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The Ashes unquestionably is one of the biggest and the oldest contests amongst the oldest rivals of cricket Australia and England! Every year despite the varying strengths of the teams the battle has constantly been a looked forward to affair and this year it’s not different either! England under Strauss is looking to avenge their defeat which they have suffered for twenty four long years in Australia.
True England did have their moments at home beating Australia, first under Vaughan and then under the incumbent skipper. Having said that they haven’t had anything like the opportunity at hand and must be looking forward to the remainder of the series after the fighting draw at Brisbane.
James Anderson (2/R) is congratulated by teammates after dismissing Australian captain Ricky Ponting for a golden duck on the first day of the second Ashes cricket Test match, in Adelaide on December 3, 2010. AFP |
But what about the chances of Australia? Under Ricky Ponting the Aussies has had a torrid time, first losing the Ashes in England last year, then failing to conquer a frontier they have never been comfortable with and that is India and now up against the high riding English who on the other hand has had a dream run under Strauss, demolishing everything before them.
Firstly the rumours about infighting in the Aussie camp are also rife. It is no secret that the current vice captain Michael Clark feels that Ponting has over stayed his initial welcome and it is time that the captaincy should be rightfully his. It was also known that the captain and the vice captain didn’t see eye to eye on the tour of India with Clark not been used too much as a left arm spinner when most felt he could have been useful.
Besides that the Aussies don’t look the side they were some time ago. It is not everyday that a team loses stalwarts at the same time and the Australians lost Hayden, Gilchrist and before that McGrath and Warne very quickly. In addition Brett Lee their leading fast bowler has been plagued with Injury and Tait who is one bowler with real penetration is not yet in the Test line up. What's more the form of Mitchell Johnson has been appalling too and the Australians have suddenly lost a spearhead and have been compensated by the likes of Bollinger and Hilfenhaus and Siddle who are no where in the league their predecessors were and hence that has caused Aussies a huge problem.
In the department of spin England has the leading spinner in the world at least statistically in Graeme Swann. Australia has nobody to show. Hauritz who was thought to be the answer has been dropped and they now have a spinner as green as the cap he uses in Xavier Doherty. Come the Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney, the Aussies are bound to struggle considering the spin friendly nature of the surface at those venues.
If the fast bowling is weak and spin is thin, the batting hasn’t been settled either. Watson and Katich though blending well as openers are not cut out for the job as neither come from such a background. Both were middle order batters and it was just circumstances that converted them to open. In fairness they have done a decent job without being great. One of the biggest issues though has been the fact that Watson hasn’t been able to go on and make the big hundred which has been the case with former openers, causing the middle order to be strained. However it should be noted that Katich has been different. He was the Australian cricketer of the year in 2009 and it is hoped he could carry forward his form in to the Ashes. Following the openers is Ponting a veteran who appears to have his best days behind him with his known weakness against the short ball, then an out of form Clarke who has had his runs drying out a struggling Hussey who is under severe pressure and the highly promising though not the top line Marcus North! Hardly an inspiring crew on form if you are an Aussie fan!
This clearly makes the job of Ponting as captain an immensely a difficult one. Add to that I wonder whether Ponting enjoys the same level of support from his team mates as he did in the past and it is an obvious fact that cracks that was never seen, has started to appear from nowhere in the Australian team. This is mainly due to either losing or not blending as a team. Hence it only adds to the woes of Ponting who has to focus on that area too, besides his own personal form and fortunes of the team. Not an easy task for any leader.
With such a background one cant be too hot about the Australian chances at least in the current Ashes though similar to any other team in the world the Aussies are going through a rebuilding stage after they appear to have lost the dominance they created during the last two decades. It is a tough call for Australian cricket and it is never easy to find yourself down after being so far up and above the rest!
England though has had a dream run up to now and their billing as the favourites to win the Ashes is not far from the truth. They are the superior team with a healthier record and players of better quality which hadn’t been the case with them for a very long time. From an English point of view it is a positive step that the policy of using mediocre English players has been abandoned. One wonders otherwise how the likes of Derek Pringle, Mark Elham, David Capel and a few others recently could have ever played for England.
The policy seems to pay off with specialists being used and the form of young Finn and Anderson as well as Broad and Swann has been outstanding. The English batting too has looked solid and stable after quite a while with Jonathan Trott adding the much needed muscle in the middle. Despite all the positives the English carry and the negatives the Aussies appear to be struggling with, cricket is an unpredictable game and can never be expected to keep to the pre game notions. Don’t be surprised if Australia re claim the Ashes and England suffer humiliation, though the world of cricket might want to see a change in that order.
Roshan Abeysinghe is a leading cricket promoter and an international cricket commentator |
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