Strong start for England in Oz
MARK Stoneman and James Vince have been living at close quarters all week, and proved they are at home together out in the middle too on day one of England’s first Ashes warm-up match.
England have broken with recent touring tradition for the first leg of this high-profile campaign by pairing off the 16-man squad, and back-up staff as well, into shared apartments rather than individual hotel rooms.
Stoneman (85) and Vince (82) duly took their new understanding on to the pitch, ensuring England recovered from the early loss of Alastair Cook to just the second ball of the day at the WACA by putting on 153 for the second wicket out of 349 for six.
Although captain Joe Root, like his predecessor Cook, also fell cheaply, Dawid Malan (56) and Gary Ballance (51) shared another century stand as England put their stamp on this two-day fixture against a second-string Western Australia XI.
Stoneman said: “We’re roomies as well this week in Perth, so we had a good bit of banter out there.
“Partnerships are going to be key for us throughout this tour, so we’ve started off with some good habits today.
“Momentum is massive in any sport, and if you get off on the right note to any tour you can hope to snowball that.”
As for his new friend Vince – the pair barely knew each other when they arrived in Australia six days ago – Stoneman confirmed he has appreciated his company on the field and off.
“That’s one of the beauties of touring,” said the opener.
“You get to see a different side of people, and get to unwind and relax together.
“I enjoyed batting with him ... not getting too complicated.
“We’ve started off on a good footing – and if we find ourselves playing in the Tests together, I hope we can put on some good partnerships.”
The hosts had a very inexperienced attack, apart from captain Nathan CoulterNile, but tried a few intricate plans for Stoneman – including a staggered gully formation at one point. He still profited from the cut shot, despite offering one chance there on 54. “I think if I’m getting a scoring opportunity I’ve still got to take it on,” said the left-hander. “Obviously you’re going to be aware where traps might be set, but I was still backing myself to try to find the gap. “It’s a productive shot for me, so I’ve got to stick to my strengths as much as possible.” Cook’s early exit was a jolt, but his and Root’s failures were offset by the successes around them. 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 caughtbehind, and CoulterNile’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!”