Tag Archives: Ashes

The Ashes: 3rd Test … my Australian XI

August 1, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

The third test at Old Trafford is nearly upon us which means more sleepless nights, more water cooler talk about the parlous start of Australian cricket and team speculation. I have been a strong advocate for NOT making too many changes to the Australian team and I stand by that position. That being the case: here is my selection for the 3rd Test and why.

 

Watson, Rogers, Khawaja, Hughes, Clarke (c), Smith, Haddin, Faulkner, Siddle, Harris, Lyon

 

James Faulkner comes in for the injured James Pattinson. That is a very rough call on Jackson Bird but I like the variety that comes from having a left arm swing bowler in the team. My perfect world preference would be Siddle not being in the team and Bird in in his place but selectors and fans alike seem to worship at the alter of Siddle so that is unlikely to happen any time soon.

 

Nathan Lyon comes in for Asthon Agar. I think even blind Freddie could see that Agar is a talent for the future. Blind Freddie could also see that the experiment that has been his inclusion has failed. Ignore the media hype and the one excellent innings: his job is with the ball and he had not yet gotten the job done. The English spinners took 11 of the 20 Australian wickets to fall at Lords whilst Agar could not take one. It is time to return Nathan Lyon to the team.

 

No place for Davey. Warner has returned to the squad from his African sojourn. I am sorry to the all the Warner fans out there but one good innings on a road in Pretoria against a semi-first class attack does not a return to form make. He will be on standby for Smith so his return to the team could be by default but on form I still remain to be convinced he is anything more than the myth I have long thought him to be.

The Ashes: England Squad named

July 28, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , 1 Comment

England have named a squad of 14 players for the 3rd test of Old Trafford as follows:

Cook (c) Anderson Bairstow Bell Bresnan Broad Panesar Pietersen Prior Root Swann Taylor Tremlett Trott

Steven Finn has been left out and is replaced by Chris Tremlett. Kevin Pietersen looks like being given as much time as possible to prove his fitness.

Panesar’s inclusion is interesting and given that 11 of Australia’s 20 wickets were taken by spinners at Lords does anyone else think the pitch is going to be an fashioned “bunsen” at Old Trafford?

1 August can not come quickly enough!

The Ashes: Memo to Australian Selectors (and Fans) … keep calm and don’t do anything stupid!

July 27, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Australia’s touring XI at Hove had a very good day overnight scoring 5/354 off 92 overs. All of the batsmen were in the runs save for the man many thought most likely, though not including me, to be an inclusion for the next test, Matthew Wade, who scored an 8 ball duck.

At the top of the order, stand in captain Ed Cowan scored 66 and current number four in the test line up Phil Hughes scored 84. Steve Smith is presently not out on 98.

Of course, Phil Hughes’ innings coupled with the form of David Warner on his sojourn in Africa, has led for some to renew their vehement call for Shane Watson or Chris Rogers (or both) to be dropped in favour of a return by Warner or a move to the top of the order for Hughes.

I sincerely hope that the Australian selectors take a moment and think before doing anything so stupid! And here is why:

* I concede that Phil Hughes was the form opener in the Sheffield Shield competition last season, along with Chris Rogers, averaging over 50 runs per innings in the games he played. Are people forgetting that he is coming into the third test off the back of a performance that saw him reap 2 runs (in total) as well as wrongly use 2 reviews?

* Any runs against Sussex by the Australians need to be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to the form implications that may flow from them. Monty Panesar aside, the bowling attack of Jordan, Hatchett and Liddle is hardly a bowling line up that is likely to send shock waves through any first class cricket line up let alone a Australian touring XI. Jimmy Anderson these blokes are not.

* I have written about my thoughts on a return to the fold for David Warner on this blog and remain vehement in my view that he needs to undertake an apprenticeship in first class cricket and to wait his turn on form. One innings does not make a summer and, frankly, given the score that the South African’s have put up overnight it looks like the pitch that has been trotted out in Pretoria is an absolute road. Warner needs to stay in Africa.

