Injuries on the rise but batsmen hit early form
ENGLAND’S main concern before this tour began was their batting, but less than two weeks before the start of the Ashes it is the bowling that is now the real worry.
A fragile top-order has undermined England over the past 18 months. Yet by the end of the second day’s play of their second tour match against a Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide, four of the top five have posted half-centuries.
Mark Stoneman, Cook’s opening partner, has done so twice having followed up his 86 in the opening warm-up match in Perth last weekend with 61 in this day-night match. Joe Root, who made nine in his first innings on tour, found form with 58 in Adelaide before predictably throwing his wicket away when seemingly set to score a big hundred. James Vince may have underperformed here when he became the first of rookie legspinner Daniel Fallins’ five wickets during his side’s first innings. England’s latest number three, though, at least started well with 82 in Perth. And Dawid Malan has compiled scores of 56 and 63 in his first two innings in Australia after a shaky English debut Test summer that threatened his participation on this tour.
Jonny Bairstow, batting at six in the absence of Ben Stokes, would also have a half-century to his name by now had England not declared in their opening tour match when he was well set on 36 from 37 balls. The wicketkeeper may have fallen for nine to Falllins in Adelaide, but he still appears in the same kind of form that has seen him arguably become England’s most consistent middle-order batsmen over the past 18 months. Then there is Moeen Ali, who has played neither of these first two tour games, but who is set to play in the third in Townsville next week after coming through several net sessions unscathed this week.
Stoneman’s form is one real positive for an England squad who have been rocked this week by the tour-ending injury to Steven Finn and the ankle sprain yesterday that has made Ball a doubt for the first Test.
The Surrey opener said: “The rhythm and timing has been there, and I’m happy with how things are progressing. It would have been nice to give it a further lift with a hundred.”
That is the one thing England will be disappointed with – the fact that nobody has after four days of competitive action on this tour gone on to score a hundred against two very poor attacks.
“We have spoken about how important it is out here to get yourself into an innings,” added Stoneman. “From that point of view, it’s encouraging, but we also need to be scoring big hundreds. There are lessons to be learned.”
On the bowling front James Anderson has underlined just how important he will be for England during the Ashes.
In Perth, he took 4-27 from 13 overs after managing to extract reverse swing with the Kookaburra ball from about the 37th over. In Adelaide, as twilight hit on the second evening with the floodlights fired up, England’s record wicket-taker made the pink Kookaburra talk as he ended an 86-run partnership between Tim Paine, the wicketkeeper captaining the CA XI, and Matthew Short, removing both set batsmen in quick succession.
Stuart Broad admitted he “bowled like a drain” in Perth, where he returned figures of 1-64 from his 13 overs. He is being rested for this second match in Adelaide on his own request after admitting he would prefer to play the final Ashes warm-up match.
He said: “I want to play in Townsville. I like to play that game before the opening Test so I feel like I’m in a bowling patch.”
Chris Woakes, who bowled 15 wicketless overs in Perth, returned to form here with two wickets on the second day. Something appeared to click with the Warwickshire bowler, who found movement where previously there was none, and if he can kick on then he may well be a big threat during the upcoming series.
While the main three seam bowlers should, all things being equal and barring no further injuries, be fine for the Ashes, the fourth seamer slot for the Gabba is a real concern.
With Ball waiting to hear about the severity of his ankle injury, Craig Overton is priming himself for a Test debut in Brisbane.
The Somerset bowler has looked good in spells and has found some movement with the Kookaburra. But even though Ball only bowled 3.4 overs in this second tour match, he has overall looked the better option. England will hope the Nottinghamshire man is fit for the first Test.
Otherwise they may be taking a leap in the dark with either Overton or Tom Curran, now with the squad after replacing Finn.