So the day has finally come. The players have talked the talk; now it’s time to walk the walk (not that we’ve seen many Aussie batsman walk over the years).
Everyone has made their predictions. The country seems split. Some think 5-0 is on the cards. Others are jumping on another bandwagon: the one which claims the Aussies are actually a good side and it will be closer than people think.
However nobody, and I repeat nobody, in the UK actually thinks Australia will win. Even Glenn McGrath refused to predict an Aussie win – or give a scoreline – when interviewed yesterday.
Being a neurotic worrier, this concerns me. We’re in uncharted territory. Wise heads have pointed out how badly we often play when favourites: it took us nearly twenty days to assert our authority over New Zealand.
Let’s just hope there’s no complacency. If England play badly and Australia play well, the Aussies will win. That’s the bottom line.
Anyway, we’re well aware than we’ve haven’t given our own predictions for the series yet; this is the part where we get things hopelessly wrong (again).
So what’s it to be? Hmmmm. Much as I don’t want to give a scoreline, I’m going to say 3-1 to England. BUT things could be very different if Australia win the crucial tosses.
The one thing we can’t see is too many draws: the Aussie batting line up is work in progress, whereas their seam bowling is relatively strong. I might have a flutter on James Pattinson being their leading wicket taker. He’s 11/4 at Coral.
As for England, my main concern is actually a lack of firepower. I know what you’re thinking: this is where I begin my monologue about the merits of playing five bowlers. I’ll spare you on this occasion. However, I’m still concerned about our ability to take twenty wickets on flat surfaces. If the ball swings or seams, we’ll be fine. Otherwise, I can see Australia making enough competitive totals.
Disagree? Think back to last summer when Broad and Bresnan were bowling 80mph. Or even the New Zealand tour when we looked innocuous at times. What’s more, England’s cutting edge, Steve Finn, has not been bowling well.
And is Broad fully fit? I don’t like the sound of that cortisone injection he’s had in his shoulder. He has to be 85mph plus if he’s going to be effective. Australia’s batsmen are not top class, but they won’t need to be if the bowling isn’t firing on all cylinders. Ed Cowan and Co make plenty of runs against medium fast stuff.
Win a £5 bet with Coral
Anyway, enough of our optimism with caveats. We’ve hooked up with Coral to offer our UK readers free £5 bets. We’ve got five to give away.
If you’d like a chance to win one, check out these amusing videos of David Lloyd and tell us who Bumble thinks England’s best batsman is. Email your answers to james@thefulltoss.com.
Good luck to you. And good luck to England. C’mon lads!
James Morgan
