or the series will be 2-0 in the blink of an eye.
4. Bancroft looks and talks like he belongs
Sometimes I try and get an insight into a player just by listening to them and how comfortable they feel in interviews and press conferences. Cameron Bancroft exuded the traits of a man confident in his own game and surroundings every time I heard him interviewed before, during and after the Test match.
He has a dry humour about him and isn’t afraid to make fun of himself, both qualities that will make him a likeable team player over time.
More importantly, he batted fantastically in the second innings to score 82 not out. His technique looks really tight to me, and he managed to also show he could attack by hitting a number of silky boundaries to take the pressure off David Warner.
I know Matthew Renshaw did quite well, however Bancroft looks a better and more accomplished player to me at this stage of his development, which is no surprise considering Bancroft is four years older and has 42 more First Class games under his belt.
It was the right decision to make the change given Bancroft’s form, and I feel he could establish himself with his combination of temperament, personality and work ethic
5. Cook heads tourists’ batting concerns
I said at the start of the series that England’s batting looked brittle and they needed their senior players to step up. Veteran opener Alastair Cook had a nightmare in Brisbane making scores of just 2 and 7.
While any opener can have that sort of game, it continues a pretty wretched start to the tour for the England legend after he failed to fire in England’s two lead-up games. Since his heroics in 2010-11 against Australia, Cook has averaged around 30 in his last eleven Ashes Tests, and that’s not good enough for a player of his class and experience.
While Stoneman, James Vince and Malan all scored half centuries in the first innings, I don’t think they have the quality to be consistent throughout the series.
(Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Joe Root has plenty on his hands with the captaincy of a side lacking depth and confidence, so he really needs Cook to lead from the front with the bat. Moeen Ali looks a place or two high at Number 6, and the loss of Ben Stokes has clearly upset some of the balance in the side. Ali used to be able to play like a Number 8 and with reckless abandon.
However as soon as you move up to 6 you know, as a batsman, you have more responsibility and that just doesn’t suit certain players. Stokes is not arriving in Adelaide, and England don’t look to have the scope to make any changes, so they need more out of Root and Cook with the bat in Adelaide if they want to turn things around.
6. Selectors vindicated for Marsh and Paine picks – for now
There was a lot to lose for the Australian selectors when they went back to Shaun Marsh for an eighth time and plucked Tim Paine out of obscurity.
While neither player really set the world on fire, Marsh made an important half century when Australia were under all sorts of pressure, and Paine was generally tidy with the gloves.
Marsh showed his experience by digging in to face 169 balls and blunt an England attack that had their tails up. While his dismissal was extremely soft, the innings was a big one in the context of the game.
Paine looked good with the bat despite only making 11, before being removed by a good ball by Jimmy Anderson. He made one mistake with the gloves but was otherwise close to perfect, and his sharp work to dismiss Moeen Ali, when he was the only one to appeal, might have been the turning point of the Test match.
While both players haven’t exactly cemented their spots, neither looked out of place, and as long as Australia keep winning they will be given more and more time to find their feet and not feel each time they’re playing for their positions.
It’s always far easier as a cricketer in a team if you feel like you have secured your spot for a few Tests and can simply relax and play your natural game, rather than feel like every dismissal or dropped catch could mean your axing.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Its a fair call. Lillee played rarely in foreign conditions. He certainly didn't head to the subcontinent very often. He did take 23 wickets @ 28 in WSC Supertests in the West Indies. Still, its hard to dismiss Ashwin for not playing much away from low, slow turning pitches.
Alan
Guest
Matt, you're expecting a bit much asking CG to think ?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
As Lehmann commented, Khawaja played Lyon pretty well in the last Shield match before the test, so no reason to think he can't handle Ali. He's had one innings and got out once to Ali, doesn't mean he's going to keep getting out to him.
Larry1950
Guest
Crash! Paine has 18-24 months if he maintains form then the aspirants will be clearer. Khawaja has until the Perth test to prove he's capable against spin as well as pace but I have seen him flay ordinary shield spinners in the past & Ali hasn't looked much good since he got Ussie out, so maybe that's an anomaly. S Marsh can still only be a stop gap middle order bat, given his age & injury record so there's a spot up for grabs in the near future. Although I hate 'resting' fit bowlers, I'd play Sayers in Adelaide & save Cummins for Perth. What I did love to see in shield cricket was that jaffa that Mitchell Swepson bowled Mitch Marsh with in the WA/Qld game at the WACA. He's definitely got a test future, maybe on the next ashes tour, after all, Warnie seemed to bowl well in English conditions. Zampa is also back taking shield wickets so there's hope for leg spinners after all.
