Thanks to the great work of the Australian and UK governments, cricket boards, Joe Root, Joe Root’s dog and the not-so-stellar work of Tim Paine’s Twitter account, the Ashes is on this summer!
Attending the cricket sans-Barmy Army means that spectators will not have to bring their earplugs and maybe the Poms will learn more quality Australian slang.
That said, I will miss the slightly off-key strains of ‘Jerusalem’ blaring through my TV screen – I might have to dig up my choir’s performance of it from my university days just to help me get by!
Anyway, despite at least one pundit predicting a 5-0 Ashes scoreline, the series will probably be much closer than that.
Australia’s batting line-up flatters to deceive
Ten months ago, the Aussie’s last Test against India contained an out-of-form David Warner (still out of form) and Matthew Wade (the World T20 could be significant).
None of Australia’s potential Test XI nor any potential replacements will have had much exposure to the red ball. As the schedule stands, two Shield matches have been completed with two more to come, and none of them involves New South Wales or Victoria, from where the bulk of the Test players come.
Are the days of handing out baggy greens with baggy blues over? Perhaps not. But looking at the in-form domestic players, few of them would even have a hope of getting into the current Test side. Consider the players who have made either 50 or 100 in the Shield, and there is a whole host of them thanks to the 22 yards of bitumen in the middle of Karen Rolton Oval.
The full list: Shaun Marsh, Cameron Green, Hilton Cartwright, Josh Philippe, Jake Carder, Travis Head, Nathan McAndrew, Tim Ward, Charlie Wakim, Ben McDermott, Jordan Silk, Bryce Street, Jimmy Peirson, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Beau Webster, Usman Khawaja, Harry Neilsen and Alex Carey.
That’s 17 players. Some of those have just one good innings under their belt and few have scored consistently in multiple seasons. In fact, the only shoo-ins based on consistent form and temperament would be Shaun Marsh and Travis Head, who both over-promise and under-deliver.
Travis Head (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The English attack is better than most think
James Anderson, even at the age of 502, still manages to run in and deliver the ball at a pace not much faster than I bowl and take wickets.
Stuart Broad, the perennial thorn in the Australian side, grows an extra leg against Australia, and three legs seemingly allow him to bowl better than with just two legs.
Ollie Robinson could be a handful here on Australian pitches, while Craig Overton’s height and extra bounce could be the difference on decks like Brisbane and Perth – notwithstanding his lack of pace.
Chris Woakes, Dom Bess and Jack Leach do not exude confidence, but Leach’s bowling sucks up the runs from one end. Alternatively, Nasser Hussain’s “We’ll have a bowl” on Day 1 of the Brisbane Test in 2002-03 could come back to haunt them once again.
Furthermore, the Australian bowling attack began to look rather pedestrian against India towards the back end of the series.
None of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood or Pat Cummins will have any red-ball cricket in the lead-up, and hopefuls like Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Swepson could potentially mistake apples for cricket balls so rare have their sightings of red balls been.
Mitchell Starc. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Michael Neser, Mark Steketee and Jhye Richardson had better hope that their state premiers realise the paramount importance of cricket and open their borders to allow matches to be played.
The English batting line-up could crumble quicker than a stale scone
Outside of Joe Root, none of the English average over 40 in Test cricket, and while some have had success (Dawid Malan’s 70 and Haseeb Hameed’s 68 stand out), these innings are as rare as Shane Warne talking commonsense.
Root’s scores may be the only thing anchoring the English batting.
It will take more than autotune to fix both these sides.
Marnus Labuschagne, Joe Root and Steve Smith will help to patch some big holes. Who else from both sides will stand up?
Gibbo
Roar Pro
Great calls all round! I'd love to see Starc given a rest mid-series for Neser and for Cummins to have a louder on-field voice.
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
Late to this. But this is a series too far for Starc . Ashes will be Lyon and Smith vs Root and Robinson . And when pressures on Paine's captaincy can spring leaks
Clear as mud
Guest
Cardiff? You’re having a laugh. England were 6-20 or something when the rain stopped our momentum. Would have been the equal greatest win of all time, given how flat the deck was and how much time was lost to rain.
Clear as mud
Guest
Were you wrong about the tail, or were you right? India didn’t make 400. Neither did we. It wasn’t that sort of series. They deserved to win. Just. Lyon was the bigger problem until Starc went right off in Sydney and Brisbane. And Paine. Starc had a terrible prep and should have been rested for his own sake. He will either go off this summer, or he will go “off”. He is that sort of bowler. Haze got 17 in 4 tests at 19. Cummins got 21 at 20. Facts are useful. You can use them too. England can bring whoever they bring and Cummins will see for them, easily, if we can somehow neutralise the Paine factor.
Keith Griffen
Guest
In addition, it’s not the first time an Australian attack conceded so heavily and failed to take 20 wickets . St. John’s 2003, Perth 2005, Perth 2008, Cardiff 2009, Adelaide 2012, headingly 2019 and the gabba 2021. The top 3 run chases in test cricket history features an Australian attack.
Keith Griffen
Guest
A bunch of debutants made runs for India, with no captain, overcoming the odds. The pace cartel did not just have A bad week. The only match australia won was a pink ball test which they never lost at home in 5 matches. What’s the pace cartels stats if you exclude the pink ball test?
Clear as mud
Guest
You don’t pick yourself. Blame Wade and burns and Harris and head and selectors For anyone else, I reckon it would be “what a hero, he put his hand up and batted through the pain, because we had nobody else.” In this instance, it’s like blaming Dusty Martin for playing the in the 18 PF. Of course stars want to play the big games. The job of coaches and selectors and fitness staff is to merely factor that in to scientific equations. Ask Hauritz. It was a punter what dropped him at the Oval. Not Hauritz.
