Australia's courageous selection(s)?

Even though the bookies may still have Australia as favourites, it's England who look, on the eve of the First Ashes Test, to be on the front foot. In the preliminary matches the visitors have defeated WA, had the better of a draw against SA, and walloped Australia A by 10 wickets.

The England approach has been low key: quiet confidence which stops well short of hubris. On the other hand Australia's has fluctuated between confidence and confusion as injury worries and selection issues attract a broad spectrum of opinion ,much of it critical.

The England team is, and probably has been for several weeks, settled. Each member, Kevin Pietersen perhaps excepted, is in form. The Australian selectors have, by dropping offspinner Nathan Hauritz in favour of the unTested slow left armer Xavier Doherty, taken what Sir Humphrey Appleby (and many others) would call a "courageous decision". I'm not one of them, not because I believe that Doherty demands a place but because, after watching much of the two-Test series v India, I don't think that Hauritz is bowling all that well.

While all the indications are that Australia will, like England, play three quick and one slow bowler, the nature of the Gabba wicket (and maybe weather) together with Australia's relatively strong quick bowling resources might have inclined the selectors to omit the specialist spinner.

Let's hope the conditions allow a good contest. If I had to stick my neck out I'd opt for a draw, not least because the weather forecast for the next few days isn't too promising.

Australia bat Lions out of game as umpire's back strikes

Australia 358 and 4/438 dec (M North 191*, M Clarke 80, M Hussey 62 ret hurt) drew with England Lions 352 and 4/162: Tour match Day 4 at Worcester.

Scorecard


A not unpredictable result.

Postives for Australia which emerged from the match:

# Batting of Mike Hussey, Marcus North and Michael Clarke

# Brett Lee's bowling

Continuing concerns:

# Spin bowling: I thought Simon Katich looked the best of the three who bowled in the Lions' second innings

# Phillip Hughes opening the batting

# Brad Haddin's wicketkeeping.

Photos

1. Umpire Evans collapsing at what turned out to be the end of the match: note Australians first to help him.

2. Nasser Hussain during a tea interval masterclass doing an unacknowledged imitation of Victor Trumper.

North 's century reassures Australia but other problems remain.: Tour match Day 3

Australians 358 & 4/276 (M North 106*, M Clarke 80) lead England Lions 352 (S Moore 120, J Denly 66, A Rashid 66, S Davies 53, B Lee 6/76) by 282 runs with 6 wickets in hand: Day 3 at Worcester

The England Lions lower order, despite a feisty knock from Adil Rashid, didn't bat well enough to get a first innings lead.

Then Australia wobbled once more as Steve Harmison reprised his first innings performance and exposed Phillip Hughes' weakness against the short ball (he also reminded us that Ricky Ponting is not infallible). Nasser Hussain provided an excellent televised centre wicket tutorial during the tea interval about Hughes' flaw and Harmison's exposure of it.

Simon Katich compiled 37 before Michael Clarke (80/129b/8x4) and Marcus North (106*/185b/13x4) played themselves into form against bowling of variable quality. Clarke was his usual elegant self while North was effective if no match for his vice-captain in the fluency stakes.

There may not be enough time left to force a result but there should be enough interest to keep me up late again tonight.

Scorecard

The other warm up game, England v Warwickshire at Edgbaston ended, as was not exactly unexpected given that only 3 days were allocated, in a draw. The national team had much the better of it. Australian supporters will be hoping that the England selectors, on the strength of Monty Panesar's figures in the match, will include him in the First Test XI.

Scorecard

Lee fires, other bowlers fizzle

England Lions 6/302 (81.0 ov, S Moore 120, J Denly 66, S Davies 53, B Lee 5/53) trail Australians 358 (M Hussey 150, S Harmison 4/80) by 56 runs with 4 first inns wickets in hand: Day 2 at Worcester.

A disappointing effort from the Australian bowlers, Brett Lee excepted, today after Mike Hussey's 150/234b/19x4 underwrote a reasonable team total of 358 .

England Lions got out of the blocks and more with an opening partnership of 172 before Lee, summoned from autograph signing on the boundary by his less than amused captain, produced a great spell (and almost a hat trick) which brought Australia back into the game. Unfortunately he wasn't well supported: Mitchell Johnson was prodigal, Stuart Clark merely steady and Nathan Hauritz alternated between steadiness and innocuousness.

In the field the Australians visibly lacked enthusiasm and seemed to confirm what Robin Martin-Jenkins , who played in the Sussex warm-up match, wrote in Wisden Cricketer "they lacked the presence that the best team in the world should have". To RM-J one manifestation of this was a lack of sledging, which seems hard to imagine, but perhaps that will change when the Test series begins. On the evidence of the first two days of this match, a few other things will need to.

Scorecard

Australia looks good on paper, despite obvious cracks

Australians 8/337 (90 ov, M Hussey 143* S Katich 95, T Bresnan 3/36, S Harmison 3/67) v England Lions: Day 1 at Worcester.

After all sorts of off-field distractions including Michael Vaughan's retirement , Andrew Flintoff's reprimand for missing a team bonding trip to Ypres and a crackbrained proposal from the ICC president to reduce Tests to four days traditional first class cricket for the Australians resumed today at Worcester, a traditional English cricket ground.

Unlike the days when Worcester hosted the first in a series of preliminary matches (and Don Bradman invariably produced a century or double century) this is the only scheduled first class match before the Test series begins

While the 8/337 doesn't seem a bad day's work for the batting side, the scorecard reveals that without Mike Hussey's 143* and Simon Katich's 95 there's little scope for complacency, let alone hubris. Phil Hughes' weakness outside off stump was exposed, Ricky Ponting played an uncharacteristically airy shot to slip, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin were ordinary, while Marcus North looked out of his depth.

The Lions' pace attack did well: Steve "Lazarus" Harmison bowled with both fire and accuracy, the wiry Graeme Onions continued his excellent 2009 county form while the stockier Tim Bresnan came back well after a wobbly start . Sajjid Mahmood had a few moments, though Adil Rashid looked as if he needs more time to prepare himself for the longest form of the game (but I still believe he's a great prospect).

The Sky Sports TV coverage was most appropriate: its customary professionalism ( underlined by occasional crosses to the England v Warwickshire practice match) had a bucolic tinge which reminded me of a line from John Arlott's poem about cricket at Worcester "And the bar stayed open all day". In these politically correct times no commentator would dare admit on air (or in verse) to having a drink in the workplace (aka at the ground) : Michael Atherton's icecream (from the Dean's Ices van) was the closest to this, but if the obesity police have their way perhaps he'll be either reprimanded a la Flintoff or, as we say in these parts, on the outer. I hope not.