Counting down to the back-to-back Ashes series in 2013/14
Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 5:51 pmIn eighteen months time, the oldest surviving international rivalry will once again be played out, as a captivated audience from around the cricket world will watch two old foes slug it out once more for what they both regard as the ultimate prize in Test cricket, the Ashes.
This next encounter, however, will be quite different compared to others that have taken place, in that following the conclusion of the series in England, both teams will then face off against one another in Australia, effectively providing 10 consecutive Ashes Tests in a row!
With England having comprehensively retained the Urn during the last encounter, which represented the lowest point for Australian cricket since the mid 80’s, time has moved on, allowing the Aussies time for a media circus to unfold and a national enquiry to take place. Accordingly, changes have been aplenty in the Oz set-up, and not before time. Thankfully, the tenure of Andrew Hilditch as chief selector is mercifully at an end. Time also came to an end for coach Tim Nielsen, replaced by Mickey Arthur, a South African! Michael Clarke has succeeded Ricky Ponting as captain, and a number of changes have already taken place on the selection front, with more sure to follow between now and 2013.
Following the two-Test series with New Zealand, the rebuilding Aussies have a four-Test series against an Indian side, who appear to be on the very edge of a transitional period themselves. Then comes a three Test-match series in the West Indies, where the Aussies will be expecting to do well. During the Oz summer next year, South Africa and Sri Lanka will be coming over for three Tests each, before Australia fly off to India for four Tests, and then hopefully participation in the inaugural Test play-off in England, before the battle for the Ashes kicks off.
In terms of player personnel, I’d expect both Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey to have retired, along with possibly Brad Haddin. The last of the old guard would effectively be all gone, as the next generation for the baggygreen dig themselves in for the long haul. The batting is likely to be built around Michael Clarke, who seems to have taken to his new role of captain like a duck to water.
Hopefully, there won’t be too many ducks, with the likes of Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Nic Maddinson, and possibly Dave Warner make up the core of the Australian batting attack. Bowling wise is anyone’s guess, given the rate of injuries sustained by the Oz bowlers. In an ideal world, we would see the likes of Pat Cummins and James Pattinson lead the attack, with support from Josh Hazelwood and maybe Nathan Lyon, if he continues to perform as well as he has been so far. Behind the stumps will almost certainly be Tim Paine, although I wouldn’t lose too much sleep if it ends up being Matthew Wade.
Since England’s historic win down under, during which several records were broken, they have gone from strength to strength, and now currently sit as the number one ranked Test nation in the world. Gone are the days of England being a calamitous outfit, where selectors were often accused of “shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic” when they made changes. It would seem that the pendulum has swung, with the England Test squad as strong as it’s ever been during the modern era. It really is amazing to think how far England have come under the watchful eye of coach Andy Flower, given the shambolic state of affairs under Peter Moores.
England have quite a challenging road to the ashes themselves, starting with a three-test match series against an improving Pakistan in the UAE. This will be followed with two Tests against a rapidly declining Sri Lanka away. The English home season will then feature three Tests each against the West Indies and South Africa. A tough away series in India for four Tests follows, with a further three against New Zealand in the land of the long white cloud! The Kiwis then back up with two more Tests to kick start the English summer..
England’s last appointment before the ashes will be its participation in the Test play-off, which could very well see them facing off against the Aussies!
Under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss, England has had a stability that was seen for a period under Michael Vaughan, but has lasted longer this time. A considerably more experienced batting line-up will feature Alistair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell. KP’s inclusion remains to be seen, as does Eoin Morgan’s. Bowling wise, England are blessed with plenty of depth, which has really been the catalyst for their rise to the top of the heap. James Anderson leads an attack that features Steve Finn, Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett. Obviously one of those four would have to make way for the spinner, which is likely to be Graeme Swann.
In all, the England team won’t look that dissimilar to the one that wiped the floor with the Aussies a year ago. By stark contrast, the Aussies will be very much a different outfit. What is in stall for fans of both teams is an anxious wait between now and the middle of 2013, and the promise of a long and drawn out contest spanning half a calendar year, which will almost certainly provide us all with memories that will live forever.
How do you think the lead-up to the next Ashes contest will unfold for these teams? Who do you think will be in the mix for the starting XI’s when it all kicks off? Only 500 odd more sleeps left!
With England having comprehensively retained the Urn during the last encounter, which represented the lowest point for Australian cricket since the mid 80’s, time has moved on, allowing the Aussies time for a media circus to unfold and a national enquiry to take place. Accordingly, changes have been aplenty in the Oz set-up, and not before time. Thankfully, the tenure of Andrew Hilditch as chief selector is mercifully at an end. Time also came to an end for coach Tim Nielsen, replaced by Mickey Arthur, a South African! Michael Clarke has succeeded Ricky Ponting as captain, and a number of changes have already taken place on the selection front, with more sure to follow between now and 2013.
Following the two-Test series with New Zealand, the rebuilding Aussies have a four-Test series against an Indian side, who appear to be on the very edge of a transitional period themselves. Then comes a three Test-match series in the West Indies, where the Aussies will be expecting to do well. During the Oz summer next year, South Africa and Sri Lanka will be coming over for three Tests each, before Australia fly off to India for four Tests, and then hopefully participation in the inaugural Test play-off in England, before the battle for the Ashes kicks off.
In terms of player personnel, I’d expect both Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey to have retired, along with possibly Brad Haddin. The last of the old guard would effectively be all gone, as the next generation for the baggygreen dig themselves in for the long haul. The batting is likely to be built around Michael Clarke, who seems to have taken to his new role of captain like a duck to water.
Since England’s historic win down under, during which several records were broken, they have gone from strength to strength, and now currently sit as the number one ranked Test nation in the world. Gone are the days of England being a calamitous outfit, where selectors were often accused of “shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic” when they made changes. It would seem that the pendulum has swung, with the England Test squad as strong as it’s ever been during the modern era. It really is amazing to think how far England have come under the watchful eye of coach Andy Flower, given the shambolic state of affairs under Peter Moores.
England have quite a challenging road to the ashes themselves, starting with a three-test match series against an improving Pakistan in the UAE. This will be followed with two Tests against a rapidly declining Sri Lanka away. The English home season will then feature three Tests each against the West Indies and South Africa. A tough away series in India for four Tests follows, with a further three against New Zealand in the land of the long white cloud! The Kiwis then back up with two more Tests to kick start the English summer..
Under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss, England has had a stability that was seen for a period under Michael Vaughan, but has lasted longer this time. A considerably more experienced batting line-up will feature Alistair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell. KP’s inclusion remains to be seen, as does Eoin Morgan’s. Bowling wise, England are blessed with plenty of depth, which has really been the catalyst for their rise to the top of the heap. James Anderson leads an attack that features Steve Finn, Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett. Obviously one of those four would have to make way for the spinner, which is likely to be Graeme Swann.
In all, the England team won’t look that dissimilar to the one that wiped the floor with the Aussies a year ago. By stark contrast, the Aussies will be very much a different outfit. What is in stall for fans of both teams is an anxious wait between now and the middle of 2013, and the promise of a long and drawn out contest spanning half a calendar year, which will almost certainly provide us all with memories that will live forever.
How do you think the lead-up to the next Ashes contest will unfold for these teams? Who do you think will be in the mix for the starting XI’s when it all kicks off? Only 500 odd more sleeps left!
