England and Australia tasted surprise Test defeat to West Indies and Bangladesh....:
LAWRENCE BOOTH
Only a few hours after a leading sports show in Australia tweeted its amusement at England’s defeat by West Indies at Headingley, the boot was placed firmly on the other foot.
“How’s that Ashes prep going, lads?” wondered ABC Grandstand following the heroics of Shai Hope and Co in Leeds. But when Australia slumped to a 20-run loss to Bangladesh in Dhaka, the same question was returned with interest by England fans.
It’s fair to say that, with less than three months to go before the Ashes, England and Australia both have questions to answer. And both have only one Test left before they meet in Brisbane on November 23. Sportsmail looks at how the two sides are placed.
THE OPENERS
David Warner could be the star of the Ashes. By the time he was dismissed in Australia’s fourth-innings chase with the total on 158, Warner had 112 of them. And he averages 59 in 33 home Tests, with 14 hundreds. But Alastair Cook scored 243 against West Indies at Edgbaston and totalled 766 runs in Australia during England’s victorious 2010-11 visit.
The worries are elsewhere: Australia’s Matt Renshaw has played only nine Tests and England’s Mark Stoneman — Cook’s likeliest partner at the Gabba, unless Haseeb Hameed starts scoring hundreds for Lancashire — just two. Stoneman made a confidence-boosting half-century in the second innings at Headingley, but the Middlesbrough-born Renshaw already has a Test hundred under his belt and looks to have the ideal temperament.
THE MIDDLE ORDER
If Steve Smith and Joe Root, the captains and two of the best batsmen in the world, could well cancel each other out, neither can completely gloss over other issues.
Tom Westley has faded since starting his Test career impressively against South Africa at The Oval, although Dawid Malan may well have booked his Ashes place with a pair of 60s.
Australia are playing Glenn Maxwell at No 6 in Bangladesh but, thanks to his off-breaks, he has only ever experienced Test cricket in Asia. That means they are no closer to filling the slot after trying both Nic Maddinson — who averaged six — and Hilton Cartwright during the last home summer.
Perhaps most importantly, the Aussies have no equivalent of Ben Stokes, who is growing in stature as a batsman and balances England’s side beautifully.
THE WICKETKEEPER
Jonny Bairstow’s improved glovework has been one of England’s success stories over the last 18 months and his counter-attacking batting has driven many an opposition captain to distraction.
After England beat South Africa 3-1, the tourists’ captain Faf du Plessis bemoaned the fact that one of Bairstow, Stokes or Moeen Ali — the engine room at Nos 6-8 — will always come off, making England a tough team to bowl out. Australia’s wicketkeeper Matthew Wade is a real scrapper, but not in the same league with the bat — averaging 29 to Bairstow’s 40.
THE SPINNERS
Australia’s off-spinner Nathan Lyon went past Richie Benaud’s tally of 248 Test wickets at Dhaka and troubled England during the 2013-14 whitewash on unhelpful Australian pitches. He can be especially adept from round the wicket to right-handers. Moeen Ali has had a summer to treasure, claiming 30 victims at 20 apiece, including a hat-trick to wrap up victory over South Africa at The Oval. But Australia can be an unforgiving place for visiting offies.
It’s unlikely either side will go for a second slow bowler, although England’s 20-year-old leg-spinner Mason Crane is itching for his chance, having already tasted Australian conditions during a brief stint last winter with New South Wales.
THE FAST BOWLERS
Australians have long been drooling about the prospect of hitting England with a four-man pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson. But that would involve either playing Wade at No 6 — a place too high — or dropping Lyon, which would leave them exposed if the pitch turns.
Injury problems may settle the matter for them anyway. Pattinson is missing the Bangladesh tour because of a sore back and Starc because of a foot injury.
Hazlewood hobbled off at Dhaka with a side strain. All of them are expected to be fit for the Ashes, but how ready will they be for a five-Test series?
England are not lacking for seamers themselves: Jimmy Anderson is closing in on 500 Test wickets and Stuart Broad on 400.
Then there’s Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Toby Roland-Jones. The selectors will also keep an eye on Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball.
But there is a concern: none of England’s bowlers — not even Wood, assuming he is fit — can match Starc, Cummins or Pattinson for pace. And none can match Hazlewood for accuracy. It may come down to who can keep their best seamers on the park across five games in under seven weeks.
– Daily Mail
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