Tourists’ runaway victory bodes well for second Test in Adelaide

England cruise to 192-run win over Cricket Australia Garton called up despite not being Sussex regular

Following their 192-run win against a Cricket Australia XI, England know that far and away their best chance of winning a match in this Ashes series will be the second Test, back here in Adelaide starting on Dec 2.

The unique conditions for the Adelaide Test – a pink ball that seams around under floodlights and a drop-in pitch made grassier to preserve the ball’s colour – make the second Test England’s best chance of a victory, especially as they have also formed the habit of bouncing back from a defeat with a win, and Australia are widely expected to win the opening Test at their fortress of Brisbane, or “the Gabbatoir”. After wrapping up the last three overnight wickets of the CA XI for only five runs, England’s three fit seamers were left with astonishing figures.

James Anderson, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton took all 10 wickets for only 44 runs, which represented some fine seam bowling even if the home side – young players unwanted by the six Sheffield Shield states – should never have been awarded firstclass status.

To add to the pain of his right ankle sprain, Jake Ball missed out on the easy pickings to be had on the third evening, when the night sky clouded over, the lights were on and the home batsmen did not have the experience to leave full-length balls just outside off stump.

Ball had been England’s best bowler after Anderson until he slipped in delivery and his right ankle buckled underneath him, but now he is not expected to have enough time to prove his fitness before the first Test.

England responded by calling up 20 year-old Sussex left-arm bowler, George Garton, in his stead. Garton has taken no more than 23 wickets in firstclass cricket, and is far from being a Sussex regular, but he is quick and lefthanded, which makes him the closest England can get to Australia’s matchwinner Mitchell Starc.

Bearing that in mind, Overton has therefore overtaken Ball in the contest to be England’s fourth seamer at The Gabba, and he has improved with every spell by finding a more consistent length. Overton took his third wicket in the first over of the fourth day, though it was a mindless mow by a tailender at a straight ball.

As Overton said: “We’ve learned quite a lot, especially with the ball – that you need to [try] to hit the stumps a little more when the lights are on. It just does a little bit more, not a massive amount, but just offers a fraction more than during the day. We need to make sure we make the most of that.”

As the only other fit option for the role of fourth seamer in England’s evolving squad is Tom Curran, who has yet to play on this tour, or any game at all in Australia, Overton has moved into pole position for Brisbane but is not complacent about making his Test debut. “I’d like to think so,” he said when asked if he had put up his hand for the Brisbane Test, “but I’ve still got a bit of work to do. I’m getting there. It’s just finding that rhythm…

“There’s always massive pressure on the bowling unit anyway, even if we had everyone fully fit. So the people who are fit are going to have to step forward.” While Anderson helped himself to the other two overnight wickets – the last with the help of a slip catch by Alastair Cook, who had a bad run in the field at the end of last summer – Overton also hit the tailender Daniel Fallins.

“I think it hit him on the shoulder, then popped up on to the back of the helmet,” said Overton, who seldom hits batsmen. “I seem to have done it a few times over here, so it might be just the extra bounce you get.”

Overton took four wickets in the match but did not score a run. If he is selected for Brisbane he will have to bat at No9, where England will expect runs from him, unless Stuart Broad is promoted from No10.

At Somerset, Overton has proved a dangerous hitter of spin and mediumpace but he is more likely to face Mitchell Starc’s lethal yorkers.

“Obviously with the bat it hasn’t quite gone to plan,” Overton said. “I know I need to improve my batting, and it’s something I’m working on – making sure I get that right if the call comes.” Ryan Harris, coach of the CA XI, did not miss the chance to point out that Australia’s attack would be faster than England’s, saying: “There’s not a lot of pace there, but when you’ve got Anderson and Broad in your attack it’s going to be pretty good.

“I think their [England] batting is vulnerable, absolutely, especially with no [Ben] Stokes at six or seven. But it depends on how the boys bowl at them. If we’re loose and wide then we won’t have them in any trouble.

“We’ve got some good intel and knowledge on what we want to do and I’ll pass that on to our bowlers. We’ve been known to target the captain, and Joe Root is genuinely their best player. You’ve got Alastair Cook, too, who knows these conditions pretty well, so if you take the best two out it’s always going to be hard. That’s what I’m sure the Australians are trying to do.”