Frankly: the main thing cricket in Australia and the cricketers that represent this country need right now is stability. Toying with the batting order and bringing back a player who presents as a toxic influence at worst or who remains out of form at best would be the antithesis of such stability and just a stupid decision!

I love that people are passionate about cricket and are desperate for Australia to succeed but I think we all need to take a deep breath. The Australian team for the 3rd test is probably already set, particularly so given Wade’s duck at Hove, and those who have been rested from this game will be there. That means those advocating the removal of Watson or Rogers (or both) are likely to be sorely disappointed come 1 August!

Australia A in South Africa: 193 reasons David Warner should stay in Africa!

July 25, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , 2 Comments

David Warner’s must publicized mid Ashes tour diversion in Africa reaped rewards overnight with an explosive 193 runs to his credit against South Africa A on the first day of the first “Unofficial Test”. Batting at number 4 Warner dominated the South Africa A attack after coming in with Australia A in trouble at 2/46. He deserves our congratulations for such a good innings and, in my view, he must stay in South Africa to continue to rebuild his form outside of the focus that comes from playing in an Ashes tour.

I have to concede here: I am not a Warner fan. That said, I want the best for Australian cricket and I think that the worst possible thing Cricket Australia could do both for D Warner the cricketer AND the Australian cricket team is to rush him back to England. I have three reasons for this:

1. Whilst he is in South Africa he is facing test quality bowling without the pressure of needing to perform in the cauldron of the Ashes. Make no mistake: Kyle Abbott and Marchant de Lange, two of the bowlers from South Africa A, are no mugs and both have recorded seven wicket hauls in their limited test appearances to date. More runs in the subsequent games against these bowlers will only build his confidence.

2. I have long wanted David Warner to spend more time playing first class cricket to hone his game against the red ball before he returns to the test team. There is another unofficial test match to be played here and he must play in that game. He has only played in 13 first class games that are not test matches (of which he has played 19) and I have a hunch that the more first class games he plays the better he will get. A season in the Sheffield Shield, a full season, should follow this to help him build his craft.

3. Could there be anything worse for Warner’s confidence than coming back into the squad for the 4th test (it is patently too late for him to be selected for the 3rd test match now) after Australia has, in all likelihood, lost the series and then get a series of low scores? If Jimmy Anderson can exploit Shane Watson’s front pad then you can bet that he and David Saker have a plan they are ready to execute to expose the various flaws in Warner’s technique. The prospect of this is avoided if he stays where he is in Africa.

The rehabilitation of David Warner is only just starting and he is off to a flyer but, to me, the wisest course now would be to keep him away from the Ashes series and keep him playing first class cricket to build up his confidence and form. I am sure he will return a better and more rounded player and the Australian team, if he returns, will be much better for his time away.

The Ashes: What must Australia get out of Hove?

July 25, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , , 1 Comment

The aftermath of Australia’s performance at Lords and the war of words that has erupted from old players, pundits and punters alike is still fresh in the minds of many. That said, there is a game to be played by the Australian touring team at Hove starting on Friday that presents as the next challenge for Australian cricket and the next opportunity for the games of various Australian test stars to be analysed and dissected by those in the know and those who are not but think they are.

Shane Watson, Chris Rogers and Peter Siddle have been given the game off and are convalescing in London. Additionally, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris have also been omitted from the Australian XI. One can expect that the six of them will be selected for the third test at Old Trafford. I have been a strong advocate for the same team, subject to injury issues, being selected for the third test so, if I am correct, this game probably does not present as a selection trial. That said, a player who blows the selectors away may well force his way into the team. Moreover, after the “Lords Massacre”, this game is the first of many that Australia will play along the road to regain some of the respect lost at Lords.

We are already off to a terrible start to any attempt to rebuild Australia’s place in the game given that because Australia is resting so many players it has been required to call on Asthon Turner (from the Hampshire Academy) to fill the final spot in the team. Is it really the message that Cricket Australia wants to send? That this tour match is so unimportant after a catastrophic loss that it refuses to select a team from within its own squad. Given the bad press it has received already with its timing of the BBL marketing campaign I would have thought Cricket Australia would have been smarter than this.

