In 2013, England went Down Under with a side that had been around a bit, but many thought were still capable of winning. A few tests later, Jonathan Trott was close to hospitalisation through cricket overload, Graeme Swann had retired and no one could cope with the Aussie conditions as Mitchell Johnson dynamited his way through innings after innings and probably through Ayres Rock between games.
No one thought England would win the first test, but history is now firmly in their favour: sides hardly ever come from behind (1997 and 2005 being the last 2 instances) and the last time a man in a Baggy Green left Blighty with the Urn in his bag was in 2001. It is difficult to come from behind, and it is difficult to win away. Which by my maths makes it doubly difficult to do both. The England side has been re-built since it's antipodean, moustachioed mauling and now knows it can beat this lot, and beat them well. One match into this Ashes series, Australia should be looking back and learning lessons - fast.
England tried to eke just one more series out of a successful but ageing side, and failed miserably. Woefully. Tear-inducingly and suicide-motivatingly. Say what you like about Steve Smith being world class, they said it all about Kevin Pietersen. Say what you like about either Mitchell: we were assured Jimmy would find just enough swing with those ruler-impersonating Kookaburra atrocities to make him dangerous. Pre-series talk counts for bugger all, for which I am eternally grateful because in these heady days of ubiquitous media it is increasingly tedious. England failed to heed their early warning signs and were smashed to bits, box by box.
For Australia, the early warning signs have been rung, loud and clear. Number one: down in Cardiff they'd taken the bowlers out of Australia but they hadn't taken Australia out of the bowlers. Bouncers won't get you as many wickets up here as they will in Perth. You're less likely to be able to tell an opposition tail ender to get ready for a broken arm and mean it. Pitches around the world - be they in Bangladesh or Barbados, Calcutta or Cape Town - have their own characteristics and their own ways to take wickets. Australia, first and foremost, need to wake up and realise this is not the Gabba. Bowl full. Persevere. Exploit the swing and get your nicks.
Number two: Shane Watson is as likely to get out lbw as a crocodile is to live near water. Certain. Without fail. Ad infinitum. That can be forgiven for a series or even a season, but over 6 years for a test batsman it must have worn a bit thin and there hasn't been any obvious tinkering with his technique to try and combat it. Does he not think it's an issue? Judging by his use of the DRS, it's more likely he simply doesn't understand what 'LBW' means. When others score runs and he contributes with the ball, this particular crack has paper over it. Neither of those two things happened in Cardiff.
Number 3: Brad Haddin and David Warner averaged 58.11 and 61.62 respectively in the last Ashes. They were the top two run scorers. Warner averages 22 in England and Haddin 30, but 17.92 everywhere over the last year. Stats don't tell you everything and the fact that Warner almost survived until lunch on day 4 says bags for his character, but Broad had him on toast. He needs to work out how to score runs in England, and Haddin needs to catch his catches. His drop of Joe Root on 0 cost Australia this game and that's the end of it. Another costly miss at Lords will have even more folk casting their eyes over his age and wondering whether or not he's past it. You can't quite throw Chris Rogers in as well, but it would only take 2 or 3 failures before you could. As with Watson, there's only so loud annoying noises can get before you have to do something about them.
Number 4: Michael Clarke. Same stats: average of 46.38 in England, 31.3 over the last 12 months. More worryingly, Clarke was the main man who had to grasp the conditions and didn't. The tactics were wrong in the first innings, and then were persevered with when it became clear they were not working. A portion of blame goes to the bowlers, but equally to Clarke, who should have known better. And he has a dodgy back.
It's a sad fact in sport that most good teams are allowed to go on playing until someone gives them an unceremonious hiding. England have earned their last 2 (out of a total of 3) Ashes whitewashes through this policy and to stick or twist is now the question facing Australia. For the second test in Adelaide at the back end of 2013, everyone said that not panicking and sticking by their guns was the right call for England. It wasn't, but whoever they brought in would probably have lost as well: it takes years of planning ahead to get succession working as an easy process and the All Blacks are the only people who do it consistently. But Australia clearly need to up their game, and the areas to do it in are there for all to see. The question is, can they? It's a tough thing to do, and I for one would like to wish them absolutely no luck at all.
