First of all, we’d like to apologise for our lack of new articles over the last fortnight. Half TFT staff (i.e. me) have been on holiday in the Norfolk Broads – not to be confused with the Nottinghamshire Broads of course. There has also been a distinct lack of meaningful cricketing action since the end of the domestic season, so we’ve had nothing to say really. However, Australia’s disheartening 0-2 defeat at the hands of India has given us something to write, and smile, about. What is more, it was great to see a full house cheering Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Madrid, sorry I mean Rahul Dravid, as they led their team home at Bangalore. Perhaps test cricket on the subcontinent isn’t dead after all. An exciting game of test cricket still dispatches any limited overs form of the game over cow corner for six.
The result from Bangalore has extra significance because the Aussies have now dropped to number five in the world rankings. That’s their lowest position since the rankings began. It also means that England, sitting in fourth, have climbed above Australia for the first time since, well, the rankings began! However, this doesn’t mean that England should start the Ashes series as favourites. Although Australia aren’t in the best of form, they remain a good test outfit. They aren’t anything special, but neither are England. In fact, the teams remain remarkably even on paper. The thing to remember, of course, is that the Aussies will have home advantage – and their record at home remains phenomenal. We reserve the right to change our minds several times in the build up to first test in Brisbane on 25th November, but we shouldn’t write the Aussies off just yet.
We won’t be updating TFT pages every day in the run up to the Ashes, but keep your eyes peeled for our comprehensive preview of the series. This will appear in stages over the next few weeks, when we’ll examine the strength and weaknesses of both sides, and look at the individual battles ahead. We’ll also predict how each member of the England and Australia team will do, so there’s plenty of scope for us to get things embarrassingly wrong, as usual. Perhaps we should make a point of predicting that Australia will win 5-0. The experts may believe that Graeme Swann is the key to a successful Ashes campaign for England, but we disagree. An endorsement of Australia’s credentials by TFT is surely the best way to guarantee an England win.
James Morgan
Welcome back – must have been an expensive trip taking half of the TFT staff to Norfolk – did you have a staff bus? I imagine that TFT Head Office must have been quiet for those who stayed behind.
As much as I enjoy watching Australia losing, I am not sure if this was a good result for England. With the Australian team that played in the 2nd Test, I think England would have had a stronger team. This defeat might force Australia to make changes and strengthen the team where as a tight victory might have meant that Clarke, Mike Hussey, North, Paine, Hauritz, George, Johnson + Bollinger who was injured were all retained. Instead, a number of players have injured or out of favour – David Hussey, Ferguson, Hughes, Khawaja, Jaques, Haddin, Smith, Siddle, Hazlewood, James Pattinson (Darren’s younger brother) even Shaun Tait could come in and strengthen the team without the baggage of recent defeats. Therefore, this defeat might even help Australia for the Ashes.
Darren Pattinson might have a chance of playing his second test for England this winter – he is in Australia playing for Victoria as an overseas player, in form (8 for 35) and I am sure he will want to make an impression after his only test in 2008. If there was an injury (which is inevitable given the players involved – not even sure Tremlett will make it to Heathrow), he would be a good replacement.
A very interesting analysis, Goose, and I know what you mean. But it does feel a little like classic English pessisim to read the worst into any result. If Australia had come away 1-1 or even won, we’d also have inferred the worst for the Ashes. Better, surely, that Australia are losing, not winning, right now.
I think there must be a good chance that Haddin, Smith and Siddle will come into the side for the Ashes. However, I think that Haddin and Siddle would have returned (if fit) whatever the result in India. Haurtiz, however, might have played himself out of the team with his poor display in Bangalore. Whether this is a good thing for England or not remains to be seen. Hauritz is a decent bowler, and he has even developed a doosra that isn’t a throw. He didn’t get to bowl it much because he was under pressure so much.
England’s batsmen are generally useless at playing spin (compared to Tendulkar any way) so I’d expect Hauritz to perform better against England. He will also utilise the rough outside the right-handers off stump (created by johnson) better than Smith. Mind due, Steve Smith has something about him. He isn’t the finished article, but he’s a far better batsman down the order than Hauritz, and Shane Warne is a big fan. I really don’t know which bowler I’d rather see in the side from an England point of view. Overall thought, I’d say better the devil we know i.e. I hope Hauritz retains his place. If he gets dropped, then Goose’s theory may well prove correct.