SOLID AS A ROCKY
Stoneman knock will settle nerves
BIG HIT: Stoneman made 85 in tour opener MARK STONEMAN laid down an Ashes marker with an assured 85 on the first day of England’s tour match against a Western Australia XI at the WACA.
The opening batsman known as ‘Rocky’ to his team-mates only has three Test match appearances against West Indies at the end of last summer to his name.
But Stoneman indicated he will not be punching above his weight when he takes on Australia in the Ashes opener at Brisbane later this month with an impressive 113-ball innings that helped England reach stumps on 349-6.
Three other batsmen needing runs to prove their worth – James Vince, Dawid Malan and Gary Ballance – also cashed in to post half-centuries against a weak opposition bowling attack.
Indeed, the only downside to the first hit-out for England on this tour were failures for their two most experienced batsmen in Alastair Cook, dismissed for a duck in the first over of the day, and captain Joe Root, who fell for nine.
But Stoneman was delighted with his start and believes it will stand him in good stead when the serious business starts against Steve Smith’s Australia on November 23.
“You can get as many balls as you want in the nets but the intensity is not quite there,” he said. “From a confidence point of view, having a score to your name lets you settle into the tour.
“Momentum is massive in any sport and as an individual if you get off on the right note you can hopefully snowball that.
“It stops any technical or mental doubts creeping in.”
Stoneman is sharing an apartment with Vince in England’s team hotel in Perth. Vince was a surprise choice to take over the problematic No.3 position on this tour, given he bombed out of Test cricket last year with an average of just 19 after a series of underwhelming performances in seven home matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The Hampshire batsman was hardly impressive as he was dropped three times on his way to a scratchy 82 here. However, Stoneman believes his 153-run stand with Vince bodes well for the weeks ahead.
“Partnerships are key for us on this tour,” he said. “We’re happy with how it’s gone. I enjoy batting with him.
“I hope we can complement each other well. We’ve started off on the right foot and if we find ourselves playing in the Tests together hopefully we can put on some good partnerships.”
Of his opening partner’s dismissal, Stoneman said: “It wasn’t the ideal start, but it was a decent one to get second ball first time back in a game situation.
“It isn’t a good thing that they missed out but it’s a bit of a lesser blow to two guys who have such phenomenal records in Test cricket and know their games inside out.”
Root’s departure to Aaron Hardie was more contentious, the captain apparently surprised to be given out caught-behind, and Nathan Coulter-Nile’s reflections on whether he was appealing for lbw were perhaps instructive.
“I was going up for anything, just to get him out,” he said.
“It’s out in the scorebook, I guess.”