No one thought England would win the first test, but history is now firmly in their favour: sides hardly ever come from behind (1997 and 2005 being the last 2 instances) and the last time a man in a Baggy Green left Blighty with the Urn in his bag was in 2001. It is difficult to come from behind, and it is difficult to win away. Which by my maths makes it doubly difficult to do both. The England side has been re-built since it's antipodean, moustachioed mauling and now knows it can beat this lot, and beat them well. One match into this Ashes series, Australia should be looking back and learning lessons - fast.
England tried to eke just one more series out of a successful but ageing side, and failed miserably. Woefully. Tear-inducingly and suicide-motivatingly. Say what you like about Steve Smith being world class, they said it all about Kevin Pietersen. Say what you like about either Mitchell: we were assured Jimmy would find just enough swing with those ruler-impersonating Kookaburra atrocities to make him dangerous. Pre-series talk counts for bugger all, for which I am eternally grateful because in these heady days of ubiquitous media it is increasingly tedious. England failed to heed their early warning signs and were smashed to bits, box by box.
For Australia, the early warning signs have been rung, loud and clear. Number one: down in Cardiff they'd taken the bowlers out of Australia but they hadn't taken Australia out of the bowlers. Bouncers won't get you as many wickets up here as they will in Perth. You're less likely to be able to tell an opposition tail ender to get ready for a broken arm and mean it. Pitches around the world - be they in Bangladesh or Barbados, Calcutta or Cape Town - have their own characteristics and their own ways to take wickets. Australia, first and foremost, need to wake up and realise this is not the Gabba. Bowl full. Persevere. Exploit the swing and get your nicks.
Number two: Shane Watson is as likely to get out lbw as a crocodile is to live near water. Certain. Without fail. Ad infinitum. That can be forgiven for a series or even a season, but over 6 years for a test batsman it must have worn a bit thin and there hasn't been any obvious tinkering with his technique to try and combat it. Does he not think it's an issue? Judging by his use of the DRS, it's more likely he simply doesn't understand what 'LBW' means. When others score runs and he contributes with the ball, this particular crack has paper over it. Neither of those two things happened in Cardiff.
Number 3: Brad Haddin and David Warner averaged 58.11 and 61.62 respectively in the last Ashes. They were the top two run scorers. Warner averages 22 in England and Haddin 30, but 17.92 everywhere over the last year. Stats don't tell you everything and the fact that Warner almost survived until lunch on day 4 says bags for his character, but Broad had him on toast. He needs to work out how to score runs in England, and Haddin needs to catch his catches. His drop of Joe Root on 0 cost Australia this game and that's the end of it. Another costly miss at Lords will have even more folk casting their eyes over his age and wondering whether or not he's past it. You can't quite throw Chris Rogers in as well, but it would only take 2 or 3 failures before you could. As with Watson, there's only so loud annoying noises can get before you have to do something about them.
Number 4: Michael Clarke. Same stats: average of 46.38 in England, 31.3 over the last 12 months. More worryingly, Clarke was the main man who had to grasp the conditions and didn't. The tactics were wrong in the first innings, and then were persevered with when it became clear they were not working. A portion of blame goes to the bowlers, but equally to Clarke, who should have known better. And he has a dodgy back.
It's a sad fact in sport that most good teams are allowed to go on playing until someone gives them an unceremonious hiding. England have earned their last 2 (out of a total of 3) Ashes whitewashes through this policy and to stick or twist is now the question facing Australia. For the second test in Adelaide at the back end of 2013, everyone said that not panicking and sticking by their guns was the right call for England. It wasn't, but whoever they brought in would probably have lost as well: it takes years of planning ahead to get succession working as an easy process and the All Blacks are the only people who do it consistently. But Australia clearly need to up their game, and the areas to do it in are there for all to see. The question is, can they? It's a tough thing to do, and I for one would like to wish them absolutely no luck at all.
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