Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

21 November- Perth.
4 December- Brisbane
17 December- Adelaide
25 December- Melbourne
3 January- Sydney

England preparing with a limited overs series in NZ and a game v England Lions in Perth.

McCullum says the England squad will be predictable, which means to me...

Crawley/Duckett/Pope/Root/Brook/Stokes/Bethell/Smith
Dawson/Bashir/Archer/Atkinson/Wood/Carse/Tongue/Potts

How we have changed. The two teams the last time they met in Australia four years ago in Hobart. Austraila won by 146 runs and beat the tourists 4-0.

Warner/Khawaja/Labuschagne/Smith/Head/Green/Carey/Starc/Cummins/Lyon/Boland

Burns/Crawley/Malan/Root/Stokes/Pope/Billings/Woakes/Broad/Wood/Robinson.

Also played for Australia: Harris/Neser/Richardson/Hazlewood
And for England: Bairstow/Hameed/Buttler/Leach/Anderson.

300+ runs: Head/Labuschagne/Root

18+ wickets: Cummins/Starc/Boland.

And lest we forget, covid restrictions were in place. Players who tested positive missed games.

I have a feeling that Matty Potts, released to play in the final 3 CC matches, is busy playing himself out of contention

There are a few other names, but they tend to be injured.

Let's have a look at averages over the last couple of years. Maybe this isn't very useful as England haven't played in Australia for four years, but it at least gives an idea about who is in form. I've placed like v like rather than represented who will bat where. Not clear to me who will open with Khawaja. Konstas didn't do well in WI and Labuschagne opened in Test final at Lord's

Batting

Duckett 44/35 Khawaja
Crawley 37/35 Webster
Pope 39/28 Labuschagne
Root 56/42 Smith
Brook 52/37 Head
Stokes 35/29 Green
Smith 49/37 Carey
Atkinson 22/18 Cummins
Wood 14/16 Starc
Archer 11/10 Hazlewood
Bashir 7/13 Lyon

Bowling

Atkinson 22/25 Starc
Archer 29/24 Cummins
Wood 29/19 Hazlewood
Stokes 29/37 Green
Bashir 39/24 Lyon




Aussie batting

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engin ... pe=batting

Aussie bowling

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engin ... pe=bowling

England batting


https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engin ... pe=batting

England bowling

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engin ... pe=bowling

Smith and Head have also opened, but presumably won't.

So the certainty is the Aussie will have the stronger attack, but how the batters shape up is less certain.

Interesting averages list.

Thing that most concerns me about England's batting (I fancy the bowlers will do OK , barring too many injuries) is that apart from Stokes , none of them has ever made a century in Australia. Not even Root. And while Root still has scored runs here before , the same can't be said of any of the others. Several of them haven't even played red ball stuff in Australia ; and of those who have , Crawley's record is average and Pope's is awful.
If Bethell is the anointed "only spare bat" then he is almost certain to replace Pope after a game or tow (unless His Holiness has something new up his sleeve) ; and I honestly can't see him lasting long against Starc and Hazlewood. Not sure who else they could take who would do any better though

Going to need big runs from that middle order , I think. And/or some real magic from the bowlers. Aussie batting does look vulnerable so hoping for a competitive series this time...

I think the England batting will be able to match Australia, but the bowling will depend on how able Stokes will be to bowl. If he can't take a full part in a 5 man attack, then I doubt England will get much joy down under. We can never rule out a barnstorming batting performance from a couple of batters that wins England a test match, but that won't win the ashes.

Besides, the schedule means they are almost certainly going to head into the first test undercooked and history suggests that once Aus get their noses in front, then the only question will be by how many test matches they win

I can't foresee a whitewash this time, because I don't think Australia's batting is strong enough for that, but I still think they'll win reasonably comfortably...... and I'll be first in line to point out the result to Key, whilst telling him that he was wrong and was always wrong

Crawley gets talked up as someone who will do well in Australia. But did very badly last time. The batting is very brittle, except for Root, and potentially Brook.

England could do with getting something from this, given their recent form. Something like a 1-2 would be at least competitive. A 4/5-0 should trigger some change.

Which should worry them all, as that is what usually happens.

Got a hunch that Bashir might be the sort of spinner who does ok in Australia.

I picked Dawson as reserve because BMcC said the squad will be predictable and he was the latest replacement for Bash. But I'd pick Leach and I'd rather take Rehan than the eighth pace bowler (including Stokes) they are threatening.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:There are a few other names, but they tend to be injured.

Woakes, even.

not Woakes

Baker. Might even be vice captain.