READY FOR THE FIGHT
With England scoring runs and the Aussie selectors under fire, Root’s men are now...
WHISPER it but for the first time since England landed in Perth almost three weeks ago, it is possible to believe they could compete strongly for the Ashes.
Ever since Ben Stokes punched his way out of this Ashes tour — at least until police finally decide whether he faces action over his Bristol fracas — a giant cloud has been hanging over England.
Nothing that happened in the early days, when England were beset by injuries and batting collapses, altered the impression Joe Root could be on the end of another Aussie hammering.
Yet, in the last day or so, there has been a subtle change to the landscape with England making progress here in Townsville while Australia have picked a barely believable first Test squad.
Such has been the shock here at the names plucked seemingly out of nowhere by Australia’s selectors for the big day at the Gabba next week that England have been handed a real boost.
If England had picked a 32-year-old wicketkeeper without a Test cap in seven years and who does not even take the gloves in domestic cricket — as the Aussies have done with Tim Paine — they would have been greeted with widespread condemnation.
Not to mention Shaun Marsh, a 34-year-old with 23 Tests who has failed to establish himself at the highest level and averages 36.
Stuart MacGill, the ex-Australia leg-spinner, summed up the mood when he called selectors Trevor Hohns, Greg Chappell and Mark Waugh ‘morons masquerading as mentors’. That is a bit strong but there seems little cohesive about a squad with six changes from Australia’s last Test that leaves Steve Smith with only four bowlers, three of them fragile.
England, meanwhile, carried on their steady improvement. Dawid Malan scored their second ton of the tour as they amassed 515 against a Cricket Australia XI and Jake Ball passed a fitness test to put himself back in contention.
‘For someone who is playing in Australia for the first time, Malan has found the extra bit of pace and bounce suits his game,’ said England assistant coach Paul Farbrace. ‘He found it a little bit of a struggle this summer with the ball nipping around but he looks very much at home here.’
It is the hope that kills you, of course, and Australia will still start as firm favourites, not least because of the strength of their pace attack — Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
But all it would take is for one of them to break down — littleknown Chadd Sayers has been named as cover — and England might be in business.
There were 83 runs for captain Root and Chris Woakes offered hope he could stand in for Stokes with 36 to add to his six wickets.
Then England took three big steps towards wrapping up an innings victory by reducing the CA XI to 121 for three, still 144 behind. Moeen Ali took his first two wickets of the tour and Mason Crane added another to his unbeaten 25 in a last-wicket stand of 58 with Woakes.
Ball fielded as a substitute for Alastair Cook and will bowl 15 overs in three spells in the nets today as he pushes Craig Overton for the final place in Brisbane. AUSTRALIA retained the Women’s Ashes with a sixwicket win over England in the first T20 in Sydney. Beth Mooney hit 86 as Australia passed England’s total of 132 for nine with 25 balls to spare. England can only draw 8-8 in the points-based series if they win the final two T20s.