Clear as mud
Guest
so what? they had a bad week, with poor selection (with Starc gone), Lyon was off his game. India cleverly stacked their lower middle order, and Pant turned into Lara. and Paine is a rubbish captain. so what? England are no India. do you acknowledge your comment about the tail was incorrect?
Clear as mud
Guest
Because the Board wanted him to be the attack dog. and when he went too far, in an environment where the Board left them unsupported away from home*, they couldn't slam him hard enough, fast enough it seemed to me that his role in the players' strike played out. as it did with Lawry, with Hughes. back the players over the Board. any day. worst was the "poor Steve and bad Dave" narrative that the Sydney papers played out. and which many fans seem to jump into the Steve camp. I go with the Chappelli camp, where the skipper is most responsible. -- to me now he's a guy who's done his time and campaigning to go out with some success and respect. struggling against the body, the mind, the age. and the hate - it would be easiest to just walk to the franchises. but he's always been a fighter, against oppositions, against perceptions, against prejudice about his origins (Maroubra... T20 slogger etc) we loved it when he fought and won. we were OK when he fought but we lost. then he fought too hard. I don't excuse that, but the context is pretty particular to me (The Board letting Smith lead to SA when he was publicly saying he was struggling with it all. The Board having no support there.) Now... they stood by him in 2019, in England. I wouldn't have. but he repaid them in spades that home summer, which people can diminish all they like. now people point to england and make wide sweeping assertions, he can't play overseas (wrong), so don't pick him at home (might be right, anyway). home track bully, they say... up yours, I say, we will always have Bangladesh 2017. twin masterpieces. and then, when some of the same conversation (not you) is about how Khawaja, the definition of home runs only, should get another go instead... well my head explodes. --- which is why I go back to Maxwell. has a ton in India. we are going to India.get him in at 7 and let him bowl and field and tonk a few 50s, and then he will deadset win us a series over there. --- * 2013 - India - homework gate, Clarke out, watson comes home and goes back skipper, junior admin staff making big calls - Board failure 2013 - Ashes coach sacked, agar selection, warner banished - Board failure 2017 - players want fair deal for all, we end up in Bangladesh undercooked (but warner saves us) - Board failure 2018 - SA - players under siege unsupported, skipper already under pressure, SA execs engage in disgraceful behaviour,; the Rabada disgrace; players decide to sort it out themselves - Board failure --- which is why my whole beef with the extended penalties was not how long they were, but who set them, and how quickly. that's where the APA should have gone, the Board had a clear conflict of interest, and a narrative that it was all Dave, Steve and Cam; and our environment/management culture - we declare ourselves not guilty! thanks for listening!
Keith Griffen
Guest
Yet the Australian pace cartel and Lyon had a 1000+ wickets between them.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
I feel warner should not have played if he was unable to find full form though . Warner perhaps showing he puts himself first instead of the team ?
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Your certainly make good sense with specificity CAM. I need to review khawja form in India a bit more but also considering he had a bad run with family issues at times a few years back .but why do you feel for warner ? He's comitted some pretty poor leadership several times let alone the decision he made in sth Africa as opposed to others . His home form is what keeps him being selected and we may not know either way if others aren't selected as he makes some runs but as you indicate will the selectors distinguish between his home and away form if he bats well in Australia this summer
Clear as mud
Guest
Their tale made no runs that series. Tharkur known as an 8 who could be be a 7 but batted 9. Ditto Washy Sundar. FC average in the mid-30s. Ashwin - multiple tons. if that's your benchmark, England chucking a series away as Shami and Burmah chucked the bat - now THAT's troubling. (For the actual factual historical record, Bumrah averaged 2, Shami 2, Saini 4 and Siraj and Yadav 9.5.)
Keith Griffen
Guest
Well the Indian tailenders weren't that capable before the series
Clear as mud
Guest
but Australia will be bowling at England
Keith Griffen
Guest
Thats what I'm saying. if India with a 3rd xi and medium pacers can win against the odds, it gives england hope. All Australian attacks do is bowl at 140+ with nothing in-between
Clear as mud
Guest
india didn't get on top of Warner last summer. he could barely move. was barely fit. terrible selection but clearly the failure of Burns, Wade, Head, the fears about Harris, made us panic. his form in the white ball forms before he got injured, against India, was very good.
Clear as mud
Guest
no, the tour and country by country analysis is in this thread, somewhere. I am not clinging to a thread, just saying one spectacular fail can't be used to make a slection decision. not when he has shown since then he can make run. no need to make the sweeping statements, they don't generally stand up. should Warner got to India? Probably not. exposed form. can Warner play overseas - well, there are many examples of him having excellent away series. can he do that now, somewhere other than India - who knows, and we probably won't find out...
Clear as mud
Guest
read my reply. I agree he shouldn't tour India or England on past results. That's not the same thing as saying "he can't play away from home, shouldn't ever be picked". the schedule may make that a fait accompli. I am just showing that if there are some places where you drop him on past form, then surely it's also fair to pick him in some places on past form? --- all academic, suspect he is close to pulling hIs own pin, especially if f=do England bad and he does well. --- which makes the conversation really about "should we pick guys for home summers who won't be in our team next year?" long debate, many previous examples of indulgence, I don't support farewell tours, especially for Paine - but because I feel for warner, I could make an "up yours Australia" exception, on a bad policy and logic day. it's also why i think it's unfair to let Khawaja cash in again on dead tracks knowing he probably can't go to India. Let Maxwell have a go etc etc
Peter Farrar
Roar Pro
I'm ordering my Valium now. The possibility of a loss at home to England is enough to set anyone on edge. If it comes to that I might have to dig out that Bronze Medal Olympic win basketball match and watch that instead.