Anyhow, that controversy aside, here are my 4 key outcomes that we must see from the Australians in this game for it to be considered a small step forward in the context of Australian cricket:

Fight!

The biggest criticism of many, including me, of the Australian performance at Lords was that the players did not appear, outwardly, to stand up and scrap when it was needed most. I am sure they were all giving their collective best but the perception that Australia lacked fight in that game is damaging to the reputation of Australian cricket to say the least! The team selected here must show some fight, particularly is Sussex starts to get on top at any point in the game.

Dig in!

It stood out like the proverbial in the second test that Australia’s batting order simply did not have the application to spend long times at the crease without playing a false shot. In the early games of this tour Australia’s run rate was exceptional and the hundreds flowed. Whilst that is fine for a tour match, the Australian batsmen who are playing need time at the wicket. I would much prefer to see Uzman Khawaja, for example, score a hundred in this game of 200 balls rather than at a run a ball because it will give him time at the wicket and help with temperament for the furnace of test match cricket.

Will the real James Faulkner please show up?

If Faulkner plays well in this game he should be debuting for Australia at Old Trafford. For the purposes of the balance of the bowling attack a swing bowling left armer is a must to accompany Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris. His batting will help solidify the lower middle order and he is an aggressive cricketer that will lift the vibe in the team.

Has the confidence of Nathan Lyon been too dented?

I have been vehement in my view that Nathan Lyon ought to been selected for the first test of this series at Trent Bridge and Ashton Agar’s 98 aside Australia has looked short a quality spinner in both games so far. The fact that 11 of Australia’s 20 wickets at Lords were taken by off spin bowling whilst Australia’s best spinner was the decidedly part time Steve Smith MUST mean Nathan Lyon is in the frame to return at Old Trafford. His return though must hinge on what his confidence level is like after being so inexplicably dropped. I sincerely hope that the selection panel have not stuffed him up mentally because, frankly, we need him.

Despite the travesty of a team Australia has selected for this game, a positive outcome for Australia is a must. A negative outcome, be it through poor cricket or even a loss will just make this tour even more shambolic and uninspiring for pundits and fans that is has already become.

The Ashes: Injury, Opportunity and Courage?

July 23, 2013 By in Shumpty Speaks Tags: , , , 3 Comments

Just reading the news out of London this morning that James Pattinson is to be sent home from England having suffered an “early stage low back stress fracture”. I tweeted during the second that I was worried he was hurt and am sad that that worry has become reality.

This is not a blog to say “I told you so though”. Simply put, the return home of J Pattinson presents a massive opportunity to Australia. There was an obvious sameness about the fast bowling attack at Lords that could now be broken up with the selection of James Faulkner. I know I decried the notion of mass changes to the team for the test at Old Trafford but this misery for Pattinson presents the opportunity to select a genuine all rounder who swings the ball and plays with aggression. He would bat number 8 and take the new bowl with Ryan Harris if selected in my view.

It will be a courageous selection with the series on the line. The obvious replacement is the return of Mitchell Starc and that is the “safe” option but given his form in the first test I think it is better for the selectors to be bold rather than revert to type here.

The other news overnight suggest a hint that Matthew Wade maybe set to be recalled as a batsman. Does Australia really need more disruption to its top six? Surely the better option is to give the guys in the top six a final chance in the 3rd test to get the job done. Afterall these make shift solutions (a wicketkeeper playing as a batsman is obviously one such solution) to real problems in the team so rarely work why risk it now?

Selecting a cricket team when the team’s form is down is no doubt a hard job. Even harder is to have the courage to stick with the team the selectors thought could win at Lords despite the shambolic result. The question is: will the selectors show courage and stick with the last side (injury aside) or bow to the pressure of a country of fans and pundits whose expectations are too high?

Only time will tell!