Larry1950
Guest
Can we please not 'go the early crow' in this ashes series, I've got the impression it's a contest between two middle table teams and the home side has that advantage. The poms look slightly undermanned but the Aussies could have been staring at a first innings deficit around 100 runs if Smith hadn't pulled out a classic AB innings. It is only a few months since we drew a series with that world beating Bangladesh side, after all. As for Bancroft, you could argue everyone has cut & pasted his name for Renshaw's after his debut series against Pakistan in their writings. Time will tell, he looks ok at the moment but the pink ball might totally change our perspectives on players in both sides. Anderson looks to be feeling his age but I reckon he'll be preparing for Adelaide as if it's the series decider, he may struggle to finish the series from appearances. Paine has around 18 months
JohnB
Guest
Mind you, it isn't unfair to point out there were a lot of differences in the games - in one the 2 first innings were very close to each other, then the visitors were building some sort of position in the 3rd innings before falling right away and in the end losing badly. In the other game the visiting team put up an inadequate first innings score while the home team then ground the visitors into the turf with a huge score over nearly 2 days, by the look of it pretty much toying with the bowling, before blowing a presumably very dispirited visiting team away in its second innings. Sri Lanka were in trouble from when they lost their 3rd wicket in the first innings in the 30th over, and after that probably had only about 30 minutes during which they might have possibly been in the game (the period after taking the first Indian wicket early). England on the other hand were well in the game, and on top at times, until at least when Ali got out (I'd say until Woakes got out, but the 2 weren't that far apart so won't quibble) on day 4.
Matth
Guest
George get over yourself mate, you need to hesitate and think before you post. That’s “minnow” beat us comfortably the last time we played them. Kersi is an icon and knows more about cricket than you or I.
Matth
Guest
Good info
Joe Bell
Roar Rookie
Agree about Mo, think he looked quite good personally
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
And out of those 20 away games 7 of them are in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in which he captured 2/3 of his away wickets. Outside of Asia he averages around 45 from just 13 matches out of his 54 tests. That's not a lot of tests outside of Asia. He's been fortunate to play a lot there. But then I looked up Lillee's record, and out of his 70 tests, 44 were at home, and the majority not at home were 16 in England and 5 in New Zealand. The only games he played in Asia were 3 tests in Pakistan where he only took 3 wickets at 101 and one test in Sri Lanka where he took 3 wickets at 35. He played one test in the West Indies where he didn't take a wicket and never played in India. So in a lot of ways the same sorts of questions being thrown at Ashwin (and I've brought them up myself too, it's what triggered me to then look at Lillee and do the comparison) could be said against Lillee in the same way.
jameswm
Roar Guru
And yet Ashwin has played 6 tests in Australia for 21 wickets @ 54. Away from home Ashwin has taken 84 wickets in 20 games at 32. At home it's 34 tests for 216 wickets at 22. That tells you two things: 1. India play mainly at home and 2. Ashwin isn't great away from home (esp in Aus).
Curious George
Guest
Thanks Kersi but this is the Ashes series India playing another minnow side I see When do India play South Africa next? Or perhaps new zealand?
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Did you notice the similarities between the Brisbane and Nagpur Tests which ended yesterday (27th)? Both Tests were won convincingly by the hosts; by Australia against England and by India against Sri Lanka. In both the Tests, winning captains top scored and were adjudged Men of the Match; Steve Smith after his 141 not out in Brisbane and Virat Kohli 213 in Nagpur. In this Test Sri Lanka could not reach Kohli’s individual score of 213 runs in either innings as they totaled 205 and 166. During the Nagpur Test, India’s off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took his 300th Test wicket in his 54th Test. This is the quickest in Test history. Before this the record was held by Australia’s legendry fast bowler Dennis Lillee, who had captured his 300th wicket in his 56th Test.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
It turned, but there wasn't really anything for the fast bowlers. I saw a number of the quicks trying to bowl cutters and things, but I didn't really see any grip and turn.
paul
Guest
Lyon getting that degree of turn and bounce on day one in particular was a stand out in terms of assistance. What killed the advantage of some sideways movement was the slowness of the pitch. I was surprised guys like Hazlewood didn't slow down and bowl cutters only.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Interesting that you look at that as a pitch that offered plenty of help. It looked more like a pitch that really offered nothing for anyone, which is why both teams basically resorted to just bowling more in a way to keep the runs down and hope for a batting mistake.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Bancroft really looks like nothing can faze him. Smash a cricket ball straight at him and he doesn't even flinch. He's a beast!
paul
Guest
I really think you're over estimating the Australian's effort in this game. Their first innings bowling was not great on a pitch that offered plenty of help. They simply couldn't get their line or length right. Fair enough they improved significantly in the second innings but, by their own admission, weren't great. Australia's batting was worse in the top order than the England side in the first innings. Warner should have known better, Bancroft playing a loose shot outside off stump, Khawaja out lbw to a spinner again, Handscomb going cheaply as did Paine. Once again, we relied on Smith and the third top score was Cummins batting at 9. We were one wicket away from England gaining a big first innings lead, exactly the same as we were the last time these sides played in Brisbane. The size of the win flattered Australia and may have papered over some cracks. This team needs to score runs across the board and do it consistently. Adelaide wil be a true test about the ability of our middle order in particular. I hope it stands up and is counted.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Just a couple of points to make about what is otherwise a good article: 1. You're being pretty harsh on Moeen. I thought he was close to England's best player in the test and looked good at 6. You've said he didn't do enough to attack Lyon but I disagree - he was the only batsman who DID look to play shots and knock Lyon off his length. His sweeps were beautiful and he actually used the crease to go after the few loose balls Lyon delivered. Had he not lazily dragged his back foot onto the line he could have set up a challenging target. He also bowled solidly in the first innings before he hurt his finger. 2. Paine scored 13, not 11. Not a big deal in the context of the game, but there you go.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Nice article, agree with all that. Normally, the ball really only moves around in the last session. You do see some funky declarations sometimes.